The Greatest Manager of All time

The Swansea players happily went home, but the FA were extremely displeased.

Swansea!

Swansea again!

It was as if Swansea would not be happy unless they caused some kind of commotion during the Christmas holiday period every season!

Although voices inside the FA called for Swansea to be severely punished, once the result was announced, the outcome once again shocked everyone.

Alan Pardew was banned for three matches, and Reading were fined £50,000.

Swansea manager Lynn received a written warning from the FA for improper post-match comments, and Swansea were fined £30,000.

The next day, Fleet Street media published their match reports, and the FA's punishment became a hot topic.

The Sun collected all of Lynn's "out-of-line" words and actions during the match, then ran the headline: Why Did the FA Only Punish Reading Heavily?

"The FA's punishment is completely unconvincing. It reminds us of Swansea's match against Cardiff City around this time last year. After that match, players from both teams broke out into a large-scale conflict. In truth, responsibility for that incident was difficult to determine, because it takes two hands to clap, yet Swansea's final punishment was far too light!

"And today, the same thing has happened again. After Lynn and Alan Pardew clashed and nearly triggered another brawl between the two teams, the FA once again showed mercy to Swansea. Instead, Reading received heavy punishment. The impact of Alan Pardew being banned for three matches on the team can easily be imagined, yet Lynn has escaped punishment.

"This cannot help but make people wonder: why exactly is the FA so tolerant toward Swansea, even indulgent?"

The Welsh media, meanwhile, attacked Reading overwhelmingly while praising Swansea for playing a great match under countless difficulties.

Leo Sharp of the Western Mail wrote:

"A perfectly good goal was disallowed, and a penalty was wrongly awarded against them. In the first half of Swansea's top-of-the-table clash with Reading, they could be said to have been playing with a two-goal disadvantage!

"But under Lynn's brilliant command and adjustments, Swansea quickly reversed the situation.

"This time, Lynn did not use his substitution magic. Instead, he showed everyone the magic of his in-game management. James Cook moving into midfield and Tobias Rau playing as a winger were the two most direct changes, and they gave Swansea's tactical system a completely new look, releasing immeasurable power!

"Under this new attacking system, Reading were caught completely unprepared. By the end of the first half, Swansea had already completed the comeback!

"The Swans launched a powerful counterattack against unfair fate, and their resistance received the best possible reward. In the second half, they completely crushed Reading in one-sided fashion.

"Alan Pardew lost control of his emotions on the touchline, flying into a rage. He offended Swansea's manager, drawing intense dissatisfaction from Swansea's officials.

"Yes, if any Swansea fan had been standing beside Lynn, they would have done the same thing, even if it was an impulsive act of violence.

"The FA saw everything clearly. Alan Pardew being banned for only three matches is already a small punishment meant as a major warning.

"After winning this match, Swansea now lead both Reading and Brighton by ten points in the table. Their record across the first half of the season can only be described as magnificent!

"Let us all say Happy New Year to Swansea together, and hope they continue riding the wind and breaking the waves in the new year, charging toward the shore of success!"

Although the FA's public punishment did not include any information about Joseph Levin, that did not mean they would ignore the scene of Joseph Levin viciously shoving Alan Pardew to the ground.

Because Joseph Levin's identity was rather special — he was a Swansea official — the FA decided to hold a hearing to investigate the inside story behind Joseph Levin's actions.

Had someone incited him?

Were there problems with the club's internal management system?

As it happened, Joseph Levin had returned to London, so he attended the FA hearing on the way. Then he took all responsibility onto himself. The FA's punishment for him was quickly decided: a season-long ban!

For all remaining Swansea matches this season, Joseph Levin would not be allowed to enter the stadium.

Joseph Levin had no intention of appealing. In truth, he did not need to enter the stadium to watch matches anyway, and this punishment did not affect him doing his work properly.

The Christmas fixture rush arrived. Only one day after the match against Reading, Swansea hurried away to challenge Wycombe Wanderers.

With the experience of the previous year, Lynn had gained a good grasp of how to rotate the team through a dense schedule and manage the players' physical consumption well.

After winning 2–1 away at Wycombe Wanderers, a result more thrilling than dangerous, Swansea continued to lead second-placed Brighton by ten points in the Second Division table. Their lead over Reading, however, had grown to twelve points, because Reading had been held to a draw in this round!

On January 2, in the 25th round of the Second Division, Swansea hosted relegation-zone Bournemouth at home. Firing on all cylinders, Swansea swept aside their opponent 5–0.

After this round ended, Swansea's next league match would be a week later, so the team was able to relax slightly.

On the afternoon of January 3, Lynn was at home dressing up. He changed into a brand-new suit, put on a dark blue tie, and looked extremely sharp after tidying himself up.

Tang Yue and Lin Jiajie were already waiting downstairs. After Lynn came down, he asked, "What car are we taking today?"

Lin Jiajie casually said, "Any car is fine."

Lynn smiled. "Then I'll drive the sports car."

Tang Yue smiled helplessly. "Son, do you really like showing off that much?"

Lynn shook his head. "Because I feel like I'm about to say goodbye to my youth. If I don't show off while I still can, I won't have the chance later."

"I really can't do anything with you. Then your father and I will take one car. You can decide for yourself."

Lynn smiled and walked out of the villa. He arrived in front of the garage, pressed the remote door button, then entered the garage and drove out a Lamborghini.

Today was the New Year reception hosted by Swansea City Council. The venue was the County Hall south of Lynn's home. Many officials and celebrities from other cities in West Glamorgan would attend the reception.

The Lin family had been invited as honored guests.

Likewise, as a well-known local Swansea family, the Taylor family had also received an invitation.

The team had the day off, allowing the players to relax properly during the Christmas holiday as well.

Many players had gone home to reunite with their families, but some players stayed in Swansea.

James Cook slept in today and did not wake up until close to noon. After eating at home, he went out for a jog and eventually came to the club's indoor training center building.

He wanted to casually practice his touch. In the indoor room where Cromwell had suggested installing a serving machine to help players sharpen their technique, James Cook had just arrived when he saw Evra standing alone twenty yards in front of goal, training by himself.

One ball after another was fired out by the serving machine. As Evra moved, he met the ball directly and guided it toward goal. He was not practicing shooting. This was more like practicing one-touch play without stopping the ball.

Seeing James Cook arrive, Evra stopped the machine and asked curiously, "Why are you alone? Where's Oliver?"

Cromwell and Cook were always inseparable, so much so that outsiders almost mistakenly thought they were brothers.

James Cook leaned against the wall and smiled. "There's a New Year party at the County Hall today. Oliver's parents were invited, so they took him along. Why didn't you go home?"

Evra shook his head. "Too far. Going back and forth takes too much time. Might as well stay in Swansea. Are you here to train?"

James Cook nodded. "Mm. I'll use the other half of the pitch."

After the two trained in the room for about an hour, they sat together on the floor by the wall, drinking water and chatting casually.

"Days without companions are really boring."

Evra tilted his head back and complained.

James Cook agreed. "Yeah. Usually everyone's together, and now they've all suddenly left. It feels like everything has become quiet all at once. Christmas is supposed to be such a happy and lively holiday, but instead it feels really lonely."

Evra's eyes rolled, and he turned his head to stare at James Cook. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and said, "Let's go have some fun."

The moment James Cook heard that, he knew what Evra was thinking.

He immediately shook his head. "I don't want to drink again. We only drank at the club Christmas party ten days ago. And I don't want to go to a nightclub either. It's too noisy. Every time I come out of one, I wonder whether something's wrong with my hearing."

Evra looked at James Cook in speechless disbelief.

Look at him. What a good kid!

What did drinking ten days ago have to do with today?

Nightclubs were noisy? Of course they were. Without noise, where did the excitement come from? Where would people get to let themselves go? And where would girls come throwing themselves into your arms?

Evra said to James Cook, "Don't worry. We're not going to a bar, and we're not going to a nightclub! I'll take you somewhere fun. If you don't like it when we get there, we'll leave."

James Cook was still worried. He knew the place Evra was talking about definitely was not some "good place," so he asked, "Will it be dangerous?"

Evra quickly said, "Definitely not dangerous! We just need to bring money."

James Cook still did not feel at ease. "What if we get found out? I don't want to become Robert Badenberg."

Evra patted his shoulder and said, "Relax. The hound isn't in Swansea. He went back to London."

Ever since Joseph Levin had caught Badenberg and the others at the nightclub, quite a few players in the team had disliked him. After all, nobody liked sneaking out to have fun only to be watched by Joseph Levin. Because of that, some players privately called Joseph Levin "the hound."

James Cook hesitated for a moment. In the end, he could not resist the loneliness of the day or Evra's tempting proposal.

He thought, 'If I want to go home when we get there, then I'll just go home!'

After Evra and James Cook showered at the club, they each went home and changed into new clothes. Then they met at the agreed spot on Pier Street, and the two rode motorcycles toward eastern Swansea.

At six in the evening, the outside of the County Hall was packed with people. Many guests who had arrived had not rushed inside, and were instead chatting casually around the perimeter.

A dazzling white Lamborghini drove into the County Hall grounds, attracting everyone's gaze. They watched the Lamborghini enter a parking space, and the person who got out was none other than Lynn!

Lynn came to the entrance of the County Hall building. Today's reception was being held in the main hall. The staff had decorated the hall, setting up a stage in the center for speeches from county and city leaders, along with an open space for dancing.

Some people Lynn knew and some he did not all came up to greet him. Lynn did not put on airs and could chat a few words with anyone.

Catherine Carter had also received an invitation. During the year she had been with Lynn, she had become fairly familiar with Swansea's local upper-class social circle.

Carter came to Lynn's side and glanced at Lin Jiajie and Tang Yue, who were chatting happily with Mayor Charles Potter in the hall. She nudged Lynn's arm and said, "Should I go say hello to your parents?"

Lynn said casually, "Go if you want."

After he said that, Carter, dressed in a black evening gown, really did take her wine glass and walk toward Lin Jiajie.

Lynn leaned beside a large pillar and drank, searching the lively venue for Erin's figure. Suddenly, he saw a graceful woman sitting by a dining table in the front row of the hall. Her smooth, almost waist-length hair fell over her back, and the white dress she wore made her seem pure and flawless. Holding a book and reading with full focus, she looked completely out of place in this setting.

But Lynn smiled.

That was the girl from his dreams: Isabel Potter.

The eldest daughter of Mayor Charles Potter.

She was beautiful and kind, yet not good with words. Her personality leaned cold and distant, and she loved literature. Her only flaw might be that she did not like exercise. But among all the women Lynn had met in Britain, she was the only one who revealed a truly classical English temperament. Even if she had flaws, the virtues far outweighed them, and they could be ignored.

Lynn walked over with his wine glass. When he sat beside Isabel Potter, before he could speak, Isabel spoke first in a calm voice that sounded very pleasant to Lynn.

"I was still wondering when you would come over. Two minutes earlier than I expected."

Lynn chuckled. He had always liked Isabel Potter's unhurried temperament. He lowered his head and glanced at the cover of the book Isabel was holding, then said curiously, "Is that In Search of Lost Time?"

Lynn was, after all, proficient in several languages. He did not dare say he was absolutely skilled at literary translation, but he could still understand the basics.

The book Isabel was holding had a French cover.

Lynn asked strangely, "You read this book a long time ago, didn't you?"

This novel by the French stream-of-consciousness writer Marcel Proust was one of the most important literary works of the twentieth century.

As long as a literary work was relatively famous, Isabel had read it since childhood. Lynn was very certain of that, because in the past, he had tried to show off in front of Isabel with literary knowledge he had crammed at the last minute, only to fall behind her rhythm after just a couple of sentences.

Isabel turned the pages toward Lynn, revealing a gentle and beautiful smile. "But now I'm reading the original French version."

Lynn said nothing. He immediately gave her a thumbs-up.

The two soon began talking about other topics, such as Lynn's career in Swansea and Isabel's campus life at Cambridge.

Standing in the corner of the hall, Carter could not ignore Lynn enthusiastically chatting with an elegant and beautiful woman. She stood there, staring at Lynn and Isabel. At some unknown point, Erin walked to her side and said something that made Carter's sense of crisis explode violently.

"If you think I'm your love rival, then you're wrong. Your real love rival is over there. Her name is Isabel Potter."