Team Spirit

Chapter 99 (1.1 words, please subscribe) Crazy bargain hunting, Green Gun awakens
However, since Lu Kai is willing to take this risk, Joyce will definitely support him wholeheartedly.

Because Dartford gave up the English Third Division, he can only make money.

But if Dartford insists on advancing to the Second Division, he will reap both fame and fortune!
Dartford is his main achievement, and if he can make it up from the ninth tier to the professional league, it would be enough for him to advance further in the FA.

Will there still be less money then?

However, the risk of challenging the English Third Division is extremely high; failure would be catastrophic.

But Joyce doesn't need to take that risk.

Beautiful!
Joyce thought through the saddest things in her life, forcing a smile: "Fine, since you've made your decision, I won't try to persuade you otherwise."

"But don't worry, no matter what, I will always support you from behind! If Dartford wants to build stadiums, office buildings, etc., we will definitely simplify the process as much as possible."

"And I remember the FA is very welcoming of acquiring football assets! When the time comes, I'll go to the Football Association and the local government, and their support should include super low-interest loans!"

Lu Kai nodded: "Thank you very much, but if there were an interest-free loan..."

Joyce's smile faltered: "Uh... okay! I'll think of a way for you too!"

Lu Kai was very satisfied: "But our club's other conditions at this stage may not meet the requirements of the English Second Division. Will that be a problem?"

Joyce patted his chest and assured him, "No problem, you can rest assured."

"The Greifsend you acquired was built with this goal in mind, and now it's coming in handy, which actually saves you trouble."

"Let me take a look. As long as you rent a stadium that meets the requirements, there will be no obstacles to your promotion to the English Third Division."

"The stadium lighting, broadcast staff space, and staff space are easy to solve, as long as there are more than two thousand seats."

"There's plenty of everything in Greater London, including stadiums. You can go ahead and choose, and once you've made your selection, I'll talk to the other party..."

After Joyce left, Jiang Mengyun couldn't help but remark, "Joyce is actually a pretty nice person."

Lu Kai smiled but said nothing.

It is truly good.

But when things are bad, they can be really bad.

For example, if Dartford were promoted to League Three and then faced a financial crisis, or were relegated to League Five and went bankrupt, etc.

Joyce might be the one who cuts the meat the fastest.

When Dartford needs financing, this person might be the one to hold them back.

Of course, this is not to say that Joyce was bad.

People at this stage generally have the same mindset.

As long as you maintain your competitiveness, your advantage, and your own value, Joyce and his ilk will always be approachable.

But once you're unfortunately trapped and put on the table, everyone becomes a diner.

……

Sky Sports: "A grassroots miracle! Dartford have been confirmed for promotion to the professional leagues, according to the latest information released by the FA!"

BBC: "Three jumps in one year! From Level 7 to Level 4, remember their names, Dartford Royal VCD!"

France Football: "The most beautiful fairy tale unfolds in English football! Five-time champions Dartford will compete in the Third Division next season!"

At this stage, the Championship had not yet been established. After the Premier League came League One, League Two, and League Three, which were four tiers of professional leagues.

The Championship was only established in the 2004-2005 season, and the third tier was changed to League One and the fourth tier to League Two.

Sports Weekly: "France has Louis XV, England has Lu Kai XV! Chinese player Lu Kai crowned the strongest U15 player!"

Manchester Evening News: "A red-green duo dancing together is no longer a dream? Dartford's promotion to professional leagues may lead to a Gunners derby with Arsenal!"

AS: "Is this the chorus of a miracle or the prelude to a downfall? Dartford's new season in League Three, what's your opinion!"

Mundo Deportivo: "My opinion is that Lu Kai overreached and messed things up! Dartford simply doesn't have the ability to compete in professional leagues! They'll drop at least two leagues in the next three years!"

Daily Sports: "Behind Green Gun's upgrade is Lu Kai's short-sighted choice to isolate himself from major clubs!"

Amidst the widespread praise across Europe, Catalans always manage to find new angles to criticize Lu Kai.

This time, they raised a very real issue.

According to UEFA's current rules, as the owner of Dartford FC, Lu Kai will only be able to play for Dartford FC as the club enters the professional leagues, and will not be able to transfer to other professional leagues.

This is to avoid conflicts of interest, score manipulation, betting, and other illegal activities.

Of course, through a series of capital operations, Lu Kai could wash away his status as a shareholder, such as becoming a shareholder but not a controlling shareholder.

Even so, he can only join leagues in other countries at best, and cannot transfer to other professional teams in England, thus missing out on his Premier League dream.

You know, a genius of Lu Kai's caliber—yes, the Catalans are now acknowledging Lu Kai as a genius again—generally, around the age of sixteen, he would be promoted to the first team and given a match as a reward.

If you play for another two or three years, when you're nineteen or twenty, you'll have the opportunity to officially become an important rotation player for the team, making more than twenty appearances for the team in a season.

However, Lu Kai chose to stay at Dartford and play in the English Third Division at the age of sixteen, which wasn't too bad.

However, what's frightening is that at twenty years old, he'll probably still be playing in the English third division.

After all, Dartford, having skipped a grade, will likely face their biggest challenge in the next three or four years: avoiding relegation in the Third Division, time and time again.

This is still an optimistic estimate.

Almost every betting market lists Dartford as having the highest probability of relegation from League Three this season, at a staggering 99.99%!
Furthermore, some betting odds are quite bold, even predicting Dartford's trajectory for next season.

They believe there is an 80% chance that Dartford will be relegated from the fifth tier to the sixth tier next season.

In no time, this small green gun became the most eye-catching financial product in the online gambling market.

The returns from buying their downgraded products are higher than those from depositing money in a bank.

The probability of losing money as a result is even lower than that of depositing money in a bank.

It's a sure-fire way to make money; you should buy it too!

Therefore, even financial media outlets interviewed Lu Kai.

London Business Review: "Lu Kai, many people now consider Dartford a financial product. What is your opinion on this view? Does it hurt you?"

Lu Kai was puzzled: "Injured? Why? I think there's nothing wrong with that view. Dartford is certainly a high-quality financial product."

The host praised Lu Kai's attitude: "But we know that Dartford will take on a huge debt in order to be promoted to the English Third Division."

"If they are relegated, the team will inevitably go bankrupt."

How did you convince yourself to accept this outcome?

Lu Kai shook his head: "Why should we try to persuade them? This outcome won't happen; Dartford won't be relegated."

The host explained, "So you're being hypocritical? You actually can't accept that Dartford isn't favored by everyone, right?"

Lu Kai: "In fact, regardless of whether people are optimistic about Dartford, Dartford will get better."

"If your understanding of financial products is that they preserve value, then financial products themselves do not preserve value; it's a deceptive concept."

"And if you want your property to appreciate in value, then I'm telling you, Dartford is the right choice."

"But it wasn't about relegating us, nor was it about keeping us in the top flight; it was about choosing us..."

"upgrade!"

The host was so surprised that he dropped his script.

WTF?

What did she hear?
"Excuse me, did I hear you correctly?" The host asked Lu Kai in shock, "You mean an upgrade?"

Lu Kai nodded firmly and said, "Of course, upgrade!"

"If you know Dartford, you'll know this isn't surprising."

"Because our ultimate goal is to play in the Premier League!"

“I admit that jumping three levels is a big challenge for us, but I believe our players are capable of accomplishing this task.”

“I believe that the players in the Dartford squad will eventually be able to establish themselves in the Premier League. They have the ability, and the team will develop them in that direction.”

The host was speechless.

Because reality is too fragmented.

People can be foolish.

You can also go crazy.

But once these mentally challenged individuals have figured things out within a flawed logical loop, then sending Zhou Chu to find them might be the only solution.

Lu Kai played well.

But apart from that, he is mentally challenged.

This episode generated a significant response in both the financial and football circles after it aired.

People laughed and said Lu Kai was crazy.

Neither Dartford's most die-hard fans nor Lu Kai's twenty-year admirers would ever buy Dartford upgrades.

Ashley Young even called Lu Kai during his vacation to share some interesting stories.

Ashley Young: "Lu, you know my youngest brother, right? He was so stupid it was almost unbearable. A few days ago was our family day, and Mom promised to buy each of us a present."

"My brother needs a tie for work."

"I... bought some office supplies. Anyway, the packaging says they're for office use."

"My third brother wants a new pair of shoes."

"My fourth brother loves McDonald's the most. He could have had a nice meal. But after I casually showed him the video you mentioned, he actually asked for a lottery ticket that would help us get promoted in the new season."

"That's hilarious! He chose to trust you over taking the money directly or having a big meal, hahaha!"

There was no sound on the other end of the line.

Ashley Young sensed something was wrong: "Uh, isn't this funny?"

Lu Kai smiled and said, "This is the best joke I've heard all year. You really have a talent for humor."

“Ashley, here’s a better idea.”

“You three brothers should record how you feel about your fourth brother right now, your laughter, your taunts… and listen to them after the new season ends. That will definitely break your fourth brother’s defenses!”

Ashley Young's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Oh! Lu, you're the real genius! This idea is brilliant! I'll get right to it!"

After Lu Kai hung up the phone, Alfred came over with a form to report the situation: "Oliver has completed the deal, and the final transfer price is £70,000."

Lu Kai nodded.

That's right.

Dartford are selling players!
And it's sold at an extremely high price!
After Dartford secured promotion to the Second Division, players began poaching them.

But not many are willing to leave.

On the one hand, after completing the miraculous journey from amateur to professional with Dartford, he should definitely enjoy the fruits of his labor for a year.

Staying in Dartford this year will allow me to adapt to the intensity of the English Third Division.

Even after Dartford's relegation, their players are still in demand at various League Three and League Two clubs.

This isn't a problem with the players; it's that the team has taken too big a step.

If they leave immediately this year and fail to adapt to the English Third Division, wouldn't that be awkward next year?

Even if they want to return to Dartford by then, Dartford will definitely have been relegated.

On the other hand, Dartford is making a documentary this year, and it's getting quite a lot of airplay.

Many young players are drawn to staying because of the increased exposure.

This helps them attract young models.

Finally, Lu Kai also spoke with all the players on the team as soon as the news broke.

Those who are willing to stay will be promoted and receive a raise.

After all, we're a professional team, so we'll do everything according to the established rules and never let anyone suffer any injustice.

Despite offering slightly below-average wages in the English Third Division, Dartford still maintains high welfare benefits.

Given that Dartford players have historically received excess earnings, they are likely to remain optimistic about their returns out of habit.

Only more mature, older players who have seen ups and downs will consider the worst-case scenario and thus demand a higher base salary.

After some communication, it was found that some players wanted to leave.

There are some players that Lu Kai wants to get rid of.

For example, Oliver's experience is absolutely legendary.

From a low-performing striker in the ninth tier to a high-performing striker in the seventh tier, and then to an important striker for a League Three team.

Even Rooney has to be called "Everton Oliver" when he comes.

However, his ability is no longer keeping up with Dartford's output.

Just in time, a fifth-tier team wanted to buy Oliver in hopes of getting promoted to the third division.

The three parties quickly reached an agreement.

The deal is done.

Dartford's record-breaking transfer fee has been set.

£70,000!

Even in the fifth tier, this is a major transfer that deserves to be mentioned!
When Oliver left, Dartford fans held a farewell party for him.

Lu Kai also promised that after Oliver retires, he can go directly to work for Dartford, and the club will arrange a satisfactory position for him.

That's what we call human kindness!
However, Lu Kai expressed regret over Oliver's new owner's upgrade goals.

According to his assessment, Oliver was barely a seventh-level striker, and playing at the fifth level was far too difficult.

And considering his age, he should be back on his original track—level nine—in at most two years.

Oliver's eventful life has perhaps reached its most glorious point in the past two years.

In addition, the team merged with two players left over from Greifsend last year.

Left-back Willian and center-back Benjamin are also leaving.

But they are not going down, they are going up.

William has received offers from League Two teams.

He eventually left the team for £90,000.

Benjamin is in a better position. Don't be fooled by the fact that Williams took his starting position in the last few games of last season; that was because of the need for aerial defense.

In terms of pure competitiveness, he may not be weaker than Williams.

Sure enough, a League One team extended an invitation to him, offering an even higher price.

This marks another record transfer fee for Dartford, a staggering £120,000!

Dartford sold three players, making a profit of £280,000.

If they were still at level seven, that would be absolutely record-breaking.

Unfortunately, they have already been promoted to the English Third Division.

Although the price is high, occasionally some super-young English third-tier players can sell for over 100,000 or 200,000.

Of course, compared to the abilities of these two players, this price is actually a premium.

It has the aura of the "Datford Miracle".

Essentially, William and Benjamin's strength falls within the range of the seventh to fifth levels.

Oliver was younger.

A player of this caliber would normally fetch around £20,000 in the industry.

That means the three of them together actually have a combined value of 60,000.

As a result, Dartford earned an extra 220,000, albeit with tears in their eyes.

They also earned a good reputation for "respecting players' wishes," "not forcing players to stay or morally blackmailing them," and "giving players a dignified farewell on the official website after they are transferred out."

This is what it means to gain both fame and fortune.

Where there is the removal of the old, there must be the welcoming of the new.

After being relegated to the Second Division, Dartford will need to strengthen many positions.

Even a key attacking player like Lu Kai needs a backup.

Because the intensity of professional leagues is much higher.

And the number of matches in the English Third Division is no less than that in the semi-professional leagues.

Dartford can register for the following matches this season: League Three, Round 46.

英格兰足总杯（1-9级别可参加）、英格兰联赛杯（1-4级别可参加）、英格兰锦标赛（3-4级别可参加）。

First, we need to strengthen our defense.

Last season, Dartford eliminated Barnet Football Club, which was then in the Third Division, in the FA Cup.

As a result, the team had a poor performance last season and was relegated to the fifth-tier national league, changing from professional to semi-professional.

Many of the team's best players have left, poached by other League Three or even League Two teams.

But some players who aren't good enough and are disappointed with the team are harder to deal with.

For example, the person Lu Kai is going to find—Kevin Dawson.

"Dawson?" Alfred vaguely recognized the name; he had looked at numerous player profiles in his recruitment efforts. "You mean that young center-back from Nottingham Forest's first team?"

"You can't buy this, can you?"

"I've heard that Tottenham and other top clubs are also keeping an eye on him."

Lu Kai shook his head.

Alfred was referring to Michael Dawson, the future Tottenham captain, England international, and who later became a Tottenham ambassador.

While Kevin Dawson is also a center-back, he has no experience playing for top clubs.

In addition, there is Andy Dawson, who plays left-back. These are the three famous Nottingham Dawson brothers.

Andy is the eldest brother, 22 years old, and has already secured a starting position in the English League Three team Skanthorpe United.

Let's not even talk about the third brother, Michael. He's eighteen years old, a future star of a top English League One club, and has a promising future in the Premier League.

Kevin, however, is not doing well.

At twenty years old, he never played for Nottingham Forest. Last season, Barnett, who was loaned down to the fourth tier by the team, only played a mere five games.

Barnett has now been relegated.

Kevin is completely unwanted.

Players who can't make it in professional leagues like these can be paid £20,000 to £30,000 a year by Nottingham Forest.

Sell ​​it, it'll basically be at this price, but you might not even be able to sell it.

Therefore, Nottingham Forest did not renew Kevin's contract, leaving him to live alone.

When Kevin first heard that Dartford wanted to sign him, he was unwilling because Dartford couldn't even guarantee him a starting position.

But why would you say the younger brother could kick it out?
“Brother, Dartford is a high-profile team now. If you're really good, you'll definitely get noticed. Play football here for a year, and your options will be much wider next year,” Michael advised.

Andy also said, "The third division is not bad either. Didn't you even struggle to establish yourself in the third division last season? Don't be too ambitious!"

Kevin blushed slightly: "I... Coach Barnett didn't know how to use his players, and that's why we were relegated."

Ultimately, Kevin Dawson successfully joined Dartford and will compete for Dartford's starting center-back position.

If the team uses a three-center-back formation, he will be a starting choice.

He is a well-rounded center-back with a normal height of 1.83 meters.

After all, there were quite a few tough center-backs under 1.8 meters tall that year.

Kevin's strengths are his courage, his willingness to jump, and his ability to block.

The downside is its relatively weak tactical ability, especially its ability to create offside traps.

Encountering a fox spirit in a restricted area can be quite troublesome.

That said, Dartford's current defense struggles against forwards with strong movement.

Even Serie A, with its supposedly best defense, was torn apart by Inzaghi, wasn't it?
It's incredibly difficult to find defenders who can mark small, quick, and agile players in the lower leagues of England.

"Lu! Williams agreed!" Alfred answered the phone, looking refreshed.

In the past, when they were at a lower level, they could only drink the leftovers from other people's garbage.

And they can't drink it during the transfer window; they have to wait two months after others have finished drinking it.

But now, they can even hijack it!
And so, they snatched away Ashley Williams, the West Bromwich Albion academy center-back whom Herdenisford had agreed to play for.

Ashley Young: Someone is copying my face?

Williams: Someone's copying my noodles?

Williams is seventeen years old and 1.83 meters tall. He blew Ashley Young away.

He has a pretty good speed and can also play as a left or right full-back.

His willingness to join Dartford was not solely due to Dartford being in the fourth tier and Herdenisford in the seventh.

It was Dartford's match against the Red Dragons last season that made the Green Guns a household name in Wales.

Yes, Williams is Welsh, and he later became the captain of the Welsh national team.

After Bale rose to fame, someone asked him if he had any thoughts about the Welsh captain's armband. Bale denied it and acknowledged Williams' leadership abilities.

This player will play for Swansea, Everton, Bristol City, and other teams in the future.

His strengths lie in his relatively fast speed compared to other defenders, and the resulting interceptions.

The downside is that it's not very good at aerial duels.

Kevin Dawson is the same height, but his aerial ability is significantly worse. That's why he can play as a full-back... because his aerial ability becomes problematic when the ball is lost in the middle.

Moreover, Ashley Williams was a free agent, so he joined for free.

The price is very high.

In contrast, Dartford's third center-back signing this summer is not as cost-effective.

Curtis Davis, in 1985, was in the same class as Lu Kai and Ashley Young.

He is 1.88 meters tall and came from Luton Town's youth academy.

He played for West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Hull City, and other teams in the future, and also served as captain of Derby County.

He is a fringe player for England.

However, after making one appearance for England, he was never called up again, and after the cooldown period ended, he became a Sierra Leone international.

You can tell from the template that this player is very talented.

In the past two years, England has produced several historically great center-backs, all around 1.88 meters tall.

If the previous players were all ready to fight, then Curtis was clearly someone Lu Kai bought with the intention of developing him.

Once Ferdinand and Terry's prices rise, Curtis can easily repackage them into something like "Green Terry" or "Yellow Disc Ferdinand"... and selling them for millions of pounds wouldn't be a problem.

However, since the other party was from Luton's youth academy, Lu Kai persuaded Curtis to transfer, but he also paid a price.

They gave Luton £3,000 in compensation to make up for their investment in developing the player.

This price is very reasonable.

Because Curtiss can't sell for three thousand pounds now.

Players like him are free agents.

Luton secretly mocked Lu Kai for being too martial and not knowing how to terminate the contract.

Do they really think that being promoted to the English Third Division and having a small sum of money means they can "wave their checks and make big signings"?

Once three years are up, and five million pounds of expenses are poured in, it will be a catastrophe!
As a result, Lu Kai didn't take it seriously and even intensified his actions!
A few days later, Dartford's record signing was revealed.

Nicky Shore!

Standing at 1.75 meters tall, 20 years old, and a left-footed left-back, he was clearly chosen to fill the void left by Willian.

He had already become a regular starter in the English Third Division, playing as a left-back for Leyton Orient, and was even scouted by Reading, a team in the second division.

While both clubs were discussing the specific details of the transfer, Sherry suffered a serious injury.

Reading therefore backed out of the deal.

They want to wait until Shory recovers before considering it in the winter transfer window next season.

Who knew that Dartford would take advantage of the situation and exploit the situation when Dartford was still recovering from a serious injury?
I don't inspect the goods!

Pick up your car now!

Who can bear this?
Xiao Li immediately felt that sense of being trusted.

His belief fueled his unwavering determination to go to Dartford, and he refused to consider Reading any further.

Ultimately, Dartford signed Sherry for a club-record £10,000.

The team's top bidder has been chosen!

Give English professional football a little financial shock!

A cheque for ten thousand pounds, opened on a whim!

Without even frowning!
What is this concept?
The last time Lu Kai bought a club for £10,000 was Dartford!

This is enough to prove that Lu Kai values ​​Xiao Li highly.

This also angered Leiden Orient.

A player who could have been sold for 60,000 to 70,000 pounds was sold for 10,000 pounds back with this move.

This move has also sparked widespread discussion in the English Third Division.

Yeowell: Dartford doesn't buy players like that; injured players often experience a significant drop in form.

Yeowell has the confidence to say this, because they are a relatively successful League Three team. This summer, through buying and selling, they made a total of £370,000.

Delicious.

Scunthorpe: Dartford knows their own strength very well and knows that the only thing they can do in the Second Division is to defend, so they bought so many defenders.

Northampton: It's not right for the Green Gunners to be fielded according to the Third Division standards, because they are destined to be relegated back to the fifth division.

Torquay United: Using the word "back" is inappropriate; they've never even made it to the fifth tier!

Torquay United lost Williams last season and didn't even get compensation, so they've been unhappy with Dartford for a long time.

But Lu Kai ignored all these questions.

Because he knew that Shaw's serious injury had not affected his career.

He will still be a future England international and will play for Premier League teams such as Aston Villa, Fulham, and West Bromwich Albion.

He will also become Reading's all-time leader in assists.

£10,000 won't get you ripped off!

……

"Hey, over here! Over here!"

Ashley Young held up a sign to greet passengers outside London City Airport.

"Hello." A Portuguese boy approached, looking somewhat uneasy. "Are you Dartford staff?"

Ashley Young nodded repeatedly: "I'm the team's starting left winger. Welcome to the team, and I'll look after you in the future!"

Seeing the Portuguese boy's bewildered expression, Ashley Young became serious: "What? Are you questioning my abilities?"

The Portuguese boy quickly waved his hand: "No. I just haven't gotten used to the local customs and culture yet."

Ashley Young said smugly, "Then you'd better adapt quickly, our team moves at a very fast pace. By the way, you should have heard of me, right?"

Portuguese boy: "Run, Little Mianyang!"

"Cough cough cough!" Ashley Young choked. "Not the one in the promotional video, but my performance on the field. Local fans call me Green Gun Pelé!"

Portuguese boy: "I thought it was Maradona in black."

Ashley Young was pleasantly surprised: "You also think I'm a better dribbler?"

Portuguese teenager: "Maradona is shorter than Pelé."

As everyone boarded the bus and headed to Dartford, Ashley Young dropped the pretense: "By the way, you might not know, but I come from the English First Division giants Watford."

"I used to play with the first team... Although you definitely can't find their names... Nowadays, the media isn't as developed, and players whose names can be found are world-class, not people we can meet."

Ashley Young thought that while Dartford might not be very famous, Watford was alright.

Just bring it out to make a show of things.

To prevent the Portuguese from becoming arrogant and complacent.

The Portuguese boy was a little confused: "Really? But I've had some senior teammates give me pointers before, and I could find their names easily."

“Ruy Costa, Nuno Gomez… Rui is a really nice guy, he even taught me… Hey, Ashley Young, why aren’t you saying anything?”

For a long time afterward, Ashley Young chose to remain silent.

He no longer wanted to protect this Portuguese man.

Just because the seniors in your team are great, does that mean you're great too?

What skill is it to be better than the seniors?
Why don't you compare your abilities?
"Ruben, welcome, welcome!"

Lu Kai greeted Ruben Amorim, the new player who had traveled a long way, outside the pond convenience store.

He came through the youth academy of Portuguese powerhouse Benfica and is a versatile midfielder who can continue to develop on both ends of the pitch.

Born in January 1985, she is sixteen years old this year.

Two years ago, he was abandoned by Benfica.

That's not his problem.

Rather, it was because Benfica's youth academy evaluation system had problems during that period, and a number of later Portuguese internationals, such as Amorim and Veloso, were all dropped by Benfica at that time.

This led to Benfica being suppressed by Porto and Sporting Lisbon for a long time afterward, making the "three-way battle" a misnomer.

Amorim then went to Portinia, only to be eliminated again this summer.

Just when he thought his football career was coming to an end, Dartford sent him an invitation.

Amorim was unwilling to give up this opportunity, so he traveled over mountains and rivers to play football in England.

Similar to his playing career, Amorim's coaching career has also been quite successful. He became a renowned manager at Sporting Lisbon and eventually succeeded the inept Ten Hag and transient Van Nistelrooy to manage Manchester United.

Just thinking about it makes me despair for future Manchester United fans. The Red Devils manager has produced a green-skinned player!
Arsenal would laugh at them to death.
Of course, Manchester United fans can then refute Arsenal by saying, "Where in the Premier League is there a team called Arsenal? That's just Dartred."

"Oh, right, come here, let me introduce you all. This is Victor, our assistant coach," Lu Kai introduced to Amorin. "He was also one of our key players last season."

"But he's getting old, so he's been transferred to a management position."

"This man next to me is Jimmy Brad, an excellent midfield playmaker."

Lu Kai had originally chosen Amorin as his substitute.

He's the right age, so with a few years of training, he can gradually rise to the top.

Unexpectedly, Viktor, with his strong professionalism, also realized that the team lacked other offensive and playmaking cores.

And coincidentally, he also knew this person.

Jimmy Brad, a former Dartford player, is a disciple of Victor.

He was also the highest-priced transfer out of Dartford before Benjamin.

In 1998, at the age of 20, he was bought by West Ham United for £30,000, creating a football miracle in Kent at the time.

He thought he had reached the pinnacle of his life and was about to marry a beautiful and wealthy woman.

As a result, he never played a single game for West Ham United in three years!
What's worse than that is that... Brad always thought he still had a chance, so he firmly stayed at West Ham United and refused to be loaned out.

So he actually... hasn't appeared in three years!

Any player in this situation would be finished.

As a result, after Brad's deal with West Ham ended, he wanted to join Peterborough United in the third tier on a free transfer.

As a result, they were disliked by others.

No!

Just then, Viktor also came up to them.

In a fit of anger, Brad decided to join Dartford to prove his ability.

Because everything happened unexpectedly, disrupting Lu Kai's schedule, he asked Ashley Young's brother to help pick people up.

It's not that we don't value Amorin, although Amorin doesn't have much immediate combat capability right now.

Lu Kai was very welcoming of Brad's joining the team and gave Brad a lot of face.

On one hand, this is also to give Viktor face.

On the other hand, Brad does indeed have the ability.

Facts will prove that he did not waste these three years, because he will be selected for the England national team in the future.

He is essentially a Barton with improved offense, better organization, faster speed, and weaker defense.

A national team-level attacking midfielder is an invaluable asset in English football.

It can easily cost millions of pounds.

If he can "lead" Dartford to good results, given the nature of the English media, anything less than ten million pounds would be unworthy of the noble British heritage!

Victor has hardly brought a player to Dartford.

This is clearly a human-shaped gold brick.

If Curtis is Lu Kai's secret stash of money prepared for future debt repayment...

Brad became an unexpected windfall for Lu Kai.

And sure enough, Victor immediately earned the title of assistant coach.

Not only that, Lu Kai also gave him the title of the team's chief scout.

He was just worried about not finding an opportunity to deeply connect with the Bellingham family.

This wave is practically a two-way race.

……

That evening, Lu Kai found Alfred and told him about Victor.

Alfred welcomed him with both hands raised.

“From now on, Victor can take care of tactical design, explanation, and player training. I will be in charge of motivation and discipline.” Alfred proactively assigned responsibilities, showing no greed for power.

Lu Kai was taken aback: "You're so averse to tactical explanations? I remember you used to enjoy memorizing my scripts, I thought you were really enjoying it."

Alfred shook his head: "It's fine to show off your tactics occasionally, but having me do it every time is really stressful."

"Honestly, for a while I felt like I was back in the rhythm of Manchester United, which was terrible."

"I like to brag freely, but I don't like the feeling of waking up at night because I dream that a reporter asked me a tactical question that I can't answer."

Lu Kai was puzzled: "But weren't you Ferguson's tactical mastermind? It was under your guidance that Ferguson gradually learned real football tactics, integrated them, and became a great manager."

"you……"

Alfred looked around to make sure no one was there, then whispered, "It's all fake."

"I did take the football coaching certification exam, but I failed. It was too difficult."

"That 4321 thing, it's so easy to fall asleep just looking at it, you can't make sense of it at all."

"But my mom probably wanted to prove me wrong by spreading the word that I was taking the soccer coaching certification exam, as if she wanted to use this to prove that I was better than Casey's boyfriend."

"You abandoned my son for a soccer player, but now my son is directing the soccer team!"

"To save face, I found a way to buy a certificate."

Lu Kai was completely dumbfounded: "What? You can buy this?"

Alfred smiled slightly: "What can't you buy? These things were incredibly cheap back then, who would bother to spend so much time studying for them?"

"Besides, which came first, the doctor or the medical license?"

"Many veteran TCM doctors are blocked by this certificate, unable to see patients, prescribe medicine, or pass on their skills... To put it bluntly, the industry is saturated."

"Now it's a coaching certificate, and in the future it will be B level, A level, UEFA level, and SSR level."

Lu Kai nodded.

In the past, it was easy to get a driver's license there, but later you had to take a special test, and then the test became very strict.

It's not that this is bad; standardization would definitely be better, as it would improve overall quality and make everyone safer.

It is true that such a situation, such a period of time, exists.

Some younger people often don't believe this claim.

Lu Kai suddenly remembered something: "Wait a minute, if you didn't understand, how did you manage to fool Ferguson and Casey?"

Alfred shook his head and said, "Who was the most popular football coach in the 1970s? It was Michels from the Netherlands... I just copied his tactics."

"Team formation and coaching philosophy."

Lu Kai nodded: "Ferguson's early coaching style was indeed the total football of the Dutch coach Michels. But how do you explain the results of your joint coaching?"

Alfred remarked, "So Casey's judgment was indeed correct. Ferguson really has a talent for coaching; I didn't even understand what he was saying when I relayed it to him."

"But he always manages to understand, apply, and even improve upon them."

"He can even find the correct answer to the parts I've misspoke."

"He absolutely understands the essence of football, but he's not so certain about it and needs outsiders to give him some affirmation."

"But after he left me, he became hesitant and conservative, which led to his failure as a coach."

"This situation continued until 1990, when he overcame the crisis of being fired and filled his last gap in his skills... He finally no longer needed me."

"So... if you don't need me either, I'll leave quietly without causing any negative impact on the team."

Lu Kai placed his hand on Alfred's shoulder: "Old man, don't talk like that. Don't let Victor's position get in the way."

"You will always be the manager of Dartford. Your boastful nature is what we lack most."

"People often talk about talent, but they never realize that everyone actually has their own talent."

“And every talent, when used properly, can be a huge asset.”

"Datford is a stronger team than people think, and many believe we will have a tough season in the Third Division."

"I do not think so."

"But I can only make people realize this at the very end of the season."

"And you, you make people realize that from the very beginning."

"This is especially important for the players."

"In fact, Ferguson's ability to go this far is inseparable from your kind of talent. Never underestimate the heart of a champion!"

Alfred breathed a sigh of relief and nodded emphatically: "Indeed, Chinese culture is profound and extensive, and the West lags far behind you in this respect."

How would you typically describe my talent in Chinese?

Lu Kai said, "They've fooled him so much he's crippled!"

Ferguson: ? ? ?

……

Dartford's training camp will end at the end of July.

The players are gradually returning to the team.

During this time, Lu Kai stole from another person.

Grant Holt.

I'm 20 years old, 1.83 meters tall, and a forward.

He later played for Premier League teams such as Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Wolves, and Norwich.

He has won the English League Two Golden Boot and the League One title.

He possesses the ability to create chances on the ball, demonstrating excellent passing intentions and long-range shooting skills, in addition to his typical English striker style.

He was a substitute for Halifax in the fourth tier last year, but was not valued by the team and only played six games in two seasons, with a bitter relationship with the team.

After being relegated to the fifth-tier Barrow Football Club last season, he scored four goals in ten games, which is not bad.

He originally intended to transfer to Barrow permanently, but Halifax was relegated and lost players, so they started to think about giving him a chance.

Holt, a good horse doesn't turn back to eat the grass it already grazed, decided to stay in Barrow.

But Barrow saw an opportunity to get something for free and was willing to agree to anything Holt asked for except money.

People, no matter what they say, love is where the money is.

Holt therefore bowed down to Barrow.

With the wealthy Lu Kai spending seven thousand pounds.

Halifax agreed to the deal in order to avoid losing everything.

Despite Lu Kai indicating that there is fierce competition within the team, Holt is still willing to give Dartford a try.

It's not that I, Holt, look down on you, a fifth-level Barrow, or that I'm a snob.

They're just speaking their minds, being fourth-tier Dartford, and they're true gentlemen.

And so, Dartford was ready.

The team's roster may seem unremarkable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it's full of future national team players.

Moreover, these players are almost all in the prime of their careers.

It will reach its peak in as little as one year or as long as three or four years.

This means that Dartford's strength will also see a surge far beyond what outsiders can imagine during this period.

Generally, if a team jumps from the seventh level to the fourth level, it's doomed; the players simply can't keep up.

However, Dartford's lack of pressure might slow down the players' progress, preventing them from reaching their expected development.

"what!"

On the training field, cries of pain filled the air.

"Duff, your weight is too low! Double your basic training volume! You also need to do additional customized training."

"Williams, you've lost weight. You need to gain weight. Increase your training volume by thirty percent."

"Ashley Young, why haven't you grown taller yet? Drink more milk. From now on, you're forbidden from buying items with office supply packaging. If you're caught, the fine is £100, with no upper limit!"

"To Madeira's footwork has improved significantly. He's been working hard this holiday, so there'll be a reward..."

Watching the sleeping green gun gradually awaken.

Lu Kai smiled at the camera: "English professional league, here we come!"

"My Love Diary in Asen Green, Volume 3 is now available! Please check it out!"

Eva Green appeared on camera, reciting lines arranged by Lu Kai in a tone that suggested she was being murdered by her sister: "Click the link to jump to the Dartford new season ticket package and enjoy a 2% discount!"

"Register as a Dartford FC member and become an official fan for a chance to win autographed photos of me and Dartford players! Click now!"

(End of this chapter)