Chapter 37 The Distance between Dreams and Reality

It has been seven months since we came from China to the distant UK. Chen Jian has gradually become accustomed to living in this distant country. In an environment where English is everywhere, his language has improved very quickly, but his academic progress at the University of Nottingham is slow.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to study well, but that he’s too tired.

During the initial period, the landlord, Fat John, the family of landlord, had become accustomed to the fact that after the training, they saw the young Chinese man with a little dark skin dragging his exhausted body back home. After dinner, they returned to their room to practice English hard. If they had training, they would go to Wilford early the next morning. If they had no training, they would take a bus to the University of Nottingham to attend classes.

Simple days are repeated like this. He rarely goes shopping in the city center or relaxes in any park. Except that sometimes John gets extra tickets to ask him to go to the city court to watch the Forest team game together. A city with the legendary British hero Robin Hood is just a three-way place for him, "Wilford Training Base", "University of Nottingham" and "Mr. John's Home" and the road between them.

Such hard days have only gradually improved recently, and there is no problem with English listening and expression. He can now communicate smoothly with the landlord's family at the dining table and listen to John's talk about the proud past of Nottingham Forest.

His body also adapted to the youth team's training plan, and showed his usual qualities - strength and hard work.

But he still feels very tired.  It’s not just because the training intensity is particularly strong, but also psychological reasons...

Since he came to the UK, Chen Jian has developed the habit of writing diaries every day. His original intention was that this was a precious life experience. He was unwilling to let this experience be gradually forgotten in the journey of life as time goes by, so he wanted to use the situation of writing to record every bit of training and study in Nottingham.

Now looking back at the diary in front, he will recall every day of the seven months with the crooked words. In fact, he feels that even if he doesn't write a diary, these seven months will not be easily erased in his memory. It is too deep and too solid, just as the soreness in his body after training every day.

...

"Chen! Can't you run anymore? Are you unable to do it?" Youth team head coach Greenwood leaned down and his open mouth almost bit Chen Jian's ear. He shouted loudly at Chen Jian who was tired from the ground, regardless of whether Chen Jian could understand it. "If you can't, you can go home now! No one here will keep you! No one here has any hope for you! You, the lucky one selected from the commercial draft! Do you really think you are lucky? Stand up! Keep practicing! You have twenty more times to ride the ball and run back! Don't waste my time for dinner. This is the most ordinary youth team training!"

Chen Jian couldn't understand what Coach Greenwood was yelling. Although this coach always had such a loud voice during training. But he knew that this British coach must be dissatisfied with him - he had never seen anyone lie in your ear with a hideous face and praise you.

He stood up from the ground, staggered and continued to drive the ball forward, ran for a few steps, staggered and fell to the ground. But this time, before Greenwood continued to rush to play the role of "Roaring Heavenly Lord", he got up and continued by himself.

"Are you calcium deficiency all over your body or have been polio since you were a child? Chen! You can't stand such a collision, why are you playing football? Are you a girl? Get up and keep going! Why are you hiding! This is not a fucking football. This is war! If you can't win, die for me. The escaped landlords will die on the battlefield. If you are so afraid of being injured, I can recommend you to train with a ten-year-old child! Are you Chinese people all this kind of virtue? Confront head-on! Confront head-on! How many times do you want me to say?! Head-on!!"

Chen Jian could already hear clearly what the youth team's loud voice coach meant. He did not retort loudly, nor did he leave, but got up from the hand. Then he screamed and thought about his opponent rushing, and then overturned the opponent's player to the ground with a foul action.

The young man who was knocked down by Chen Jian screamed exaggeratedly, lying on the ground and didn't think about it anymore.

"James, you have to continue lying on the ground to be lazy. I will punish you to run ten laps with the ball!" Greenwood hit the gun this time, rushed to the boy who was moaning on the ground and roared in the ear. The other party immediately jumped up from the ground obediently. Of course, he had not forgotten to punch Chen Jian in the chest: "You should vent your strength to the head coach just now, hey!"

The players of the youth team watching the fun all laughed. Greenwood also applauded Chen Jian: "Although it's a foul, the defensive players should be used to using fouls to stop the opponent. Moreover, this momentum is very good... In addition, don't scream "ahhhh" next time, that's too stupid."

The laughter was even louder.

Chen Jian wrote in his diary: "...I don't quite understand it. But I think coach Greenwood should have praised me. This is the first time he has praised me in three months... Professional football in England is indeed different from what I heard in China..."

"Chan, you have to pay attention to the position of the opponent's offensive player! When you chase the ball, what ball do you chase? Do you think your physical strength is really good? This is not your football draft. You can't even hold on to the half in the professional game. Are you here training with the goal of professional game? If it's not, just pretend I didn't say it..."

"Of course, coach Greenwood. But George Wood he..."

"You want to say that his physical strength is good, right? Yes, he has very, very good physical strength. But he is a monster. Are you a monster? Are you George Wood?"

Chen Jian shook his head.

"Then listen carefully! Your body may be considered strong in your country..."

"No. Not strong. Coach Greenwood..."

"Don't interrupt me! Well, since it's not strong in your country. It's even less strong here. You can't always think about defending by your body. I don't know which idiot told you, defense depends on your body. In fact, body is just a talent. But people cannot always rely on talent to live by their talent. You need to learn to observe and analyze every move of the offensive player, and then judge what they will do next, and prepare in advance. It's just prediction, do you understand the prediction?"

"I think...I understand, Coach Greenwood."

Greenwood pointed at his own head: "If you think football is based on physical exercise, you are wrong, Chen. Football is actually a sport full of wisdom. Idiots and fools will not have any future here. Your body is not strong. But there is no regulation that only strong people are qualified to be guards and midfielders. You must learn to use your brain and wisdom to defend, find the next trends of offensive players and their weaknesses, and then make targeted countermeasures. Your speed and the agility of the Easterners are your characteristics, and you have to work hard on this..."

Chen Jian nodded vigorously: "I understand. Coach Greenwood, thank you for your teaching."

"Chan! I asked you to play football with your brain, but I didn't let you run without a single step! Where are you standing stupidly to defend? Vegetatives can calmly pass you, the wooden stake!"

"Take! Decisive point... Look, you put him into the penalty area. What do you do next? Give the opponent a penalty kick? Foul? What are you afraid of? Compared with a free kick, which one do you choose?"

"Turn forward, forward! Don't stand in place after passing the ball. Run forward from the oblique direction... If you don't run, how can your teammate pass the ball to you? His other pass routes have been blocked. Only when you insert it from behind can you create a pass route for him. Don't think that passing is something that the ball holder considers. It requires him to move around and cooperate to create a pass route! It is absolutely not allowed to play football here while standing here!"

"Chan, do you know what your biggest problem is? It's not that you are thinner than the British, nor that you are not a solid foundation. Those can be improved through continuous exercise and practice. Your biggest problem is here. Brain. Wisdom, consciousness. It's football consciousness! Playing football on the court and watching football in the stands are completely different. Don't think that even if you have seen many football games, even if you have such excellent football consciousness, if you don't come down to play in person, you will never know what's going on! You have to learn to observe and analyze the situation on the court... Don't you make rapid progress in English? Why can't you use this kind of intelligence to cultivate football consciousness?"

...

Like this, Chen Jian can still remember a lot. He found that the praise was the only time that youth team head coach Greenwood had affirmed his efforts in seven months. Other times, they were all picking on his faults. When he thought he had done a good job in this aspect, Greenwood could definitely find more problems from other places.

Many times, Chen Jian felt that he was not suitable for football... It was simply a mistaken machine. Even the most basic running would be considered by coach Greenwood to have problems in running posture, which affected his speed and explosiveness... But he has been running like that since he was a child, and has been running for eighteen years, but no one said to him, "Hey, man. You have a big problem in running posture."

He admitted that he had thought about a lot of messy things before coming. Including what the UK's vocational training should look like, but he never thought it would be so harsh and unbearable. He made a little mistake, and the sharp whistle and Greenwood's loud voice immediately appeared in his ears.

You can't refute, you can't explain. If you are wrong, you can only say "Yes, Coach Greenwood. I will definitely not make a mistake next time!" The reason is very simple, because he comes from China, a country with extremely backward football level, and any peer in the youth team is better than him. They all know more than him. In the sport of "football", he, a Chinese, has no say at all.

During the seven months of the youth team, in addition to being able to withstand unimaginable training, they also have to undergo spiritual tests - any effort will almost be rejected mercilessly. Never expect to be praised by the coach after stopping a long pass beautifully, or get the appreciation and applause of his teammates after successfully breaking the opponent's ball... Those scenes that have appeared in the football yy novels have not been confirmed by Chen Jian at all. Why? Because coaches and teammates will think that you are doing something that is ordinary. Do a football player still have to look forward to praise and rewards with complacent expectations for praise and rewards for completing his job?

Chen Jian encountered such things in the training ground and would never tell his parents, fans and classmates who care about him in China, nor would he tell the landlord John's family. No matter what kind of treatment and difficulties he encountered, he had only one thing he had never changed, that is, always keep a smile. Even if he kept a smile a little bit forced. He didn't want to be frowning when facing difficulties, giving people the impression that he could not cope with it.

He always smiled and blessed. His teammates had a harmonious relationship with him, and there was no situation of excluding him. Perhaps it was related to his teammates knowing that this kid was just a product of a commercial draft, and it was impossible for them to compete for their jobs here, and it was not a competitor at all.

Sometimes Chen Jian would call his two companions in Bolton and Everton to ask about their current situation. Whether it is Wang Yang in Bolton or Song Hui in Everton, their situation seems to be much better than that of themselves. The training content is the same as everyone else. He did not receive any special treatment but was not abused. After passing the training, he would receive enthusiastic praise from the coaches. Their training intensity and training environment were simply not comparable to Chen Jian's "hell".

They were very surprised when they heard about the situation Chen Jian encountered. Wang Yang even asked him directly if he offended the coach of the youth team, or that coach hated the Chinese very much?

Chen Jian said firmly that it was impossible.

Wang Yang curled his lips and said, "You guy, maybe you are a little bit of a problem with others, but you didn't notice it."

Chen Jian thought about it for a while but still shook his head and said it was impossible.

Song Hui was very concerned about Chen Jian's training situation. After hearing Chen Jian's introduction, he didn't say anything for a long time. When Chen Jian thought the phone was disconnected and he was about to hang up, he said quietly: "It's completely two worlds..."

Although the training is easier than Chen Jian. The people around him are also very kind, but Wang Yang and Song Hui have basically given up the "dream" of staying in the UK a year later. After seeing the level of English football, they called the "dream" before "daydream". They know their level, and they also know that whether it is Bolton or Everton, they have no interest in them at all. To put it bluntly, the previous business show is just because they represent the Chinese market.

After understanding this, people are a little embarrassed to be motivated. They know in advance that they have been eliminated and then work hard is like a fool.

"It's considered learning a lot in a year. Even if you can't stay in the UK in the end...ah. I definitely won't. I won't regret this year." With six months left before the one-year period, Wang Yang has already started to give his experience this year. "No matter what, I'm here, and those who have been eliminated in advance and do not have the qualifications to come here to see each other are much lucky. I don't think I can't ask for anything anymore."

"The gap is really too big. Before I came, I still had fantasies - maybe I am the protagonist of those football yy novels on the Internet? I only realized what I am? Compared with others... a billion light years. Chinese football level is indeed behind. That is all-round backward. But it is not just the system, the level of players and coaches is behind..." Song Hui shook his head and sighed, a little depressed. "Hi, the only gain is that his English level has improved... Even if I study in the UK in the future, I don't have to go to language school first."

The performance of these two people is completely different from the confidence they were before they came. The reality is cruel and they woke up from a dream.

Only Chen Jian is still persisting and dreaming. He is not arrogant or illusioning. He just feels that even if it is a game that he knows he wants to lose, he must persist until the final whistle sounds. Giving up early is not his style, and it has not been since he was eliminated from the first time he participated in the audition of "Football Boy".

After Chen Jian once again completed the training plan specially designated by Greenwood for him, he returned to the locker room. The youth team players were still changing their clothes, and everyone seemed very excited. This made him a little curious.

A black man in the team explained to him with a chorus:

"Coach Greenwood said that the head coach, boss, and boss of the first team will come to the youth team to watch the training game tomorrow!"

Chen Jian knows what it means to these people. Maybe if you perform well, you may be transferred to the reserve team and qualify for the official competition. If you perform well in the reserve team, you can be promoted to the first team and participate in the league. After the winter transfer period, you may also get a place to participate in the European Champions League. Then shine and become famous with one goal - all young people will dream of this? They will think that they will become the most special, most prominent, most different, and most excellent one.

For young players who have been practicing hard for many years, this is the moment they have always dreamed of and an opportunity to determine their own destiny.

But what does this have to do with himself? Chen Jian blessed the enthusiastic black boy with good luck in English, and then went to the shower room to rinse himself with sweat.

There are still five months left before dreams, and he still can't see the road ahead, and he doesn't know whether the dream thing is really waiting for him in front of him. But he still has to continue running, even if he stumbles and loses his strength, he still has to run.
Chapter completed!