07. Rebuilding, From Tip to Toe (1)
Rebuilding.
The act of completely overhauling the team's members and drawing up a new plan.
Every year, ahead of a new season, clubs would enter a phase of deliberation based on their previous performance.
Whom to sell, whom to recruit, and with what tactics to prepare for the next season.
When this reached the level of changing the entire team, it was called rebuilding.
And the foremost prerequisite for rebuilding.
"A release list, you mean?"
"Yes. The club's finances cannot tolerate the current wage structure. At least half must be cut."
It began with the release of surplus resources.
Coach Alenski revealed his bewilderment without any room to hide it.
"Half, you say? Our current first-team squad is twenty players!"
"Manager-nim. Before you were appointed, five players had already left due to contract expirations and transfers."
"The players who were going to leave have already left sufficiently, that's what I mean!"
I looked at Alenski, who seemed ready to jump up and leave at any moment.
"Who makes the judgment that enough have left?"
"Both I and Coach Allov here have been at this club longer than you, Manager! We already have a clear grasp of the squad composition and understanding in our heads."
"So, you made that judgment?"
"...!"
Alenski momentarily faltered. I paid no heed to his excitement or rising voice, looked into his eyes, and spoke softly.
"Do not judge."
"Manager!"
Bang!
"!"
I cut him off and slammed the table. Hard enough for my palm to sting lightly.
Allov wore a somber expression, and Alenski, as if his words were caught in his throat, firmly closed his mouth.
"Have you worked at other clubs?"
"...Before coming here, I was at another team."
"At that team, does the physical coach make judgments regarding squad composition?"
"!"
"Mr. Alenski. We agreed to base our conversation on the contract. Didn't we?"
Alenski momentarily drew a sharp breath, then slowly closed his eyes.
"That's correct."
"Then you just need to do the work written in your contract."
There was no reply to that.
Firmly closed lips. A twitching corner of his mouth. I indifferently averted my gaze from him.
Allov, with his darkened complexion, also seemed to have something to say.
As my gaze met his, Allov forced an awkward smile and spoke.
"Speaking from a tactical perspective, our players are often one-trick ponies."
Coach Allov was indeed cautious. He didn't just blindly oppose but instantly created a logical argument.
One Trick pony.
It meant being outstanding in about one ability rather than being versatile.
For example, being terrible at other things but exceptionally fast.
Generally lacking, but having a definite shooting ability.
"When devising tactics, if there are players who can perform various roles, there's nothing more pleasing to see, hoho. But unfortunately, our team is weak, and our squad is rather thin. In this situation, to create various tactics, wouldn't having many players who can perform tasks increase the number of choices?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"So, I am worried. Of course, player recruitment will follow releases, but recruitment probably won't be easy either. Hoho, it's embarrassing to say this, but there probably won't be many players wanting to come to our team."
Allov continued calmly. While sounding concerned, if one looked into his true intentions, he was spewing words no different from intimidation.
"If the releases proceed according to your will, Manager, never mind a 25-man squad, even forming an 11-man starting lineup will be an ordeal."
"I will worry about the starting lineup. Thank you for your concern."
Allov's eyes widened as if he was momentarily speechless.
The starting lineup was also the manager's final authority.
So, do not argue. The judgment regarding that could also only be made by me.
I dismissed his words with a soft warning. Allov, perhaps because he easily read such an intention, his complexion hardened.
"Each of you, draw up a release list of five players."
"!"
"You want us to draw up separate lists?"
"There's no need to be flustered. I am aware of the fact that the factions of players following you two coaches are divided."
"..."
A look of bewilderment appeared in both their pupils. Alenski bit his lip, his expression showing he didn't know what to do, and Allov feigned composure, but his complexion subtly changed.
"Each of you, create a list of five players from your respective factions."
"Phew."
"Why are you asking us to...?"
"Why?"
At my nonchalant retort, even the glib Allov and Alenski were lost for words.
"Player recruitment and release are solely the manager's responsibility. It is an absolute authority. At least in the current club, no one can infringe upon it."
"!"
"But I made a concession. Didn't I?"
"A concession..."
"It is a concession. It means I will listen to your opinions, Coaches, not that I will sell players as I please."
"..."
"That is how much I am willing to trust you two coaches. After all, you two, having been at this team for a long time, wouldn't you have a more certain grasp of the players than I do?"
It was a sound argument. There was no room for even a slight rebuttal.
"I intend to lead the club together with you two coaches. There was an incident where we reddened our faces yesterday, but let's consider it as warding off bad luck. I will await your reports, Coaches."
"..."
The two coaches silently exchanged glances.
A stuffiness spreading in the silence.
A desire to say something, but a series of words and phrases that couldn't be readily assembled.
I was considerate of them.
"Go out and write it up immediately. If you need to interview the players, do so. Please deliberate carefully. I will follow your earnest advice, Coaches."
After dropping the bombshell of the release list on the two coaches.
I didn't remain idle either.
Rebuilding didn't just mean releases. If there were players leaving, there were bound to be those coming in.
'The first target is...'
I searched my memories from before I returned. Countless players' names surfaced in my mind and then disappeared.
Great talents, all-time prospects, even valuable players at low cost....
But they had to pass a condition.
'A player for whom there is even a slight possibility of recruitment by our 4th division team.'
Instantly, most of the names were erased. But a few names remained.
Among the resources our club could currently recruit, I found a name that was clearly recognized even in my mind, which had only experienced games in the top leagues.
'Danny Scott.'
A late bloomer in the Premier League.
But now, unknown to anyone, even abandoned by himself.
A player on the verge of retirement.
However, I couldn't rush in immediately.
As my mother often told me, to eat delicious rice, one had to let it steam properly.
Instead, I assessed the situation and went back and forth to the hospital.
"Here are the local papers, and the financial newspaper."
"Thank you."
Lily, lying in her hospital bed, greeted me with a smile.
Handing her the paper newspapers I had bought from a street stall on my way, I said abruptly.
"Your surgery is the day after tomorrow, right?"
Lily stretched.
"Ughhh! It's already tomorrow. Thanks for buying me newspapers while I'm hospitalized. Believe it or not, since I'm a businessperson, I absolutely have to read the papers."
"Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, I can't bring them."
"Huh?"
"Business trip."
"..."
Lily spread the newspaper wide open. She subtly covered her expression, showing only her eyes. Her pupils were still. It meant she wasn't reading the letters. I sighed briefly and spoke.
"The player recruitment I mentioned before. The one who said they wouldn't meet, I barely managed to schedule an appointment, and it's only for tomorrow."
"Right. Of course, you have to go. Is he a good player?"
"At least, number one on the recruitment list."
"Then you have to go. Don't worry about the surgery. It'll be over quickly."
Even as she said that, a subtle hint of disappointment was in her voice.
I nodded.
"I won't worry. Ah, and this is a report."
"A report?"
"Max made it."
"But the deadline is tomorrow?"
"Actually, it was finished yesterday."
"Yesterday?!"
Lily's eyes widened. She hurriedly took out the thick report and read it.
There wasn't time to read it all. And there was no need to. The high quality was recognizable just from reading the first few pages.
"Pass?"
"He's a monster. He made this in a week?"
"I haven't seen him sleep for a week, though."
"Gasp."
Lily, engrossed in reading the report, nodded.
"As expected, there was a reason Manager decided to bring him."
"Hmm. Now that he's the chief coach, wouldn't it be alright for the chief coach to go to recruitment meetings?"
I didn't answer and just stared at Lily. Then Lily, looking at the report, said.
"No, Manager has a lot to do. You even left the release list to the coaches last week, didn't you? Shouldn't you take care of that yourself too..."
"I'll go tomorrow and come back. Have a successful surgery."
"...I really thought you changed a lot after going to Germany, but there are definitely things that haven't changed. Okay, have a good trip. Since you're leaving on my surgery day, huh? Make sure to recruit him! And just you wait if the recruited player isn't good!"
"So, there's something I need to discuss."
"Huh?"
"What's the maximum allowable wage cap we can offer?"
"..."
Lily's shoulders slumped.
There was no need to even hear the answer. I nodded.
"I'll haggle as much as possible."
Danny Scott, who was organising his life as a player ahead of retirement, was flabbergasted by the sudden meeting request.
'They want to recruit me?'
Perhaps they hadn't heard the news of his retirement.
Or perhaps they had confused him with another young player of the same name. Danny Scott sighed deeply, looking at the man in front of him. He was busy as hell, and it seemed this meeting was a waste of time.
"I am thirty-six years old."
"I know."
Yoojin replied nonchalantly. Wrinkles formed on Danny Scott's forehead.
"You're not mistaken about my position being a goalkeeper, are you?"
"Would I come to scout without even knowing the position?"
"I've only played as a midfielder. I've never played as a defender either."
"I never thought of using you as a defender. I know very well your defensive ability is terrible."
Danny Scott remained silent and sipped his tea. The hot black tea was quite astringent.
The opponent still wore an unreadable expression.
A face with strong Asian features. Exotic. It was a strange face that would draw attention anywhere, be it Europe or Asia. Not typically handsome, but he thought it was an attractive face.
When spoken to by someone with such looks, even absurd words sounded plausible.
"You're not a con artist, are you?"
"What kind of great club would it be, to even bother with a con."
"It is suspicious. You want to scout me? Someone who is retiring next month?"
"Retirement can be postponed, can't it?"
"..."
"It would be good if you could postpone it for about four years."
"Four years?"
"Yes, I need about that much time."
Danny Scott closed his mouth. He quietly lowered his gaze.
A small business card placed next to the black tea.
Mansfield Town Manager, Yoojin Fischer.
The new manager of a team that had fallen into administration and dropped to the 4th division.
"Four years, then I'll be forty."
"Long ago, Zlatan retired after playing for AC Milan until he was forty-one. He was in his prime."
Only then did Danny Scott realize why he couldn't help but be drawn into this conversation, what the source of the strange sensation was.
'His way of speaking is truly...'
What the man named Yoojin was saying was not inference, prediction, or expectation.
It was conviction.
At thirty-six, he was a veteran as a football player, but socially, he was young. Yet, even so, an eye for seeing through the world gradually developed. In Danny Scott's view, that conviction was complete faith, without a shred of doubt.
'As if he had seen the future?'
He, who was known for being wise and prudent, was so instantly engrossed in these words.
It was a tone more certain than the prophecies of Cassandra, the prophetess who saw the future. No, it was more frightening. It was even specific, without any abstract phrases.
Danny Scott let out a hollow laugh.
'He's a madman.'
Or a con artist.
Yoojin raised his hand as if he knew everything.
"We have no money. We can't pay much. It can't be helped. The club is on the verge of disappearing. However, there is one thing I can give you."
Danny Scott stared fixedly, with the feeling of just hearing him out.
"I can give you a championship trophy before you retire."
"Isn't it a team that has to worry about relegation even in the 4th division? A 4th division championship trophy?"
"No."
Yoojin smiled and held up three fingers.
"Premier League, FA Cup, European Champions League."
Danny Scott burst out laughing.
"No, do you think that's as easy as it sounds?"
"It's difficult. I know because I've done it. It's damn difficult."
"You know because you've done it?"
He had already been looking at him like a madman, but now he even burst out laughing.
Done it? That young, rookie manager?
But Yoojin shrugged and spoke more confidently than anything else.
As if he truly didn't know what a lie was.
"I've done each of them once, but I've never done them simultaneously. Still, well, since I have experience, I should at least try for a treble this time."
"...Aren't you the manager of a 4th division team right now? Your experience before that?"
"Ah, before I got a new opportunity, well, I've managed all the big clubs like Man U, Milan, Dortmund... but now, I only have coaching experience once."
"..."
Danny Scott couldn't understand what he was saying at all.
He was definitely a madman. A con artist spouting strange nonsense.
Yet, even knowing that, Danny Scott couldn't bring himself to jump up and leave his seat.
What was it?
It felt like something was tickling inside his chest.
He had played for a long time. Now he was tired. His knees ached, and his back pain was severe. He had aged as much as he could. Although it was the life of a football player without a single trophy, it had been a decent career in its own way.
So he had thought.
'Did I still want to play more?'
A question that suddenly popped into his head.
It was now holding Danny Scott's feet, preventing him from leaving this place.
Danny Scott managed his expression with effort and asked.
"With an old football player like me?"
"Ah, you're on the younger side for that."
"What did you say?"
"Among my scout targets, you're on the younger side."
"What does that..."
"Because we have no money. In the club."
Danny Scott stared blankly at Yoojin. Still that nonchalant face, as if he wasn't even aware of what he was saying.
Danny Scott thought.
'He's a madman.'
However....
Danny Scott fiddled with the business card.
Mansfield Town Manager, Yoojin Fischer.
"...Where is Mansfield located?"