“Liam, do you know?”
“Football is round, and it’s too early to discuss Cambridge United’s fate.”
“Maybe I’ll still be at Cambridge United at the end of this season, but you won’t make it past June.”
Huang Hao responded coldly, his face expressionless.
In front of Bennett, who was nearly 20 centimeters taller, Huang Hao’s aura was fully unleashed, showing no fear.
In this silent war in the office, Huang Hao had to win; there was no turning back.
As Bennett wished, Cambridge United suffered a crushing 0:4 defeat at home to visiting Exeter City. Cambridge United was completely suppressed on the field, getting only one shot on goal throughout the match.
This time, Cambridge United fans were furious!
As Huang Hao led the players to acknowledge the fans, boos erupted from all directions. Although there were only over 3,500 fans, the buzzing noise felt especially uncomfortable.
“Sack him! Sack him!”
“Get out of the team, Chinese!”
“My grandma would be a better Head Coach than you, go eat s***!”
You should know that in lower League, fans are usually very tolerant.
Promotion? Champions? Who cares! What we want is happiness!
What we want is an outlet!!!
But Cambridge United is different; it has experienced professional League, and it is one of the few fully professional clubs in the National League.
Therefore, fans have high expectations for Cambridge United. The inability to be promoted to League Two in recent seasons has already caused considerable dissatisfaction among fans. This year’s start was even worse!
The club directly fired dozens of employees and then hired an unknown Easterner as Head Coach!
At the beginning of the season, the team achieved 3 wins and 2 draws, and everything seemed to be moving in a good direction. But in these past few rounds, the team’s performance plummeted, and several key players were inexplicably banned. The team’s deliberate underperformance made fans feel despair!
And Huang Hao also became the club’s true scapegoat, bearing all the fans’ dissatisfaction!
However, in the face of all this, Huang Hao showed no reaction, silently enduring the immense pressure from fans and the media.
“Oh~ the game is over. Cambridge United lost 0:2 at home to Woking. Poor Cambridge United, under the leadership of the Easterner Huang Hao, has now suffered 3 consecutive losses. The honeymoon period between Cambridge United and Huang Hao seems to be over!”
“Recently, there have even been rumors of chaotic locker room management, with several key players inexplicably disappearing from the squad list!”
“Currently, Cambridge United has 11 points from 8 rounds. Fans who expected them to make the playoffs at the start of the season might be disappointed. Barnet is currently 15th in the standings, only 3 points away from the relegation zone.”
“It seems that this Easterner’s days at Cambridge United are numbered.”
The live commentator’s view was the same as most Cambridge United fans; everyone thought Cambridge United was finished!
On the second day after returning to Cambridge, even after losing the game, the entire Cambridge United team still got a day off.
Huang Hao went directly to the chairman’s office. This trip would essentially confirm Huang Hao’s thoughts.
Barry was still very enthusiastic when he saw Huang Hao:
“Good morning, dear Hao! What brings you to my office today?”
Facing the somewhat insincere chairman, Huang Hao also cooperated fully, pretending to be wronged and saying, “I apologize for the team’s poor performance during this period, Mr. Chairman. I think I can accept being dismissed.”
“No, no, no, dear Hao! You must not be impulsive! The board is very satisfied with your work.”
“Although the team has suffered 3 consecutive defeats, you just need a little time to adjust, and we have enough patience. You must believe in your own abilities!”
Upon hearing that Huang Hao wanted to quit, Barry panicked slightly and quickly tried to appease Huang Hao.
“Cambridge United is even about to fall into the relegation zone, and the team’s locker room is somewhat out of control. I feel overwhelmed, Mr. Chairman, the pressure of this position is too great, I can’t take it anymore.”
Huang Hao put on a look of being on the verge of collapse, appearing very determined to resign.
“Hao, don’t be nervous, we are just a National League team. Even if we fall into the North/South League, it doesn’t matter.”
“The initial 3 wins and 2 draws proved your ability. This is not your fault, don’t be like this.”
“Hao, a Head Coach must endure pressure. In the future, when you go elsewhere, it will still be like this, so, persevere, persevere, OK?”
“The club fully supports you. Your decision is my decision. But Perrotta, Bennett, and the other 5 people are taking the team’s highest salaries but can’t contribute at all, isn’t that a bit too much?”
Barry’s words sounded so warm, but in Huang Hao’s heart, he only felt hypocrisy.
The club’s attitude further confirmed that what Harris said was not groundless.
How could there be such a good thing in the world? The team’s performance was terrible, the locker room was in chaos, yet the club’s chairman was coaxing a rookie coach, telling him not to have any psychological burden.
This was too damn fake!
So Huang Hao decided not to continue this insincere act with Barry.
“If I lead the team to the North/South League, will you blame me, Mr. Chairman?”
Looking at Huang Hao’s somewhat fervent gaze, old Barry was stunned for a moment, then quickly said:
“Hao, the team is currently facing many difficulties, and the financial situation has not been good. Our board has also been working hard. Our board recognizes your coaching level, don’t be stressed, Cambridge United will get better under your leadership. If it really comes to that, it can’t be entirely your fault......”
“If we get relegated, will you disband the team, Mr. Chairman?”
Huang Hao didn’t wait for Barry to finish, pressing him further.
“What?! Disband the team?! How could that be, how could that be?!”
Old Barry tried to cover up in a flustered manner, and all of this was seen by Huang Hao. After staring at Barry for a while, Huang Hao sighed lightly and asked:
“Mr. Chairman, do you know? Easterners all have magical foresight. So, I want to know even more, what can I do to avoid such an outcome?”
Old Barry didn’t rush to answer Huang Hao’s question this time. Being shrewd, he clearly saw that Huang Hao’s visit was not genuinely seeking comfort. It seemed this young man had already heard rumors.
It’s normal to think about it; after all, this is England, and media gossip can be said to be omniscient.
What’s more, some of the news was secretly released by the club itself, with the purpose of gauging the fans’ reaction to the news, so that Cambridge United’s behind-the-scenes owners could take the next step.
“Hao, it seems you already know, so I don’t need to hide it from you anymore.”
“We hired you because we were on the verge of bankruptcy; we couldn’t afford Louis’s salary. The team’s current financial situation is very unfavorable, and our debt is an astronomical figure, so the board is under immense pressure. We foresaw that the team might be relegated.”
“And hiring an inexperienced rookie like you can quickly achieve our goal. Yes, this is also one of our reasons for disbanding the team.”
Old Barry pondered for a moment, then continued: “Hao, I’ve been chairman for ten years, and Cambridge United is also a team I deeply love, but there’s no way, the reality is too bad.”
“I hope you can understand that this is by no means our original intention; it’s truly a last resort.”
To ease Huang Hao’s emotional disappointment, Barry played the sympathy card.
“Mr. Chairman, what if we return to League Two?”
Huang Hao ignored Barry and continued to ask.
League Two?
Old Barry was startled by the young Easterner in front of him!
Cambridge United hadn’t succeeded in returning to League Two even when their finances were good two years ago, let alone today.
Given the current situation, the team was on the verge of falling into the relegation zone, and he couldn’t understand who gave this young man such confidence. He’s truly arrogant!
However, he still answered seriously:
“I admire your courage, Hao, but returning to League Two means greater investment. New players, stadium, security, etc., all require financial investment.”
“Currently, the board’s top priority is to pay everyone’s salaries on time. Other than that, I’m afraid we are powerless.”
Barry sighed. This feeling of powerlessness seemed to have no element of acting anymore.
“But Mr. Chairman, since the board has already decided to disband the team, why not transfer it?”
“After all, this is a team with nearly a hundred years of history! Disbanding it would be such a pity!”
Huang Hao still couldn’t understand why the board would make such a cruel decision.
Barry shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter smile:
“Hao, you are too naive. Acquiring Cambridge United means fully accepting the club’s current debt.”
“Do you know how much debt Cambridge United currently has?”
Giving Huang Hao two minutes to prepare, Barry slowly extended a finger. “Not one million, but ten million pounds. Specifically, it should be twelve million pounds.”
“No one would be willing to fill such a large hole. You know, this is just an amateur League team.”
“It’s not League Two, not League One, and certainly not the EFL Championship. The board has been secretly discussing transfer matters since last season, and the few buyers they managed to find were scared away by this high debt.”
Barry looked at the shocked Huang Hao and continued to add.
“Moreover, given the current situation, it’s impossible for banks to provide us with any loans, so what awaits Cambridge United is only bankruptcy, understand? Dissolution is the only outcome.”
“No fool would be willing to acquire Cambridge United.”
“If someone is willing to take on this mess, no problem, Hao, one pound, just one pound, and I can get the board to agree to his acquisition of Cambridge United.”
Barry’s final words further indicated that no fool in the world would spend 12 million pounds to acquire a fifth-tier small team.
You should know that ten million pounds is enough to buy a League One team!
That’s two League levels higher than Cambridge United!