Soccer: I’m Building a Giant in the Premier League

Chapter 14 – So He's the Real Head Coach!

After being held to a frustrating draw by newly promoted Grimsby Town in their season opener, Bayswater Chinese FC found themselves sitting 11th in the League Two table.

And that was only thanks to alphabetical order—Grimsby started with a "G", and Bayswater with a "B".

The real contenders had already made their intentions clear.

QPR, for example—Bayswater's neighbor in London—thrashed Blackpool 5–0 at home. Another promotion favorite, Bristol, destroyed Notts County 5–0 as well.

Twelve matches produced 44 goals. A chaotic, goal-filled start.

As Yang Cheng had said before, in the lower leagues, the gap in team quality was often more dramatic than in the top flights.

Another awkward stat from the first round: attendance.

Four matches had over 10,000 fans in the stands.

The highest attendance? QPR's 5–0 demolition of Blackpool, with 15,000 fans in attendance—typical for a London club with a strong following.

The lowest?

Also in London.

Bayswater Chinese FC: 2,513 spectators.

Same as the past few years—low turnout, no atmosphere.

The league's average attendance in Round 1 was 8,241.

It made Yang Cheng feel helpless.

His cheap old man had left him with one hell of a mess.

Worse, just three days after the opener, Bayswater went away to Colchester United in the League Cup first round—and lost 1–2, crashing out early.

…

August 16, afternoon.

League Two Round 2: Bayswater away to Rushden & Diamonds.

Another newly promoted side.

Yang Cheng once again stuck with his 4-3-3.

In the first half, aside from a brief five-minute spell of pressure, Rushden spent the entire time pinned back.

Bayswater dominated possession, dictated tempo, and created danger.

All that was missing was the final ball.

But just as Yang Cheng and Brian Kidd began to feel the team had found its rhythm, the game flipped.

Rushden came out roaring in the second half, applying heavy pressure in midfield.

Bayswater fell apart.

Two goals in three minutes—the 54th and 56th.

Though they steadied the ship and pulled one back in the 77th minute—Ribéry assisted Tony Capaldi to make it 1–2—it was too late.

Two matches against two promoted teams: one draw, one loss.

Add a first-round cup exit.

A rough start.

After the Rushden loss, Bayswater dropped to 17th in the league.

…

Upon returning to London from Irthlingborough, Yang Cheng immediately called a tactical meeting.

Players braced themselves for a scolding.

Instead, Yang praised them—for the first half, and especially for their late push after the 70th minute.

"If we had a bit more luck, we would've won this match," he said.

He highlighted a few bright spots, especially Ribéry, who was clearly the standout.

Koscielny and Johnson had been responsible for the conceded goals, but outside those three disastrous minutes, they had been solid.

Modrić, however, had a rough game—both goals came from him losing possession while dribbling.

Clearly, the opposition had targeted him at halftime.

He was too skinny—once defenders got close, he lost the ball instantly.

And everyone knew—English referees were famously lenient when it came to physical contact.

In the lower leagues, that was even more true.

Fouls that seemed blatant went uncalled.

Modrić suffered badly in that regard.

Yang offered words of comfort—but also pointed to progress.

Especially the aggressive and dangerous reaction after going down 0–2.

"Remember how that felt—remember that tempo. That's the football we want to play!"

…

August 23, afternoon.

League Two Round 3: Bayswater at home vs. Stockport.

Only 2,000 fans showed up.

With a draw and a loss to start the season, the entire squad was fired up.

They had something to prove.

From the opening whistle, Bayswater attacked relentlessly.

The players were clearly starting to adapt to the League Two intensity.

Especially Ribéry, who was electric on the left flank.

In the 21st minute, Ribéry dribbled down the wing and fired a low cross into the six-yard box. Stead held off a defender and fired home.

1–0!

The 2,000 fans erupted.

Two minutes later, another Ribéry run, another pass across the face of goal—Rowlands slid in and scored.

2–0!

The noise, though not many in number, was deafening.

Five minutes later, yet another Ribéry attack from the left.

He played it to Rowlands, who shifted the ball right to Devaney, making a deep run. Devaney beat his man and crossed…

Stead headed it in.

3–0!

Yang Cheng leapt into the air.

Next to him, Brian Kidd, Seth Forsett, and Oliver Bartlett exploded in celebration.

Three goals in under 10 minutes!

And Stockport wasn't a pushover—they'd finished mid-table last season.

The first half was all Bayswater.

In the second, with another midweek match ahead, Yang made substitutions.

That gave Stockport a bit more space, and they managed a few threatening moments.

But in the 83rd minute, Bayswater countered.

Lambert, subbing in for Stead, got on the end of a cross from Jenkins and tapped in the fourth.

4–0!

A crushing win.

Yang heaped praise on the team after the match.

They moved up to 14th in the standings.

…

August 26, afternoon.

League Two Round 4: Bayswater away to Chesterfield.

To protect his players, Yang rotated the squad.

Modrić, Huddlestone, and Koscielny were all rested.

Despite being away from home, Bayswater still controlled possession and tempo with increasingly fluent quick-passing combinations.

Chesterfield had never faced anything like it in League Two.

Fast, coordinated, relentless.

They missed a few good chances in the first half.

In the second, Chesterfield struck first.

Glynn Hurst broke through Johnson and Chambers on the counter.

Johnson, caught out of position, brought him down in the box.

Lucky to avoid a red, he still conceded a penalty.

Captain Brandon converted—1–0.

In the 77th minute, Ribéry assisted Rowlands, who slotted home.

1–1.

Another draw.

Bayswater slipped to 16th.

…

August 30, afternoon.

League Two Round 5: Bayswater vs. Brighton.

Brighton, also newly promoted, were flying high—3rd in the table after four rounds.

But Brian Kidd warned Yang Cheng: Watch out for their manager—Steve Coppell.

Yang knew the name well.

A respected figure in English football.

In Yang's past life, Coppell led Reading in the infamous double-injury match against Chelsea that ended Petr Čech's career.

He was known for his hard-nosed, physical style.

And this time, visiting Bayswater, he came to fight.

From the first whistle, Brighton were aggressive, hard-tackling, and pressing high.

Bayswater, younger and coming off several tough games, struggled to match the intensity.

But Yang didn't flinch—he pushed back.

In the 14th minute, Jenkins scored an own goal.

0–1.

But five minutes later, Koscielny equalized with a header off a corner.

1–1.

In the 41st, Brighton capitalized on a botched defensive setup during a corner. Guy Butters scored. 1–2.

In the second half, Yang pushed the team forward.

They laid siege to Brighton's box—but couldn't score.

Coppell packed the midfield, breaking up every passing lane.

Then in the 73rd minute, a midfield turnover.

Leon Knight broke the offside trap and scored cleanly.

3–1.

…

As soon as Leon Knight broke free, Yang Cheng already knew—goal coming.

He buried his face in his hands in frustration.

But when he looked up again, his face was calm, resolute.

Not a hint of disappointment.

That was a skill forged in his past life as a manager: never show your emotions.

Calmness was strength. His staff and players needed that.

"Sub!" he shouted.

Brian Kidd nodded.

It was the perfect time.

He had a feeling—Yang might have been waiting for this exact moment to make his move.

Just hadn't expected it to come after conceding a third.

"Take off Jenkins and Capaldi."

"Bring on Rickie Lambert and Lee Williamson."

The two subs jogged over, listening intently as Yang laid out instructions.

Over on the away bench, Steve Coppell watched curiously.

He knew Brian Kidd well.

And if Kidd were in charge of Bayswater, everything would make sense.

But clearly, Kidd wasn't the one leading today.

It was that young man on the touchline.

Shouting orders. Making changes. Controlling the game.

Coppell leaned forward to eavesdrop.

Through the noise, he heard Yang shouting:

"Tell everyone—this is our home! I want a win!"

"Forget everything else—blast the ball at Brighton's goal!"

That tone.

That command.

That was a head coach talking.

Coppell stared at Yang Cheng in disbelief.

So he's the real manager!

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