Chapter 49: Enough Games, Let's Lay Our Cards on the Table!
Belgravia, London — Lowndes Street.
Morning sunlight filtered gently through the windows, casting a soft glow over the spacious, well-lit dining room.
Roman Abramovich had just finished breakfast and was flipping through the freshly delivered edition of The Times.
As expected, in the sports section, he found the match report from last night's Premier League fixture.
Chelsea, at home, had drawn 0–0 with Tottenham Hotspur—their second goalless draw in a row.
And in both games, Chelsea hadn't scored a single goal.
Since taking charge, José Mourinho had come under growing criticism.
The biggest issue? His conservatism.
After six Premier League rounds, Chelsea had scored just six goals—ranking 13th in the league in goal tally, tied with relegation-threatened Southampton.
Nobody was satisfied with that.
Especially after two consecutive 0–0 draws—the performances were dire.
The Times criticized the result and directly refuted several of Mourinho's comments from his post-match press conference.
Mourinho had claimed that while Chelsea had scored only six, they'd conceded just one—boasting the best defense not just in the Premier League but across the top four European leagues.
More importantly, with four wins and two draws, Chelsea were sitting second in the table, just behind undefeated Arsenal (5 wins, 1 draw).
But according to The Times, Chelsea's current position was merely expected, given the squad depth.
The real issue was the style of play. Mourinho's football was deemed unfit for a squad packed with stars.
Even the fans were unhappy with the team's dull, risk-averse approach.
Abramovich frowned as he read through the coverage.
To be honest, he wasn't entirely confident Mourinho could succeed.
He was even starting to wonder: could Mourinho actually be worse than Ranieri?
The Times had laid out a comparison.
After six rounds last season, Ranieri's Chelsea had scored 15 goals—2.5 times what Mourinho's side had managed.
Of course, Ranieri had also led them to four wins and two draws.
The Times summed it up with one biting line: When iron bucket meets iron bucket…
Abramovich's irritation grew. He glanced out the window.
Facing east, his dining room had a view of several embassies—Portugal, Germany, Norway.
Years ago, he had spent a small fortune purchasing the entire building.
Five floors above ground, three below. All interconnected.
A hundred meters north was Knightsbridge and Hyde Park.
A hundred meters west was the world-famous Harrods.
But right now, none of that mattered to him.
As he continued flipping through the sports pages, he noticed a report on the Championship.
A bold headline from The Times caught his eye—covering the match between Bayswater Chinese and Queens Park Rangers.
A Mysterious Genius from the East!
The article began with a quick recap of Championship Round 9: Bayswater Chinese's 4–1 demolition of QPR had made waves across England.
But most of the write-up focused on one man—Yang Cheng.
A 24-year-old "genius coach."
From last season's League Two run, through the summer transfer window, and into this Championship campaign, Yang Cheng's work had drawn nothing but praise from The Times.
"He doesn't look like a rookie coach at all."
"He looks more like a seasoned manager at the top of his game."
"Especially the way he commands the touchline—confident, composed—he has all the qualities of a world-class head coach."
After the win over QPR, Bayswater Chinese climbed to fourth in the Championship, into the playoff zone.
But The Times went further, stating that Yang Cheng's side displayed stunning tactical quality—especially with their attacking football and flowing passing play, a rarity in English football.
"Even Arsène Wenger has spoken highly of him."
"This newly promoted side could very well be the biggest dark horse in the promotion race."
Abramovich scowled and looked over at the Championship table.
Could this kid really take Bayswater Chinese to the Premier League?
If he did, would that land still be up for grabs?
A sense of urgency crept into Abramovich's heart.
But he also noted the concern highlighted in The Times' report:
Yang Cheng was being far too aggressive.
Yes, the results were good—but off the pitch, his business moves were extremely bold.
He'd purchased land near the Brent Reservoir and planned to invest £20 million to build a world-class training facility.
The local government was fully supporting the project.
But the financial cost had weighed heavily on the club.
"By the time the training base is completed, Bayswater Chinese's debt is expected to exceed £30 million. That burden could potentially sink a financially weak club."
Abramovich reread that part twice. Then, after thinking for a moment, he reached for his BlackBerry and made a call.
"Hello, Pini, it's me."
"Take Cash with you and head back to Bayswater Chinese. Raise our offer."
"Yes, £20 million."
He paused, hesitated, then added:
"If that's still not enough, we can go as high as £30 million."
"Just remember—I must have that land."
And I must build that stadium.
…
Seasoned fans will notice an interesting trend:
Outside of top clubs with deep benches, most mid- and lower-table teams struggle to balance league play with cup competitions.
The same is even more pronounced in lower leagues like the Championship.
From the vantage of 2024, one could argue that Bayswater Chinese had a solid 21-man squad this season—enough to rotate and field two full lineups.
But in 2004, Yang Cheng faced a real dilemma.
Youth and inexperience.
When building the team, he intentionally targeted young players.
It fit the club's current profile.
Young players were cheap, had potential, and if they developed, could be sold on for profit.
Take Luke Chambers last season, for example. His value soared after a great year.
If you spent the same amount on an older player, sure, you'd get short-term stability—but two or three years later, you'd be stuck.
Not to mention the higher wages veterans demanded.
The downside of young players? They lacked polish and experience.
Yang Cheng's solution: rotate when necessary.
Three days after Round 9, the League Cup second round arrived.
Bayswater Chinese hosted Reading.
It was Yang Cheng's second encounter with Steve Coppell this season.
While Coppell stuck with his strongest lineup, Yang Cheng rotated heavily.
He wasn't too concerned about the League Cup.
The one thing he was pleased with? Over 8,000 fans had bought tickets.
And surprisingly, just 14 minutes in, Roger Johnson scored from a corner to give Bayswater Chinese the lead.
Another set-piece success courtesy of Gianni Vio!
Reading pushed hard for a comeback.
But in the 79th minute, Bayswater Chinese launched a swift counter—Lambert assisted Ashley Young, who sealed the deal.
2–0!
Victory.
…
That weekend, Championship Round 10.
Bayswater Chinese were away to Gillingham.
Despite fielding their strongest XI, they were met with stiff resistance.
Unable to break the deadlock, a costly mistake came in the 89th minute.
Lass Diarra, who had been brilliant all season, lost the ball while trying to launch a counter in his own half.
Gillingham countered instantly and scored.
0–1!
Their third loss of the season.
Diarra's tendency to hold onto the ball for too long was becoming a problem.
But Yang Cheng didn't scold him after the match.
In the locker room, he praised him instead.
"I didn't see a loss caused by one mistake—I saw a player who won us back possession seven times."
…
Three days later, Round 11.
Bayswater Chinese lost 0–1 away to Nottingham Forest.
Two straight losses dropped them to 8th in the table.
But Yang Cheng still believed in his team.
And in Round 12, they finally roared back.
Sheffield United came to Loftus Road hoping to exploit Bayswater's recent trend: dominating possession, only to be hit by late counters.
Manager Neil Warnock planned to sit deep and counter—just like Gillingham and Forest had.
But he overlooked one thing:
The other teams could defend well.
More importantly, Bayswater Chinese had been playing nonstop—twice a week—leading to exhaustion.
But Sheffield United were walking into a storm.
After two consecutive defeats, Bayswater Chinese were cornered.
And they chose to explode.
Warnock's men held out just 29 minutes.
Then Dave Kitson struck.
Four minutes later, Kitson turned provider—setting up Ribéry for a second.
2–0.
In the 35th minute, Modrić was brought down in the box.
Kitson converted the penalty. 3–0.
Three goals in six minutes.
Over 9,000 fans in the stadium went wild.
In the second half, Ribéry scored again in the 60th minute, completing his brace.
4–0!
Bayswater Chinese bounced back in stunning fashion, crushing Sheffield United at home.
After this round, they re-entered the playoff zone, tied on 20 points with Stoke City, QPR, and Millwall—but ahead on goal difference, sitting 5th.
Yang Cheng was satisfied.
They'd brought in a lot of new players this summer.
It would take time to gel.
From his years of coaching experience, Yang Cheng knew his team was still building up pressure—ready to break through.
He believed: a transformation was coming.
…
After Round 12, another two-week international break began.
The first thing Yang Cheng did?
Give the players time off.
With recent revenue looking good, he even paid for some of them to fly home and visit family.
The squad was full of 20-something players. After a packed schedule, a break like this was a godsend.
Naturally, the players were ecstatic.
But the very next day after the break began, Lin Zhongqiu received a call from City of London financier Cash Harris.
That same afternoon, Pini Zahavi and Cash Harris paid Bayswater Chinese another visit.
This time, no more games.
They went all in.
£30 million!
No more pretending. Cards on the table.
Crush them with money!
"Our boss wants that land—no matter what," Pini Zahavi declared boldly.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10