No one can reveal everything they have without holding anything back. Everyone needs a little privacy to preserve a sense of mystery.
It is like a woman. A woman who is fully clothed will not attract much attention, and neither will one who is completely naked. Only someone who reveals just enough while keeping something hidden can hold a man's gaze.
Being a boss sometimes required the same approach.
Rationally speaking, it was unrealistic for Ethan to know the name of a company like OPTA, since they had absolutely nothing to do with each other, but Ethan simply smiled at the question.
"I heard about you from my staff. You know, I am a fanatical football supporter, and I am preparing to develop my club within the football industry, so I investigate all information related to football. Your company's business has great potential."
Although he received a seemingly reasonable answer, Malin was still a little suspicious. However, he also knew that asking further would not get him anything. When he heard Ethan's last sentence, he gave a bitter smile.
"I also thought it had great potential, but more than two years have passed, and there still aren't many clubs willing to trust the data we collect or the analysis drawn from that data. You know, these things are very abstract. If people don't believe in them, we have no way to force them to."
Take the distance covered in a match, for example. OPTA used software to calculate statistics based on video footage from multiple angles. The results could not be said to be 100 percent accurate, but at the very least, they were very close.
If someone believed in it, they would naturally look at the data and think, "Ah, that player really can run."
But what about those who did not believe in it? They would definitely think it was nonsense, but they could not give a reason. After all, a football match could not be replayed from start to finish in real life. Although watching the video might reveal some clues, who would be bored enough to count a player's running distance step by step while watching the footage?
Apart from distance covered, passes, tackles, interceptions, and so on were all data that could best reflect a player's contribution on the pitch, but they also needed people to believe in them before they could be sold.
"What if I try to believe in it?" Ethan said with a smile.
When Malin heard this, his eyes lit up. He knew that the person sitting in front of him had money, and he was currently short on development funds. If he could convince him, he might be able to secure a significant investment.
"I am someone who likes collecting data, so when I watch matches, I am different from others. I focus on certain areas for analysis. For example, I calculated very carefully that Olić made 6 tackles in the whole match, 4 of which were in New Manchester United's half, along with 2 key clearances in front of the penalty area. In addition, there was the moment in front of the opposition penalty arc just after the start of the second half, when he almost assisted Žigić for a goal."
Ethan fell into deep thought after hearing this, while Jim did not quite understand. He simply drank his coffee and acted like an ordinary supporter, watching the match in the simplest way.
"In terms of dangerous passes, Lyons had the most in the team, followed by Krzynówek, and then Evra. That left back created several threats with his long diagonal passes after overlapping runs."
Ethan listened to Malin's words and carefully recalled the match just now. It did seem to make some sense.
"How about this? I'll pay, and you help me collect some data. I want detailed statistics on one player!" Ethan suddenly had an idea.
"Who?" Malin was also interested, as business had come knocking.
"Juninho. This player is the core player our team spent a lot of money to bring in, but his performances are very poor right now. I want to get all his data and then give it to the coaching staff so they can find a solution!"
Malin thought for a moment. He had arrived at the stadium after Juninho had already been substituted for Poulsen.
"This match definitely won't work. I wasn't prepared, and he needs to be on the pitch for me to provide statistics."
"Of course," Ethan nodded.
Although Juninho's performances had been very poor, Bruce would not easily give up on him over the next two or three matches. After all, he had arrived with the status of a core player. He had to be given time to adapt.
"How long do you want to observe him?" Malin asked.
Ethan thought for a moment. "6 matches."
Because the National League schedule was very tight, August at the start of the season had two matches a week, so the 7th round of the league would be played on August 28, with New Manchester United away to Woking.
The reason Ethan decided to observe him for 6 rounds was actually based on many considerations. After all, by that time, the league transfer window would not have closed yet, and the team would still have enough time to consider its options.
As a supporter who had transmigrated, Ethan knew very well that it was not easy for a player to adapt to a completely new football environment. For example, Zidane took half a year to adapt after transferring to Real Madrid, so Ethan was also prepared to give Juninho plenty of time to adjust. But what if Juninho himself was unwilling to adapt?
Or perhaps, what if he really could not adapt?
Last year, Denílson joined La Liga's Betis for a world-record transfer fee, but even after a season, he had still not managed to adapt to La Liga. What if Juninho was the same?
As the owner of a club, Ethan had to be responsible for the whole team, and he had to prepare for the worst.
"Okay, I will give you the most detailed report on August 29!" Malin said confidently.
Ethan nodded with a smile. "If your report is good enough, I will consider investing, or even directly acquiring your company. I believe you also hope to have a more comfortable development environment, right?"
Malin nodded. Indeed, if he could get Ethan's support, it would definitely be a great thing for his company.
After the two discussed some related matters in the coffee shop, Jim, who had been staring at his watch, began urging Malin to get moving. Only now did he start to feel a sense of urgency!
...
After winning a difficult victory against Rushden & Diamonds in the first round of the league, New Manchester United had made a good start, but there was not much time left for the team to enjoy the victory.
On August 10, Gigg Lane welcomed another opponent.
Hednesford's strength in the National League could be considered mid-table. After losing the first round of the league, they hoped to take down the newly promoted team that had come up from the North West Counties League Division Two in the second round.
The habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong could be seen in many teams.
However, in reality, New Manchester United were not pushovers that anyone could bully.
In the home match against Hednesford, New Manchester United focused on defense from the start, so Bruce replaced Crouch, who had started in the last round, with Poulsen, using a single striker and a double defensive midfielder setup. Juninho still started, playing as an attacking midfielder.
Hednesford were clearly very confident about this match and launched fierce attacks against New Manchester United from the beginning.
With the double defensive midfield partnership of Poulsen and Karl Marginson, plus the central defensive pairing of Abidal and Distin, who replaced Gary Turner, this solid defensive setup meant Hednesford's weak attack could not find any real opportunities.
In the 27th minute of the first half, after surviving Hednesford's opening pressure, New Manchester United counterattacked. Darren Lyons crossed from the right, and Žigić headed the ball in to open the scoring, 1-0!
After taking the lead, New Manchester United played even more impressively. In the 34th minute, Krzynówek took a long-range shot. The opposing goalkeeper parried the ball out of the penalty area, and Poulsen, arriving from deep, seized the chance and scored with a long shot, 2-0!
After conceding two goals in a row, Hednesford clearly realized the gap in strength between the two sides. At halftime, they put away their arrogant attitude, took off an attacking player, and brought on a defensive midfielder, intending to defend more steadily.
This substitution did have a certain effect, but it still could not withstand New Manchester United's attack.
It was Žigić again. This super tank, who had scored in two consecutive league rounds, headed in Krzynówek's cross in the 79th minute of the second half. Although the opposing goalkeeper made a save, the shot was too close, and he could not stop the ball from crossing the line.
The 3-0 score remained until the end of the match. This also meant that New Manchester United had achieved two consecutive victories, and Žigić ranked first in the league scoring chart with an excellent record of 5 goals in 2 matches.
With 6 points from 2 rounds, 8 goals scored and 3 conceded, this result placed New Manchester United in first place alongside Kidderminster and Morecambe, who had also won two in a row, but they were ahead of the two strong teams on goal difference.
This victory immediately stunned the commentators who had thought before the season that New Manchester United were only going to take a brief tour of the National League. However, they still insisted one after another that this was merely a flash in the pan for the newly promoted team. The season was long and required stable performances, and New Manchester United would probably find it difficult to maintain this advantage.
But New Manchester United always seemed to enjoy surprising people. Just like the huge upset they caused in the first round, when they challenged Dover away from home, despite facing fierce attacks from the home team, New Manchester United still secured all three points through tenacious defending and a moment of brilliance from substitute Hleb in the second half.
The 0-1 scoreline showed how difficult this match was, and Dover's home ground was notoriously difficult to play at in the National League, but New Manchester United eventually came away with the 3 points.
Since Kidderminster and Morecambe also defeated their opponents, with the former winning 5-1, New Manchester United dropped to second place in the standings.
Three days later, New Manchester United challenged their old rival, Forest Green, who had lost to New Manchester United in the FA Cup last season. This team had also passed the FA's review this season and earned the opportunity to be promoted to the National League, but as a promoted team, Forest Green's situation was worse than New Manchester United's.
After three rounds of the league, Forest Green had suffered three consecutive defeats, scoring 1 goal and conceding 7. They had suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat in the first round. Now, facing New Manchester United, who were considered the weakest side in the National League, Forest Green were determined to fight to the death and desperate to win this match to avenge their FA Cup defeat from last season!
(To be continued.)