Wolves left the City Stadium with a score of 2-1.

There was a nine-day break between the 22nd and 23rd rounds, which is not common in the Championship, where there is an average of one game every three or four days.

This is a good opportunity, and Wolves gave the players a few days off.

This is not only because Christmas is coming soon, but also because it is the calm before the storm. The next schedule is a devil's schedule. The long-term tension makes it difficult for players and coaches to bear it. If it continues, it will inevitably affect the competitive state.

On December 26, the day after Christmas, Wolves will face Bristol. Fortunately, it is at home, so Wolves don't have to endure the fatigue of traveling, but it is hard for Bristol players. They probably won't have a complete Christmas. They will probably gather and set off in the afternoon of the 25th.

It is no longer news that the Championship does not have a winter break.

Almost every winter in the Premier League, there are people complaining about its inhumanity. Among the five major leagues, the Premier League is the only one without a winter break. While the players in the other four major leagues are happily celebrating Christmas, the players in the various leagues in England have to work overtime.

And there is no overtime pay.

The English leagues at all levels have been slow to make changes to this. Apart from the TV broadcasts and economic factors of the Premier League and other leagues at all levels, the main reason is also very simple - they can't be scheduled.

Now without changes, the English Championship also needs to play a game every three or four days.

You know, there are 24 teams in the English Championship and 46 rounds of the league. So many teams and such a dense schedule simply don't support arranging more than ten days of rest.

Generally, at the end of December and the beginning of January, the FA Cup, which all English teams can participate in, generally enters the third round of the schedule, which means that Premier League giants like Liverpool and Chelsea will also participate in this round.

Therefore, generally speaking, there will be many strong dialogues in early January, and the players will not only fail to rest, but also have to work overtime.

On January 2, the second day of the New Year, Wolves will face QPR, Queens Park Rangers, at home.

On January 7, just five days after the last game, Wolves will travel to Merseyside to face the "Red Army" at Anfield, Liverpool's home stadium.

On January 10, just after returning to Wolverhampton, it was the turn of the League Cup semi-finals. This time it was the first round of the Wolves' home game against Manchester United.

On the afternoon of December 22, after the training session, everyone ran back to the lounge of the training base happily.

They were not so active even when eating.

This is because the players are about to have their long-awaited three-day vacation.

"Don't eat too much, be careful not to engage in dangerous sports, pay attention to personal safety, call me if you have anything, and you can call Serlars if you can't get through to me..." Wei Le stood in the middle of the lounge and chattered.

"I know, mom!" Big Martin shouted.

"Boss, you really look like that kind of nagging teacher!" Jota complained.

Wei Le rolled his eyes and laughed. He felt that he was really mentally ill. He was about the same age as the players, but he felt like he was thirty years older than them.

He felt like the head of the school grade reading the holiday notice and safety instructions on the loudspeaker before the summer vacation in elementary school, and asked parents to take the paper receipt to sign.

Although all the children below seemed to be sitting in their chairs, their hearts had already flown away. When the announcement on the radio was finished, every class was full of joy.

It has been almost ten years, and these ten years have passed so quickly and so slowly.

Wei Le also sighed in his heart.

He adjusted his mood, gave a few more instructions, and then clapped his hands to end his long speech, "Okay, I won't say more, I wish you a happy holiday!"

"Okay! Goodbye, boss!" Bowen rushed out first, and Jota waved and followed closely.

"Where are we going to eat later?"

"I want to go home to be with my girlfriend."

"Fuck! Emiliano, you thick-browed guy betrayed the organization!"

"Diogo, CSGO later?"

"GOGOGO!!"

"Get in my car!"

The laughter of the players drifted farther and farther. The number of people in the lounge gradually decreased. Finally, Morgan Gibbs-White, who had packed his clothes, timidly said hello to Wei Le and left.

"Happy holidays, White!"

"Happy holidays, boss."

There was also David Edwards sitting in the lounge. David Edwards had obviouslyHe packed up his things, but he still sat in his seat.

"Why don't you leave?" Wei Le asked.

David Edwards raised his head and smiled and shook his head. Facing this head coach who was eight years younger than him, he didn't look down on him at all.

"I want to say thank you, boss."

"Why?" Wei Le was curious.

"Thank you for giving me hope." Edwards replied. After a pause, he continued, "Boss, you know how happy I was when I really realized that we had a chance to advance to the Premier League."

"You also experienced the struggles of last season with us. At that time, we could only feel uncomfortable." Edwards said with a smile, and Wei Le nodded. He could understand that feeling.

Last season, Wolves ranked only 14th in the league. Considering that in the 2015 season, which was the year before last, Wolves also ranked seventh, these two seasons were considered to be a relatively unsuccessful stage for Wolves.

But before that, from the relegation from the Premier League in the 2012 season to the present, Wolves have always been sinking in the second and third level leagues. This period of time is very long, with people coming and going.

But David Edwards has always been in the Wolves. He has witnessed the Wolves standing in the Premier League, and has experienced the ups and downs and comings and goings of the Wolves. No one has a better say than him when recalling all this.

If there is anyone, it is probably goalkeeper Aikomai. The Nigerian goalkeeper is a goalkeeper produced by the Wolves youth training, and has also experienced the whole process of Wolves from the Premier League to the present.

"Carl (Aikomai) went to accompany his wife, and he asked me to convey his gratitude on his behalf." Edwards explained, "Boss, what you don't know is that we have been through those awkward days for many years."

Weile was silent. He really couldn't empathize with Edwards completely, but he could imagine that the past few years must have been difficult.

"After you came, I mean, after you became the head coach, you sent away half of the people at once. Many people came to me and asked me what my attitude was. At that time, although I said that I would cooperate with the coach's arrangements, I still cared a little."

"To be honest, the people you bought didn't even speak English at the beginning. I didn't know who many of them were after playing for so many years. We were all discussing, do these people really have the ability? Do you really have the ability? Don't mind me saying this."

"But you proved to all of us that you have always been right." Edwards said, "I really like the current Wolves. Although I am 30 years old, I live like I am 20 years old. Even if I can't get as much game time as usual, I am really happy."

"During this period, all of us are in high spirits because we all see hope. For so many years,' "Promotion to the Premier League has become an empty promise, and I no longer believe in it."

"But one day, when I saw the standings, I found that we were actually ranked first! I thought, God, this is not a joke! We really won one game after another, and we really have a chance to return to the place we dreamed of!"

"How could we not look to the light?" Edwards smiled bitterly, "It's just that at that time, all of us, including coach Kenny Jackett, couldn't see any way to get to the place where we should be."

"You came, and then I saw hope. Boss, maybe I'm wrong to think so, but I firmly believe from the beginning that you must be the right person."

"Boss, whether we succeed this season or not, we will fully support you."

"Thank you, boss. Happy holidays." Edwards said this and left the lounge. Wei Le was the only one left in the room. He randomly pulled a chair and sat down, looking at the brightly lit but empty room.

Edwards took the initiative to express his gratitude to Wei Le just now, which was unexpected by Wei Le. Wei Le didn't even think about what he should answer in the end, and just watched Edwards leave without saying a word.

After becoming the head coach, Wei Le has been thinking about what his position can bring, and what a football head coach can bring to a player.

But he never thought about such grand words as "hope" and "light". These words are too big and too difficult to understand.

Moreover, can a head coach really do so much?

Wei Le became a head coach, in fact, just out of interest at first. But when he really stepped into the professional arena, he would find that being a head coach is not only about "interest". The head coach also shoulders responsibilities.

Wei Le found that perhaps he had not yet realized that he had made too many changes and had alreadyI have changed myself to a great extent and have also influenced many people.

After seeing everyone off, Wei Le, Celars and other members of the coaching staff ended the regular meeting. Wei Le "generously" gave the coaching staff a holiday. The high-intensity shift made the coaching staff bear stronger work pressure than the players on the field, and it was time to adjust.

Celars was going home to accompany his wife, and so were the others. Chairman Shi Yu had already flown back to China, and the club seemed to suddenly become deserted at this time.

Wei Le walked slowly in the almost empty training base, thinking about random things.

Wrapping a scarf, Wei Le put on a helmet, and rode a bicycle to his rental house.

Yes, a bicycle.

Wei Le has never taken a driver's license test. He didn't take it in China, and of course he didn't have time to pay attention to the driver's license issue in England. Therefore, a relatively high-end road bike is one of Wei Le's highest consumption since he came to England.

Some people say that Wei Le has been living an ascetic life, but Wei Le doesn't feel anything about it. He is devoted to football, and time passes quickly.

From February to December this year, I will soon spend the first year of wandering. Looking back, Wei Le, the "wanderer", has not been home for a long time. Do you say he really doesn't miss home? Definitely not.

But there are more things that temporarily divert his attention.

On the way home by bike, there are no more people on the road in the small town of Wolverhampton, and there are fewer cars.

A few snowflakes fell from the sky, the cold wind was whistling, the sunset was covered by clouds, and the night was coming. Christmas is approaching, and people are hiding in their rooms, with their families and friends, enjoying a short gathering.

Maybe they just baked a plate of cookies, and the old man was secretly giving the candy to the children, warning them not to tell their parents. The children agreed, but soon their cheers exposed the secret.

Wei Le rode on the road, only the wind whistled in his ears, but he heard the sympathy from the wind.

Passing by a shopping mall, the window of the mall has already set up a Christmas tree and played Christmas songs. Wei Le has never felt anything about Christmas, but he is alone, and people always live in groups.

Riding on this short road, he could feel that he was surrounded by loneliness, so he sped up his bike.

He wanted to escape from loneliness, and he thought he succeeded.

But when he turned the door of the rental house, there was only darkness in front of him. There was no smell of cookies, no delicious meals, no TV programs and laughter, only himself and a small and messy room.

Wei Le struggled to take off his helmet and fumbled for the light switch. After turning on the light, the whole room was slightly brighter.

Wei Le slammed the security door hard, he leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, sat directly on the ground, and covered his face with his hands.

He missed home, and he had never thought about it this way.

Wei Le took out his mobile phone, flipped through the address book for a long time, and finally clicked on his mother's contact information. He typed and deleted in the chat box, but didn't know what to say.

The non-stop work and time difference caused Wei Le to rarely communicate with his family. He didn't think much of it at ordinary times, but now he really felt what "missing family members more during festivals" meant.

[Wei Haha: Mom, what did you eat today? ]

The message was sent, and Wei Le laughed.

At the end, he only remembered to ask what his family had eaten.

Probably nothing special, after all, his family never celebrated foreign festivals. Not to mention December 22, even Christmas Day, it must not be a special day for them, probably just an ordinary day in December.

Wei Le put his phone upside down on the table. He knew that there was a seven-hour time difference between England and Beijing. It was already dawn on the 23rd in Beijing, and his parents must not have gotten up yet.

Wei Le stood up and took out the cupcakes and frozen dumplings he bought last weekend from the refrigerator in the kitchen.

Cooking dumplings is not a difficult task. When he sat at the table with a cupcake in his mouth and a plate of dumplings in his hand, his phone was still silent.

Wei Le took a bite and spat it out because it was too hot.

"Not delicious."

Wei Le said to himself.

The dumplings were small, and the fillings were small.

But he still took small bites of the dumplings. It was obvious that the dough was pressed by a machine.

As he ate, the 21-year-old young man burst into tears in a foreign country.

I don't know if it was because the dumplings were really too hot and too unpalatable.

Wei Le missed home. He had never thought about it this way before.

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