Chapter 45: I've Got a Gold Mine
After so many years in management, Yang Cheng had absolute confidence—not just in his coaching ability, but in the team he had built.
He knew full well the season had only just begun.
At this point, everything was still far too early to call.
So he stuck to his usual routine, going about each day as planned.
The schedule continued to unfold in an orderly fashion.
Three days after the away loss to Wigan Athletic, Bayswater Chinese faced the first round of the League Cup.
A home fixture against Cambridge United.
This time, Yang Cheng made sweeping changes—rotating out all eleven starters from the league.
In the end, a late goal from Lambert in the 82nd minute earned them a narrow 1–0 victory, securing a spot in the second round.
More than just the win, what really pleased Yang Cheng was the home attendance: 6,558.
It was a midweek cup match. The opponent was a fourth-tier side. And yet over six thousand fans showed up.
Yang Cheng was very satisfied.
Once again, it proved that London's football market was massive.
There was still untapped potential in Bayswater Chinese.
…
The weekend brought Round 5 of the Championship: a home match against Preston.
In their first four games, Preston had one win, one draw, and two losses.
In fact, they had lost both of their last two matches—home and away.
Still, Yang Cheng wasn't about to underestimate them.
Looking at their results, all wins and losses had been by a single goal.
That meant they were a tough side.
More importantly, after back-to-back losses, they'd be desperate to get back on track.
Sure enough, even on the road, Preston came out aggressive and resilient.
Bayswater Chinese controlled possession and had the upper hand, but struggled to break through.
Finally, in the 31st minute, Ribéry linked up beautifully with Modrić on the left side of the box and was brought down by center-back Marlon Broomes.
Referee Paul Taylor pointed to the spot.
Ribéry stepped up and calmly slotted it home—1–0.
That was the only goal of the match.
In total, the referee showed eight yellow cards—three to Bayswater Chinese, five to Preston. It was that kind of game.
Bayswater Chinese didn't play particularly smoothly.
But the three points were all that mattered.
The match drew a crowd of 7,996.
Being the perfectionist he was, Yang Cheng was mildly annoyed.
Just four more people and they'd have cracked eight thousand.
…
Having battled so fiercely against Preston, Bayswater Chinese couldn't hold on for the win three days later in Round 6—a tough away game against recently relegated Leicester City.
In the 41st minute, Kitson gave them the lead with a goal.
But Leicester's manager, Micky Adams, went all in during the second half.
Starting from halftime, he made a substitution every 10 minutes—using all three by the 65th minute.
Leicester came out after the break with a whole new energy, and Bayswater Chinese couldn't cope.
They conceded twice and suffered a painful comeback loss.
This time, Yang Cheng didn't hold back.
In the post-match locker room, he voiced his dissatisfaction with how the team panicked in the second half.
Yes, he knew the rotation had unsettled the squad.
But their lack of structure was inexcusable.
That wasn't how a mature team should play.
Six games in, Bayswater Chinese had two losses and one draw.
Ten points, sitting seventh in the table—just shy of the playoff zone.
But Yang Cheng wasn't happy.
On the bright side, with no international players on the squad, and with youth internationals like Aaron Lennon and Huddlestone not called up, the team finally got a break.
Since the start of the season, they'd been playing two games a week across multiple competitions. The pressure was intense.
There had been no time to fix any of the issues that cropped up.
With 11 days for the international break, Yang Cheng finally had a chance to breathe and reset the team.
The bad news? From September 11th, the two-games-per-week grind would begin again.
…
"You're sure this is where you're taking me to eat?"
Standing outside a lavishly decorated Chinese restaurant on the east side of Berkeley Square in London's Mayfair district, Xia Qing was clearly surprised.
The name of the restaurant: Hakkasan.
In the Chinese student and London Chinese community, this place—established in 2001—was already legendary.
It had a Chinese name too: Kèjiārén, or Hakka People.
More importantly, it was expensive.
"Of course. You stayed up two nights helping me go over the financial reports. I have to treat you properly."
Xia Qing looked at him like she couldn't believe a word.
"Senior, has your image really sunk that low in my eyes?"
She snorted, "Did you even have an image to begin with?"
"Oof, right in the heart, senior," Yang Cheng said, clutching his chest dramatically.
But Xia Qing wasn't falling for his act.
"Cut the crap. Just tell me, or I'm leaving."
Yang Cheng had no choice but to spill.
"Adam Crozier."
At first, Xia Qing didn't react—just felt like the name sounded familiar.
But once Yang Cheng explained, she immediately understood.
The CEO of Royal Mail.
"You're having dinner with him?" she asked, stunned.
Yang Cheng couldn't help feeling a little smug.
He quite enjoyed Xia Qing's astonishment.
"I had to go through several people, including the new FA CEO David Davies, just to set this up."
Yang Cheng genuinely admired Adam Crozier.
For the record, in August—after the Sven-Goran Eriksson "zipper scandal"—the FA bungled things so badly that CEO Mark Palios got sacked. David Davies took over.
"But I still don't get it. Why are you having dinner with him?" Xia Qing was totally lost.
She couldn't keep up with Yang Cheng's train of thought.
"To poach him," Yang Cheng said, perfectly serious.
Xia Qing thought she must have misheard.
This guy was the CEO of Royal Mail.
If Bayswater Chinese were Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea, maybe this would make sense.
But you're just a Championship side—and you want to poach an executive from a national monopoly?
Are you insane?
"Senior, I just need you to observe. I'll handle the talking," Yang Cheng said, all business.
Xia Qing suspected she'd fallen under some sort of Yang Cheng spell—because she actually agreed.
Then again, deep down, she just wanted to see how on earth he was going to make the pitch.
…
Adam Crozier wore a black suit and tie, looking every bit the refined gentleman.
He wasn't old, quite good-looking, and he took care of himself.
Especially his hair—it was combed perfectly, not a strand out of place.
How to put it?
His entire appearance screamed one thing: success.
Still, when he first saw Xia Qing, his eyes clearly lit up—he masked it well, but Yang Cheng noticed.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but wonder if Crozier's push to increase the FA's ratio of female employees back in the day had ulterior motives.
That said, Crozier's charisma was undeniable—charming and witty in conversation.
Even Xia Qing, after a few words with him, threw Yang Cheng a glance: Not bad.
"Mr. Yang, I've heard of Bayswater Chinese," Crozier said once dinner was underway.
He had clearly caught on to the dynamic between the two young people across from him.
"Frankly, you've had some rough years, but things have changed dramatically since last year."
Yang Cheng smiled.
Now that Crozier had brought it up, there was no need to hold back.
"The Russian guy at Chelsea has been trying to buy our plot of land north of Hyde Park."
Crozier paused, then nodded. "That land has been vastly undervalued."
"Oh? How so?"
"Location, transportation—those are obvious. I'm sure you've already looked into those. But even so, I doubt you've fully evaluated the potential value of that site."
At this, even Xia Qing's expression grew serious.
"In 2001, Deloitte showed me a report. The total output of the UK football industry exceeded £1 billion, and it was growing at around 15% per year."
Yang Cheng did a quick mental calculation. That meant the figure doubled roughly every five years.
So by 2005, that £1 billion had become £2 billion.
In reality, the growth was even faster.
"Whether it's from third parties like Deloitte or from revenue figures of big clubs like Manchester United, it's clear football is a massively lucrative industry—and global capital is starting to take notice."
"I can already see it: the Premier League is on the brink of global expansion."
Yang Cheng was genuinely impressed.
Everything Crozier said was spot on.
"For the British, football isn't just a rapidly growing industry—it generates billions in taxes, creates thousands of jobs…"
"More importantly, it's woven into the fabric of British life. Taking your family and kids to the stadium—it's a ritual for most households."
"That's why, in the UK, football stadiums also have immense social value."
Crozier paused, then gave an example.
"You've probably heard of Arsenal's new stadium. In their design, they included not just standard VIP areas, but VVIP sections—split into Executive Boxes and Diamond Suites, based on location, hospitality level, and benefits."
"You know Wembley Stadium too. It has over 160 different suite types—like Corporate Suites, Grand Halls, Wembley Suites, Bobby Moore Suites, and View Suites."
"Do you think those boxes are meant for regular fans or families?"
Yang Cheng understood immediately.
In his previous life, he'd learned a bit about this.
Most of these suites were leased long-term by corporations—sometimes for years at a time.
It was just like how some companies reserve private rooms at high-end restaurants to host clients.
That's why Arsenal and Tottenham went deep into debt to build new stadiums.
Corporate boxes are more profitable than anything else.
"Mr. Yang, Arsenal's new stadium is in Ashburton Grove, which is 7 kilometers north of Mayfair—where we are now."
"Wembley is even farther—more than 10 kilometers."
"But your site? Right by Hyde Park's north gate. Surrounded by six or seven tube stations. You can walk here from Mayfair."
"You don't need me to tell you how much commercial potential that land holds."
Yang Cheng had thought about this many times.
That's why he refused to sell to Chelsea.
Now, with Crozier's insights, his understanding went even deeper.
Arsenal's new stadium and Wembley were both far from central London.
QPR and Fulham were too small. Stamford Bridge lacked proper facilities.
None of the central London stadiums could be expanded or renovated.
Except Bayswater Chinese's future stadium.
That's why Abramovich was so obsessed with buying it.
Because once that stadium is built, it's not just a ground…
It's a gold mine.
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