The issue with this aim, however, was that the top Chinese players were at Beijing and they had absolutely no reason to leave. They had been champions eight times out of the last ten seasons and were easily the favourites again. I had a budget of 46m and I was willing to spend it all to steal either of their star strikers. I had a bid of 46m accepted for Chen Jun, a key man for me with China, and yet he didn't even speak to me. Clearly we were going to have to try something different if we were going to overtake them. But what?
First things first, I wanted a clear out of anyone who was average. There was no space for averageness in my team and it would boost the kitty. Don't get me wrong – I am well aware that 46m is a hell of a lot of money. Don't forget, I had recently been in Hong where our entire club bank balance was less than most of my player's weekly salary. However, the budget was the lower end of average for teams in the top half of the league and under a third of Beijing's. At the end of the day it wasn't just about the league and Beijing. Even if we forever stayed as the best of the rest I had a chance of collecting some cups. Not just in China, but with the Champions League too. So, with just this window, I wanted to transform the club into my club and to ditch all the dead weight.
By our first game, a home game in the Champions League, we had sold eleven, signed seven and promoted a few from within. The squad was fresh and ready for the season and we made sure everyone knew it. Before a ball had been kicked in the Super League we were three points clear at the top of our continental group and had taken home the Super Cup after beating Beijing on penalties. It wasn't possible to have had a better start.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to keep it up...
By the summer break we were already out of all the domestic cups and were too far behind in the league to mount a real challenge. This may sound ridiculous as there were fifteen games left of the season, but Beijing were doing incredibly at the top. And, instead of being the best of the rest like the season before, we were among a group of seven competing for the other places in the top four and were currently in the worst position to be: fifth.
One reason for this was our annoying lack of goals. We were top of the league for clean sheets and we were the only team yet to lose a game – even Beijing had lost one. The problem was that we kept grinding out 0-0 draws and had over twice as many draws as wins. The other reason, however, was that we were doing well in the Champions League and the Asian hangover I had experienced in Hong Kong was hitting us again. I loved the squad and I was happy with each and every one of them, but yet again I had constructed a team lacking in enough depth to compete on multiple fronts and their youthful legs were knackered.
I had also briefly screwed us further. Over the pre-season I had raided my national pool and scout reports to sign the best Chinese players I could. This was basically every player not already at the annoying Beijing. This was great of course in the most part, but in June 2030 it was awful because of the World Cup in Spain. Going into the Champions League 2nd Round Leg 2 match we had twelve people away on international duty – ten of those for me with China. Our only saving hope was that the match was against Beijing and they had ten of their own away. Beijing had far greater depth, however, and they smashed us 3-0.
I was distraught. It was the final thing we had been competing in that season and we had lost because of my management of China. All I could hope was that the lads did us proud in Spain to make it worthwhile for this short and disappointing chapter of my career. We did at least manage to secure third in the league though and the board were at least satisfied with my performance.
I was disappointed, but there was also the next season and I was thrilled to be competing at my first World Cup.