News of Swansea being eliminated by Liverpool in the League Cup round of sixteen did not make the headlines of Fleet Street's mainstream football papers. Most outlets only ntioned it briefly, giving readers the match report and result.
If Swansea losing to Liverpool had been treated as so sensational piece of news, that would only an Fleet Street was giving Swansea far too much credit and underestimating the Reds far too badly.
Instead, it was Lynn who continued to be mocked and ridiculed by various dia outlets.
Once Lynn returned to Swansea, it was as if he had returned to a peaceful harbor.
No reporters ca to harass him. The local Welsh dia understood Lynn a little better, and they did not have Fleet Street's lofty sense of superiority. Overall, their assessnt of Lynn remained quite positive.
Only by truly understanding what Swansea's strength had been in the past could one appreciate just how precious the club's new atmosphere was now.
If soone criticized Lynn based solely on one League Cup defeat and his attitude toward the dia, that would simply be a laughable case of letting one leaf block the whole view.
The day after the team's recovery training, Lynn went to the Liberty Stadium after lunch.
Mo Yuan was acting as supervisor there.
Lynn arrived at the section of corridor leading from the players' tunnel to the pitch and stopped. Several workers were currently repainting the walls and floor.
The wall on the left had been painted black, while the wall on the right had been painted white. Even the floor was the sa — divided clearly into two halves, black on the left and white on the right!
Mo Yuan walked over and asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly want to change the colors of the players' tunnel corridor? This layout looks like it has so deeper aning."
Lynn walked to the middle of the corridor, looked toward the wall that had already been painted black, pointed at the central position, and said, "Put Swansea's club crest here. It has to stand out!"
Mo Yuan looked at the already black wall and frowned. "Will that look good? Swansea's crest already has a black swan. If it's on a black wall, won't it be hard to see?"
"Use glossy black," Lynn said. "As long as there's a sense of layering, the image will appear. The effect I want is that when people look directly at the crest, it makes their imagination run. I want them to feel as if the black wings of the swan are stretching out endlessly!"
Mo Yuan closed his eyes and imagined it for a mont. That kind of scene might even carry a hint of magic.
Lynn then walked to the middle of the floor and stamped his right foot heavily. "In the middle of the floor, put the logos of Division Three, Division Two, Division One, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Football League Trophy, and the Community Shield."
Mo Yuan tilted his head slightly, not quite understanding Lynn's intention. "What's the aning behind that?"
Dressed in a suit, hands in his pockets, Lynn said seriously, "After returning from Liverpool, I kept thinking about one question. In the past, I believed a club's culture and spirit would gradually form and take shape as the team moved forward. We could patiently wait for the right mont and allow the club to gain history and richer aning.
"But later, I thought about it again. Actually, that isn't right.
"Think about Shankly's transformation of Liverpool. How many great legacies did he leave behind? Ferguson's suggestions for improving Old Trafford, the way he and Bobby Charlton built the Red Devils' youth system, Wenger arriving at Highbury and stamping his personal style from top to bottom.
"I shouldn't wait. We shouldn't stand aside and let ti push us forward. We should fight for every minute and every second to shape every little part of this club ourselves.
"These things may seem insignificant today. So people may not even understand them. But perhaps they will beco the club's traditions, spirit, and aning. There is even the faint possibility that they will be rembered for generations!
"We have to beco modern-day Shanklys. We have to be like Ferguson, who originally went to Barcelona to buy players, but after walking around La Masia, returned without signing anyone and instead focused on building the youth system. We have to learn from Chapman, who rely changed Arsenal's club na slightly, allowing Arsenal to appear at the top of the top-flight table before the season even began. The renaming of the tube station also spread Arsenal's fa far and wide.
"And so on. And so on.
"Mo Yuan, this is what we have to do!"
Mo Yuan listened solemnly. After taking a deep breath, he nodded. "All right. I understand. I support you. Then let's discuss the specific plan."
Lynn nodded, then stared at the corridor floor, split between black and white. "Black represents authority and elegance, persistence and coldness. White represents purity and sacredness, trust and openness.
"This is our ho ground. When our players walk out, they'll be wearing our white ho kit. If they stand on the white side of the floor, with the background wall amplifying that effect, the white area will be too large and create a distant, dreamlike feeling. That won't be good.
"So our players will wear white shirts and stand on this side — the black side!"
Lynn stepped into the black half of the floor. Because he was wearing a dark gray-black suit, when Mo Yuan looked at him against that background, Lynn himself beca sowhat indistinct.
But Mo Yuan imagined Swansea players in white shirts standing in a line there. In that scene, the contrast between black and white would be extrely clear!
He walked to the white side of the floor, turned, and looked at Lynn. "From this angle, the most striking colors in my view would be the Swansea players. And perhaps there would be a faint sense of unease too. Because of the Swansea crest on the wall, with the black swan set against the background, it would feel as though it extends infinitely. It would be unsettling. This black is so dark that it almost makes people panic."
Lynn smiled and nodded. "Exactly. That's the effect I want! We have to give every opponent who cos here a psychological shock before the match even begins! Make them afraid to act recklessly here. Psychologically, they must fall into pressure and fear."
Mo Yuan understood Lynn's intention and kept in mind the matter of designing the Swansea crest image. That would be the key point of the entire renovation. Whether the effect could truly be achieved would mainly depend on the design.
Lynn looked down at the floor. "Use this black-white boundary line as the center. From the inside outward, place the logos of England's leagues and cup competitions."
Mo Yuan smiled. "That will create a psychological suggestion, stimulating the players' fighting spirit. Whether they're currently in Division Three or Division Two, it tells them that as they move forward, the Premier League is the ultimate goal. And there's another implication too: trampling English football beneath their feet!"
Lynn said, "Exactly. That's what I an."
Mo Yuan thought for a mont, then said, "Why not put the UEFA Cup and Champions League logos on it too?"
Lynn thought about it carefully, but still hesitated.
Mo Yuan smiled at him. "What? Afraid the outside world will criticize Swansea for being like a snake trying to swallow an elephant? Too ambitious? Still in Division Three and already thinking about the Champions League?"
Lynn nodded seriously.
Mo Yuan said lightly, "That's exactly why putting the Champions League and UEFA Cup logos there now has aning. It represents Swansea's highest long-term pursuit!
"Take ten thousand steps back. Even if Swansea don't win the UEFA Cup or the Champions League within fifty years, what if they achieve it a hundred years from now?"
"But I'll already be dead."
"Yes, you'll already be dead. But your spirit and will shall be praised a hundred years later. By then, all kinds of flatterers will say that the great Lynn set the club's highest ambition a century ago, and after generations of struggle, Swansea finally fulfilled that dream! They will thank Lynn's heroic spirit for driving Swansea forward. Long live the great Lynn!"
Lynn lifted his leg as if to flying-kick Mo Yuan, who laughed and dodged away.
Lynn himself laughed too. When Mo Yuan put it that way, it did make so sense.
A dream was sothing one had to have. What if it ca true?
He chuckled and said, "We are a little swan, but we have big dreams, e-i-e-i-o!"
Mo Yuan clapped and laughed. "Haha, that's more like it! Those who pursue dreams should not be mocked by the world. On the contrary, they should be respected!"
Lynn put away his smile. After thinking it over again, he said, "Forget the UEFA Cup logo. It doesn't an much. After the Premier League logo, it should be the Champions League. Otherwise, outsiders might think we're ignorant country bumpkins who believe the UEFA Cup is more important than the Premier League."
Mo Yuan had no objection. He organized his thoughts and said, "Then the order should be: Football League Trophy, Division Three, Division Two, Division One, League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League, Champions League. Two ters before the exit will be the Champions League logo."
Lynn roughly thought it over and felt there was no problem. "Good. Then it's decided. You and the designer study the sizing and proportions. I don't want the floor to beco too ssy. Make the overall layout look as comfortable as possible."
Mo Yuan nodded and agreed.
Lynn was preparing to return to the training base, but before leaving, he reminded Mo Yuan, "By the way, at three this afternoon, I have an appointnt with Kremlin Nahl, the tailor from Princess Street. Help receive him. At four-thirty, bring him and his assistants to the dressing room at the training base."
Mo Yuan asked curiously, "Nahl? Are you making clothes?"
"Not for . For the entire first-team squad. We're having shirts and suits tailored for them. From now on, whenever we travel for away matches, the whole team must dress uniformly."
Mo Yuan smiled. "This is also part of shaping the club's culture and spirit, right?"
"Exactly. I'll go first. See you this afternoon."
Lynn returned to the training base.
Afternoon training began at half past two. He personally oversaw the team's recovery session. The intensity was not high, as there was a league match to handle two days later.
At half past four, Lynn gathered the squad.
Ibrahimović asked curiously, "Are we being dismissed early?"
Usually, on a recovery training day, afternoon training ended at five.
Lynn said to them, "No. You're going to the dressing room now. The club has invited a tailor to take your asurents. We're ordering three sets of suits and shirts for each of you."
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Lynn explained, "From now on, when we travel for away matches, our clothing must be uniform.
"Hey, hey, don't give those miserable expressions. This has already been added to the team rules. I'll tell you the reason, but whether you understand it or not, you must carry it out.
"I want the outside world to see a different Swansea. Not a Swansea made up of a ragtag bunch of players, but a club that displays youth, energy, elegance, and class. That will make us seem more special.
"So, boys, obediently go to the dressing room. Once the suits are finished, when we travel for away matches, you will all look handso, cool, stylish, and elegant. Hold your heads high and walk our own distinctive road!"
Lynn's words made many players nod in understanding. Quite a few of the younger ones were actually interested.
But so players felt a little resistant inside, because they preferred having their own style when it ca to clothing.
However, Lynn was not only the head coach but also the owner. No one dared openly express dissatisfaction. There was not even any protest. Everyone obediently went to the dressing room.
Kremlin Nahl and his four assistants had been waiting in the dressing room for a long ti. Nahl was the most famous tailor in Swansea. Lynn had ordered two suits from him a long ti ago. The quality had been good, and the price had been relatively affordable.
Only later, because he often went shopping with Erin, whenever Erin was in the mood, she would drag him along to buy new designer suits. That left him with no chance to visit Nahl again. But Lynn still rembered Nahl's craftsmanship.
Wearing glasses, with a asuring tape around his neck, Nahl was dressed in a shirt and fitted waistcoat. As he asured Swansea's players, he would make a few comnts — whose figure was excellent, whose shoulders were a little narrow, whose body proportions were particularly good, and so on.
Lynn stood at the dressing room entrance, smiling as he watched the scene inside.
On Swansea's steady road forward, the shaping of their spirit and culture had also begun!
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