Review (4/10)
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After spending the whole night out in London, Ethan called a taxi and first took Eva to Farnham. It was already past midnight, and after returning to London, he booked a flight for early the next morning.
This time, Jim came to pick him up again.
"Ethan, it was a pity about yesterday's match, but our team performed well!" Jim said while driving.
As New Manchester United's dedicated driver, he carried some weight among the Newton Heath fans. After all, he spent his days around New Manchester United's top executives, and there were always people hoping to get the latest information from him.
"But we still lost in the end!" Ethan said with a wry smile.
After a night had passed, Ethan had already come to terms with it.
In fact, if he dwelled on every defeat for days, Ethan would inevitably spend the rest of his life in gloom.
"That was the referee's bullshit. Otherwise, it would have been at least a draw, wouldn't it?"
Ethan smiled without commenting. "By the way, Jim, are you taking Messi to the hospital today?"
Jim nodded.
After a period of stable treatment, Messi no longer needed to go every day. He only had to go about once a week to pick up his medicine and have a check-up. The rest of the time, he just needed to regulate himself according to the physical training and diet plan specially formulated for him by Professor Fryer and the others.
"Alright, let's go together then!"
Jim drove Ethan to Windsor School near the Newton Heath training ground, where he saw Messi already waiting by the security booth, accompanied by Curtis and Michael Johnson.
"Aren't you two brats going home to eat?" Ethan got out of the car.
Curtis smiled when he saw Ethan. "Michael and I want to accompany Messi to the hospital."
Ethan looked at Jim, who nodded. "They often go with him."
"Alright then, get in!"
Five people fit perfectly in the taxi. Ethan sat in the passenger seat, while the three kids sat in the back.
"Michael, are you getting used to living at Jim's place? Has he been treating you well?" Ethan asked with a smile.
Michael looked at Jim and shook his head with a smile. "No, it's no different from living at home. Uncle Jim is very welcoming."
"That's good. If he treats you poorly, just tell me, and I'll beat him up for you!" Ethan said, putting on an act.
The three kids burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Boss, I heard you didn't come back last night. Did you go somewhere to drown your sorrows after the loss?" Curtis seemed to be joking, but in reality, he was concerned.
"Losing a match is nothing. Besides, I don't think we lost that match. The referee just helped Arsenal. After the match ended, I happened to meet a beautiful woman and went on a date with her!"
"Bullshit!" Curtis blurted out, clearly showing his distrust of Ethan. It seemed someone's character was hard to believe in. "London beauties have such high standards. Would they even fancy you?"
Curtis was from London, so he knew the situation there clearly.
His comment immediately caused another burst of laughter from everyone in the car.
"Hey, kid, show some respect. I'm your boss. Also, why wouldn't a London beauty fancy me? Let me tell you, one of these days I'll bring her for you all to see."
Curtis curled his lip, his expression clearly saying, "Keep dreaming!"
Ethan naturally could not lower himself to the level of children, so he just chatted aimlessly for the rest of the trip.
After some effort, they arrived at the Royal Hospital, and Ethan familiarly led the group of kids to Professor Peter Fryer's office.
"I'm sorry, Professor Fryer has gone to Germany for a conference. Before he left, he instructed that you could go see Professor Derek Wright, who will perform the check-ups and prescribe the medicine for you."
After hearing the assistant's words, Ethan immediately took the group of kids to the second floor, to Professor Derek Wright's office.
The latter had just seen off a doctor in a white coat. Seeing Ethan and the others coming downstairs, he immediately walked over.
"What a coincidence, Ethan!" Derek greeted Jim, Messi, and the others with a smile.
"I just happened to have some free time, so I brought him over," Ethan said.
"Regarding yesterday's match, I can only say that the referee helped Arsenal. We were great!" Derek was clearly already a die-hard New Manchester United fan.
"But we still lost in the end!" Ethan said with a wry smile.
He even guessed that this might be the sentence he would say the most today.
"But we regained our dignity on the pitch, my friend!" Derek comforted Ethan, then led Messi and the others into his office.
He called his assistant to take Messi to the examination room next door for a check-up. Since Curtis and Johnson were already there, he also helped them with their check-ups.
"By the way, will Professor Fryer be gone for long?" Ethan recalled the assistant's expression when speaking.
Derek nodded. "Probably a month or two."
"Is there a problem?" Ethan was very concerned, not only because it related to Messi's condition, but also because he liked the old professor. They had spoken a few times, and the conversations had been quite pleasant.
"It's about his research. You might not know this, but besides working at the Royal Hospital, Professor Fryer is also a professor at the University of Manchester. He has a research team under him currently focused on sports medicine. Have you heard of Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt?"
Ethan nodded. There was no way he would not know such a famous name. After all, it was a name no seasoned FM player would be unaware of. He and Italy's Gianni Nanni were known as the two great miracle doctors, the gold-standard staff members almost every FM player would try their best to recruit.
In reality, Wohlfahrt was also very famous in the world of football. He had been the team doctor for German powerhouse Bayern Munich for more than twenty years, and in recent years, he had also become the team doctor for the German national team. At the same time, he often served as a lecturer for authoritative sports science institutions and had published many relevant journals and papers.
"Professor Fryer has been friends with him for many years. In fact, in Professor Fryer's research, Dr. Wohlfahrt has provided him with a lot of advice and help. On top of that, the University of Manchester has always been interested in sports medicine. You know, in 1922, Professor Archibald Hill of the University of Manchester won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on muscle force generation."
Ethan was somewhat surprised by this. He had not known that the University of Manchester was so interested in sports medicine.
"Professor Fryer is a football fan himself, and he has been wondering whether it is possible to use a more scientific and systematic approach to help players avoid injuries. Of course, this would require professionals from many fields, such as physiology, sports science, psychology, nutrition, and so on."
"So, are you also part of this research?" Ethan asked with a smile.
Derek nodded with a smile. "Once he finds funding, I'll consider whether to join."
"Funding? Doesn't the University of Manchester support him?" Ethan asked, feeling a little puzzled.
"Of course they support him, buddy, but this isn't a simple physiological experiment. It requires gathering professionals from many fields to conduct research and discussions. If it truly is developed, besides helping avoid injuries, it could also provide players with a data system on how to perform and maintain their best condition, covering multiple aspects such as diet, training, and more."
"Let me give you a simple example!" Derek cleared the folders off his desk and took out a pen. "Fryer has studied traditional medicine, so he believes the soles of the feet are key areas that can reflect problems throughout the body. Therefore, he thinks that if a player simply jumps on the instrument he has developed, he can estimate that player's physical condition with 80% accuracy."
"That magical?" Ethan was shocked, but he soon thought that the AC Milan Lab of later years seemed to be able to do something similar, just not as professionally as Fryer's research.
"Not only that, Fryer also intends to establish a complete player system based on precise data from various aspects of the player. Then, he wants this system to generate reports based on changes in the player's physical condition, allowing the coaching staff to adjust that player's training according to the report, thereby ensuring the player can maintain his form steadily."
"Of course, this would also be complemented by other forms of support, such as psychological counselling, massage therapy, and so on. These are completely absent in current football clubs." Derek looked proud as he introduced it.
The more Ethan heard, the more surprised he became. If he had not heard of the AC Milan Lab, everyone would probably think this was unlikely. But Ethan knew the capabilities of the AC Milan Lab well, so he was very clear about the feasibility of this kind of scientific research.
"In addition to these forms of support outside matches, nutrition will not only cover the players' daily habits, but will also provide help to players during matches."
"During matches?" Ethan was shocked again. "Isn't that doping?"
"No, no, no, buddy, listen carefully. According to Fryer's research, every player's physical condition declines by the second half due to fatigue. But if, during halftime, we can equip every player with a type of compressed food specifically designed to replenish nutrition, based on the player's physical data before the match and combined with on-site observation, it will inevitably greatly help the players recover their strength and enter the second half in the best possible condition."
"Can that pass drug tests?" Ethan asked with concern.
"Of course. It's just compressed food made by processing normal food. It might contain protein, vitamins, or other nutrients the body needs. Why wouldn't it pass a drug test?"
Ethan was truly shocked. If such methods could really be used to help players recover strength and maintain form, would that not mean the team would start from a higher baseline than its opponents?
You had to know that the AC Milan Lab of later years only specialized in rehabilitation, physical testing, and injury prevention. But Fryer's plan not only delved deeper into these areas, it also expanded beyond them, even including nutritional food. This was far beyond Ethan's expectations.
As a transmigrator, Ethan knew very well how much impact an institution like the AC Milan Lab could have on a club. It was simply a priceless treasure that could not be measured by money.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)