[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-85":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300055,4499,"Chapter 85: The Crucial April: Is the Real Fraud at Utrecht Finally Revealed","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-85",85,"\u003Cp>On April 2, Matchday 29 of the Eredivisie, Utrecht played away against Almere City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The match has reached the 30th minute; it’s now 10 p.m. Dutch time. Let’s see how Ten Hag handles this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten Hag! Ten Hag hasn’t made a substitution!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Utrecht’s bench has no player warming up at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag failed to substitute Tang Ye within the allotted time; the home fans in the stands booed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the camera shot, Ten Hag frowned, his forehead wrinkles clearly visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he didn’t want to substitute him—only that the score was still 1-1, and Ten Hag dared not remove Tang Ye from the field at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move forward! Move forward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag shouted incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the 62nd minute of the second half, the score remained 1-1, and Ten Hag still hadn’t made a substitution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, his phone rang in his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Ten Hag took a phone call?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, what’s going on? The match is still on, and Ten Hag is taking a call!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag looked tense—it was a call from his boss, Verhof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Utrecht’s legal team’s assessment, if Tang Ye is subbed off now, the club must pay a fine of 45,000 euros.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Tang Ye remains on the pitch after the 75th minute, his total overtime playing time will reach one and a half hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is Ten Hag’s third violation this season—the club will face a minimum fine of 70,000 euros!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag clasped his head and signaled to the fourth official to substitute Tang Ye off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m being subbed off already?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the substitution board showing number 99, Tang Ye pointed at his own nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his own judgment, Tang Ye felt he had played quite well in this match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Ten Hag substituted him outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Eric, isn’t this unreasonable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye high-fived Amrabat, then didn’t head straight for the bench—he went to ask Ten Hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the start of the match, he spent 5 comeback points to buy a Valdi’s Red Bull, yet now he hadn’t earned even 1 comeback point before being subbed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t this pure loss?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag shook his head without speaking, telling Tang Ye to sit back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye walked back to his bench seat with a sour expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting in front of him was assistant coach Fan Degah, so Tang Ye asked: “Why am I being subbed off...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Degah turned his head and smiled at Tang Ye: “Because of money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the remaining 15 minutes, if Tang Ye stayed on the pitch, he might not bring the team another goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he would definitely bring the team more fines!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match ended 1-1 between Utrecht and Almere City. Ten Hag attended the post-match press conference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric, you substituted Tang off at the 73rd minute. From our understanding, this was to avoid the fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The journalist paused, then locked eyes with Ten Hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Tang was on the pitch, Utrecht produced an effective attack every seven minutes on average. After he was subbed off, that interval stretched to fifteen minutes—more than doubled...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the journalist finished speaking, Ten Hag’s expression had already turned uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Eric, according to data from Utrecht Evening News reporters, Utrecht’s win rate is extremely closely tied to whether Tang starts. But Mr. Eric, in your previous interviews, you claimed Tang isn’t a key player for Utrecht. Could you address this contradiction?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The journalist’s accusation targeted Ten Hag directly; his entire face flushed red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time since joining Utrecht that Ten Hag had been humiliated at a press conference!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag uttered a soft apology, then stood up and left the press conference room immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten Hag Leaves Press Conference in Rage”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Real Fraud Emerges? Ten Hag Unable to Handle Journalists’ Questions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang Ye or Ten Hag—who is the real fraud at Utrecht?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the king of press conferences, Ten Hag’s defeat immediately drew fan attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, journalists and fans shared a common question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is Ten Hag truly a competent coach?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or is he just a fraud?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I said it before: Ten Hag is only good at handling journalists—everything else, he’s useless.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【As expected—I always said: whenever Tang Ye is off, Utrecht’s attack collapses. Aale is a traditional striker—he can’t dribble.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fake football knowledge: Eric Ten Hag; Real football knowledge: Fans!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ten Hag’s only contribution to Utrecht this season is bringing Tang Ye from the reserve team to the first team.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Hahaha, holy shit, I just realized: Utrecht hasn’t won many games when Tang didn’t play or was subbed off early—insane. Ten Hag is truly insane.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to exploiting Tang Ye, Ten Hag’s reputation domestically was already poor; this locker room humiliation made fans bring it up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dutch fans, since Ten Hag is a native Dutchman and a former Utrecht player from last century, still trusted him somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now... a YouTube user posted a video analyzing every match this season where Ten Hag made decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most crucially, last October and this February, the Dutchman won the Eredivisie’s monthly Best Coach award.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht analyzed Ten Hag’s substitutions and in-game adjustments during key matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The absurd part: the months he won the monthly award—October and February—were precisely when he made the most passive substitutions and tactical changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So how did Ten Hag win the award during those two months?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Tang Ye played every single minute during those two months!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days after the match against Almere City, on the afternoon of April 5, a news story caught the attention of local Utrecht fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Front-page headline of Utrecht Advance News: “Ten Hag received a warning from Montfoort town police for violating youth protection labor regulations three times in a short period. ‘Fines alone won’t solve everything.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fines alone won’t solve everything” meant Ten Hag could face arrest by Utrecht police.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Police arrest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A head coach in the Eredivisie?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this news, not only Utrecht fans but all other bystander fans were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded absurd, but upon reflection, Ten Hag’s decision to let Tang Ye play after 10 p.m. did violate the law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Netherlands’ youth protection laws, like Germany’s, are extremely strict. Online, a lawyer-fan gave his judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of whether Tang Ye is a professional player, letting him play after 10 p.m. is a serious legal violation—in some lawyers’ eyes, this act is no different from employing child labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If youth protection laws are repeatedly violated, those involved can indeed be arrested!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is this happening!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Utrecht’s second-floor office, Ten Hag slammed the document onto the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Eric, calm down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Degah stood up from the sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I can’t calm down now!” Ten Hag leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The local youth protection organization had sent him two warning letters, stating he could be arrested—but Ten Hag thought it was unreasonable, so he ignored them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just now, he received a reminder from Montfoort police—he finally realized something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those bastards at the protection agency were telling the truth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine, Eric, it’s fine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Degah pushed his chair over and sat beside Ten Hag: “The club already has people handling this. The FA will help us too. No need to panic—it’s unreasonable, and we don’t need to worry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Fan Degah spoke, Ten Hag’s expression eased somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag now needed to believe in the club, believe in the FA.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would help him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Utrecht coaching staff was under heavy pressure, but Tang Ye, the party involved, trained with a relaxed expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye (38 years old)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ball Control: 72; Passing: 78】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Shooting: 69; Heading: 41; Set Pieces: 70】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Speed: 63; Stamina: 67; Physical Confrontation: 68】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Defense: 64; Vision: 93】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall Rating: 74\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After 【Far-Angle Curling Shot】 reached Lv.3, Tang Ye’s shooting attribute jumped directly to 69—just one point away from the 70 threshold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering all of Tang Ye’s attributes, his shooting ability is actually quite good, second only to his set-piece stat of 70!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of overall rating, a 74 rating—based on Tang Ye’s experience playing FIFA—means he’s already at the level of a mid-table Eredivisie player!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, after training ended, Tang Ye received a call from his agent, Pol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staff from Sevilla in La Liga and Frankfurt in the Bundesliga wanted to talk to Tang Ye about a transfer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, I told you before—I’ll get you into one of the five major leagues!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pol said excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, when Pol signed the contract with Tang Ye, he already suspected Tang would make it to one of the five major leagues someday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought it would take three to five years—turns out it’s only been six months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only six months since signing the contract, and now teams from the five major leagues are already reaching out about a transfer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The five major leagues...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye held his phone, murmuring softly: “So, Pol, can I play in the five major leagues next season?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Sevilla nor Frankfurt are powerhouse teams, but they are still clubs from the top five leagues—definitely much stronger than Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Tang Ye joins either of these two teams, it would greatly help his career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You could say that, but...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pol hesitated, then delivered some bad news to Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s new contract with Utrecht has no buyout clause, meaning if he wants to transfer, Utrecht must agree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, it depends on whether Sevilla’s and Frankfurt’s offers satisfy Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye sighed, glancing briefly at his upcoming schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>April is a crucial month for Utrecht, so Tang Ye declined the dinner invitations from Sevilla and Frankfurt’s staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye told Pol that if Sevilla or Frankfurt could reach a transfer agreement with Utrecht, he was willing to move to one of the five major leagues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about weekly salary? What’s your expected weekly wage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You handle the negotiations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye said indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he didn’t care about his weekly wage—he knew Pol would fight tooth and nail for it; he didn’t need to worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher Tang Ye’s weekly wage, the more Pol would earn as his agent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about preferences?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pol asked another question: “Sevilla or Frankfurt—which do you prefer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll decide later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye gave no reply: “It’s only April—the transfer isn’t settled yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On April 10, Utrecht faced Nijmegen at Goffert Stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match was played at noon; with no risk of breaking rules, Ten Hag naturally included Tang Ye in the starting lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hours before kickoff, Ten Hag was giving an interview in the press room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric, you’ve been facing criticism from fans—some say you haven’t shown the coaching level expected of a monthly Coach of the Month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reporter pushed the microphone toward Ten Hag: “Will you respond to this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s all fake. It can’t be true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After days of reflection, Ten Hag had regained his former calm when facing reporters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve said before: awards are earned through ability; luck plays little role. You can say I won monthly Coach of the Month once by luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag held up two fingers: “But I won it twice—October and February. In my first season managing Utrecht, we can’t call that luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today’s match will prove it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag stood up from his chair, radiating confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click-click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Utrecht!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom-boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Utrecht!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom-boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the player tunnel, Tang Ye walked slowly behind Ramselaar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, Tang, look at this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramselaar pointed to the upper right stand; Tang Ye turned his gaze and saw a fan banner written in Dutch at the spot Ramselaar indicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Tom, go for it!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s eyes lit up; he excitedly rubbed his hands together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramselaar, pulling a ball boy forward, said to Tang Ye: “I told you—you’re already a star!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, a small star! Haha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramselaar added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like we’ve got to win this match today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his hands and stepped onto the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1993,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1062dc62eb9aaec7c09aa565b8e8ac9bd73b61d460b9af32437f5963e13d59fd","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-86","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-84",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]