Starting with saving Manchester United

"Paul, you can go ahead and get busy."

When Yang Fan heard the knock on the door and saw Woodward enter accompanied by Jackie Kay, he immediately stood up.

Through the original owner's memories, Yang Fan recognized John Murtaff and Alan Dawson.

He doesn't remember much about Alan Dawson, but John Motav is probably familiar to fans in 2026.

When he first arrived at Manchester United, Mottaf was Woodward's personal advisor and confidant. He worked behind the scenes for several years, remaining anonymous. Then one day, when Manchester United's internal management structure was reorganized, he suddenly became the number two most important figure in Manchester United.

Apart from Woodward, he had the most power.

Youth training, women's football, player recruitment, scouting... all are under his command.

But John Murtough is undoubtedly still in the latent stage.

"We've been waiting for you, Ed."

Upon seeing Woodward, Yang Fan greeted him with an "excited" expression.

He looked like a drowning man clinging to a piece of driftwood.

Woodward still wore that kind and gentle smile, holding Yang Fan's hands and constantly comforting him.

"I rushed over as soon as I received the news."

"That was too dangerous. They actually tried to sideline me."

Yang Fan had been watching Woodward's expression closely, and shook his head vigorously, saying, "I now realize that I definitely can't keep this head coach position."

Why?

Ed Woodward was visibly taken aback.

He has already heard Jackie Kay's briefing on the specifics, and Yang Fan did an excellent job.

It was far beyond his expectations.

In particular, invoking relevant laws concerning listed companies to intimidate Giggs and others was a solution that even Woodward and others had racked their brains to come up with.

Yang Fan noticed a hint of panic in Woodward's eyes, confirming his earlier suspicions.

"As you can see, nobody listens to me. They're having a meeting right next to my office, and I haven't even heard a thing. It's terrifying!"

Yang Fan felt that his reaction was typical of a workplace newbie.

Having just been parachuted in, he experienced a mutiny and was almost sidelined. Anyone would want to back down.

"This was my oversight!" Woodward had no choice but to take the blame and continue to appease the situation.

"But Yang, don't worry, I will call a meeting with all employees immediately to formally appoint you as head coach. You will temporarily assume the position until we find a suitable head coach to take over."

"Will they listen?" Yang Fan continued to question.

"Then you shall exercise the authority of the head coach!" Woodward replied with great certainty.

However, he quickly added a caveat: "Of course, our most important task right now is to maintain stability."

This is what leadership is all about!

When it's time to push Yang Fan out as the scapegoat, the reasons will be quite convincing.

"There's one more question."

"Go ahead and say it," Woodward said generously.

Most importantly, from Jackie Kay's briefing, Woodward realized that he had previously underestimated Yang Fan's abilities.

Especially the methods used to suppress these veterans.

Using criminal offenses to scare them? Unbelievable!

"I don't have the UEFA A certificate required to coach a Premier League team, let alone the Pro certificate required to lead a team in the Champions League. I'm not even qualified to sit on the bench for this match in three days."

Woodward was speechless.

He wasn't familiar with the football business either, so he turned to look at John Mottaf.

The latter nodded slightly, confirming Yang Fan's words, but after a moment's thought, he offered a solution.

"In the UK, you can teach without a teaching certificate."

"Really?" Yang Fan feigned surprise.

"Working without a license, that's an old tradition," John Motav laughed.

"Let's not talk about anything too far back. Just take 07 as an example. When Grant took over Chelsea, he only had an A-level certificate and no pro-level coaching certificate, but he still led the team to the runner-up in the Premier League and the Champions League."

"And in the summer of 2008, Paul Ince, who succeeded Mark Hughes as Blackburn coach, didn't even have a coaching certificate, but he still coached Blackburn."

Yang Fan nodded repeatedly, "Then what should we do?"

"It's very simple. Just arrange for someone with a UEFA Pro coaching certificate to be the nominal head coach, and then have the club negotiate with the FA and UEFA. There shouldn't be any problems."

Yang Fan and Woodward both nodded in agreement.

"Jackie, which coaches at our club currently hold pro-level certifications?" Woodward asked.

Jackie Kay thought hard for a moment, then shook her head and said, "This certificate is extremely difficult to obtain. There are only a little over a hundred people in the entire UK who hold this certificate. As far as I can remember, only Phil Neville holds this certificate."

"Where are the others?" Woodward frowned again.

"Giggs, Barthes, Scholes, Gary Neville, and others all have A-level certificates, and they all obtained them in 13."

Yang Fan's heart skipped a beat; it had been 13 years again.

Jackie Kay is quite knowledgeable about many things at the club.

"Currently, Warren Joyce of the reserve team and Paul McGinnis, the head coach of the U18 team, also have A-level certificates."

"Is there no one else?" Woodward was both angry and bitter.

Manchester United, a club of great stature, can't even find a coach with a UEFA Pro certificate?

Even the A-grade items are all remnants from the Ferguson era.

Jackie Kay remained silent.

In European football, coaching certificates are generally divided into four levels: C, B, A, and pro.

However, the UK is a special case; it doesn't have a Category C, but instead has Categories 1 and 2, which correspond to Category C.

Level 1 certificates are very easy to obtain, with a large number of applicants; Level 2 certificates are relatively more difficult.

However, both of these levels are basic and belong to the amateur level.

To find a job in a professional team's youth academy, you need a B-level certificate, but if you want to coach in the Premier League, you need at least an A-level certificate, and most top teams even require a pro-level certificate because they want to play in European competitions.

According to UEFA regulations, a head coach without a pro certificate is not qualified to lead a team in UEFA competitions.

The situation in the UK is rather unique.

In earlier years, UEFA did not recognize British coaching certificates.

This is also why it was rumored that Ferguson and other famous British managers were working without a license back then.

They do not lack teaching certificates; rather, they hold British certificates.

This situation later changed, and coach training in the UK gradually aligned with that of continental Europe.

However, this is one reason why there are very few coaches in the UK with pro-level certifications, only a little over a hundred in total.

In contrast, football powerhouses like France, Spain, Germany, and Italy typically have one or two thousand players.

If we exclude retired and veteran coaches like Ferguson, and add coaches who have served as assistants for many years, truly professional-level head coaches are extremely rare.

Even so, as a British powerhouse, they certainly wouldn't be so desperate as to have trouble finding even a pro-level certified coach.

Ultimately, the reason for this is Moyes's fault.

After this guy took over, for some reason, he inexplicably fired all the coaching staff left by Ferguson.

Both assistant coaches, Mike Ferran and René Mullensteen, hold pro-level certifications.

This is what has led to Manchester United's current predicament.

Yang Fan stood aside, watching Woodward and the others helpless, and sighed inwardly.

No wonder many later commentators said that Woodward was a genius in business but an idiot when it came to football.

He was neither familiar with football nor had any connections or resources.

When the time was right, Yang Fan casually said, "I do have an idea."