Football Card System

In a small conference room in the team's office building, Gao Bo met his new colleagues at Luton Town.

Unlike some clubs in England, Luton Town did not have a manager or technical director above the head coach. As of now, apart from the owner David Morton, the most authoritative figure in the club was Gao Bo, the new head coach.

"This is Mr. Gao Bo from China. Starting today, he will serve as the head coach of the team," David Morton announced.

The coaches and staff in the room looked at Gao Bo with curious eyes.

Luton is a small town near London, and most Chinese tourists visiting England prefer famous landmarks like Big Ben or larger cities such as Manchester or Liverpool. Seeing a Chinese person in Luton was already rare, but to have one suddenly arrive and take charge of the team? That was unheard of.

Gao Bo, dressed sharply in a black suit, matching trousers, and leather shoes, wore a long trench coat left unbuttoned, revealing a neatly pressed shirt. His angular face, thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, straight nose, and subtly curved lips gave him a charismatic appearance. A friendly smile added an approachable air to his sharp demeanor.

At only 27 years old, and as a Chinese coach, becoming Luton's head coach was bound to grab attention—not just from local media in Luton but also from outlets in London.

However, one question loomed over everyone's minds: Do the Chinese really understand football?

The initial curiosity in the room began to shift to doubt. Could this young and seemingly harmless coach lead Luton out of its current crisis?

"Mr. Gao Bo was the head coach of Chelsea's U18 youth team and led them to win the FA Youth Cup! He also holds a UEFA A-level coaching certificate!" David Morton added.

The staff exchanged surprised glances. Coaching Chelsea's U18 team and winning the championship was no small feat. At the very least, this proved that Gao Bo had some level of capability. Regardless of his nationality, this achievement was enough to earn him a degree of respect. However, the UEFA A-level coaching certificate didn't particularly impress them. In English football, especially in the lower leagues, academic coaching credentials often carried little weight.

After introducing Gao Bo, David Morton proceeded to introduce him to his colleagues.

Due to the team's crisis, the previous head coach had resigned before the end of last season, taking his coaching staff with him. As a result, only two first-team coaches remained in the room.

The first was John Aston, a club legend. Before becoming the assistant coach, John had managed Luton's youth team. Recently, he had been serving as the interim head coach. With Gao Bo's arrival, John would revert to his role as assistant coach. However, John wasn't bitter about losing the head coach position—he knew his limits. Leading the team in League Two was beyond his capabilities, and his decision to stay was driven by his love for the club. He greeted Gao Bo with a warm smile.

The second was Mel Donald, the fitness coach. A veteran of the club, Mel had been with Luton for over 20 years. His loyalty kept him with the team even during its most challenging times.

Beyond these two, the rest of the staff were from the youth team.

While the first team had been in turmoil for the past two seasons, the youth setup remained stable. English clubs, even those in the seventh or eighth tier, often have robust youth systems, and Luton was no exception.

From the U8s to the U18s, Luton had dedicated coaches for each age group. This structure was common in England. However, for Luton, age groups below U14 served more as broad introductory programs, similar to football interest classes in some countries. Starting from the U15 level, the focus shifted to elite training, requiring more investment to maintain.

Luton's youth team staff consisted of about a dozen coaches across all age groups.

Apart from the coaching staff, there were also groundskeepers, scouts, and other support personnel.

Gao Bo greeted each colleague with a smile, displaying warmth and respect. By the end of the meeting, he had left a positive first impression on everyone.

The season had already ended, and the players were on vacation. Gao Bo wouldn't meet his squad immediately, but that didn't stop him from diving into his new role.

That afternoon, Gao Bo began his work. His first task was to understand the current state of the team.

However, when John Aston handed him the roster, Gao Bo realized that the situation was far worse than he had imagined.

There were only three players over the age of 21 left on the team.

Kevin Keane, the 32-year-old captain and main midfielder, was the heart of the team. Despite his age, Kevin was still a Championship-level player and had attracted offers from other clubs. However, during the team's crisis, he chose to stay out of loyalty.

Sam Parker, a 27-year-old forward, had been a backup striker last season. John Aston didn't think Parker would stay for long, as his injury from last season was likely the only reason he hadn't left yet.

George Parker, a 26-year-old center-back and a product of the club's youth academy, was solid enough for League Two but not a standout player.

Beyond these three, the rest of the roster consisted entirely of players under 21. These were all recent promotions from the youth team.

Most of these young players had no experience in professional football. Even without the 30-point deduction, it would've been a struggle for such a youthful squad to survive in League Two.

Gao Bo rubbed his temples. The situation was far grimmer than he had anticipated.