Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 83

83. Manager of the Year

The parade on Monday afternoon and the ensuing frenzy of celebration had ended.

After a day of complete collapse from hangovers and exhaustion, the Burnley residents and club staff were slowly starting to recover by Wednesday.

However, the Banfield Training Centre was quiet, with no particular tasks except for the scout team and analysis team, led by Technical Director Jonathan Landris, who had plunged into their work as if the end of the regular season was just the beginning for them.

Helena, coming out of her office in the center, noticed Hyungmin heading towards the manager’s office across the way and asked with a puzzled look.

“Hyungmin, what’s with that bizarre outfit? A Halloween costume?”

“This? There’s a League Managers Association dinner in London this evening. I didn’t want to go home and then to the airport, so I just wore it.”

Helena looked bewildered.

“Wasn’t that a formal event? Was it a costume party?”

“This isn’t a costume; it’s a suit.”

“This?!”

Looking incredulous, Helena circled Hyungmin as if appraising him.

“Where on earth did you get this antique?”

“Antique? My mother bought it for me at a department store as a graduation gift when I entered university.”

“You mean it’s a suit from over 20 years ago?!”

“Hey, I’m only 34! Of course, I was in middle school 20 years ago!”

Helena stared at Hyungmin, who was protesting with a flushed face, with an absurd expression.

“Listen, Manager Hyungmin Kim. The League Managers Association dinner is a formal event, and you’re attending as a representative of Burnley Football Club. Are you trying to look like a rube from the backwoods of northwest England?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Ignoring the stammering young manager, Helena grabbed Hyungmin’s wrist with one hand and pulled out her phone with the other, starting to make a call.

“Let go of my hand…”

“Just be quiet. I need to make this call.”

[Ah, Amanda? It’s Helena.]

Dragging the manager towards her car parked in the Banfield Training Centre parking lot, Helena continued the call.

[…I need a favor. I need a suit made urgently in London.]

[…Yes. By tonight. Yes, it’s ridiculous, but he actually did that.]

[…Eddie Howe already takes care of that kind of thing? I’m jealous. So, when we arrive in London?]

[…Yes, send it to me by text.]

[…Okay. Thank you.]

Burnley’s young, celebrated manager, being dragged by Helena, cried out in a desperate voice.

“Hey, where are we going?!”

“London.”

“The dinner doesn’t start until evening! There’s plenty of time before the flight!”

“Just shut up and come with me!”

Helena drove Hyungmin straight to Manchester Airport, haphazardly parked the car, and dragged him onto the next flight to London Heathrow Airport.

After taking the Heathrow Express [a rapid train service] into London, she quickly navigated through a seemingly upscale street in central London, dragging Hyungmin, who was still reeling from the shock of being kidnapped by his superior.

“No. 9 Saville Row… No. 10… Ah, here it is. No. 11 Saville Row!”

The place Hyungmin arrived at, dragged by Helena’s forceful hand, was a classic tailor shop with elegant suits displayed in a refined showroom against a backdrop of subtle wooden furniture.

“Uh… Huntsman?”

Dazedly reading the store’s name, Hyungmin was dragged by Helena through the door on the right and into the shop.

As they entered the lavish but quiet interior, a middle-aged gentleman in a perfectly tailored suit greeted them.

“Good morning. I am Egerton. How may I assist you?”

“Hello. I’m Helena Cartwright, and I was referred by Amanda Staveley.”

“Ah, the emergency service. So, this gentleman is…?”

“Yes. Please do something about this.”

Hyungmin stared at the middle-aged gentleman and Helena with an absurd expression as the gentleman appraised him from head to toe with the eyes of someone looking at a naked mannequin.

“Hmm… This is quite a challenge.”

“Is it possible by this evening? It’s for an important event.”

“Normally, it would be impossible, but given Miss Staveley’s earnest request, I will attempt it. Please, sir, follow me.”

Save me! No, explain what’s going on!

Hyungmin gave Helena that look, but he was dragged away by the surprisingly strong middle-aged gentleman.

As Helena waved goodbye to Hyungmin, another man in an equally impeccable suit, who was introduced as Egerton, approached her.

“Would you like to wait in a comfortable area, madam?”

“I’d like to look at some nice accessories for men. Can you recommend a good place?”

“Ah, we can assist you with that here. Please, come this way.”

Several hours later, in a luxurious and elegant tailor shop that seemed to hide one or two secret bases underground.

From head to toe (tsk, tsk, the gentleman hasn’t been taking good care of his hair. Look at those split ends) to shoes (Hyungmin, I’ve picked out five pairs of shoes, try them on one by one. I’ll evaluate them. What’s your shoe size? Never mind. I’ll just check with the sneakers you’re wearing.).

The country bumpkin, who had endured a year in club training wear laundered by the Banfield Training Centre, was frantically dragged from room to room, undergoing a series of transformations to become a London gentleman.

After selecting the accessories, Helena sat in the reception room, flipping through the magazines on display, and finally looked up and smiled as the door to the reception room opened.

“There, see? You look good when you’re dressed up.”

Hyungmin appeared in a smooth, custom-made black suit that was as comfortable as training wear but perfectly accentuated his figure, with hair styled by a professional stylist.

He wore a subtle maroon tie and a shiny watch, both hand-picked by Helena, and polished shoes, looking somewhat awkward.

“Hmm… But was it too difficult to correct his posture in that time?”

Sitting on the sofa and looking at Hyungmin, Helena’s tone was generally satisfied but slightly lacking, and Egerton subtly stiffened his expression and raised his chin slightly.

“We can do many things, but performing miracles is a bit difficult, Miss Cartwright.”

“But this man has performed miracles. He’s the man who brought Burnley Football Club to 6th place in the Premier League.”

At Helena’s response, Egerton lowered his chin slightly, as if re-evaluating Hyungmin.

“Hmm… My advice to the gentleman would be that he would look much better if he raised his chin a little higher and changed his posture from sticking his buttocks out as if he were worried someone would punch him in the stomach.”

“Did you hear that, Hyungmin? You’ll look much better if you just change that.”

“…Save me…”

In any case, Cinderella’s clock is still ticking.

Helena, recognizing that further improvement was impossible, paid with a plain black card with no markings from her wallet.

As she urged Hyungmin out of the tailor shop, a black taxi that the shop had already called was waiting in front.

“Please hurry!”

After somehow navigating through the evening traffic in London, Hyungmin, who barely made it on time to the venue for the League Managers Association dinner, suddenly looked at Helena in the taxi.

“Helena didn’t prepare an outfit!”

“Hmph. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to go in with this outfit, but the club owners and CEOs weren’t invited today.”

“Ah…!”

No one welcomes their boss at a company dinner.

Helena smiled and waved at Hyungmin, who looked bewildered at her words.

“It’ll be difficult to return to Burnley right away, so I’ll book a hotel room. I’ll send you the address by text, so go there.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Have a good time tonight~”

Helena straightened Hyungmin’s slightly crooked tie, which had already become slightly crooked, and waved as he opened the door and got out.

As soon as the door closed again, Helena leaned back in the taxi seat with a sigh of relief and told the taxi driver her next destination.

“Please take me to the Claridge’s Hotel.”

***

The League Managers Association is an association composed of managers who lead men’s first teams in the Premier League, the Championship, League One, and League Two [the top four tiers of English football], as well as managers who lead women’s first teams at the same level.

Its members often change depending on the appointment and dismissal of managers at each club, but traditionally, the chairman of the association is the manager of the England national team.

Superficially, the role of the League Managers Association is to provide advice to the Football Association on various football-related matters.

However, its most important task is to award the ‘Manager of the Month’ award for each league every month and the ‘League Manager of the Year’ award for each league at the end of the season.

And among the various awards given by the League Managers Association, the most prestigious and renowned is the ‘Manager of the Year’ award, which is selected by a vote of all members and awarded to only one person per year.

Named the ‘Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy,’ this award is given to the one manager who has achieved the most outstanding achievements during the past season, across all men’s and women’s adult teams.

It is generally awarded to the manager who wins the Premier League, but sometimes it is awarded to a manager who has achieved outstanding results even while leading a weak team.

In the 2018/19 season, Chris Wilder, who led the underdog Sheffield United to a miraculous second place in the Championship and led them to promotion to the Premier League, won the award.

Going back further to the 2014/15 season, Eddie Howe, a young celebrated manager who led his former team AFC Bournemouth to the Premier League with four promotions in seven seasons, won the award.

And the 2021/22 season.

The owner of the ‘Manager of the Year’ award and the ‘Premier League Manager of the Year’ award was the young Asian celebrated manager, who everyone except the person himself voted for as a matter of course.

Hyungmin, who recorded an overwhelming vote rate and held the trophies presented by England national team manager Gareth Southgate and retired Sir Alex Ferguson in each arm, stood in front of the microphone with a bewildered expression.

“Uh… I didn’t prepare anything.”

“…Hahahaha!!!”

The Premier League managers who had faced Hyungmin over the past season burst into laughter at that bewildered look, which they had become accustomed to seeing at press conferences.

Hyungmin, desperately racking his brains, was barely able to open his mouth just before the laughter completely stopped and silence fell.

“Uh… There are many people who are better than me, so I’m embarrassed to receive these awards. Uh… Oh, right. I dedicate this to our coaching staff and everyone who works hard at the club. Especially Arthur. Arthur, thank you. This is Arthur’s, so I’ll keep it safe and deliver it to you.”

A warm smile spread across people’s faces at the young manager’s remarks, giving all the credit to Burnley’s head coach, who had collapsed due to illness.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Applause poured in from all directions towards the young celebrated manager, who finished his short thank you speech and bowed.