Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Normal Person Park Chan-hyuk -2
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[Union Berlin, 2-1 victory over Leverkusen.]
Union Berlin claimed a 2-1 victory over Leverkusen.
[Jupp Heynckes offers words of comfort amid Park Chan-hyuk sacking controversy. "No manager in the world, no matter who you bring in, could have grown a lower-league team like this."]
[Jupp Heynckes taking shots at German media? "The German press can be a bit extreme."]
└ Everywhere people live is the same.
└ Just my personal take, but I think race plays a part too.
└ Race discrimination here?
└ It feels like they bite harder when Park Chan-hyuk loses.
└ Isn't that just them pulling aggro from rival fans?
└ You guys don't know, but discrimination in Germany is worse than you think.
└ As expected from Hitler's and the Nazis' homeland ㄷㄷ
And just like always, as soon as Union Berlin beat Leverkusen, the so-called Union Berlin fans' complaints evaporated in an instant.
For reference, of course, the vast majority of actual Union Berlin fans weren't calling for my sacking.
But the majority of the fans who were "making their voices heard" were.
Just like in most aspects of life, the loud, radical minority's opinions get packaged as the majority's view. Life's the same whether in Asia or Europe.
'And Arsenal had a similar situation.'
Arsène Wenger at Arsenal was probably in the same boat.
There were likely more fans opposing Wenger's sacking than those chanting "Wenger OUT."
But those Arsenal fans back then didn't make their voices heard.
Wenger ended up being ignominiously sacked, and Arsenal's dark ages began afterward.
'And among the new fans flooding into Union Berlin now, some must feel averse to having a manager of color.'
For reference, Union Berlin is currently a super hip club.
With a manager who's a rare person of color in European soccer, supporting them was a way to prove how open-minded you were.
That's why a lot of celebrities publicly declared themselves Union Berlin fans. It was the ultimate image management. Just saying you supported Union Berlin earned you the title of "anti-racist so-and-so."
And some of the noisy fans making a fuss were probably in that group.
They wanted to pretend to be woke and hip, but deep down they disliked having a manager of color, so they chanted for him to go.
If they'd had even a little interest in Union Berlin, they'd know who owned Guten and wouldn't be telling me to leave.
'At this point, aren't the people cursing me not even real Union Berlin fans? Can't I just go off on them...?'
Anyway, dealing with the noisy minority is simple.
Just ignore them and don't react to what they say.
'But the problem is, that's hard.'
To them, it's just venting a complaint once.
Unfortunately, for me, it's "at least thousands" of times.
Naturally, it builds up into massive stress and pressure. I'm human too, so one bad comment sticks more than a hundred good ones.
Of course, I know this well.
Most fans probably didn't think much of the Real Madrid loss.
There are way more fans wondering, "Why the fuss over one loss?"
But as always, these fans tend to stay quiet.
The majority won't step up unless the club faces a real crisis.
That's what creates an environment where the noisy minority can rampage, thinking they're the majority.
All around them, they'll only see opinions agreeing with theirs.
'Of course, if the club heads toward bankruptcy and total ruin, most of the fans cursing me now would jump ship to other teams.'
They were barely different from soccer's locusts.
Anyway, from studying German history, more people opposed Hitler's madness than supported it. But they just stayed quietly silent.
'And actually, the radical, noisy fans are the ones who spend the least money...'
For reference, this comes from future American sports management data.
Fans who quietly and steadfastly support spend more on average than those complaining about every game's performance.
That said, I couldn't abandon the club.
I'd sunk so much money into it already—how could I go elsewhere?
At the very least, I had to stick it out until I recouped my investment.
'And even if I retire as manager, director of football might work?'
Actually, the position that best utilizes my scouting ability is none other than director.
Well, that's for the future. I had things to do first.
I called Kim Sun-myung for the first time in a while.
I planned to update Union Berlin's homepage.
"Sun-myung, let's roll out a new site update."
"Again? What is it this time?"
"Display different icons based on join date and spending."
Kim Sun-myung looked at me like I was capitalism's devil, but I was truly wronged this time.
This was genuinely about weeding out the trolls.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
[Real Madrid sending love call to Park Chan-hyuk?]
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez moved quickly.
He saw the current rift between fans and manager as the perfect chance to poach Park Chan-hyuk.
[Chelsea positive on appointing Park Chan-hyuk.]
[Manchester United's Alex Ferguson: 'It'd be great if Park Chan-hyuk were my successor.']
Starting with Real Madrid's Pérez, offers to hire Park Chan-hyuk as manager poured in like crazy.
That's when the old fans started raising their voices in anger.
The quietly silent fans had recognized the "crisis."
For reference, if you roughly translate what the old fans said into Korean-style English:
└ Ao, you dumb bandwagoners are ruining the club!
└ Kick out the bandwagoners!!
└ Just root out the trolls!
└ How do you even identify trolls!
└ Park Chan-hyuk OUT!
└ You're the troll, right?
└ No way, I donated blood in the past lol.
└ The donation list to save the club is with the club? Show your name.
└ What? You bailed?
└ Ao, confirmed troll bastard.
While Union Berlin fans were glaring red-eyed to identify trolls.
Union Berlin's homepage got its update.
It differentiated icons and titles based on join year and spending.
Union Berlin's new update spread quickly through soccer communities as fans bragged about their titles.
[Title: Oh? What's this? Union Berlin updated their site?]
└ Wow, how much did this guy spend?
└ Look at that shiny title and icon.
└ Poster: 3.1 Man uniform for sale. Spent some to put a Taegeukgi on the homepage.
└ Kuu ㅠㅠ The March 1st hero is here.
└ But why are all the local hacks screaming Park Chan-hyuk OUT new joins?
└ These guys were just trolls.
Meanwhile, the payment histories of members bashing Park Chan-hyuk were pathetic.
Most of the fans screaming for him to leave turned out to be recent bandwagoners, less than a year in.
└ No shit, no season ticket and calling yourself a fan?
└ Korean or Asian fans might have trouble buying season tickets.
└ But zero spending on jerseys or anything?
└ Then you're a troll.
└ Sigh, at least buy a brick ㅉ
└ What? Why are they actually selling bricks on the homepage?
└ That's Union Berlin's famous thing.
Some hadn't even bought season tickets.
[Union Berlin, backlash explodes over update! Discrimination against new members!]
└ This reporter dude has no icon or title. One vote.
└ So this guy's the one who wrote the condemn-our-manager post and turned it into an article himself?
Of course, some fans vented complaints about the new update.
But their gripes got buried under the voices of the "heavy spenders."
└ So who's top in Korea?
└ Me?
└ Ah fuck, my old account got hacked early on, deleted and rejoined.
Well, there were concerns the update might block new fan influx.
But the old fans who'd steadily supported Union Berlin loved it.
It was proof they weren't like the recent riffraff.
Now online, they could prove their long-term dedication to Union Berlin without saying a word.
[Union Berlin title system to link with Guten's SNS?]
└ Kyaa lol, can we cut the celebrities cosplaying as Union Berlin fans now?
└ Well, some fans support without joining, so hard to catch everyone. But no title looks sus.
And the best part was for those who'd volunteered unpaid for stadium construction and the fans whose blood donations saved the club from bankruptcy.
Proving their contributions got them special titles, icons, and a tiny trophy modeled after the Meisterschale.
The trophy bore this inscription:
'Thank you for your dedication. By Union Berlin Manager Park Chan-hyuk.'
***
The idea to reward old fans with trophies wasn't anything special.
The word symbolizing Union Berlin so far was none other than "dedication."
And all "dedication" deserves reward.
Isn't there that famous line: "Has your dedication been rewarded?"
Anyway, the noisy minority's true colors were exposed, and they mass-quit.
But for Union Berlin, it was a trivial matter.
Neutral fans pondering becoming Union Berlin supporters started signing up like mad, fearing they'd miss out if they were late.
'......Huh? This works?'
Fan exodus turned into even more influx.
And I received Union Berlin's Employee of the Month award.