Chapter 257 How to Respond

How did Chen Hero respond after Newcastle United expressed their determination not to let him make history?

"I am full of motivation. I'm not being coy at all; I admit I really want to make history. So I will do my best in the game. If Newcastle United thinks they can stop me, they are welcome to try. I will prove my determination to them."

Chen Hero spoke with great confidence.

Sometimes, his confidence can be annoying—because it comes off as arrogant, as if he doesn't take his opponents seriously at all.

Like now.

"Their tenacity will only make people say, when they talk about this in the future: 'Even though Newcastle United played tenaciously, Hero still made new history in this game!'"

His words made Newcastle United players and fans gnash their teeth in hatred.

Because that's exactly what they didn't want to see.

What Chen Hero meant was that no matter how hard Newcastle struggled, it would all be in vain, and they couldn't change the outcome of becoming historical footnotes.

Could the people of Newcastle United be happy about this?

Newcastle United fans stood up to criticize Chen Hero: "Dixie Dean is a great scorer in the history of English football, and we will not allow the record created by this great man to be tarnished by a bastard who doesn't know what politeness and respect for opponents are! We will cause him all kinds of trouble at home! We will even curse him to have his legs broken!"

Everton fans were also very unhappy with Chen Hero. Because Dixie Dean was an Everton player, the greatest star in the history of the Everton club. He is also the top scorer in the history of the English top league.

The record created by such a great player is now about to be caught up by a bastard from their cross-town rival... How could they not be anxious and angry?

It is said that a group of Everton fans will run to Sports Direct Arena—formerly St. James' Park—to watch the game, but they are definitely not there to cheer for Liverpool; they are supporters of Newcastle.

They will cheer for Newcastle United in the game and help them stop Chen Hero.

In fact, it wasn't just the Everton fans; Newcastle United fans began to widely distribute invitations a week before the game, calling on fans from all over the country to come to St. James' Park—no matter how the official name changes, fans still insist on calling the stadium by its old name—to watch the game and cheer for Newcastle.

They spent money to publish advertisements in several influential newspapers in England, calling on everyone to come.

This open letter was very emotional and also very inflammatory.

The letter said: "...When Hero ties Dixie Dean's record, if you remain silent, then you will face the same predicament as Everton fans in the future. The heroic figures in your club will be ruthlessly ridiculed by that Chinese man! Yes, trampled under his feet and then laughed at by him! Can you tolerate this? So guys, now is not the time to remain silent! You must bravely stand up and shout out your views! Let us stop that crazy Chinese man together! The dignity of English football must not be trampled on like this!!"

At the time, pro-Liverpool club media accused the open letter of containing hidden racial discrimination and trampling on the spirit of sports.

But their voice was a very small part.

Just like the voice supporting Chen Hero to tie the record was very weak.

In England, most people do not want Chen Hero to tie Dean's record.

Just as the Newcastle United fans' open letter said.

This is the pride and dignity of English football. The single-season goal record in the history of the English top league can only be created and maintained by Englishmen. Even Scots, Welsh, Irish... will not do, let alone a black-haired, yellow-skinned Chinese man...

Dixie Dean was born in Birkenhead and was a true Englishman.

They were already remarkably tolerant to allow Chen Hero to succeed in Liverpool. Now, Chen Hero has gone too far, wanting to achieve greater results and trample on the pride and dignity of English football. How can this be allowed?

Although they pride themselves on being a free and democratic society, arrogance and prejudice are everywhere in England.

The English feel that they are Europeans from a democratic and free society, and are inherently superior to people from autocratic China.

The long-term sense of superiority has accumulated more and more deeply, but when they discovered that China was becoming more and more powerful, they began to panic, tore off their gentlemanly masks, and suppressed China by any means necessary.

The 2012 London Olympics were the best example. In that Olympic Games, the Chinese Olympic delegation suffered the most misjudgments, errors, and reversed decisions, and was blatantly robbed of several gold medals.

In fact, this is not just the mentality of England alone, but of the entire European continent, the entire Western world.

They are unwilling to admit that an ignorant and backward autocratic China is actually stronger than them. In their minds, the best Chinese people are those with pigtails dragging behind their heads, and sallow and emaciated "sick men of East Asia."

Although Chen Hero's emergence has changed many people's views on China.

But there are still many people who hold on to stubborn ideas and Cold War thinking to antagonize this big country.

In ordinary times, these people's thoughts are not directly exposed due to a lack of stimulation.

Now, in defending Dixie Dean's record, these emotions have finally erupted.

Faced with Newcastle United fans' blatantly contemptuous term "Chinese man"—the "Chinese man" used by Newcastle United fans is written as "China_man," which is a clear form of discrimination and insult.

Logically speaking, such discrimination should be severely punished.

But this time, faced with this term, many people were surprisingly silent.

Why?

Because they also don't want to see a "China_man" flaunting his power so much in their land.

Although the Newcastle United fans said grandly in their open letter that it was because Chen Hero was too arrogant and annoying, everyone knows in their hearts that it's not because he's too arrogant, but because Chen Hero is a "China_man," a "Chinese man." Cantona was such an arrogant person, and still the eternal enemy of the British, a Frenchman, but the English media generously praised him, calling him the most successful and greatest foreign aid in Premier League history.

Is it because of arrogance? Not at all!

When Chen Hero led Liverpool to win the league title and became the top scorer, it was still within the acceptable range for the British—actually, no one knows whether the boos and various curses against Chen Hero by non-Liverpool fans usually also contain this kind of racial discrimination...

But when he wanted to be compared with Dixie Dean, many Englishmen couldn't bear it anymore.

This is their pride, how can they let a Chinese man share it?

Even just tying the record is not allowed.

It is already very difficult for a Chinese man to have his name left in English football history, but he still wants to be number one?

How can this be allowed!

※※※

As soon as the Newcastle United fans' open letter was issued, it was met with a great response. Not only Everton fans, but also fans from other teams expressed their support. Many people came directly to Newcastle, intending to cheer for Newcastle on the spot.

Some fans who couldn't go to the scene simply cursed Chen Hero online, making personal attacks and even personal threats against him.

Faced with these fans' actions, most of the English media remained silent.

Even if someone mentioned this matter, they would only link the fans' behavior with ordinary football behavior, thinking that this kind of hostile attitude is very normal in the football world—Hero has been booed by rival fans for more than a day or two, has anyone thought this was racial discrimination before? No!

So, this is very normal, don't be surprised or make a big fuss.

We are a democratic and free country, our people are of high quality, we have freedom of speech, so they can express their views, we can't ask people to shut up just because they attacked Chen Hero...

Therefore, the pro-Liverpool club media's saying that this is discrimination is completely untenable. However, they are not making trouble out of nothing, they are just doing it as part of a psychological war between the two sides...

Anyway, they just don't associate this matter with racial discrimination, and even try their best to dilute the influence of the word racial discrimination and shift the topic.

But after they shift and dilute it, can everyone not see it?

Impossible.

From the moment Newcastle United fans used "China_man" to refer to Chen Hero, no one would have any illusions. If they used "Chinese," they could still argue.

Now that they are using "China_man," it is blatant discrimination, with no other possibility.

The actions of these people made the English players in the Liverpool team very embarrassed. Because they live with Chen Hero day and night, they believe that Chen Hero is not the kind of bad person that the media and fans say he is, and it is immoral to treat Chen Hero in such an excessive way. They are also afraid that Chen Hero will be angry and blame them, after all, they are also Englishmen... It's really hard to clear the relationship at this time...

But what made them feel relieved was that Chen Hero did not blame them for this.

Everyone still gets along as usual, which made his teammates breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, they hated those who discriminated against Chen Hero even more—because those people almost dragged them into the water...

But did Chen Hero really not see those discriminations, or did he see them but not care?

His teammates didn't understand at all.