随意翻译，大家加减看，有错请包涵。
Five years separates two stories involving the same characters; one prevalent
in this country, another not so well known. They are tales that go some way
towards explaining why Barcelona were so forceful in their attempt to sign
Philippe Coutinho but ultimately, why their attempt will prove not to be
quite forceful enough.
这个章节涉及两个相隔五年的故事，一个在英国广为流传另一个则鲜为人知。
它们解释了为什么巴萨那么努力想签下酷弟但最终却很可能功败垂成。
It was in July 2012 when Pep Segura, then the technical manager at Liverpool’
s academy, ended his three-year association at the club after previously
being told by Liverpool’s owner, John W. Henry, he had earned a promotion.
时间回到2012年7月，当时是利物浦青年军技术总监的Pep Segura (以下称古拉)
接到来自利物浦老板John Henry(以下称姜亨利)通知他即将升官的消息。
Before Brendan Rodgers became Liverpool’s manager, Henry and Segura held a
three-hour meeting and it was concluded that Segura would become Liverpool’s
new sporting director, filling the administrative space left behind by Damien
Comolli’s sacking a few months earlier.
在Brendan Rodgers(以下称房总)成为利物浦主教练前，姜亨利跟古拉在一场三小时的会
议中，做出大雄将接任Comolli(科莫利)被解雇后悬缺数月的利物浦体育总监的决定。
Rodgers, though, had other ideas, insisting his own appointment would not
involve another tier of management above him. For Segura – a decent man, and
someone respected inside Liverpool particularly for his contribution towards
the development of Raheem Sterling – there was reasonable embarrassment when
he arrived at Melwood for the start of pre-season training only to find out
then there would be no place for him in the new set-up.
但房总有别的看法，他不想要他上头还有人能干涉他的决定。
而这对于古拉这个在栽培Sterling(以下称逆子)有功的家伙来说，在古拉发现季前训练
的编制中没有他的角色时，他当然会感到难堪。
Despite his efforts to contact Henry about his proposed fresh
responsibilities, the line of communication had gone stone cold since Rodgers
’s arrival. Though he expected that plans had changed, Segura was upset and
angry that he had found out this way and so, on that July morning, rather
than driving to the academy in Kirkby as he had been told to by Rodgers, he
resigned on the spot – though the announcement of his departure was made a
month later.
虽然古拉努力去跟姜亨利沟通，想重新确认他所被赋予的职责，但他们沟通效能从房总
到职以后已经降到冰点。虽然古拉知道是计画改变了，但古拉当然是很赌烂与沮丧，
所以在某个七月的早上，他拒绝前往房总叫他去的青年军上班，而是选择辞职。
Those who knew Segura best from his time at Liverpool describe him as a
professional and so, his hurt was understandable considering he had been
treated without the necessary level of respect. Sources in Catalonia,
meanwhile, say Segura has a long memory. Now Barcelona’s general manager
having returned to the club where he built his coaching reputation, and as
the person overseeing player recruitment, it is told he has viewed the
signing of Coutinho as a personal mission.
熟悉古拉的人都说，没有受到应得的尊重的古拉会如此受伤是正常的。
而加泰那边的消息源则说，古拉的记性很好(或许该说是记仇)，他现在回到让他成名的
巴塞隆纳，又成为那里的GM，并且肩负招募球员的责任，而他也将签下酷弟视为个人的
重要任务。
While Coutinho is seen as a long-term successor for the fading Andr廥
Iniesta, the whiplash of his own departure from Liverpool still stings and it
is said he would like nothing better than to expose Fenway Sports Group’s
collective stance over Coutinho’s future as total mush.
而酷弟被视为接班Iniesta的最佳人选，而他要去巴萨的事件正好是可以说明粉味集团
对于酷弟的未来的立场根本是乱七八糟。
It was a small but significant detail when Fenway released a “definitive”
statement earlier this month, outlining that Coutinho would not be sold,
this was not a statement released by Liverpool FC but by its ownership group,
a statement, indeed, that was not signed off by any person in particular as
they often are when something important is announced
在粉味集团这个月初发出那封不会卖酷弟的声明时有个微小但值得注意的细节。
这声明不是由利物浦球团发出，而是由粉味集团的经营阶层直接发出这个声明，而且这封
重要的声明也不同于很诡异，竟然没有任何人在这份重要的声明上做署名。
Hour-by-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week, Henry does not have much involvement
in the decision-making processes at the club and instead, key issues are
dealt with by J槀gen Klopp, Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s sporting director,
and Mike Gordon, Fenway’s president.
其实虽著时间推移，姜亨利已经不太在决策圈中了。
渣叔、以及体育总监爱德华还有粉味集团总裁戈登才是实质的决策者。
Henry only intervenes when he really needs to and this was one of his calls.
Before Coutinho had submitted his transfer request, Henry knew that his scan,
taken on Tuesday August 8, for mysterious back strain had returned without
obvious signs of injury. He knew as well that two days later a 3pm meeting
involving Edwards and Coutinho’s representatives had not gone well at all.
Any owner of a well-run football club should also be informed and be able to
imagine what might follow when a star player signs a new five year-contract –
as Coutinho did in January – but proceeds to only agree a short-term lease
on his home, especially when it has already been reported that Barcelona are
interested in him.
姜亨利只会在必要时介入利物浦的运作，而酷弟这件事情是其中之一。
在酷弟递交转会申请前，姜亨利知道酷弟的背伤检查结果显示其实没什么伤。
他也知道两天后跟爱德华还有酷弟经纪人那个会议不会有什么好事情。
而身为一个体质健康的足球俱乐部的经营者，他应该可以想见像酷弟这种球星他刚签下了
五年合约，房子租约却只是一张短期的租约而已，可以想见状况不乐观。
Those that have dealt with Henry regularly know how he is capable of brain
lapses, instances where he has appeared completely engrossed on a subject one
moment and unreachable the next. Particularly relating to Liverpool matters,
perhaps living on the other side of an ocean while running a business empire
where Anfield forms only a part of his thoughts contributes towards the way
he approaches things. Perhaps, indeed, this is why Segura found himself
isolated very quickly from what seemed a position of promise.
那些时常与姜亨利相处的人都知道，亨利很“擅长”失智，常常前一秒跟你说什么下一秒
就说他忘了、反悔了。（其实就是假失智啦干）
尤其在跟利物浦有关的事情上，或许是因为天高皇帝远，利物浦对姜亨利来说太枝微末节
或许，这就是古拉当初在利物浦莫名其妙被从他被承诺的位置上踢走的原因。
Henry’s distance from Merseyside has not helped in the past because he has
not been around to cast judgements for himself. He has instead relied on the
opinions of his appointments, which have been bad ones too often – meaning
that he has only acted when it has been too late, contributing towards a
generally negative impression of his and Fenway’s intentions.
姜亨利跟莫西赛德的遥远距离让他无法就近决策。他因此依靠一些他指派的手下的意见。
这为他以及粉味集团在莫西赛德留下了不好的印象，因为这些代理人的决策常常很糟，而
姜亨利本人总是太慢才做出反应去挽救。
Having decided that Coutinho would stay, he could not afford to back down
particularly when the transfer market did not map out exactly the way
Liverpool or its febrile supporter base would have wanted in terms of
incomings. Fenway have been determined to change Liverpool’s reputation and
by not relenting to Coutinho’s wishes, for the time being at least, it sends
a message to their own players as well as rivals that this is not a selling
club.
酷弟会留下这个决定已经无法回头了，尤其在转会市场的收购并不如球迷所愿的状况下。
粉味已经决定在酷弟的事情上不做让步，好挽救这几年的坏形象。至少他要告诉利物浦
的球员与对手们，我们不再是个selling club。
Any other outcome would have been received as deception and from then on, it
is hard to see how any of the messages coming out of Liverpool would ever be
trusted again
另一种可能的结果则是欺骗，而这也代表着从这刻起，所有从利物浦(粉味集团)所发出
的讯息，都不会在被球迷所相信。
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总之就是，古拉跟姜亨利因为房总来以后的事情有过节，所以古拉很想将利物浦一军。
但其实姜亨利有失智的状况（出尔反尔），所以说不定当年只是他“发病”了而已，但这
也是为什么这几年粉味集团常常发声明最后却是讲干话，因为亨利根本搞不清楚状况，随
便乱回答，而且天高皇帝远，他也没花多少精力在留心利物浦的事情都丢给手下，所以也
建立了这几年粉味集团的恶名。
现在就看C10事件怎么处理，决定未来还有没有办法挽回形象。