In the river of time, echoes always come back on schedule, and the 2022 Chinese League season ended with Qingdao Sea Cowboys, the so-called "promoted horse", leaping to the Chinese Super League with the glory of being the second runner-up, returning to a stage that had been far away from them nine years ago. The city of soccer finally welcomed a top league team, and the city's soccer players witnessed this historic moment, while those who had danced with the storm nine years ago, had endless ripples of joy in their hearts.
The soccer media members who follow the team are perhaps the people who have the most frequent contact with the team, apart from the team and club staff. After all, they see each other almost every day, whether it is during the passionate years of the league or the quiet off-season, whether it is during the passionate matches or the rigorous training. Those senior media personnel who witnessed the team's relegation are even more emotional at the moment.
On November 28th, Jiao Shaohui, Director of Sports Department of Qingdao Radio and TV Programming Center, led the live broadcasting team to witness the joy of the team's transcendence in the second scene of the club. This veteran media person, although already "some age", but the excitement is not lost to young people. Over the decades, he has seen the team fall from the Super League to the Central League and Central League B. As a media person who is first and foremost a fan, he once lost confidence and felt that he could not see any hope. However, the performance of the 2022 team made that seemingly mythical impossibility a reality. He couldn't help but admire Joe's persistence and courage, believing that the Manatees had made history and earned respect. He firmly believes that Qingdao soccer will be reborn and create another brilliant future!
Nine years ago witnessed the team's relegation of Ji Ling reporter, now settled in Beijing, November 28 saw the poster in the circle of friends, the mood can not be calm for a long time. She recalled the scene of work nine years ago, every detail is vivid in her mind. Time seems to fly by, but also feel as if the last century, both distant and close at hand. In nine years, many things have changed, the young players of that year have become veterans, married and had children, and Mr. Qiao's gray hair has increased. However, players such as Jiang Ning, Zheng Long, Mou Pengfei and Zhu Shiyu are back, and those familiar fans are still there and never left. She believes that today's reunion is the best confession of the Manatees and the city.
Director Yuan Meng, who witnessed the team's relegation, appeared at the second site with a professional camera on the day the team returned to the Super League. He recalled nine years ago and still remembered it vividly. Nine years ago, he felt lost to the extreme, especially when the contrast was even stronger as he still held the hope of relegation success before the match. He felt very sad when he saw Mr. Qiao and other club personnel crying sadly after the match. He chose to shoot with a telephoto lens because he couldn't bear to go up and shoot. He has been going to the stadium every year for the past nine years to shoot, and he has never missed the team or the welcome ceremony even when there is no home or away game.
Wang Dawei, director of Qingdao Evening News' editor-in-chief office, was a reporter for the team and witnessed its relegation nine years ago. Nine years later, although he did not write again, he still insisted on attending the second event to witness the team's return to the Chinese Super League. He was overwhelmed with emotion, recalling his interviews with the team nine years ago and over the past nine years. The sense of loss, the bumps in the road, the difficulties, as well as the anxiety in the face of the goal and its unattainability for a variety of reasons seemed to be still real, yet it had disappeared. The goal has finally been achieved, and as a member of the media who has witnessed the team's development along the way, he is overjoyed.
Qingdao Daily reporter Promise, a veteran media personality, was also one of the few media people who made it to the Tangshan tournament through the club's tireless efforts. He worked with Qingdao TV reporter Li Jiaxin to witness this historic moment. Reporter Pan Lichao experienced a long period of quarantine after returning from Tangshan, and his affection for the team is self-evident. As a Qingdao native, he has been following the team for more than twenty years and also experienced the 2002 FA Cup win.
Sun Fei, deputy director of Qingdao Daily's Guanhai News Center, is not only a sports reporter, but also a soccer fan with excellent footwork. He is responsible for the official WeChat account "Qingdao Sports Stuff", a favorite among fans in the island city, and in 2013, as a commentator, he witnessed the relegation of the studio Manatees. He was convinced that the team would make a comeback the following year, but never imagined a nine-year break, during which they were even relegated to the second division. However, Mr. Joe's perseverance, craftsmanship, faith in the city and responsibility helped the club create the miracle of two consecutive promotions in two years. In this land, those media people who accompanied Hainiu and Qingdao soccer for nine years recorded every ups and downs of the team with the most sincere feelings. They have no regrets and will never forget. How can they not wait to hear back? Are you still reading? Naturally, I will keep reading.
