Express & Star

Wolves in Shanghai: Nathan Judah's tour diary - Day 4

Alarm clock is beeping...surely not?! It's 10am already.

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Now that might mean a late start for some, but with a 4.30am finish due to video editing and ongoing wifi issues, it was anything but!

However the five plus hours was a vast improvement from the 90 minutes or so the night before.

A quick Nature Valley oats and honey bar (other good granola bars available) mashed up with some greek yoghurt, a dash of honey and breakfast was served.

Spiers still fast asleep like a baby, I tried to make enough bangs to get him moving, no such luck!

Anyone want some random tat bringing back?

Quick shower and it was back to the Wolves team hotel, past the tacky souvenir shops - about 15 min walk from our AirB&B.

We normally set off pretty fresh, but by the time we arrive, the sweat has started to pour.It was 90% humidity today.

Diogo Jota didn't mind too much though, a big high-five as he went to do a round the table interview with some of the national newspapers and of course the Spiersmeister.

TS: It's always a pleasure to interview Diogo, whose English has come on immeasurably since he joined the club.

Like most of the players I'm sure he can find it a chore at times, but he speaks eloquently and with plenty of thought and consideration.

He particularly lights up when talking about Football Manager! He's referenced this in the past, how he 'signed himself' when playing as manager of his local team from back in Portugal - and ended up scoring a penalty in the Champions League final.

Yesterday Diogo was on good form yet again, talking about how he wants to be part of what he hopes will be Wolves' continual rapid progress. And he sees no reason why Fosun can't make the club one of the biggest in the world, as they intend to do.

The possibilities of global growth have certainly become evident on this eye-opening trip.

I listened to Morgan Gibbs-White speak very well to Sky in the entrance hall.

Morgan Gibbs-White chatting to Sky

He's definitely maturing as an individual and a footballer. I think this is a big season for him.

Personally, I'd prefer to see him on loan at a top Championship club, playing week-in week-out until January - a lot like Leicester's Harvey Barnes at West Brom.

But with the squad so skinny at the moment, there's no chance that will be happening anytime soon.

Training was moved back to 4pm local time after a hard double session yesterday, plus the fashion show.

Overcast, muggy and tough work for the boys who were observed by some Fosun VIPs armed with an array of ipads, laptops, video cameras and phones.

Any chance of some wifi help lads?

TS: It was a decent training session on what was a cooler afternoon in rainy Shanghai. A drop in humidity was certainly welcome for the players.

A number of local fans came down to watch the session and were treated to a signing session with the players afterwards. However in 2019 I think we need to start referring to them as 'selfie sessions'.

A smiling Nuno was also happy to get involved and got the biggest cheer - or should I say high-pitched squeal - when he went to meet his adoring public.

Actually Sky Sports came to my help in the shape of super Johnny Phillips and cameraman Alex Gage.

It's literally impossible to upload any kind of video files of a decent length out here. But their hotel room is like a hard wired paradise of ethernet cables, routers and modems.

So we were finally able to get some video footage online - praise the lord!

Time to grab some food, but I made a really poor choice!

I've brought three litres of pepto bismol with me, just in case!

But I put myself in a pretty dicey situation ordering the 'safe' option of a chicken noodle soup.

Little did I know it came as a raw carcass of a chicken, feet n'all, which I had to cook myself.

It wasn't one of my better lunch choices!

The whole staff were looking at the Brit in the corner, trying to work out when to siv out the meat.

It was ok at best, but I drew the line at a chicken leg.

To be totally honest, if I'm not chugging the Pepto tonight, it's been a successful day!

TS: I may have made my own food faux-pas. While you were busy ordering raw meat in a restaurant I popped to the supermarket and, while most items have some sort of English labelling on them, the fresh meat section sadly doesn't.

Occasionally a picture of a cow or a chicken will pop up as a handy guide. However, I really fancied some mincemeat to whip up a cheeky little bolognese later in the week...sadly, no label. I mean it *looks* beefy. One to catch up in a couple of days...

Looking forward to Wednesday, first game of the season vs Newcastle in Nanjing.

This fan fare has been amazing, but I'm ready for some proper football now.