Only one manager in England has lifted more competition titles in the last five years: Pep Guardiola, who will be in the other Dugout in Leyton Orient on Saturday.
Wellens drops this with a glint, some naughty pleasure. Eyebrows, arms out, the eyes extend a bit.
He remembers a League Managers Association Forum with Guardiola as a guest speaker and how he as a Rookie coach broke the policy of his life at the time to request a photo.
“It is not me, but he is different,” says Wellens, before he suggests that the Snap has a offspring given their recent trophy.
Wellens: Two League Two titles and one dad John's Trophy in three clubs since 2020. Guardiola: Four Premier Leagues, Three Domestic Cups, Europe and the world with Manchester City.
“I looked a bit slimmer than now, I have to say,” he says. 'Pep was great with the coaches in the room. It was a Q&A and many questions were about his style and he said, “Don't copy me, why would you copy me? I have the best players.”
'I think you would be a foolish not to look at it and go:' I like the idea of that, can I work on it and maybe take pieces? 'When I was with Swindon, we had midfielders who would roll out as false full backs. It is up to our coaches to take excerpts, but not copy because we do not have the same athletes. '
Wellens, authentic and self-removing, is 44, but has a whole career of managing experience in five jobs that have gone from the ridiculous athletics-a crazy owner, pressure to select, dozens of test lists in line outside his office on each Day to the sublime at Orient, where his tight relationship with chairman Nigel Travis helps an unlikely tilt in the play-offs of League One.
Orient has not won the second layer since 1970, but the Weltens side is sixth, where only leaders Birmingham City have admitted fewer goals.
Between those jobs Joy came in Swindon, four months of misery with Gary Neville in Salford City – complete with a carefully processed documentary – and 19 games at Doncaster Rovers, where Wellens admits that ego took over. He admits a lot, Wellens.
“I am now more completed, I am not in a hurry,” he says. 'I don't feel that I am now in a corner in a corner. I can maneuver philosophically. At the time I would come and fight outside.
'This club disappeared almost six years ago. Now it's a pinch-me-moment. It is brilliant exposure. We have the chance to produce one of the biggest shocks ever, a historic moment.
'There are small vulnerabilities where you might expose city, and then it's just ours. It's just a matter of: “Do we have the quality to do that?” It is an event. I want the stadium to become a sea of red. I don't like the color blue anyway. '
So the color blue, so to the city. Or more pertinent, to Manchester United, who cherished this former midfielder – with a distinguishing running style of a Struting Pauw – in their academy.
A proponent of a boy's years who was in the Nou -Kamp in 1999 with his father, who had made the 'Gladiatheater' here. A fan who once demolished the former coaching coordinator Eric Harrison of United next to the Dugout for a competition.
A fan on the microphone for BBC Radio Manchester when Ilkay Gundogan thundered after 13 seconds in the FA Cup final in that volley. A fan who passed the last training of the Champions League by Guardiola in Barcelona in Wembley in 2011. He drives the pain of that slow torture even now.
“I remember the first time I saw United,” he says. 'Norman whiteside in the final of '85. Mesmerized. Neville Southall had placed his bottle right in the corner and it was as if Whiteside sought to it. I was five, had it on the old video cassette. I would put it in, view it again. In, again. My mother actually stuck about it with Jennifer Rush, the power of love. Can you believe it? God's honest truth. Very upset.
'For me, City is the best Premier League team that has ever been. I have clearly seen the United teams, Invincibles, the Chelsea teams, but to do six (titles) of the seven … Everyone now has money, everyone can pay for it. You look earlier and the top teams went out and just got the best players. '
That partially blocked a route to the first team of United for Wellens, who never returned to the Premier League after Sir Alex Ferguson had put him in 2000 to say that the club was going out to him.
Four years earlier he, Wes Brown and David Healy, were told by Brian Kidd they were the next of the rank – after the class of '92 – and his performances for England Under 18S, a team including Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley Cole and Ledley King were promising.
“I didn't train well,” he says. “I didn't develop my body. I have made many mistakes. I had the opportunity to play in the Premier League, but not in athletics. I didn't practice, didn't work. I drove. I don't want my young players to make the same mistakes. At the time I was Blase: “It doesn't matter, I'll make it”.
“I wish I knew what I know now. If those united boys playing table tennis, quizzes, head of tennis, arguing. They want to win. I only trained with them for around 30-40 sessions, but you have to win, tackle, to your teammate to test it. Roy Keane, the best player, you would train and look at you as if you want to say: “You don't run past me, I'm going to destroy you”. “
Wellens flourished in Blackpool, Oldham, Doncaster and Leicester City-he regrets that he rejected a switch to Birmingham of the Top Birming in 2010-and then came in contact with Ferguson seven years after his release.
“We played United for the unveiling of the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster,” he says as he makes a nice, surly Glaswegian accent. “As soon as he saw me, and he shouted a lot against me, he just shouted:” Well! 'He will not remember that, but when such a person speaks to you, you remember every conversation.
“I saw him at the LMA Awards two years ago. Receiving a prize for him was a proud moment. I am sorry that I no longer lean on him, but I feel a bit embarrassed to call or text.
'Look at Busby, Paisley, Shankly, Stein, Clough … these managers tend to have an aura when they pass, but Ferguson has always had it. We are waiting for someone to be over to honor them with stands or images. Ferguson has it all. I don't know, the aura … it's hard for me to do. '
There have been two moments in the Coaching career of Wellens when Ferguson gave wisdom. Ferguson's former No 2 Mike Phelan begged Wellens to make contact in Oldham.
“When I first got the job, it's 24/7, I couldn't sleep. It was on top of me and Sir Alex gave me a few tips I used. Being a social in terms of dealing with a manager. And then mentality.
'When Salford won the Dad John's, I had a text:' Congratulations, your team earned it. Although you were at the top and did not score, you continued. If you come home tonight, forget it. It's gone. On to the next ”.
“They always say it, but it's really hard to do. Do you know what? Maybe I didn't take that on board, but when we won the competition here two years ago, I had it. Enjoyed the day, but I knew we would lose players and I had a job in League One. I was right on it. It focuses again. '
A message that flashes on his phone tomorrow would mark a well -done work. Maybe even a little history. Wellens will probably not ask for photos this time.
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