"Sports news in America is really lacking …" Tang En muttered as he turned off the television. He had wanted to watch sports news on the television, but there were pitifully few reports on football. They were all about basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and rugby. It was not that there was a lack of news on football, but there was very little news on football.
He decided to go online to see if there was any news on European football. Although he had retired, he could not possibly rest at home for the rest of his life and let his wife take care of him. His future work would basically be related to football, so he had to do his homework and keep an eye on the world of football so that he would not be at a loss when he really needed the information.
Tang En had already planned for his future. After resting for a few months, he would go out and look for a new job. If nothing went wrong, he would accept BBC5's invitation to be a football commentator. As for the future … he had not considered it. Maybe he would be like Lineker and host a football program.
Teresa was currently taking a nap in her room, but Tang En could not rest. If he wanted to do something of his own, he could only use Teresa's nap time. Otherwise, he would have to accompany his daughter when she woke up.
Just as he turned on the computer, the phone next to him rang.
Tang En picked up the phone and glanced at the screen. It was the old man, Billy Woox.
This surprised him a little. From what he remembered, ever since he was no longer the manager of Nottingham Forest, Wood's agent rarely looked for him. There was no personal friendship between them. Since their working relationship was gone, there was naturally no need to contact him anymore.
Why was he calling him at this time?
Tang En thought for a moment before picking up the phone. In fact, he really did not like dealing with this old man with a sexual orientation, especially when he heard his androgynous voice. It gave him goosebumps. But after all, this agent did not really want George Wood to leave while he was still in charge, so he still had to give him some face.
"Hey, Mr. Woox, why did you think of calling me?" Tang En teased. "I'm not the manager of Nottingham Forest anymore."
"Are you still in Los Angeles, Mr. Twain?" What Tang En did not expect was that the other party did not continue to mock him.
"Huh?" The question stunned Tang En for a moment before he reacted. "Yes, I'm in Los Angeles. What, are you here too? Are you here on vacation? "
"I was there two days ago, but now I'm in Nottingham. It sounds like you're doing well in Los Angeles, but I'm sorry … Can you go back to Nottingham now? "
Tang En found it strange. "Back to Nottingham? I'll have to wait another month... 'A sudden thought flashed through his mind.' Is something the matter, Mr Woox? '
"George wants to retire. I tried to persuade him the whole night, but he didn't listen. I think the only people in this world who can persuade him are his mother and you. Unfortunately, his mother is currently lying in a coma on a hospital bed, so only you can … "
Tang En did not hear a single word after that.
He felt as if he was experiencing a thunderstorm in his mind. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. This was simply too shocking. His brain couldn't react and almost crashed.
George Wood retired? Sophia in a coma?
What happened?
"… Mr Tang En, I hope you can rush back immediately." Woox's words drilled into Tang En's ears again. He finally came back to his senses. "George wants to hold a press conference to announce this news … But you know, if he really announces it, things will only get worse. I tried to persuade him, but he didn't listen. I could only tell him that he has a contract with the club. If he decides to terminate the contract and retire, then he should at least discuss it with the club … I'm stalling for time to wait for you, Mr Tang En. "
When Woox finished speaking in one breath, Tang En opened his mouth but did not know what to say. It was the first time he saw Woox lose his composure and say so much in one breath.
After the lightning flashed and thunder roared, his mind was a violent storm, turning into a paste. He shook his head hard and pinched his thigh, which caused him to cry out in pain.
"Mr Tang En?" Woox heard Tang En's cry over the phone and did not understand what had happened.
"Uh … It's nothing. I'm fine. I'll be back soon. I'll book the plane tickets now. "Tang En pinched himself until tears came out, which also made his mind much clearer. "Before I come back, you must help me hold him back! We'll keep in touch! "
With that, he hung up the phone.
Following that, Tang En got up and paced around the room a few times to calm himself down completely. He then made two calls. One was to Shania, informing her that he had urgent matters to attend to and had to rush back to Nottingham. Theresa would stay in Los Angeles to accompany her, and he would return after the matter was settled. Shania was also very surprised by Tang En's sudden decision to return to Nottingham. She asked what was so urgent, and Tang En told her that George was retiring. She immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and promised Tang En that she would rush back home to take care of Theresa once work was done.
Tang En's second call was to the local ticket booking center to book the earliest flight to London.
After the two calls, Tang En took out his suitcase and began to pack. In reality, there was nothing much to pack. It was just a few pieces of underwear and a few sets of clothes, which were quickly stuffed into the suitcase by Tang En. After he was done, Tang En sat down to think about everything he had just heard.
Sophia was unconscious … It was obvious that her condition had worsened. Her health had not been very good for the past few years. To be ruthless, Sophia would not live for more than a few years. Tang En was a little mentally prepared for this. But Wood did not … No, it was not that he did not. He did, but he did not want to admit it.
Wood's retirement and Sophia's coma were inextricably linked. Tang En thought about it carefully. Based on his understanding of Wood, this kid must not be in the mood to train and compete because his mother was critically ill. And for the past decade, his mother had been all the motivation for everything he did. Now that his mother was critically ill, he clearly did not have the mood to continue playing football, so choosing to retire and accompany his mother was his future plan.
But such a plan …
"You idiot!" Tang En scolded.
※ ※ ※
The news that Sophia was critically ill and hospitalized quickly spread throughout England. Everyone knew that the person Wood loved the most was his mother, so no one was surprised that he was absent from training because of Sophia's illness. It was just that there were more and more media waiting outside the hospital day and night. The hospital and the police had to deploy a lot of people to specifically maintain order and block the paparazzi.
Vivian Miller was still in charge of taking care of Sophia's daily needs in the ward. In reality, there was not much to take care of at the moment. Two days had passed, and Wood's mother was still in a coma. The attending doctors were worried that Sophia would never wake up and become a vegetable. Of course, they did not tell George Wood about this worry. They only discussed it in private.
Last night, Wood and his agent spoke for a long time outside. Their tones were a little heated. Vivian did not hear what they were arguing about, but she saw that when the two of them appeared in front of her again, their expressions were not good. She did not know what had happened to the two of them. Logically speaking, she did not need to worry about such things. Her job was only to take care of the patient, and that did not include caring for the patient's son. But once she was free, she would think about it. What caused the two of them to argue so fiercely?
At that moment, Wood sat on the sofa outside the ward, his head buried in his hands. It was only one night, but his spirit was a lot more dispirited than before.
Woox pushed the door open and entered.
"I've called the club and they've heard that you're retiring. Do you want to hear their reaction? "
Wood shook his head. "I'm going to retire anyway."
"You still have a contract with the club. If you want to forcibly terminate the contract and retire, you have to discuss it with the club first. The club obviously does not approve of your retirement application. They agreed to give you a period of time off, but they do not want you to retire. "Woox had already said all the words of persuasion last night until his saliva was dry. Now he did not want to say anything more. He just relayed the club's opinion.
Next, Woox sat opposite Wood and looked at him. "Has your mother woken up?"
Wood shook his head slowly. This was the source of his unease. His mother had not opened her eyes until now, and he did not know if she would ever wake up again.
"If you really want to retire, it's best to talk to the club's representative face-to-face …" Woox said again.
This time, Wood did not object. He just nodded. The ward fell into silence again.
※ ※ ※
Although they wanted to talk to the club's representative face-to-face, the club did not immediately send anyone over because they were already in a mess internally because of the news of Wood's retirement.
"Retire?!" McAllister was shocked by the news. If it had not come from the club chairman, Evan Doughty, he would have thought that the other party was deliberately making fun of him. Although Wood was thirty-two years old, he was still very healthy. Everyone thought that he could at least play until he was forty, just like the previous Forest team's legendary captain, Stuart Pearce.
"George's agent called us and said that he decided to retire last night."
Evan looked at the two men under him. One was the manager, McAllister, and the other was Allan Adams. He hoped that these two men could come up with some ideas.
"I think it's ridiculous …" Allan Adams frowned. "Who would decide to retire so rashly?"
McAllister said next to him, "In fact, some retirements are indeed the product of impulsiveness. For example, the former King of Manchester United, Cantona … "
Evan waved his hand. If they continued to dwell on this issue, it would be far from the point. "I don't care why he wants to retire. In short, we can't let him get what he wants. We all know that Nottingham Forest can't do without him. You guys think of a way. "
McAllister hesitated for a moment. He secretly glanced at Allan Adams sitting next to him. The other man was unmoved. It looked like he was planning to watch the show. But when he thought about it, Wood was McAllister's player. As the manager, he obviously had more say in this matter than the marketing manager.
"I'll go talk to him …" It looked like he had to do this himself. Communicating with Wood was not an easy task … McAllister had been in the team for a few months, but he had not really communicated with Wood. That was because if he were to chat with him for half an hour until his saliva was dry, he might only get one or two sentences in reply. To be honest, he would rather lead the team to a bloody battle against Manchester United at Old Trafford than to talk to George Wood in private.
Seeing the manager take the initiative to take the task, Evan Doughty nodded with satisfaction.
He felt that Wood must have been impulsive. Now that the manager had personally gone over to talk to him and gave him enough face, he should take back his decision to retire after he calmed down for a day.
※ ※ ※
Under Evan's arrangements, McAllister came to the hospital to see Wood a day later. For the past two days, Wood had treated the hospital ward as his home. He ate, drank, and defecated there. He did not sleep until his mother woke up. McAllister could hardly believe his eyes when he saw him — the Nottingham Forest's legendary captain was haggard with sunken eyes and an unshaven beard. He looked like a completely different person from the high-spirited and awe-inspiring George Wood on the field. The difference was huge.
After greeting Wood's mother, McAllister made clear his purpose of coming — to persuade Wood to take back his decision to retire.
McAllister analyzed the pros and cons of this retirement for Wood from all angles, hoping that he would calm down. But he failed.
No matter what McAllister said, Wood did not speak. He waited for him to finish before saying, "I've decided to retire."
When McAllister heard what Wood said, he immediately wanted to retreat. He had been doubtful about whether he could convince Wood or not. Now was the time for him to back out.
Evan Doughty heard from McAllister that Wood was determined and he could not do anything about it, so he had to do it himself. He rushed to the hospital with Allan Adams and visited Wood's mother according to the club's motto. He also told him to be at ease in the hospital with his mother. The team had given him a break and it would not be too late to return to the team when his mother's condition improved.
In any case, he did not mention retirement.
Unfortunately, Wood did not appreciate it and did not express his gratitude to Evan Doughty for his arrangements. The first thing he said after he spoke was, "When will I start talking to the club about my retirement?"
Evan was stumped by this sentence and did not know what to say. He stood there for a long time before he thought of a delaying tactic.
"We'll talk about it when your mother wakes up, George …"
Other than stalling for time, he could not think of any other way. Maybe when Sophia wakes up, Wood will be happy and change his mind?
But what if Wood still insisted on retiring after Sophia wakes up? What would the club do then?
Evan Doughty, the club chairman, had no idea at all …
※ ※ ※
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