"Do you want to move to a bigger stage?"
Tang Jing had asked him a similar question before. But she was more direct. She had asked him if he wanted to stay in a small team like Notts County for the rest of his life.
Dunn had also considered it. If Notts County could receive a large amount of financial support and have the ambition to establish a foothold in the English Premier League, then it would not be a problem for him to stay there. After all, he had coached this team for seven years and had feelings for it.
But if Notts County continued to be like it was now and was satisfied with staying in the English Football League Championship … Was there a need for him to continue working for Notts County?
Was he really an ambitious man?
Some people would definitely say, "No, Dunn is a person who is content with the status quo." But he himself knew, deep in his heart, how much he loved football and how much he craved a challenge. At the end of the day, he and Tony Twain were the same kind of people.
"Do you want me to be your assistant manager, Tony?" Dunn asked with a smile.
"No. Look at your results in the past seven seasons at Notts County. It would be a waste of your talent to be my assistant manager. Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? "Twain shook his head.
"Then you …" Dunn was confused. To be honest, from the moment he received Twain's call last night, Dunn thought that Twain must have called to persuade him to be his assistant manager. He thought about it for the whole night and felt that he could no longer be an assistant manager, even if it was for Tony. If Twain really wanted to invite him back to be an assistant manager, he had to reject it no matter what.
He did not expect that Twain's motive was not this.
Twain looked around and saw that the waiters closest to him were more than ten meters away. It was obvious that the waiters did not have a good impression of this Englishman who publicly criticized their food. They could not be bothered to serve him. This was the effect Twain wanted. He continued to lean forward and said to Dunn in a low voice, "There's something I haven't told anyone other than you. You know, I've been coaching for half a season."
Dunn nodded. He knew about it. It was not just him. Everyone else knew about it. It was reported in the media.
"What will happen if I leave Nottingham Forest? Will it continue to be like this? I can't always come out to save the team when it's in danger, right? "
Dunn could more or less guess what he would say, but he still thought there was another solution. "You can continue to coach, Tony."
Tang En shook his head. "I won't be polite in front of you. I know my body best. I've been very busy these few days. I went to Spain to look for Chen Jian, and then I came to look for you. When I'm free, I still have to study the team reports that David gave me … Do you know what I found? "
Dunn looked at him in confusion.
"I actually fell asleep in the middle of reading the report twice! I felt that I wasn't as energetic as I used to be. Perhaps it had something to do with the four months of rest I had taken … All this while, I had been suppressing the urge to go against the entire world. But ever since we won the World Cup, when the thought of retirement flashed in my mind, that energy dissipated. It's impossible to gather them now. "
Tang En clenched his fists, then opened them again.
"I've seriously considered the time limit of half a season. I'll work hard to keep the Forest team in the Premier League, and then I'll really retire. This time, I'll retire completely and never come back … "
Hearing him say this, Dunn smiled. "I still feel that it's impossible, Tony."
"Yes, it might not have been possible before I came to look for you, but it's different now." Tang En nodded and did not refute Dunn's words. "In the next season and beyond, I hope you can replace me as Nottingham Forest's manager."
Dunn did not show much surprise, because he had more or less guessed this outcome just now.
"Freddy and David are not suited to be managers. And after seven years of training, you're completely qualified to be a manager. "
Dunn frowned and thought for a moment, then voiced his thoughts. "The two of us are different, Tony. I'm not a master of psychological encouragement like you, and I'm not a madman either. I can't share the attention of the media with the players … "
"But you still led a group of young players to fight their way to the English Football League Championship."
"Notts County and Nottingham Forest are two completely different teams. They are different types of teams, and the suitable managers are also different."
"I don't think you'll be able to bring the team back to glory the moment you take over. There should be a few years of adaptation, and by then, the players who are familiar with my style will have retired. You can slowly build your team over the next few years, slowly let the team adapt to your coaching style and thinking, and slowly turn Nottingham Forest into a team that completely belongs to you. Just like what you did at Notts County. "Tang En looked at Dunn opposite him.
Dunn did not respond to Tang En's words. He lowered his head in silence.
Only when the waiter brought the dishes to the table did the two put aside the topic. As they ate, they talked about their respective lives.
But most of the time, it was Tang En talking, and Dunn listening. Dunn was not a talkative person to begin with. In the days that he spent with Tang En, he had always been a good listener, and he was very good at it.
He talked about how Teresa was very obedient, how Teresa's English was improving very quickly, how Teresa would grow up to be very beautiful, and how Teresa had developed a strong interest in film and acting. What if she entered the entertainment industry in the future, as her father, what would he do?
More than two-thirds of the conversation revolved around Tang En's daughter, Teresa.
The corner of Dunn's mouth curled up as he listened. The man in front of him was really the classic image of a happy father.
He suddenly realized that he somewhat understood why Tang En said he was not willing to be a manager for the long term. He had a beautiful wife who loved him, and a beautiful, adorable, obedient, and intelligent daughter. Life was so beautiful that it made him feel happy. But it had also gradually worn away his original ambition.
He thought about the Tony Twain from 15 years ago. He studied the videos of football matches with him all night long, studying tactics, and studying the opponents. He did not know what fatigue was at all. His mind was filled with fighting against the whole world, and he wanted to win all the championships that he could. When he gave an impassioned speech in the locker room, he must have first moved himself to the point that his blood was boiling. Otherwise, how could the players be infected by him? In the past, he thought that football matches were a war. It was either you die or I die. In order to survive, he had more fighting spirit than anyone else. In order to defeat the opponents who looked down on him, in order to slap the ignorant onlookers, he rolled up his sleeves and successfully played the role of a devil and a bastard.
Which version of Tony Twain did he like more?
The two different Tony Twains from before and after overlapped in front of his eyes, becoming a little blurry.
Each had their own benefits.
The Tony Twain of that time was happy because he was fighting for the ideals in his heart. The Tony Twain of that time was also happy because he had a brand new life.
After the meal, Dunn wanted to go home and rest for a while before preparing for the second training session of the day at five in the afternoon. Tang En also had to go home to prepare for his official takeover of the Forest team.
"You can seriously consider my invitation again, Dunn …" Tang En said as he bid farewell to Dunn at the door.
He did not expect Dunn to shake his head. "I accept your invitation, Tony."
Tang En was surprised that he had made his decision so quickly. He felt that Dunn was not a decisive person. He always had to think for a long time before he could make up his mind on something. Could it be that these seven years had changed his character?
"You've thought it through so quickly? You're not going to go back and discuss it with Tang Jing? "
"I have the final say in matters of football." Dunn was a little manly when he said this.
Tang En looked at him and smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"No matter what, Nottingham Forest is where I first started. I also want to … prove myself there again." He was still brooding over his failed coaching experience at Nottingham Forest for a short time.
Hearing him say this, Tang En was sure that Dunn had accepted his invitation.
He let out a long sigh. Now that the last matter had been settled, he could go to Nottingham Forest to coach with peace of mind.
"I wish you good luck, Tony. The current Nottingham Forest is not the Nottingham Forest of the past. "Before he left, Dunn did not forget to give Tang En his good wishes.
Tang En was opening the car door when he heard Dunn's words. He turned to look at him and said very seriously, "They will soon realize that Tony Twain is still the Tony Twain of the past."
In that instant, only for a moment, Dunn suddenly saw the spirit of the old Tony Twain in the old man in front of him.
※ ※ ※
"Tony Twain is making a comeback? Ha! "Carl Spicer retorted with a disdainful expression on his face in his own program. "I think it's better for him to obediently stay in America and retire. The Nottingham Forest of today is no longer the Nottingham Forest of the past, and he's not some superman. Does he think he can be the savior of the world? I think he's already 50 years old and his mind should be clearer. I didn't think I was wrong again. "
He ridiculed Tang En's comeback plan on the show, as if he really did not want Tang En to return. But in reality, it was the opposite. He could not wait for Tang En to return. Tang En had only retired for a little more than four months, and he already felt that he was almost forgotten. Even his program's ratings had begun to drop.
When Tang En encountered a crisis of confidence in the national team, he was the most ferocious in attacking Tang En. Naturally, his program also received much attention. At that time, he could be said to be at the peak of his career. But ever since the end of the World Cup in July, Tang En announced his retirement, and his program suddenly lost its focus.
Now, after hearing that Tang En had reached an agreement with the Forest Football Club and would coach the team again, he immediately became like a different person. Every day, he appeared in front of everyone with a radiant face, preparing for his new episode of the program. The topic of the current episode was: Was it right or wrong for Tang En to return?
The three invited guests were actually just foils. No matter what their views were, Spicer was the main character. The audience who came to watch his program came because of his eloquence. They liked to hear him ridicule those matters and those people in the football world. Of course, Tang En was the one who was often ridiculed.
"Now that Tony Tang's return to the Nottingham Forest manager's seat has become a reality, I can also say with certainty that he will suffer a crushing defeat in the position he is most familiar with, as well as the team he is most proud of. A crushing defeat of the Waterloo style. The reputation he has painstakingly built up will be completely lost in this season! "
In the end, Spicer made such an attribution.
At the same time, BBC's Match of the Day also discussed the topic of Tang En's upcoming return after the end of the current round of the league tournament.
"The world is unpredictable. I really didn't think that Tang En would choose to make a comeback after his retirement, and to be Forest's fire rescue manager at that. It feels a little different from the results he has achieved in the past … "The invited guest, Alan Shearer, said.
"This shows that he is devoted to the Forest team." Mark Lawrenson continued.
Lineker pinched his chin and smiled. "I think it's pretty good. Now I'm suddenly full of anticipation for the second half of the English Premier League season …"
"… I'm full of anticipation for the upcoming English Premier League season. We can see the wild side of Tony Tang again. To be honest, the four months he retired and rested at home were the most difficult four months of my life as a football reporter … I didn't even know what to do every day. Now, it's all good. I don't have to rack my brains every weekend to think about how to write this week's commentator article. With Tony Tang around, he will definitely create countless topics for us to talk about. For example, even though he only said that he wanted to make a comeback and has yet to take charge of Forest, it has already triggered a heated discussion among the media. You must know that Tony Tang's return has been the headline news for the past half a month! "Mark Heskey, who wrote a football commentator for The Sun, was elated at Tang En's return.
"Tony Tang is this year's British news figure. Even though the year is not over yet, I don't think anyone can steal his limelight anymore. Just by returning to coach, he can make countless news media go crazy. There are very few people in this world who can do that. … I think Tony Tang's return is not just a football issue, but also a social issue worthy of our study … "The Times also wrote an editorial specifically for a football manager's return to work.
"… The English Premier League without Tony Tang is like a pool of stagnant water. The sponsors definitely don't want to see this kind of English Premier League. Now that he's back, he's brought countless topics and eyeballs. Newspaper sales have increased, television program ratings have increased, and many people can live comfortably just by scolding Tang En. It's really a miracle. Now, a miracle has returned. "Sky TV's website also commented on Tang En's return to coach Forest.
"The best thing that Evan Doughty has done in the past few years is to invite Tony Twain back to the team. Look at the attention that the world's media has on this fallen team. He has already won. No matter what Forest's final results are, at least they've returned to the center of the media … "
The media were all looking forward to Tang En's return, but they were only looking forward to the various benefits that his extremely exaggerated personality brought to them: an increase in sales, a rise in viewership ratings, an increase in sponsors …
But no one commented on what kind of changes Tang En would bring to Forest's results. Clearly, they were not optimistic about the results of Tang En's work in the competition. With such a Forest team struggling, even if Tony Tang were to come, he might not be able to do well …
※ ※ ※
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