Notts County's players must be disappointed that they still did not win the derby. However, Tang En's words after the match might make them feel better.
In the post-match press conference, Tang En praised Notts County's manager, Dunn. He said that Dunn had created a lot of trouble for him, and he himself had not felt troubled for a long time.
It was a high praise. In fact, Tang En did it on purpose. He wanted to let Nottingham Forest's supporters slowly familiarize themselves with and accept their future manager. Some people thought that Dunn was not capable enough and not famous enough? That was not a problem. He was looking for his successor, not a beauty contest. There was no problem with Dunn's ability. After all, Tang En was "taught" by Dunn. In the beginning, he had been at home reading Dunn's notes day and night. Fame? He was not famous when he first took over Nottingham Forest. Since Evan had given up on his unrealistic dream of becoming a powerhouse, why would he insist on hiring a world-class manager to be his successor? Moreover, world-class coaches were not willing to live under Tang En's shadow. How many proud and arrogant famous managers could stand to be compared to Tang En all the time?
Moreover, Dunn was a manager from Nottingham Forest. He was familiar with Nottingham Forest and had feelings for the team.
Combining all the factors, Dunn was the most suitable successor. He was also someone that Nottingham Forest could rely on for the next few decades.
Just like Moyes, he was not famous, but he had been at Everton until now. He had become a name that could not be forgotten in Everton's history. In fact, Tang En's time at Nottingham Forest could not be considered long. He had only been there for a total of 12 years. For England's managers, this amount of time was not even in the top 20.
If Tang En had not been able to win so many championships, he would not have left much of a mark in the world of football with his 12 years as manager.
England's managers would have different plans depending on the length of time they had been in charge. Short-term plans, medium-term plans, long-term plans. Tang En could at most be included in the medium-term plans, but Nottingham Forest needed a long-term plan. In any case, Nottingham Forest's foundation was still shallow. Winning five UEFA Champions League titles was not a solid foundation. It did not matter how many championships they won. It took time to build a foundation. If they could ensure that they could compete for the championship every season for 20 years, they would have a bit of a foundation. A hundred years later, they would probably become a force that could not be ignored in the world of football and could be compared to those big clubs.
Unfortunately, Tang En did not have the time to slowly consolidate Forest Team's foundation. It was just right for the young and healthy Dunn to do such a thing. All he did was create a glorious history for the Forest team, which would become a spiritual force to inspire every Forest person in the years to come. It could be said that Tang En created spiritual wealth, while Dunn focused on the material level. The spiritual and the material complemented each other in order for Forest to gradually become stronger. It was not like Clough's era, where after a short period of glory, as Clough grew old, he was like a shooting star that streaked across the sky and disappeared.
Tang En absolutely did not wish to see Forest fall into the abyss in the lower leagues when he was old.
It was easy to conquer, but difficult to defend. The qualities required to fight and defend the country were different. Twain admitted that he was not a talent for defending the country. He could rely on his drive to conquer the country, but defending the country required a steady and calm person to do it. Dunn was much more suitable than him in this regard.
That was why he went to Dunn.
This derby match allowed many people who originally did not have a direct understanding of Dunn to see his ability. A team like Notts County could shine again under his leadership. If it was a higher level Nottingham Forest, wouldn't it be a big deal?
Tang En did not tell Evan his idea because he knew that Evan's mind was full of ideas to persuade him to stay for a few more years. Even if he told him about the matter of a successor, he would not take it seriously. However, Tang En was not worried that his recommendation would not be approved in the future. He knew his influence in the club. Because of this last-minute action to put out the fire, it had instead increased. Among the Forest fans, he had always had an extremely high reputation. So as long as he nodded, no one would disagree.
As for saying that Dunn's personality was not as domineering as his? Don't be ridiculous. If everyone in the world was carved out of the same mold as Tang En, then the end of the world had arrived.
It was with such "selfishness" that Tang En did not mention his own victory at the press conference. Other than praising the team's performance, he kept praising Dunn. This made the Chinese media overjoyed. They could once again brag to their domestic fans. This time, they would not be scolded as "clickbait", because Tang En's words were even more mushy than their headlines!
Dunn almost made Tang En embarrassed, so he tried his best to be humble. In the end, such humility became another reason to praise him in the eyes of others.
Just like that, this derby match that only happened once in 14 years ended in a harmonious atmosphere of "good for you, good for me, and good for everyone".
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After the derby match ended, Tang En did not contact Dunn. They were all adults and knew what to do. Dunn continued to coach at Notts County, but he had already started to groom a successor. Tang En, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened and no longer considered the matter of his successor.
January was the winter transfer window, and it was the time for all the major teams to replenish their reserves. They could be used to make up for the lack of summer transfers, or to completely correct the mistakes of the summer transfers. But Nottingham Forest had no intention of replenishing their reserves. Tang En knew that he would only stay at the club for another half a season, and Dunn would take over from the start of the next season. From a long-term perspective and the perspective of the team, it was best not to buy anyone during the winter transfer window. It was best to keep things as they were.
Otherwise, a new leader would change his followers. The players that Tang En liked might not be suitable for Dunn's tactical system. Forcefully buying them would not only delay the players, but it would also not be good for the team's reconstruction.
Only Chen Jian was bought because Tang En believed that he would not interfere with Dunn's tactical system.
Not buying players did not mean that he would not sell them.
Chen Jian's arrival meant that there were at least four players in the middle of the midfield. The team did not have to fight on multiple fronts, so it was useless to have so many players in the same position. Gago was old. Although Tang En was happy to be back, the Nottingham Derby made him realize the reality — his role in the team was getting smaller and smaller. If Boss really did not continue next season, it would be useless for him to stay. The new manager would most likely not entrust him with heavy responsibilities. Since that was the case, he might as well go back to Argentina and find a team to retire in.
Therefore, Gago sought out Tang En for a private talk, hoping to clarify if Boss was really only going to stay for this half a season.
Tang En told him that he was indeed only going to stay for half a season, and that he would leave the team after the season ended. He also did not persuade Gago to stay. He knew that Gago's departure was a good thing for the team, because Dunn would have one less trouble when it came to cleaning up the lineup.
Although it was a little heartless to say so, it was necessary to analyze the problem from a rational point of view.
Gago also thought of this problem, so he did not express any dissatisfaction. Instead, he took the initiative to bring up the idea of leaving the Forest team after the season ended.
Another familiar person was about to leave his sight, but Tang En was not as reluctant to part with him as before. Perhaps it was because he was used to seeing so many breakups and reunions that he was really indifferent to it. Or perhaps, it was because Gago had not been with him for that long?
Tang En did not want Gago to stay when he wanted to leave. The other person's situation was that he wanted to leave, but Tang En wanted to stay.
Jack Livermore was originally competing with Gago for the position of center midfielder, but most of the time he could not compete with the experienced Gago. However, he still had hope, and that was that Gago was getting on in years, and he could slowly become the main force. He did not expect that on the 1st of January, Tang En would actually buy another Chinese player to play the same position as him, and even get a chance to play in the Nottingham Derby and perform well.
This immediately made him understand that his position in the team was lower than before.
Livermore was a smart man. He knew that the reason his position was lower was because Tang En did not like him. Otherwise, Tang En would not have hoarded four players in the position of center midfielder. A smart man would not hit a rock with an egg. To Livermore, he was the egg, and Tang En was the rock.
A smart man would do it himself. That way, it would not only look good for everyone, but it would also give him a good reputation.
Therefore, Livermore also had a private talk with Tang En. He wanted to confirm if he was the last among the five center midfielders in Tang En's heart.
Of course, Tang En would not directly say, "Yes, you are the least important in my heart." Unless he was a fool, or purposely wanted to make Livermore angry.
In Tang En's plan, Livermore was not completely useless. At the very least, he was very suitable as a substitute.
But …
"I can't accept being a substitute, Boss." Livermore was very direct and very honest. Tang En liked this kind of attitude when they talked. Everyone was not playing games, and they spoke their mind. How nice was that?
"I still hope you can seriously consider it, Jack. We need enough depth on the bench. " Therefore, Tang En did not use any lies to brush him off. He very directly told him that his position was that of a substitute.
"I'm very sorry, Boss. When Fernando and George were here, I was their substitute. Now that Fernando is old, and a Chinese has come … I'm 29 years old, Boss. I don't want to be a substitute until my career ends. "
Livermore looked at Tang En very seriously.
They were both pursuing their own interests. Tang En did not feel offended by it being so honest. Because it was not a bad thing in itself.
Tang En's consideration for wanting Livermore to be a substitute was very simple. In his plan, Wood and Chen Jian would be the main players in the second half of the season. They might even be the main players next season. But after Gago's departure, the team would only have three center midfielders. This was not very safe. Although Tang En did not know what kind of tactics Tang En would arrange, it was impossible not to have a substitute in this position.
Livermore was the best substitute in Tang En's eyes. His ability to play as a main player was slightly lacking. He could not keep up with the requirements. But it would be a pity to let him go for nothing. Therefore, it was best for him to be a substitute.
Unfortunately, the players were not cold NPCs in the game. They had their own thoughts, and no one was willing to be a substitute. Everyone wanted to be an assistant, to be a hero. But in a football match, a team could only have 11 players in the starting lineup. There must be substitutes. Such players were role players. They were not as dazzling as star players, but they were perhaps the most indispensable type of player in a team.
Livermore was clearly not such a person.
He straightforwardly rejected Tang En's invitation to stay.
Tang En was helpless in the face of such a Livermore. But it was easy to find substitutes. If there was no other way, he could just draw from the youth team. Tang En was not the one who had to consider this matter, but Tang En. Fortunately, Tang En did Livermore a favor and readily agreed to his transfer request. However, he hoped that Livermore would not leave during the winter transfer window and would finish the season. In return for Twain's quick agreement to leave, Livermore also agreed to his request.
In this way, Tang En finally left a relatively complete team for the team. Under the premise of giving up on the FA Cup and focusing on the league in the second half of the season, there was basically no need to worry about a large number of injuries and other factors affecting the integrity of the lineup.
Under such conditions, Tang En wanted to lead the team to successfully avoid relegation. But in the depths of his heart, there was a bigger goal — to obtain the right to participate in the European competition.
Tang En suddenly thought of his first season in charge of the Forest team. Strictly speaking, it was half a season. He only took over after the New Year, and the team's results were not good, just like today. But at that time, the team's finances were on the verge of collapse. They could not even fork out a penny for the transfer fee. He could only dig for potential from within and try his best to make use of the existing resources. In the end, his team fell short before they could reach the finish line of the Premier League.
It was from that time onwards that he had an unforgettable pain in his heart for failure. He hated failure from the bottom of his heart. It was also from that time onwards that he would do anything to win.
The current situation was similar to that time. The reason why he did not make any moves in the transfer market was not because he did not have money, but because he did not want to spend it.
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