After the game against Arsenal, in the eyes of outsiders, Nottingham Forest suddenly found the motivation to move forward. They achieved a good result of three wins and a draw in February and jumped to eighth place, only two places away from the top six.
With the team's good results, people's minds also became active.
Evan Doughty looked at the calendar every day to see what day it was and how much time was left until the end of the season. Twain's words about quitting after the season kept echoing in his mind. The media knew, and so did the fans. He even repeated it once at the FIFA Awards Ceremony at the end of December. He seemed determined to retire.
But Evan Doughty was not willing to let Twain leave again. He had once made a mistake regarding Twain's departure. He could not make the same mistake again this time.
He was wondering if Twain's mind had changed after more than two months.
Every day, Evan Doughty would come to the training base in Wilford on time to observe Twain's performance in training and to speculate on the man's inner world.
He saw Twain chatting intimately with his colleagues on the training ground and joking with the players. He would even hug Bale and Wood and whisper to them.
He looked like he was in a good mood and was enjoying football.
Evan Doughty felt that the time was ripe.
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"Hey, Tony. I heard your wife is back again? " During the break in training, the players would gather together to chat and relax. It was the same for the coaches. They were also human and needed to rest.
And the coaches were more gossipy than the players.
The British entertainment gossip magazine had just reported the news of Shania Twain's arrival in England yesterday, and these old men came to the training ground to ask Shania's husband for insider information.
Twain could not do anything about this group of old men who liked to gossip.
"Yeah, she arrived yesterday."
A few of the coaches looked at each other and laughed. "Looks like we're going to win the next game! Haha! "
Everyone laughed along with them. This was an old joke. In the past, when Twain had not left Forest, the team's results were good and stable as long as Shania returned.
Twain let them laugh. There was nothing to be unhappy about. In his opinion, a harmonious team atmosphere was the key to good results. Since the atmosphere was harmonious, why would he ruin it?
After the training ended, Tang En walked to the manager's office alone. He still needed to tidy up a little before heading home. Shania had prepared lunch at home and was waiting for him. Although there was a cafeteria in the training base, most of the food was athlete's food, which ordinary people could not eat. Tang En was not an athlete, so he naturally did not need to eat that tasteless lunch.
Tang En placed the training notes on the table, took out the car keys from the drawer, and prepared to leave. But when he looked up, he saw someone standing at the door.
"Evan!" Tang En called out. "You scared me. Don't you know that standing at the door without making a sound is like a ghost? "
Evan Doughty smiled in embarrassment when he saw Tang En's expression. "Sorry, I saw that you were busy, so I didn't call you. Ready to go home? "He looked at the bunch of car keys in Tang En's hand.
Tang En clearly noticed where he was looking, so he waved the car keys. "Yes, Shania is still waiting for me at home."
"Ah …" Evan was a little regretful. "Looks like now is not a good time to talk."
Tang En found it strange and asked, "Is there something you need? Evan. "
"Uh …" Evan hesitated for a moment, but he did not say it. "When will you have time? I want to talk to you alone, Tony."
Tang En thought about his recent arrangements and gave Evan a reply. "I'll have time after this weekend's away game."
Evan nodded. "Then I'll go to your room to look for you. Goodbye, Tony. I don't dare to take up too much of your time, or your wife will definitely blame me. "
He still had some self-awareness and knew that he did not leave a good impression in Shania's heart.
Tang En watched the head of the club leave, but did not say anything further. This 60-year-old man seemed to have lost the arrogance and despotism he had four years ago. In front of him, he was like an ordinary old man. And even if their relationship were to recover in time, it would not be able to return to how it was in the beginning. Once there was a crack on the smooth and clean surface of the mirror, how could it be as if nothing had happened?
Evan rarely joked with him now, and he would not go to his office to sit and chat whenever he had nothing to do. On the surface, the relationship between the two of them still looked harmonious, but some small details could be seen that it was different from before.
It was an indescribable feeling that could only be understood.
In fact, they all knew.
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Nottingham Forest had an away game against Manchester City on the weekend. Both sides sent out their strongest lineups, and in the end, Forest relied on a somewhat controversial goal to win against the home team. After the game, the home team's media thought it was an offside ball and chattered incessantly in the press conference. Tang En pushed all the blame to the referee. "… I was in a bad position at the time, and I'm not sure what happened in the instant Chen Jian passed the ball. But since the referee said the goal was valid, then the goal was valid … What's important is not the process, but the result. The result is that we won, and I'm very happy. "
The home team's media could not do anything about this shameless Tang En, and could only watch as he "stole" the victory that should have belonged to them. Of course, after the game, there was no lack of criticism and mockery from the media. But Tang En did not care about that. His 15 years as a coach was basically a period of him and the media attacking and mocking each other. He was used to such things.
The highlight of the weekend was not this game, but the hotel that Forest was staying in after the game. To be precise, it was Room 1102 where Tang En was.
This scene would definitely feel familiar. Four and a half years ago, in the same hotel in Madrid, a similar drama had played out in the same room that Tang En was in. But today, there was one less lead actor, and the drama was different.
If the drama four and a half years ago was a drama of power, then the drama today was a drama of bitterness.
The protagonist of the bitterness was Evan Doughty.
"You wanted to talk to me about something. Don't tell me it's to persuade me to stay in Forest, Evan?" Tang En sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Evan Doughty, who was sitting on the sofa opposite him.
"What else can it be? Tony, don't you believe me? "
Evan Doughty had a bitter expression on his face right now. He had just spent a lot of effort to express his desire for Tang En to stay in Forest, but what he got in return was Tang En's question. How could he not feel bitter?
Once there was a crack, it was indeed impossible to mend it.
"Of course I believe you, Evan. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted your invitation to return to the team to coach," Tang En said to Evan with his head tilted.
But this attitude only made Evan feel more uncertain. From his point of view, Tang En was just brushing him off with such words.
So, looking at Evan's expression, Tang En smiled helplessly. "How do you want me to prove it to you, Evan? I'm really not brushing you off … "
"Then stay, Tony."
Evan Doughty stared at Tang En, but he could not see anything in Tang En's eyes.
"That's impossible, Evan. I have my family, and my body won't allow me to continue in this position. "Tang En shook his head, once again rejecting Evan's plea.
"But … your body hasn't had any problems in the past few months …"
Tang En raised his hand to interrupt Evan. "I know my body best, Evan. I feel that my energy is no longer what it used to be. Besides, do you think that only fainting at the side of the field and being sent to the hospital for 48 hours is considered a problem? I think as my friend, you don't want me and my family to go through that again, do you? "
This question made Evan Doughty speechless. He was anxious to keep Tang En, and indeed did not consider this point. If he was really doing it for Tang En's sake, then he should not have put his health in a dangerous position.
No one in the room spoke for a moment. Evan Doughty lowered his head, deep in thought. Tang En turned his gaze to the television, which was broadcasting the evening sports news. It happened to be talking about the match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City that had ended earlier. The focus of the news was naturally on whether Mitchell's goal was offside.
At the press conference, Tang En said that he did not see the situation at the time. Now he had a chance to take a closer look. The television replayed the scene before Mitchell's goal. At that time, he was parallel to Manchester City's rear defensive line, and the moment Chen Jian kicked the ball, the game froze. This time, Tang En saw clearly that Mitchell's upper body had stretched out …
Strictly speaking, this was really an offside position. However, whether it was ruled or not was up to the referee. If he felt that his upper body stretched out did not affect the overall situation, then it could not be ruled offside. If he strictly followed the requirements of the rules and ruled offside … then it would probably be Tang En's turn to be the one chattering after the game.
The narration of the television was different from Tang En's. They felt that Manchester City had lost at the feet of the referee this time, and strongly condemned and protested against the referee on duty. Tang En paid attention to the station logo and realized that it was the local media in Manchester. No wonder …
Tang En was not interested in what was said next. He turned his attention back to Evan from the television screen, and found that Evan was actually staring at the television in a daze.
Tang En thought about it and laughed. "I even need the referee's help to win a game. Look at me, I'm really getting old."
Evan heard him say this, but shook his head. "What does the referee's mistake have to do with you? Besides, although we had less ball possession than Manchester City throughout the game, we had the advantage in the number of threatening shots. It was only natural for us to win. It's just that we were unlucky. We didn't score a goal even though we had a few threatening shots … "
Tang En did not interrupt Evan. He just tilted his head and quietly listened to Evan speak. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
Evan Doughty also noticed the change in Tang En's expression. Then, he realized that he had said too much. He quickly shut his mouth and looked at Tang En.
"Ha!" Tang En laughed. "I think it's really interesting when I think about the person who couldn't even tell the difference between 'manager' and 'coach' back then. Now, he can analyze things so clearly and logically. You see, we're all changing. Now, I don't want to continue working for a few more years. I'm 50 years old, Evan, and I'm also a guy with a heart problem. I have a sense of crisis. I'm bound to die before Shania, so I have to cherish the time I'm alive and spend more time with her and Teresa … You're also a man with a family. Can you understand how I feel? "
Evan nodded. Could he still shake his head?
"But …" But he was still unwilling to be convinced by Tang En just like that.
"I'm now sure that you're really thinking for the club. Really, I've always believed in you, Evan. But I'm really not suitable for Nottingham Forest anymore. We're all changing, and Nottingham Forest is also changing, "Tang En advised. "There's no team in this world that never loses, and there's no team that always wins the championship. Those teams that create an era and a dynasty also have their ups and downs. It's the same for Nottingham Forest … "
Tang En's mind wandered as he spoke.
The era when Chapman led Arsenal to dominate English football was too long ago; Sir Matt Busby, who led Manchester United to win the first UEFA Champions League, had long passed away; Shankly, who molded Liverpool into a powerhouse of a generation and deeply influenced the development of Liverpool football, had also become a noun; Clough, who competed with the Reds during Liverpool's most powerful era and jointly created the "Red Age of England" in European football, was now just a bronze statue standing in the middle of Nottingham City Square; the all-powerful Ferguson, who entered the English Premier League era, was now an old man who sunbathed in his yard every day and could not even watch his favorite horse racing; and the godfather of Arsenal, Wenger, who once stood side by side with Ferguson, was already 70 years old this year, and his retirement was just around the corner …
Those once glorious names were buried in the dust of time one after another, and the past could only be recalled. He believed that in a few years, he and the former Nottingham Forest team would be the same. Just like how children born today would not know how great Michael Jackson was when they grew up, Ronaldo's fans would not know how good Maradona was, Maradona's fans would not be able to see Pele play with their own eyes, and Pele's fans were so unfamiliar with Di Stefano … The past had to be in the past.
After going through so many things, what else could he not let go of?
"I can't always sit in this position, and I shouldn't be like this. What Nottingham Forest needs is a long-term plan and a slow development. An arrogant person like me who is eager for quick success is not suitable for Nottingham Forest's future development. "
Evan seemed to want to stop Tang En from belittling himself, but Tang En beat him to it and said, "Don't you understand, Evan? Why is it that once I left the Forest team, the Forest team's performance began to decline, and no matter how many skilled managers you replace, it's of no use? I don't want Nottingham Forest to become "Tony Twain's Nottingham Forest." That way, no matter how many championships they win, it's all a castle in the air. Ordinary people can't even live to 100 years old, but now in the world of football, there are many hundred-year-old teams everywhere. For a team to be truly strong, it is not enough to rely on one person. Why is Liverpool a powerhouse? They were nothing before Shankly, but that's not the important thing. What's important is that after Shankly, they won five UEFA Champions League titles. "
Tang En leaned his body out and looked at Evan.
"Some media have compared me to Nottingham Forest's Shankly, but do you know what was the most correct thing Shankly did in his life?"
Seeing Evan's expression change from doubt to realization, to distress and helplessness, Tang En laughed.
"He was the one who suddenly announced his resignation and left Liverpool."
When Tang En was still a fan, he was no stranger to the story of Shankly. He was also clear about the story of Shankly's successor, Paisley. But he had never been clear about why Shankly would suddenly resign and leave Liverpool Football Club when Liverpool was doing well. It was reasonable to say that he should continue to do something earth-shattering, such as leading Liverpool to win the first UEFA Champions League in the club's history — Tang En and everyone else believed that as long as Shankly could continue, he would definitely be able to do it.
Now he was clear, completely clear.
This sentence completely stunned Evan Doughty. He unconsciously opened his mouth and sat on the sofa in a daze, unable to make a sound for a long time.
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PS: It's a new month, but it's also the month when the Godfather of Champions bids farewell to everyone. Although it's very sad, how can there be a banquet that never ends? Thank you, everyone, for your support day and night over the past two years. I bow again to express my gratitude!
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