Shania had also noticed the recent reports in the media. She was not blind or deaf. She knew what the fans were doing in the stands and on the sidelines of the training ground. If she had to ask her own opinion, she would, of course, selfishly want Twain to stay by her side. But after living with her husband for more than a decade, she also knew that the final decision could only be made by him. So, she obediently chose to remain silent.
At this time, she could only choose to believe in her husband.
"I have to hold a press conference in a few days to specifically announce my departure," Twain suddenly said during dinner, which surprised Shania a little. She knew that when the media was in an uproar a few days ago, Twain kept his mouth shut at home.
She keenly sensed something.
"It's time to understand everything," Twain said.
Her guess was right.
But Shania did not ask questions like "what's your decision?" She just nodded and said nothing.
Twain was not surprised by Shania's reaction, so he did not take the initiative to explain what he would say at the press conference.
There was such a tacit understanding between the two of them.
※ ※ ※
The issue of Twain's departure clearly affected the team's performance. In the weekend's away game, Nottingham Forest almost lost at Fulham's home ground. Fortunately, Balotelli used a beautiful free kick to break through Fulham's goal at the last minute, equalizing the score to 1: 1 and saving the team a point. It was also because of this draw that their ranking did not continue to rise. Instead, they remained at seventh place.
Forest was able to force a draw with Fulham in this game because of their good luck. Whether it was from the technical statistics or the actual situation, Nottingham Forest was at a complete disadvantage. If not for Fulham's forward being too good at wasting opportunities, even if Balotelli scored a goal, they would only be on the road to defeat.
Perhaps the Fulham people did not expect Nottingham Forest to perform so poorly, and they were a little too excited.
For example, there was once an almost empty goal, a goal that was more difficult to miss than to score, but Fulham's forward excitedly volleyed the ball directly into the stands at the back …
After the game, Twain admitted in an interview that his and his team's luck today was "very, very, very good." These were his exact words, and he used "very" three times in a row.
But he did not criticize the team's performance.
Because he knew the team's abnormal performance had something to do with him. If the crew of a fleet did not know whether their most respected captain would be able to stay and lead them after this adventure, they would be doubtful and shaken, which would naturally affect their combat effectiveness in battle.
Tang En had originally thought that by remaining silent, he could minimize the impact. The facts proved him wrong. He had to give his crew a decision. He had to let them know what the future held.
A reporter asked, "I heard you promised at the training ground that you would give an answer to the fans who wanted you to stay?"
Tang En did not deny it. Instead, he nodded. "Yes. When I return to Nottingham, I will announce this at a press conference. "
The reporter did not expect Tang En to answer so straightforwardly. Afraid that he had misheard, he hurriedly asked, "Are you saying that when you return to Nottingham, you will announce whether you will stay or leave after the season ends?"
Twain nodded and said nothing more. But that was enough. The media was excited by Tang En's answer. As for the competition … who cared?
※ ※ ※
On the way back to Nottingham from London, Tang En discovered that Evan Doughty was also there. Furthermore, he had taken the initiative to look for him.
"David …" He looked at Kerslake, who was sitting with Tang En.
Kerslake was a smart man. From the looks of it, he knew that Evan definitely had something to say to Tang En, and it was related to Tang En's decision to stay or leave. So, he got up and gave his seat to the chairman. He took the seat at the back, next to Eastwood.
As Kerslake gave up his seat, Tang En did not say a word. He only raised his head to look at the two people who had exchanged seats.
When Evan sat down, he did not stand on ceremony and went straight to the point. "Have you made your decision, Tony?"
Tang En nodded.
"I'm guessing it's not a good decision for me. Can I persuade you to take it back? "
Tang En shook his head. "If you still want my friendship, Evan. Don't do that. "
Evan Doughty cast his gaze forward with some disappointment.
Seeing Evan Doughty so disappointed, Tang En could not bear to continue being so cold. So, he consoled him. "In China, there's a saying: 'If the old doesn't go, the new won't come.' It's the same for Forest Team and you. If an old man like me doesn't leave, how can you have a new surprise? "
Evan Doughty did not care about the Eastern saying. He only cared about one thing. "But I can't think of a new surprise after an old man like you leaves. I've been looking for it for the past four years, but I haven't found it. "
Tang En smiled. It looked like it would be easy for Evan to accept the fact that he was leaving. He just had to find him a suitable successor.
"Of course, I have a very suitable candidate to be Nottingham Forest's new manager. I have high hopes for him. He can definitely lead Forest Team back on the road. "
Evan Doughty was stunned by Tang En's evaluation, as the unruly Tang En rarely used such blatant, overflowing praise to describe a person. Hence, his mind went to those world-class managers.
"Could it be Mourinho?"
This was the only answer he could think of. Due to their similar temperaments, there was probably only one person that Tang En had high hopes for.
Unexpectedly, Tang En shook his head.
"Not really."
He did not explain to Evan why Mourinho was not. He only said his candidate.
"It's Dunn."
The name stunned Evan for a moment. He was not surprised, but … he had no idea who this "Dunn" was.
Tang En saw the doubt in his eyes, but he did not mean it. It was normal for the club chairman to not remember an assistant manager who had left the team eight years ago. At that time, Evan was in high spirits and didn't care about the people and things around him.
"Do you remember when I first brought him to the club, hoping that you would give him a job?" Tang En slowly told Evan the story. Anyway, it was a two-hour drive from London to Nottingham. He had plenty of time. The journey was boring, so it was fun to tell him the story.
Only then did Evan remember. "That China youth?"
Tang En nodded. "He started out as an ordinary youth team manager, and worked as a youth team manager, first team coach, and first team assistant manager. He left the club seven and a half years ago to become the manager of Notts County. Notts County is now in the middle of the English Football League Championship. "
When he heard the name "Notts County", Evan frowned. When he heard that they were only in the middle of the English Football League Championship, his frown deepened.
Evan's reaction naturally fell into Tang En's eyes.
"Tony, this person …"
"You think he's not famous, and his resume is not good?"
Evan nodded. This was what he was thinking. A manager without a reputation would not be able to control the locker room. He was deeply aware of this point. How many of the coaches that were previously recruited could control the big stars in the locker room? Almost none. They could not control the locker room, so there were many factions in the locker room. The team was falling apart, so how could there be any fighting spirit? A bad resume meant no glorious results. This could not convince the public, and there was no way to convince himself that the team would have a brilliant future under his management. Moreover, a lack of glorious results meant a lack of experience in dealing with big events. Nottingham Forest was a Premier League team, and their goal was in Europe. Could a manager of a mid-tier English Football League Championship team handle a competition of that level?
"Not all managers need to rely on their own reputation to manage the locker room. It doesn't matter if your resume is not good, because it's easier to draw on a blank piece of paper," Tang En said. "Before I won my first championship trophy, my resume was not as good as Dunn's."
This was the truth. Tang En's resume was indeed not good when he first started. He lost the team's hopes of advancing to the English Football League in the most crucial game. Following that, he was dismissed and returned to the youth team to manage. Then, when he became the manager of Nottingham Forest's first team again, he only had half a season of first team coaching experience. But it was this person who created the most glorious 11 years in Nottingham Forest Football Club's history.
If Evan had kicked Tang En out of the door because Tang En was not famous and his resume was not good, Nottingham Forest would probably never have such glory.
"Moreover, Dunn is capable enough. All he needs is a better stage than Notts County. Think about the Nottingham Derby in January. His team performed well and was ahead of us by at least 45 minutes. I believe that as long as he is given time, he will definitely paint a beautiful picture for you. "
"A Chinese …" Evan was still a little worried, or rather, he was not willing to be convinced by Tang En just like that.
"Is there a problem?" Tang En raised his eyebrows. "Chen Jian is also Chinese, but he is now our main force." In fact, Tang En really wanted to say to Evan:
In fact, Tang En really wanted to say to Evan, I am a true Chinese, and Dunn is pure English. If you don't believe in a Chinese, then you don't believe in me? But I have won so many championship titles …
Of course, such words could not be said out loud. Tang En only muttered a few words in his heart. He expressed his disdain for Evan's shallow view.
Then, Evan fell into a long silence. The bus drove quickly and steadily on the highway. The players and coaches in the bus were doing their own things. Some were listening to music with headphones, some were taking a nap, and some were playing on their handheld game consoles or on their mobile phones.
Tang En adjusted the angle of the back of his seat and laid back, intending to catch up on sleep on the bus. Just as he said, he was easily sleepy. In order to keep his mind clear, he took the opportunity to rest.
Evan did not seem to notice Tang En and continued to remain silent. Tang En did not care that the club chairman was beside him and closed his eyes to sleep.
※ ※ ※
When the bus arrived in Nottingham, Tang En also woke up. He found Evan Doughty sitting beside him and looking like he was waiting for him to wake up.
"What are you thinking about, Evan?" he asked.
Hearing Tang En's question, Evan seemed to wake up from his deep thoughts. He turned his head to look at Tang En and said, "I'm thinking if the successor you recommended is willing or under your shadow …"
Tang En grinned. It was not that he had not considered this question before. To Dunn, his own arrangement might have been a little overbearing and unreasonable, because he had always considered the problem from his own point of view. He did not seem to have thought about Dunn from his point of view. A young manager with no impressive resume suddenly had to become Tony Twain's successor. That kind of pressure was enough to crush a lot of ordinary people with poor mental fortitude.
But after being in contact with Dunn for so long and having the same unspeakable secret, Tang En firmly believed that Dunn was not an ordinary person.
"In the first few years, there might be such an effect …" Tang En muttered. "But it will get better slowly. Take it slowly, Evan. Forest still has a long way to go in the future … "
Evan sighed, feeling that he could no longer convince the stubborn man beside him.
"Alright, when would be a good time for me to look for him?"
"Wait until the end of the season. It's too early. The rumors in the media might cause things to change." Tang En was very happy that Evan had finally decided to accept Dunn. This way, he could put half of his heart at ease.
What about the other half?
When the bus drove into Wilford, Evan patted Tang En on the shoulder before getting off the bus. "When do you think it would be good to hold a press conference, Tony? The club can arrange it for you. "
"Uh …" Tang En opened his mouth and looked at Evan Doughty's back as he got off the bus. He thought to himself that Doughty must be feeling very pleased because he had pulled back a goal …
When he thought of the fans' expectant eyes and the slogans waving in the stands, Tang En felt that dealing with the fans was much harder than dealing with the boss …
That was also the truth. One had to be emotional when dealing with the fans …
※ ※ ※
PS: Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I hope all my friends are healthy, have a happy family, have your dreams come true, get promoted, get rich, and succeed in your studies!
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