It was easier to tell Evan Doughty his decision because it did not involve too much personal feelings. But it was a different matter to the fans. The fans trusted him, liked him, and supported him, but he still chose to leave. How should he tell the fans such words?
The topic of whether Twain would stay or not had been stirred up for a long time, but Twain would not give in to the pressure from the media.
In the media, on the Internet, and even on the streets, the discussion about whether Twain would stay or not never stopped. There were even bookmakers who gave out odds for Twain's departure, allowing everyone to place their bets on it. From the betting and odds, everyone was more optimistic that Twain would stay in the end.
The team was dismissed after returning to Wilford, and Twain drove home. Before he left, he informed Evan Doughty that the press conference would be held the next afternoon.
Not long after driving out of the Wilford training base, Tang En noticed that there was a betting station by the roadside with the odds of him staying or leaving hanging on it. However, there were not many people betting there at this time of night. The store manager was also yawning and preparing to close the shop for the day.
Tang En's interest was suddenly piqued. He pulled the car over and stopped.
Seeing that there was business at the door, the store manager was in a much better mood. But when he saw clearly who the person walking over was, he was stunned.
"Tony?" He tilted his head and squinted, carefully sizing up the man who walked in.
Perhaps there were many men called "Tony" in England, but in Nottingham, there was only one public figure called "Tony" — Nottingham Forest's manager, Tony Twain.
Since he had been recognized, Twain did not need to hide his identity. He asked, "Are there more people who bet on me leaving or staying?"
The store manager recovered from the initial shock and replied, "There are more people who bet on me staying."
"What do you think, boss?" Twain continued to ask.
"Uh …" The store manager did not answer immediately. He was caught in a dilemma. His store was the closest to the Wilford training base, so he could always hear a lot of gossip and insider news that others could not. Moreover, he knew Tony Twain very well. Rationally, he felt that the possibility of Twain staying was not high. But emotionally, he could not accept the fact that Twain was leaving.
Thus, he hesitated, not knowing how to answer Twain's question.
Tang En took out a note from his wallet and handed it to the manager. "Ten pounds. Buy it and I'll go."
This sentence caused the manager's body to tremble. Clearly, he understood the meaning behind this, so he was not in a hurry to collect the money. Instead, he raised his head and looked at Twain.
"The profit is yours, the loss is mine." Tang En did not ask for proof. He placed the ten-pound note on the table of the betting station and turned to leave.
After getting back into the car, Tang En waved goodbye to the dumbfounded director of the betting station before starting the car and leaving.
※ ※ ※
The news was published in Nottingham's earliest local newspaper the next day, and it immediately attracted widespread attention.
"… According to the owner of this betting station, Mr. John Farrell, last night at approximately 11.30, Tony Twain suddenly came over and chatted with him for a while. Then, he took out ten pounds to place a bet on his own fate. But he bought it to walk on his own … "
"You're reading the newspaper while eating breakfast again, Uncle Tony." Shania opened her delicate hands in front of Tang En. Tang En sighed and folded the newspaper and placed it in her palm.
"Have you thought about how to face the fans and the media in the afternoon?" Shania asked after putting the newspaper away.
"No." Tang En shook his head. "We'll cross the bridge when we come to it."
He really did not think of any good ideas. He could only walk up, sit on the stage, and then think of a way. How was he going to deal with the questions from the reporters and fan representatives? It was useless to think about such a problem now. He would just have to adapt to the situation. Anyway, he was good at giving directions on the spot and was most used to dealing with unexpected situations.
But the things reported in the newspaper should be able to give the fans a dose of preparation, lest they were too surprised and disappointed when the news was really announced.
"It's actually nothing. Haven't I, Tony Twain, always been said to 'not play by the rules'?"
Tang En wiped his mouth, indicating that he had finished eating.
Shania got up to clean up, and Tang En's cell phone rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that it was Pierce Brosnan.
"Hello, Mr. 007." When Tang En was in a good mood, he would make these little jokes. Brosnan understood him, so he felt strange. "From your voice, you seem to be in a good mood, Tony?"
"Of course. What could make me in a bad mood?"
"The press conference in the afternoon …"
"Ha. I've already made my decision. There's nothing to worry about. "
"I saw this morning's newspaper news. Is that true?"
Brosnan was indeed here to confirm the matter.
"What's true or false?" Tang En deliberately pretended to be confused.
"There's a bookmaker who said that you went to his place late at night to buy your own way out. Is that true, Tony?"
There was no use in denying it, so Tang En admitted it very generously. "Yes. I went to place my bets, but if I win, it's the bookmaker's. If I lose, it's mine. "
On the other end of the phone, Brosnan smiled bitterly. "Do you think you can still pay?"
Tang En shrugged. "Who knows?"
Brosnan was someone who understood Tang En. He would not think that Tang En was going to stay just because of Tang En's deliberately mystifying words.
"I actually didn't call to ask about that. I just wanted to ask if you need me to cooperate with you at the press conference in the afternoon."
Tang En and Brosnan had done this a lot in the past. Whenever there was a reporter in trouble, Brosnan would stand up and cooperate with Tang En to change the topic. If Brosnan did not do this, he would not have gained Tang En's trust and naturally would not have become Tang En's substitute author.
"There's no script to rehearse in advance …" Tang En tactfully rejected Brosnan's suggestion.
"Then I can only wish you good luck. You know that the fans are very passionate, Tony."
After hanging up, Tang En shrugged at his wife, who was looking at him. "I think Mr. 007 is really worrying for nothing."
Shania smiled and did not speak. Actually, she was also a little worried …
※ ※ ※
After spending the entire morning at home with Shania, Tang En drove alone to the Crimson Stadium in the afternoon to participate in the press conference there.
This was a special press conference because the people who came were not only reporters, but also fan representatives chosen by the club. The head of the "Red Shirts" who had spoken directly to Tang En outside the training ground back then was also among them.
Tang En first met with Evan Doughty upstairs.
"Are you nervous, Tony?" Evan asked.
Tang En shrugged. "What's there to be nervous about?"
"It's not that easy to say 'no' to the people who love you …"
Tang En grinned and laughed silently.
In fact, he was muttering words that Evan Doughty would definitely not understand in his heart. "Sticking my head out is a knife, but sticking my head out is also a knife …"
Upstairs, he could see the media reporters and some people who were obviously fan representatives coming in and out. It looked like there were quite a number of people.
Not only that, in the square outside, the fans who were not invited to the press conference were still holding up signs in the square, expressing their wish for Tang En to stay.
"If I were you, I wouldn't leave when I see these passionate fans." Evan Doughty stood together with Tang En by the window, looking at the people below. He said half-jokingly.
Tang En did not respond to his joke. In fact, he did not say another word until he appeared in front of the reporters and officially began the press conference.
Sitting in front of everyone, Tony Twain had his trademark playful smile on his face. Some people called it a "gentle smile." Of course, this was nonsense. Tang En basically had nothing to do with gentleness. This made the people below the stage slightly relieved. It looked like it was not bad news.
Tang En sat on the stage, also observing the situation below. Although the hall had not reached the point of being "overcrowded," all the seats were filled.
Seeing Tang En come out, the original chatter in the hall gradually died down and eventually disappeared completely. Only then did the press officer announce the official start of the press conference.
According to the procedure, Tang En would first speak, followed by the free time for the media to ask questions. Therefore, the media and fans all sat below the stage, looking at Tang En anxiously, waiting for him to speak.
Tang En did not first announce his decision. Instead, he said, "I know what you want to ask. What happened last night was indeed done by me. The answer is already very obvious, isn't it? "
As soon as he said this, everyone knew what Tang En's final answer was. The fan representatives could not hide the disappointment on their faces. However, no one made a ruckus. They were all still waiting for Tang En to continue.
Tang En looked at the fans below the field. He automatically filtered out the reporters.
These people supported him, but he was sorry to disappoint these people who loved him today.
"I feel very sorry …" His voice became low. "I've let down the fans' expectations. Even though this is my personal reason, it's because of my family's factors that I made this decision. But I still want to say sorry to the fans. "
In fact, Tang En did not need to apologize because he had never lied to the fans. When he first came back, he said that he would only stay for half a season. It was the passionate fans who strongly urged him to stay that he would stand in front of the fans today and say these words.
However, Tang En could go against the media and ignore the will of the club's top management. He maintained a good relationship with the fans. So, he did not mind standing in front of the fans to apologize to them and say some words from the bottom of his heart.
"I have something I want to say to you …" Tang En kept looking at the fans sitting on his left and turned a blind eye to the media on the other side.
"Actually, uh …" The entire speech at the press conference was improvised by Tang En. He definitely did not prepare any speech, so he did not know where to start. Tang En scratched his head. "How should I say this? I have a happy family. For ten years, I love my wife, and my wife loves me. Logically speaking, I should be very satisfied, but it's not like this. Because for the past ten years, my wife and I have been apart more than together. I have houses in Nottingham and Los Angeles, but most of the time, my wife is alone in the house in Los Angeles, and I'm alone in the house in Nottingham. I don't know if you can imagine what kind of life that is. In any case, I'm tired of it. I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with my wife, whether it's in Nottingham or Los Angeles. I admit that for you, it's a little selfish. But I've dedicated the best 11 years of my life to Nottingham Forest and left behind the best memories. I think I should have a little right to be selfish, right? "
He looked at the fans below the stage and asked. Not a single person answered him.
"Originally, I could have retired completely. When I decided to come back, it was because I didn't want Nottingham Forest to fall into the abyss and wanted to pull them up. But I can't keep holding onto them and not let go. There will come a day when I grow old … In fact, I'm already old. " Tang En tilted his head to show the fans below the top of his head of white hair. He had not dyed his hair since his 50th birthday. His current image was indeed a far cry from the him during the World Cup. Comparing the two, he now looked a little old.
"There's no team in the world that can always rely on one person. Weren't you all proud of Nottingham Forest before I came to you? Wasn't there Brian Clough before me? You should love Nottingham Forest, not Tony Twain. I'm honored to have been the captain of such a glorious team for 11 years. But I've never forgotten that the name on the front of the jersey is far more important than the name on the back. "Tang En patted his left chest.
"I think my departure is a very correct decision for Forest Team. It's a decision that can make Forest Team stronger in the future. I firmly believe in this, so I've made this decision. As for the outcome, we can only leave it to time to prove. "
"If you really love Forest Team, please support my decision. The future Nottingham Forest does not need me. I also have no way to lead Forest Team to continue moving forward. There are more suitable candidates than me waiting for everyone. "
Having said that, Tang En stood up. This was his preparatory posture for leaving.
"Thank you for your 11 years of support, and please continue to support me. I apologize to you once again, but I want to live my own life. I hope you can understand. "
Having said that, Tang En turned around and walked out without looking back. Leaving behind a room full of people who had yet to react.
It was only when his figure completely disappeared at the exit that people reacted. The fan representatives were speechless. The reaction of the media reporters was much more intense.
"So it's true that Tony Twain will completely retire at the end of this season?"
"Are you still doubting the authenticity of this news?"
"How heartless. He left right after saying that, not giving us any time at all …"
"It feels like he's memorizing a script …"
"I prepared a lot of questions … What do we do now? Other than publishing a transcript of his speech, there's nothing else we can do to differentiate ourselves from other media outlets! "
Pierce Brosnan did not participate in this meaningless discussion. He was lost in thought.
This time, it was not his premonition, but the future that had already been determined — for the Nottingham Forest fans, an era was about to end.
※ ※ ※
This weekend, Nottingham Forest played in an away game. The banners urging Tang En to stay had all disappeared. Tang En instead saw such a banner in the stands of the Forest fans who had followed him here.
"Thank you, Captain!"
※ ※ ※
PS: Tang En's retirement was also the end of the book. For the people in the book, it was naturally the end of an era. This era began in the second half of the season in 2003 and ended in the second half of the season in 2019. 16 years was not a long time, but it was not a short time either. Even for a manager, it was not a long time. But for Tony Twain, it was all he had.
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