The reporter who asked Mourinho if he was worried about playing against Twain at the press conference clearly had foresight. While the media in Manchester were still hyping up the aftermath of the Manchester Derby, the media in Nottingham and other places had already started hyping up the final battle between Tony Twain and Mourinho.
"When he was a manager, Mourinho had never beaten Tony Twain."
The record that made Mourinho extremely embarrassed was also dug up from the dusty waste paper pile. It was so much so that the people who saw the record still felt a sense of familiarity — they thought they had returned to nine years ago, when the confrontation between Twain and Mourinho at least two games a season was a unique sight in the English Premier League.
Ever since Mourinho was driven out of Chelsea by Abramovich, that kind of madman confrontation was no longer seen. Later, Twain and Mourinho also fought in the European competition, and Twain still had the upper hand. It was just that the confrontation in the European competition was too difficult to encounter. During this period, there was also the battle between Mourinho and Nottingham Forest, and not just the feud between Mourinho and Tony Twain.
The media was naturally interested in the purest confrontation, a battle that belonged only to Tony Twain and Mourinho.
What kind of sparks could be produced when two unruly and arrogant managers collided?
It was exciting.
Now that this scene had appeared again in the English Premier League, how could the media not be excited?
As a result, the group of media was like on steroids, even digging up the match record of the two men's first encounter. It gave the fans a new understanding of the feud between the two men.
"… It is said that Tony Twain has always wanted to invite Mourinho for a drink after the game, but Mourinho always refused this very normal invitation. Why he refused is unknown, but Twain eventually fulfilled his wish. Before the World Cup in Brazil, they had a drink together as guest commentators for their respective national television stations. No one knows what the specific situation was, and no one saw them drinking together. Tang En revealed this in his autobiography, but he did not elaborate further … "
"What exactly is the relationship between Tony Twain and Mourinho? They are opponents … or it would be more appropriate to call them enemies. When they met, their only thought was to defeat the other party, trample on the other party, and humiliate them. But there is one scene that I still can't forget: When Mourinho left Chelsea, the reporters ran to ask Tang En what he thought of the matter. The moment Tang En opened his mouth, he gave Abramovich a curse. This really surprised everyone at the time. They thought Twain would be happy to lose a strong enemy … "
"That's why friendship between men is one of the most puzzling things. If someone were to ask Mourinho at this time, "What present do you have for Tony Twain in his last game as a manager?" I firmly believe that Mourinho will answer: send him a defeat. "
That was the truth.
Indeed, there were reporters who went to ask Mourinho. He caught Mourinho in the Carrington training ground and threw the question to the other party.
"After this season, Tony Twain will completely retire from professional football. Do you have anything to say about losing such an opponent? "
Mourinho replied expressionlessly, "I will use a defeat as his parting gift."
※ ※ ※
"How heartless …" Tang En clicked his tongue as he held the newspaper.
But he was a cut above. When the reporters asked him how he would treat Mourinho, he said that it was not the time to talk about Mourinho and Manchester United, because they still had a game before that, against Wolverhampton Wanderers. And Wolverhampton Wanderers had long been confirmed to be relegated. Next season, they would definitely be in the English Football League Championship. In the face of such an opponent that could definitely be easily defeated, Tang En still thought that they were more important than Manchester United. This was the highest level of contempt for the enemy — completely disregarding the opponent.
Did Tang En really not take Manchester United seriously? If he really did so, he would never have received so much glory. Strategically, he despised the opponent. Tactically, he valued the opponent. This was Tang En's way of doing things.
He was just using this to exchange psychological warfare with Mourinho. As for whether it would be effective, he did not care. Mourinho was also a master of psychology, and Tang En did not bet his life on it. Against Manchester United and Mourinho, he still had to rely on tactics.
Wolverhampton Wanderers had long been relegated. They had no fighting spirit in the last two rounds of games. Although it was an away game, Forest should be able to win without bloodshed. Such an opponent was not worth spending too much effort on. So, for the next two weeks, Tang En's focus was on dealing with Manchester United.
Mourinho's Manchester United was not as one-dimensional as Wenger's Arsenal. The impression that Arsenal gave people over the past 20 years was that their attacks were as smooth as flowing water, gorgeous, complex, and pleasing to the eye. But they were slightly inferior in terms of confrontation and fighting spirit, which was why they did not win as many championships as Manchester United. Manchester United, on the other hand, continued Ferguson's style, emphasizing physical confrontation and speed on the basis of sticking to the ground attack. They were more balanced and comprehensive than Arsenal.
Because they had pitifully few flaws, and at the same time, they were very strong. Such a team was battle-hardened and had rich experience. The players' fighting spirit was tenacious, and they would not easily collapse. They would not be complacent because they were in the lead, nor would they quickly collapse and be at a loss when they fell behind.
Such an opponent was the most difficult to deal with.
Nottingham Forest's style happened to restrain Arsenal, but not Manchester United.
This match would be a head-on clash of swords and spears. If Tang En did not want his last game to be disrupted by Mourinho, he had to rack his brains.
※ ※ ※
Tang En was preparing for his last match, while Mourinho was thinking about how to get his two players to avoid the ban. At the very least, they would be able to avoid it in the match against Forest. He decided to appeal to the English Football Association to buy time. According to the English Football Association's rules, players who were shown a red card in a game would not automatically be suspended. Instead, they would have to go through the Football Association's review and verification before the suspension would be implemented.
As long as the Manchester United Football Club appealed, they could buy some time. But to delay it for two weeks … that was unlikely.
Mourinho did not care. He just filed an appeal and tossed around as much as he could.
At the same time, as an excellent manager, he could not put all his eggs in the appeal basket. He had to prepare for the away game against Nottingham Forest without Rooney and Evans.
If it was Nottingham Forest half a season ago, he would not waste time on it. But it was different now. He did not dare to underestimate this Nottingham Forest team. In front of others, he always looked like he was not convinced by Tony Twain, but he did not dare to belittle him at all.
The football world was about strength. The best way to prove your strength was to win and become champions. A manager who had won 16 important trophies in 15 years was not allowed to be belittled.
Mourinho was not stupid. He knew it would not be easy to beat Tony Twain's team. So he was extra careful.
What were Nottingham Forest's strengths? What were their weaknesses? How was their form in the recent rounds of the league tournament? How were the team's injuries? Did the players' mentality change as the end of the season approached? Did Tony Twain's announcement of his retirement affect the players on a deeper level?
These questions lingered in Mourinho's mind. They were all things he needed to figure out.
He already knew Nottingham Forest's strengths and weaknesses. He had been dealing with this team for so many years and knew Tony Twain very well. How could he not know? But knowing the opponent's strengths and weaknesses did not mean he knew how to deal with them.
Fortunately, he had two weeks' time.
※ ※ ※
The league tournament was coming to an end. Many people had things to do. Some people were busy making their final efforts for the season's goal. It could be to win the championship or to avoid relegation. Others were trying to get a good ranking so that they could get a larger share of the broadcasting fees after the league tournament ended.
Others were thinking about their future next season.
Dunn was one of the second group of people.
Two days ago, after Nottingham Forest beat West Ham United 2: 0 in an away game, he received a call. The caller claimed to be the chairman of Nottingham Forest Football Club, Evan Doughty.
Just from the voice, Dunn could tell if the person was really Evan Doughty. He had not had any contact with the Forest Football Club for seven years. It was normal for him not to remember Evan Doughty's voice. But he believed this person was the chairman of the Forest Football Club because Twain had told him before that Nottingham Forest would contact him soon to discuss signing a contract.
But he did not expect the chairman of the Nottingham Forest Football Club to contact him personally.
Should he say that Evan Doughty was courteous and that he was deeply moved by it? Or was Tony's influence in the Nottingham Forest Football Club so great that even the chairman had to give him some face?
Dunn did not want to delve into this issue. It was not something he was interested in. Since Evan Doughty had called, it meant that he should seriously consider leaving Notts County and returning to Nottingham Forest.
In fact, Evan Doughty still had his doubts about Dunn. But Twain's strong recommendation made him look forward to it. After all, he still trusted Twain's judgment.
It was not clear on the phone, and such an important matter should not be discussed over the phone.
Evan Doughty and Dunn set a time to meet alone to discuss.
After all, Evan also had to listen to Dunn's views on the Nottingham Forest team, and then listen to Dunn's future plans in order to know if he could hand over the future of the Forest team into the hands of a young manager who had not achieved any outstanding results so far.
Although he listened to Twain, he was not a brainless fool.
If Dunn could really come up with something that satisfied him, then there would be no problem signing a contract with Dunn. As for Notts County … some compensation would be enough. After all, the compensation for a manager was not high. Nottingham Forest could still afford it.
After agreeing to meet Evan Doughty on the phone, Dunn ended the call. He began to think about how he should bid farewell to Notts County. After all, it was this team that gave him a stable platform and allowed him to build the team according to his own ideas. It gave him seven years, and no matter how bad the results were at the beginning, he was not kicked out of his position as manager. It was impossible to say that he did not have any feelings for Notts County.
It was just that he had to pursue a bigger stage and a wider sky. The blue sky above his head was not his goal. Tony understood him, and that was why he gave him such a chance. To prove himself on a bigger stage, to lead Forest back to their lost glory and dignity, and at the same time, to find the long-buried dream in his heart …
This season, Notts County was still in the middle of the English Football League Championship. There was no hope of promotion, and the top management of Notts County did not seem to have any intention of getting promoted. To them, the current results were quite good. Without external financial support, they could only position themselves here.
Since the club did not have any ambitions, then they could only go their own way.
※ ※ ※
Pierce Brosnan sat in his exclusive office, racking his brains for the match in two weeks. This match was Tony Twain's retirement match. It was a headache to report on such a gimmick match.
Many media outlets were paying attention to this match. If there was no good entry point, how could they stand out in such a fierce news competition? Moreover, compared to television and online media, print media had the most obvious disadvantage.
Since Tony Twain was leaving, the Nottingham Evening Post had specially planned a special issue. Brosnan was the chief planner of this special issue. He needed to coordinate the staff and resources under him, and strive to do the best for this special issue.
But first, he needed to decide on a topic and angle. What kind of method could he use to achieve the best effect in this report?
He simply let go of the keyboard, got up, and walked to the bookcase. He began to flip through the information inside — the previous issues of the Nottingham Evening Post. He hoped to find something useful from it.
When he flipped open the newspaper, a familiar headline hit him.
"We've been raped!"
Only then did he realize that he had actually drawn this newspaper. He looked at the date: January 4, 2003. This was the day he and Twain first appeared on stage …
The Tony Twain in the photo was still very young, and the domineering spirit between his brows was already faintly revealed. At that time, who would have known that such a young rookie manager with such shocking words would actually become the best manager in England's history?
Those people back then, those things …
Brosnan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Why only one issue of a special issue?
How could Tony Twain's journey over the past 15 years be able to be completely covered in a single issue?
Brosnan felt that no matter what those brilliant reporters said about Twain's experience, it was not as convincing and legendary as Twain's own experience.
All he had to do was to dig out every step of Twain's over the past 15 years and show it to the readers. Then he would let them follow this special issue and recall the ups and downs they had experienced together over the past 15 years.
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