A week had passed since Tang En went to look for Situ Lei Mor and Des Walker. During that time, the youth team had played a Group Four Youth League match. Compared to the previous match, Tang En gave George Wood half a match. His performance was still not bad, and was even better than the previous time. Kerslake believed this was due to Wood's strong mental fortitude.
"Oh my god, Tony. This kid doesn't seem to know how to write the word 'nervous'! "Kerslake sighed.
Tang En laughed heartily. "That's because he always skipped classes in school!"
Of course, this was a joke. Tang En did not tell Kerslake that Wood had performed so well in two consecutive matches. Other than his mental fortitude, there was another very important reason. It was his mother, Sophia, who watched his match from the sidelines.
Wood told Tang En that he and his mother had reached an agreement. If the weather was good on the day of his home match, he would allow his mother to watch the match. If it was raining or looked like it was going to rain, it would not work.
Hearing Wood's words, Tang En smiled and said to him, "Don't worry, George. As long as it's our home match, there will definitely be no rain. "
Indeed, on the day of the next match, the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly in the early winter of Nottingham. Under the gaze of his mother, Sophia, George Wood also completed a perfect half-time performance, helping the team defeat their opponent by 2: 1. Tang En let him go up to defend against the opponent's attacking core. In the end, the core, who had been very active in the first half, could not be found in the second half. In the end, the opponent's manager could only replace him. Tang En also took the opportunity to let Wood learn how to apply the tactics he had trained in actual matches — to become a defensive midfielder in a fixed position, to build the first line of defense on the back line instead of defending against a single player.
Although there were some mistakes, the entire coaching staff could see that this young man was steadily walking in the right direction, step by step.
Give him time, let him play, and then … what will we gain?
It really made people look forward to his future!
Meanwhile, Collymore's days were getting harder and harder.
He fulfilled his words — refusing to accept any form of interview from the Nottingham Evening Post. Then, his good days came to an end.
Pierce Brosnan, James Robson, and all the other reporters in the Evening Post had become the vanguard against Collymore. Even if he paused for a moment while answering a question at the post-match press conference, the Evening Post would seize the opportunity to attack him and find some plausible excuses to accuse him of something.
The readers also liked to read this kind of report. The sales of the Evening Post increased, and the criticism became more vigorous.
Today was Sunday, and Nottingham Forest's First Team was traveling to Wigan for a match. Tang En did not have to go to the City Ground to watch the match. In a good mood, he woke up early and made a simple breakfast. Then, he watched the morning news on television while enjoying the beautiful morning. Ever since he knew that he was about to return to the First Team's technical area, his mood was as good as being able to see the sun every day in winter.
The television was replaying the sports news from last night. It was a local television station in Nottingham. Nottingham Forest and Notts County were the two teams that they paid the most attention to. As for the English Premier League and whatnot … they were ranked behind these two teams.
Forest had recently been the focus of the media because of their terrible results and their incompetent manager.
If Collymore did not come up with something and the team's results continued to decline, then Nottingham Forest would have the "honor" to become the first team that had won the Champions League but would have to struggle in the third division of the domestic league after the end of the season.
Looking back at the team's glorious history, and then looking at their terrible situation now, it was really heartbreaking. There were even newspapers that could not wait to print such a headline: Former European Champions are at the end of their road, the future is bleak! They no longer believed that Forest could rise from the dead in the remaining half a season.
The television station's reporters randomly interviewed fans on the streets, asking them about their views on the team's future and Collymore. Tang En saw that they had interviewed four people, but none of them had anything good to say. Three of them blamed the team's poor results on Collymore's low standards and lack of work ethic. At the same time, there were two people who felt that the club's board of directors should also be responsible for the team's current terrible situation.
"If they hadn't fired Manager Tony Twain, maybe we would already be in the top six of the league!"
"You're wrong, idiot!" Tang En pointed at the fat fan on the screen with his fork and said, "We should be first in the league!"
"If Brian Clough was still here, the situation wouldn't be this bad," a female fan said bitterly, shaking her head in front of the camera. The male fan standing next to her, who was obviously her husband, took over the conversation.
"I think Tony Twain can do it too. It's a pity that he's in the youth team now."
These words made Tang En feel great. To be able to make people look forward to him like they looked forward to Forest's legendary figure, Clough, gave him a sense of achievement. He even felt that when he led the team to the play-offs in the second half of last season, the expectations and reputation in the hearts of the fans were not as high as now, when he was dormant in the youth team.
Perhaps people always had high expectations for things that they could not get at the moment.
Tang En was alone in front of the television, intoxicated, when his cell phone rang.
It was Ian Situray More.
"Mr. Tang En, I found the person you wanted me to find."
Half an hour later, Tang En and More were already sitting on the train from Nottingham to London.
"Freddy Eastwood, born on October 29, 1983, in Epsom, southwest of London. He currently lives in Basildon with his wife and son, who is less than a year old." Sitting opposite Tang En, More was still unhurried and spoke slowly. But Tang En was looking forward to meeting that person. "When we reach the London station, we'll take the subway and then change trains."
Tang En shook his head and said excitedly, "No, no, Mr. More, there's no need to go through so much trouble. We'll just rent a car and go there. "
More was expressionless, his body swaying slightly to the rhythm of the train. "Looks like Mr. Tang En, you don't want to wait a minute."
"Yes, Mr. More." Tang En chuckled. "To tell you the truth, I can't wait to see him!"
"I can understand Mr. Tang En's feelings. But … I heard that he was just maliciously fouled in a youth team match in the first half of the year and broke his leg. " Moore said slowly, his eyes staring unblinkingly at Twain, who was sitting opposite him and had already sensed that something was wrong. "At that time, he was still in West Ham United. Their opponent in that match was called Nottingham Forest."
The smile on Tang En's face completely froze …
The two directly called a taxi company from the London train station and called for a black taxi to drive them to Basildon in the east of London.
Sitting in the car, Tang En was no longer as excited as he was when they set off. He sat in the back and turned his head to look out the window at the rolling fields and the buildings that flashed past. He was silent.
If they really met and reported the purpose and origin of this trip, how should he face him?
The fields outside the car gradually decreased and the rows of buildings increased. They finally arrived at Basildon.
Just as they entered the town, More asked the driver to stop the car by the roadside.
"Next, we have to walk in," he said to Tang En.
Tang En got out of the car and looked at his surroundings. They were now in the A127 section of the national highway that connected London and Basildon. There were houses on both sides and two rows of bushes that were taller than a person separated these houses from the highway. Even though a lot of leaves had fallen because of the winter, they still looked densely packed.
More led the way in front without saying a word, and Tang En followed behind silently. Through his short contact with the old man, Tang En realized that More was not a person who liked to talk, so he did not take the initiative to chat with him.
After walking for a short distance, the path beneath their feet was difficult to walk on, and the bushes on both sides of the road were increasing. Tang En had a feeling that they were not going to look for someone, but to visit wild animals …
"Where does he live?" Tang En could not help but ask.
Just then, More stopped and turned to say to him, "We're here, Mr. Tang En."
Tang En stood up from behind More and looked around. This was indeed a residential area, surrounded by old-fashioned red brick houses with pointed roofs. There was an open space surrounded by bushes in the middle of the building complex.
Then Tang En saw a long yellow station wagon parked in the middle of the open space. There were white curtains with lace on the inside of the window. Outside the car were two red folding seats, three buckets filled with water, and a few empty basins. A little further away, a rope was pulled between two trees, and a few pieces of gaudy cloth hung from it. They looked like women's clothes …
Seeing this scene, Tang En's mouth opened wide. It took him a long time to come back to his senses. He asked the silent More, "This is … this is his home?"
More nodded.
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