Tang En thought for a long time. These days, outstanding strikers and front field players were plentiful, but good center backs were pitifully few. The defenders he was familiar with, with Forest's current league ranking, reputation, and financial resources, were impossible to buy.
He could only dig through Forest's opponents in League One. Tang En sighed. He was starting to miss the scouting tools in FM. After all, manpower was limited. It was not as convenient and fast as a computer system. Thinking of this, Tang En suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Why couldn't he imitate FM and CM and build his own scouting data system? He could input the player's information from the club's scouts into the computer system. It would be detailed to the player's name, age, place of origin, position, club, technical characteristics, match footage, relevant media reports, and everything. It would be updated once a year. When a coach needed a player in any position, he could find it directly in the computer system. Wouldn't it be much more convenient? It could also save a lot of manpower and resources.
Thinking of this, Tang En decided to bring up the plan to Evan another day. He would spend money to commission a programming company to make such a system and apply for a patent. If the results were good, he might even be able to promote it to other clubs. It would not be a problem to earn a little money then.
Walker and the responsible coaching staff were fully in charge of the training. Other than meeting with the coaching staff every morning and holding a meeting to review the training schedule for the day, Tang En basically interfered with the team's training.
In the beginning, the players who had just joined the team this season were not used to it. Which team's manager did not care about training? But very quickly, the old players who were in the Forest team last season told them that the boss was such a manager. As long as he could win, it did not matter if he came up to practice in person during training or if he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes to watch on the field.
There were many types of managers. Some managers did not like to train the team personally. They would usually systematically draw up a training plan and hand it over to their assistant managers. For example, the former Barcelona manager, Dutchman Van Gaal. There were also some managers who did not have a training plan and liked to be personally involved. They could adjust their training methods at any time. For example, the former Barcelona manager and current Newcastle United manager, Bobby Robson.
Tang En was clearly in between them. But as his experience grew, his approach to training should gradually be closer to Van Gaal's, even if he did not like the Dutch manager.
※ ※ ※
The number of days where the sun could be seen in the sky gradually decreased. It was usually wet and rainy, and the wetland was also wet. When he opened his mouth to speak and breathe, there was already a clear puff of white gas. The temperature dropped day by day, and the feeling of the end of the year became stronger.
Christmas was coming. It was one of the most important holidays in the West, equivalent to the Spring Festival in China. A strong festive atmosphere permeated Nottingham. There were lights and decorations everywhere. A Christmas tree more than ten meters high had been erected in front of the Victoria Shopping Center in the city center. The lights were hung high, and when the lights were turned on at night, the brilliance of the Christmas tree could be seen from afar. The lights in the city almost lit up half the sky. Such a scene could only be seen in the ancient city of Nottingham at Christmas.
There was also a small Christmas tree in the club's training base, and the small gifts prepared by the club for the players were piled under it. Tang En did not know if the Forest Football Club had such a tradition in the past, but judging from the players' surprised expressions, it was probably part of the "team's public relations" that Allan Adams had mentioned.
The players' names were on the outer packaging of each gift, from the First Team to the youth team, and everyone had one. The coaches' gifts were sent directly to their offices and placed on their desks.
In the hall of the first building of the training base, the players were happily looking for their presents around the Christmas tree. Every time someone found a present, they would hold it up high and let out a cheer. Then, they would eagerly open it. There were not many types of gifts. They were basically a greeting card with a small trinket, which was not very valuable. But the club's kind intentions still warmed the hearts of many people.
Tang En looked at the players who were "celebrating the New Year" and stood at the gate with a smile. He did not urge them to go to the training ground. No matter how much their weekly salary was, most of them were still children. Sometimes they had to relax when it was time to.
Today was December 24th, the last day before Christmas, and Christmas Eve. The team only trained in the morning and would have a half-day break in the afternoon. The next day, the team would continue to have a break on Christmas morning. It was not until the afternoon that the players returned to gather, and then they prepared to play an away game against Norwich City. It was a match in the 25th round of League One.
Tang En saw George Wood's figure on the outskirts of the crowd. Ever since he returned to the First Team, he had not had time to go back to the youth team to have a look. But seeing Wood, who was much more mature than before in every aspect, he still felt very gratified. Kerslake valued Wood as much as he did. With him taking care of him, he should not have to worry about the kid not having a football to play for.
George Wood did not squeeze with those people. Instead, he waited outside and looked around, looking like he was looking for someone.
Tang En felt that he must be looking for him. Sure enough, Wood saw him and walked straight over.
"Hi, Merry Christmas, George." Tang En took the initiative to wave and greet him.
"Merry Christmas …" Wood was wearing a winter sports coat issued by the club. It was thick on his body, but it did not feel bloated at all. On the contrary, with his height of 1.86m and a year of professional training, he looked strong and powerful — he no longer looked like a professional player. "Are you busy tonight?"
Tang En spread his hands. "No. It's just me. It's just me. What can I do? "
"… My mother invited you to our house for dinner tonight." Wood hesitated for a while, but still told him his purpose of looking for Tang En.
Sophia? Hearing this news, Tang En's first thought was of the night he spent alone with Sophia. He immediately smiled and said, "Alright, tell your mother I'll be there tonight."
But Wood did not leave immediately. Instead, he stood in front of Tang En and continued to look at him.
"Is there anything else, George?" Tang En asked him.
Only then did Wood turn around and return to the Christmas tree. There were not many people there, and he easily found his present. Then, he took his Christmas present and turned to leave, returning to the youth team training base.
Tang En looked at his back and shrugged, walking to his office.
After pushing the door open, he was shocked by what he saw. The table was piled with all sorts of presents, big and small … There was even a Christmas tree bonsai tied with ribbons!
Seeing this scene, Tang En was honestly very touched. As a manager, other than the results that could give him a sense of self-satisfaction, what else could make him feel gratified that everything he did was worth it? There was only acknowledgement. The players, the fans, and the club's acknowledgement of him: You shoulder all our hopes. You are the manager of Nottingham Forest, and not some nameless kid who popped out of nowhere!
Looking at the table full of presents, Tang En knew that he, the "new" manager who had only led the team for two matches, had already gained the trust and support of the entire team. Was this only because he had led the team to two consecutive victories? No. In the London subway, when he faced the drunk Millwall fans and stood in front of the team, Tang En did not know what kind of gaze his players were using to look at his back.
Abandoning his players for the sake of his own future was not uncommon in the cruel world of professional football. Managers were always used to sacrificing their players for their own benefits. Tang En, on the other hand, had chosen to bravely stand up to protect his players in the face of a potentially life-threatening situation. Perhaps he had done this only because of Gavin's death, but in the eyes of the players, this man was a manager who was worth giving everything to help him achieve victory, to help him achieve success and recognition. If he said, "Guys, I need you to win this match," then no matter how strong their opponents were, they would fight with confidence and determination.
The pile of gifts came from the players, coaches, team doctors, club chairman, and the marketing manager who had not yet taken up his post but had already started working. Most of them were just one card, but Tang En still opened them one by one to look at them. It was as happy as when he received a greeting card from the girl he liked in school.
Sergei Lebrov: Thank you, sir. You have helped me regain my confidence. I used to regret coming here, thinking that I was just wasting my time. But now I'm very glad that I'm playing under you. Merry Christmas, I wish you a good mood every day.
Des Walker: Merry Christmas, Tony! Although I will be leaving the team after this season, I think the experience of working with you has been a valuable experience. I have learned a lot from you. I hope that one day, we can still work together. Remember, we are the best partners!
Evan Doughty: Tony? Don't forget about our plan! Victory! Victory! We will become the best club chairman and manager. Also, Merry Christmas!
Allan Adams: Merry Christmas, Tony. Hopefully, this time next year, we will surpass them in the UK. By the way, your suggestion about setting up a player database system made both Evan and I very excited. This is a really good Christmas gift. I will fly back to America after Christmas to do this.
Looking at the cards, Tang En's eyes became misty. He rubbed his eyes and continued reading. On this cold winter morning, the door to the office was wide open. The cold wind from the corridor poured in, but Tang En felt as if the room was warm as a spring day.
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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