Nottingham Forest winning the EFL Cup was a big deal in Nottingham. Even though they still had a rival team in the same city, it did not stop the Forest fans from escorting the Forest team bus all the way from Cardiff back to Nottingham.
It was a grand welcome ceremony! It was only when the Forest team won the UEFA Champions League that there was such a scene — the fans spontaneously gathered outside Derby County Airport and followed the team bus.
The declining Nottingham Forest had long forgotten what it was like to be a champion, and even the glory of the UEFA Champions League was gradually forgotten. At this time, Twain wanted them to relive this classic moment. How could it not make people go crazy? So even though it was only the EFL Cup, the lightest of the three championships in England, the Nottingham Forest people still gave enough enthusiasm.
Champion! No matter what championship it is, we only want the championship now! The Nottingham Forest people have had enough of not having a championship!
Pierce Brosnan published an impassioned article in the extra edition of the Nottingham Evening Post that afternoon. He wrote: "… Only the championship can make us remember again — we were once the king of Europe! We were once glorious! But the difference is, now we don't have to linger in the sweet dreams of the past. We have a new pride — Manager Tony Twain and his Nottingham Forest! "
Almost all the local media in Nottingham — except for those who supported Notts County — reported on the grand occasion after the Forest team won the championship on the front page. For the Forest team, which was on the verge of relegation in the first half of the season, their fans seemed to have been on a thrilling roller coaster, experiencing ups and downs, pain and joy.
It was not only the local media in Nottingham. Because they became the first domestic champion in England this season, other media outlets also gave high attention. Miss Barbara Lucy was so busy that she could barely maintain her professional smile … The Forest club received interview requests from 56 media outlets in just two days, including a few foreign media outlets.
If they were to line up one by one, they would probably be lined up until the end of the season. Moreover, such celebration-related activities took too long, which would seriously affect the team's preparation for the league tournament. After discussing with Allan Adams, Twain decided to collectively hold a press conference to satisfy all the media's requests.
The effect of the press conference was very good, and the Forest team's image was further enhanced. The young and promising manager and the American-style boss were the focus of attention. Coupled with the Forest team's legendary experience so far this season, the "rising Nottingham Forest" would become a topic of conversation for many people during their leisure time in England.
Of course, what Tang En and Evan heard was not all good.
For example, Mr. Jon Carter, the "football critic" who published an article on ESPN's official website. In his commentary after the game, he cried foul for Middlesbrough and thought that the Forest team had won the title in an ugly way. They had no initiative in the game and played conservative and backward football, but they still won the championship. It was a disgrace in the EFL Cup final. In the end, he even mocked the Forest team's ranking in the First Division.
"Who can imagine a team that is not playing in the top league of their country representing a country in the UEFA Europa League? What would the other countries think if Nottingham Forest were to play in the UEFA Europa League? They will definitely laugh at England for not having a good team! Don't you believe it? We'll see! "
In addition, Mark Lawrenson, who was not optimistic about Tang En in the final stages of last season, once again talked about the Forest team's prospects on "Match of the Day." He was still not optimistic that the team could be promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. The reason seemed sufficient and convincing — because the Forest team had spent too much energy in the EFL Cup, a smart manager would definitely give up on the league. After all, they had already qualified for next season's UEFA Europa League. The UEFA did not say that a team in a country's second division could not participate in the UEFA Europa League.
The former was Jon Carter. Tang En had never heard of this man's name before. He rarely appeared on ESPN's website, and the traditional media did not have this man's name either. He felt that as a "champion manager," he was actually pointed at and scolded by a nobody, which made him very unhappy. So, he went to ask Pierce Brosnan, "Where did this bastard come from?"
Brosnan told him the answer — Jon Carter was not well-known in the English football commentary circle. This might be the first time he was commenting on real football. This was because he had been publishing articles on ESPN.com, commenting on various football games, such as how 'FIFA 07' could surpass' Live Football Series', 'Championship Football Manager Series' or 'Football Experience Series', which game was more playable … and so on.
His understanding of real football and his views that were seriously behind the times might all have come from the information obtained in the process of playing football games, and then processed with "assumptions" and then taken out to sell.
Although Tang En was also a loyal player of various football games, this did not mean that he would have a sense of familiarity with a stranger he had never met before. Now that Tang En had a little fame, he suddenly wanted to vent all his resentment of being besieged by the media in the past on the poor player, Carter. So, he wrote a comprehensive collection of dry humor and exaggerated satire, as well as an open letter on the "Chinese English" that the British found novel and did not understand. He had Brosnan publish it in the Nottingham Evening Post as a counterattack to those who did not know anything and liked to spout nonsense, spitting saliva when they saw something that did not match their ideas. He gave Mr. Carter a codename, "The Troll."
Jon Carter, who was ridiculed by Tang En, was naturally unwilling to be humiliated, so he also published an article on ESPN to fight back. Tang En was in no hurry to reply. This made it seem as if he was eager to have a war of words with him. Every now and then, he would throw a small article of a few hundred words in the Evening Post to continue mocking and satirizing the "Mr. Troll" who claimed that Nottingham Forest was playing football a century behind the world of football.
In fact, the reason for the two men's war of words in the media was very pointless. In Tang En's own words, the topic of pursuing good-looking offensive football or pursuing utilitarian football that could bring champions had been discussed endlessly for half a century. There was absolutely no need to continue discussing it. But Tang En's reply was amazing with rhetoric and humor, which was a feast for the eyes of the audience. So, this became another focus of the English football world for a period of time.
Because the education level of people who played football was generally lower, there were even many people who could not speak fluent and standard English. So, a manager like Tang En, who could write his own incisive articles and was good at using various rhetorical techniques, was sought after by many people.
For example, the Plain English Campaign announced that people in the English football world should learn from Tony Twain because his metaphors were always on point and left a deep impression on people. Because they often complained that many people in the football world spoke incomprehensibly, "The 'philosophical words' of people in the football world have always been a big obstacle for us. They are used to speaking first and thinking later."
The war of words between the two sides was lively. The president of the Nottingham Evening Post was also very smart to sense that this was an opportunity to make a big deal out of it. So, he used Pierce Brosnan's mouth to extend an invitation to Tang En to open a column in their newspaper. No fixed format, no fixed number of words, no fixed time … Whenever Tang En had an idea about something or someone and wanted to say it for everyone to hear, he could publish an article in his own column. The newspaper would pay Tang En royalties based on the number of words. If the contract expired and both sides felt that they could continue working together, then it could be renewed.
Tang En felt that this was a good idea. He also desperately wanted a platform to express his views. It was so inefficient to need to hold a press conference every time …
The two sides agreed on the duration and remuneration of the contract and immediately signed it. Just like that, for the first time in his life, Tang En had his own media column and had royalties to receive.
Tony Tang, who had obtained the support of the Nottingham Evening Post's royalties, went all out, and Jon Carter was quickly defeated. Thus, this meaningless war of words that was only a one-sided display of Tang En's level of ridicule officially ended. Just like on the football field, Tang En also won the war in the media.
Jon Carter was an unknown minor character. His words did not carry much weight. As for the other person, Tang En had to change his way of dealing with him. He did not criticize Mark Lawrenson's view of his team's prospects, but in his own column, he clearly told Mark Lawrenson:
"… Just like many people once said that Nottingham Forest could not win the EFL Cup, just like many people asserted that Nottingham Forest would definitely be relegated a few months ago. Now, there are people jumping out to say that Nottingham Forest could not be promoted successfully. Even though I have always been dismissive of such claims, I do not wish for my players to feel that I have tacitly agreed to such nonsense. So, I very sincerely and seriously invite Mr. Mark Lawrenson to make a bet with me — I bet that my team will appear in the English Premier League next season. If I win … Do you still remember what Mr. Lawrenson said last season? I would be very happy to see him shave off his big beard. If I lose, I will shave off all my hair! "
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