The rest of the match went smoothly for the Forest team. Coventry City's offense was not worth mentioning in front of the defensive line led by Dawson. McAllister could only work hard on the field, but he could not adjust the team's tactics as a whole. This was the fatal weakness of a player-manager: they could not see the true face of a mountain, only because they were in it. They could not understand the current situation on the field from a macro perspective, had no time to calmly think of countermeasures, and had no way to make timely adjustments. The situation on the field was ever-changing. Any slight hesitation would give the opponent an opportunity.
When Tang En first saw McAllister's identity and position, he thought he might be able to take advantage of this. Now that his team was leading by one goal, he wanted to see what McAllister could do.
The two men were in different places, which determined their different horizons, determined their different ways of thinking, and ultimately, could determine the outcome of the match.
At the end of the first half, the visiting Forest team temporarily led Coventry City by one goal. The fans in the stands gradually dispersed. They had to take advantage of the 15 minutes to replenish their energy, and then excrete a little to prepare for the battle in the second half.
Tang En also decided to return to the locker room to lay out the tactics for the second half. Through his half-time observation, he had a rough idea. But before he left, he had to find something for the two men beside him to do. He could not possibly let them follow him to the locker room.
"Uh, gentlemen. Do you think the environment we were in in the first half was terrible? "
The two men looked at each other, not knowing what Tang En meant.
Tang En saw that they were confused, so he described it to them. "Fans who always make a ruckus. Maybe they drank a lot before they came. Every one of them is full of energy and anger. They only support their own team, but unfortunately, their team is now one goal behind, so they must be in a bad mood. Coupled with the catalysis of alcohol … I think in the 15 minutes of the halftime break, they'll have at least another two drinks, right? Then, if their team can't break through in the second half, they'll be full of anger and blood … If they find out there are three non-supporters in the audience, guess what they'll do? "
The two men hurriedly explained, "I'm not a Forest fan. In fact, I support Manchester City …"
"I'm an Oxford fan. That's a Division Five team …"
Tang En shook his head. "It's useless even if you use the stadium broadcast to tell them. You must know that fans in a state of anger are irrational. You don't believe me? Do you want us to test it? "
One of them hurriedly stopped Tang En. "I don't think that's necessary. I also don't think it's a good thing to watch the game in the middle of a group of fanatical home fans. "
"I think you should protest to Coventry. At the very least, let them change us to a more neutral stand — closer to the Forest team's stand."
Hearing Twain's words, the two of them became vigilant. Tang En could only explain, "Don't worry. Do you think I'll direct the match through the fans? That's incredible. "
The two of them looked at each other and nodded. "Alright, let's go find the Coventry people."
"Thank you so much. You've made the right decision. " Tang En turned and walked towards the passageway of the stands. "By the way, does the Football Association allow me to enter my team's locker room during halftime?"
"If there are no special instructions, you can."
"Thank you. You can meet me at the locker room entrance in 15 minutes. Goodbye. "Twain waved and walked into the passageway.
There was a large lounge inside the main stand, which sold all kinds of drinks and food. Fans could take a short break here, drink a glass or two of beer, eat a piece of roasted sausage, and chat with friends. However, they had to be careful not to have any conflicts with people who were obviously drunk, because those people were dangerous, especially when the team they supported was in a bad situation.
Tang En lowered his head and quickly walked through the place. He did not want to be recognized. His team was leading Coventry, and their fans were furious.
Passing through the lively hall, there was a small alley that led to the away team's locker room. However, Tang En saw a stadium security guard at the intersection, as well as a sign beside him. It read: No Traffic Allowed.
"What's going on?" Tang En asked the security guard standing in front of him.
The security guard pointed at the sign, which meant, "Don't you know how to read it yourself?" It was not a friendly attitude.
"Very good." Tang En nodded. Then, he lifted his leg and kicked the sign to the ground, then stepped over it.
The security guard panicked. He wanted to come up and pull Tang En, but Tang En skillfully pulled him down. "Sir, I've trained for a few years." When he was very young, he had practiced martial arts with a street performer in his hometown for a few years. At that time, the movie "Shaolin Temple" was popular throughout the country. Tang En dreamed of becoming a martial arts star like Jet Li, earning a lot of money and being worshipped by hundreds of thousands of people. However, he later realized that he was not cut out for that and gave up. Although he did not become the second Jet Li, dealing with this kind of paper tiger was not a problem.
Ignoring the security guard lying on the ground, Tang En strode to his team's locker room, then pushed the door open and entered.
Clearly, the players were waiting for him. Seeing Tang En enter, everyone raised their heads, full of anticipation.
That look … Tang En knew what the burden on his shoulders was.
"You guys did well in the first half, but you have to be careful of their counterattack in the second half. Let us analyze it in detail … "
Two people from the Football Association's Disciplinary Committee found the chairman of Coventry City and revealed their identities. The seating issue was quickly resolved. The chairman promised to let them sit together with the Nottingham fans in the second half and guarantee their personal safety.
Having completed their task, the two looked at the time and saw that it was still early. They decided to wait at the entrance of the locker room. Deep down, they were still a little worried that the not-so-serious football manager would play some tricks. Tony Twain always gave them a strong sense of unease. It was as if he was not a football manager, but an MI6 agent who was using it to hide his identity.
When they passed by the intersection, they looked strangely at the sign on the ground, as well as the words "No Traffic Allowed" written on it. They did not understand what was going on. However, since they were already on the ground, it was probably ineffective. So, they also walked over with the sign.
"… If the situation cannot be broken in the first 15 minutes of the second half, I think McAllister will definitely make adjustments. He will get his assistant manager to bring in Gary McSheffrey, even though he still has some minor injuries. As for who he will bring in, it will depend on the performance of the Coventry City players. "Tang En threw the tactical board to the side and talked nonstop. Walker, who was listening at the side, was full of admiration for him. Bowyer, on the other hand, was smiling.
"As for you guys …" Tang En pointed to the players and said, "Remember at all times: 1: 0 is the most unsafe score in the world. A one-goal lead will give the opponent endless fantasies and impulses. If you want to strangle their drive in the cradle, you have to score more goals, more goals! In the second half, we will defend and counterattack and let them press out to attack. Make more long passes. Ian? "
Jess stood up.
"Can you tell me what the situation is with the field?"
"The soil is very loose. It feels a little weak." Jess thought the manager was blaming him for the poor quality of the set pieces in the first half. "It's very slippery."
Tang En nodded. "The whole team should make more long shots and pay attention to defending against the opponent's long shots." Then he turned to Walker and said, "Des, let the players go out to warm up every ten minutes. If they score a goal in the first 15 minutes, we won't change anything. Stick to defensive and counterattack. Let everyone play patiently. This is their home ground. They will definitely not be satisfied with a draw with us. As the game goes on, they will definitely press out and continue to attack. That will be our chance. You must seize every opportunity that may appear. Wasting and squandering those opportunities in the game will be punished. "
He looked at the players in the locker room and felt a headache coming on. Because the requirements of English football were different from other places. Every game could only bring five substitutes. Excluding the necessary substitute goalkeeper, the range of possible choices was too small. This was what Tang En disliked about English football. Both Serie A and La Liga could bring seven substitutes. Why was England so special?
"Ian, if there are any unexpected changes, you should discuss it with Des. We played very well in the first half. Just continue to play like that. "
He looked down at the time. It was about time. He had to leave the rest of the time to the assistant managers.
"That's it. I hope we can go home with three points in forty-five minutes."
After saying goodbye to everyone, Tang En turned and walked out the door. Then he walked up to the stands with the two people waiting for him outside.
"Did they agree to change seats for us?" Tang En asked when he realized that they were not on the way back.
"Yes, we're sitting with the Nottingham fans."
"You're really trustworthy partners …" They could not tell if Tang En was praising them or being sarcastic, but the two did not care. In just a few minutes of interaction, they were already used to this person's acerbic style of speaking.
Speaking of which, acerbic was also one of the reasons why Tang En was not liked in the country. He always spoke the truth and was reasonable. And the truth and reasonable words were often not pleasant to the ears.
The three of them arrived at the Nottingham fans' stand. Most of the fans were already seated. The area under the awning was limited and could not cover the entire stand. The first few levels were directly drenched in the rain. Tang En looked at the fans who were holding on in the cold winter rain and scolded softly, "Bastards. Coventry should be glad that they don't have to go to Forest's home ground to play anymore, at least for this season. "
He walked straight to the front row and stood in the rain with the other fans. The two friends beside him were in big trouble. They shrunk their necks and stamped their feet. "I say, Mr. Tang En. The seats they arranged for us are not here … "One of them pointed to the area above, which was covered by the ceiling.
Tang En glanced at the two. "Go if you want to, but I want to be with my fans."
"I'm afraid that won't do. We can't let you go too far." The two of them appeared to be in a difficult position.
"Then you'll stay here with me." Tang En pointed to his feet and laughed in his heart. He had finally found a suitable opportunity to take revenge on these two people.
The two of them looked up at the drizzling sky and sighed. They could only accept this result.
The conversation between the three of them attracted the attention of the surrounding fans. The Forest fans quickly realized that the person who had arrived was their manager, Tony Twain.
"Is that Mr. Twain?" A well-built fan walked up to him and asked in a puzzled tone. When he saw Tang En's appearance clearly, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's really you! Are you in trouble? "He looked at the two people standing beside Tang En in a very unfriendly manner.
This fan, who did not look like a kind person, made the two members of the Football Association's Disciplinary Committee nervous. Fortunately, Tang En helped them out. "No, there's no trouble. I'm just discussing with my two friends where we can watch the game. Is there anyone here? "
"There used to be, but not anymore."
"Well, we'll watch it here."
Hearing that the Forest manager was here, the fans in the other corners of the stands rushed over. They shouted Tang En's name, or by honorific, or by nickname, expressing their respect for the acting manager. Because his team had played a soul-stirring second half in the previous game. The most discussed topic between the fans and Tang En was that game. Although the referee stopped Forest's advance, in the hearts of the fans, Tony Tang, who had led the team to score four goals in the first half of the game, was still a hero.
Tang En was very happy that he could have such a status among the fans. This once again proved that he was suitable to walk the path of a football manager. He did not put on the airs of a manager and keep people at a distance. Instead, he chatted loudly with the fans in the noisy stadium, chatting and laughing without restraint. He was very happy. The two poor Football Association staff were squeezed outside, shrinking their necks to resist the cold rain. However, no one cared about their feelings at the moment.
So, when the game started, the people sitting around Tang En became the Forest fans. The two members of the Disciplinary Committee were squeezed to the back of the two rows of seats. They spent the rest of their time craning their necks to watch Tang En's every move. Before coming to Coventry, Pallios had specially instructed them to be careful of Tony Tang. He was a cunning guy.
That's right, very cunning!
Now, the two men nodded at the same time.
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