This was the second time Tang En had attended a funeral since arriving in England. But compared to the first time, Tang En did not feel sad. Boss, this person always gave him very complicated feelings. Like? Respect? Some dissatisfaction … all mixed together, so he could not be like the boss's family with tears on their faces.
This was indeed a private funeral, very, very private. Other than Clough's family, there was only Tang En, an "outsider." He wore a black suit and sunglasses and stood behind them with his head down, silently attending the funeral.
Other than comforting Lady Barbara when he saw her at the beginning — even though she did not look like she needed comforting — he did not say a word during the entire funeral. The ritual did not arrange for him to make any speech.
As for the others … Ian Bowyer, Des Walker, Stuart Pearce, Martin O 'Neill, Trevor Francisco … they were not invited. Only he, the youngest person to know the boss, was invited. Tang En wanted him to attend this very private funeral. Could it be the boss's idea?
After the funeral ended, a group of people silently walked out of the cemetery behind the church. Tang En did not know what to say and could only continue to remain silent. Everyone's cars were not far ahead. It looked like the funeral was about to end. Tang En thought he should rush back to Nottingham to meet up with the team. At that moment, Lady Barbara, who was in front, stopped and turned to look at Tang En.
Tang En knew she had something to say to him, so he stopped as well.
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Tang En, to let you come at this time," Barbara said with her head lowered.
Tang En hurriedly waved his hands. "No, I think I should come. It's my honor that you invited me. "
"Actually … Brian did not say who could attend his funeral. He was in a coma for the last few days. After discussing with the children, we decided to have a private funeral. Brian did not like the media in the past, and he still doesn't like it now, so we don't want to be disturbed by people we don't know. As for you, Mr. Tang … You know about Brian's interview after Arsenal tied with Forest, right? "
Tang En nodded.
After Nottingham Forest and Arsenal tied, Arsenal set a new record for consecutive unbeaten games. The media specifically interviewed Brian Clough, hoping to hear his thoughts on Arsenal's new record. In the face of these media, Clough satisfied them very well. He praised Arsenal's football as wonderful as seeing Marilyn Monroe in his dream. "If anyone can break that record, it must be Wenger's Arsenal."
Then he talked about Chelsea's new manager, Mourinho, who had also been in the limelight recently. He called the Portuguese his successor. Whether it was the fact that he was handsome when he was young or the coaching style of the team, it was very similar. During his time as a manager, Clough was a very eye-catching manager. He was always able to attract the attention of the media. He would express his opinions without restraint. He had a flamboyant personality and would often say "quotes" that would become classics in the future. The current Mourinho also had these characteristics.
As a result, the media began to call Mourinho "the second Clough", ignoring the fact that they had previously compared Tony Twain to Brian Clough.
Clough did not mention a word about Tony Twain during the interview either.
Who is my favorite coach? Of course it's Wenger. He's my idol.
Who is the coach that most resembles me? Of course it's Mourinho, because he's as handsome as I was when I was young.
"But do you know who he mentions the most at home?"
Tang En shook his head.
"It's you, Mr. Tang." Lady Barbara pointed to Tang En. "He always tells us about this Forest team of yours. When you beat Manchester City, he was as excited as a young man in front of the television. Can you imagine, Mr. Tang, an old man jumping up from the sofa with his fists up high? "
Tang En continued to shake his head. He really could not imagine it. When they played against Manchester City, the boss's health was probably not too good.
Lady Barbara smiled, but the smile quickly disappeared. "He always tells us about you, so the children and I feel like we've known you for a long time."
Tang En himself was surprised by everything Barbara said. "I don't know. The boss … uh, he never talks about these things with me."
"You have to know, Mr. Tang. Brian is such a person. Sometimes you think he's arrogant and extreme, but in fact, he's just hiding himself. It was rare for him to praise someone in front of them. So he always gives people the impression that he's a little cold. I don't think Brian will have the chance to say this to you. Thank you, Mr. Tang. You've made Brian's last two years very happy. "
Lady Barbara bid farewell to Tang En and left in the car. Tang En stood alone outside the church, slowly reflecting on what he had just heard.
He still clearly remembered the first time he met Brian Clough. The aggressive old man had made him speechless the first time they met.
"Boy, what do you think a manager does?"
"Leading a team to victory …"
"That's just part of the job."
A car horn sounded and woke Tang En up. He saw Pierce Brosnan, the reporter, sitting in the jeep and looking at him.
"Why are you here, Mr. Reporter?" Tang En was a little surprised.
"Uh …" Brosnan scratched his head. "Although Mrs. Clough said this funeral is private, you know we the public want to know something … But I didn't see anything." He shrugged. "I went to almost all the churches in the city of Middlesbrough before I found this place. Seeing you here, I knew I'd found the right place. But obviously I'm late. "
"No, you're not late. On the contrary, you came at the right time." Tang En shook his head and said, "Because I just happened to need a car to send me back to Nottingham."
Pierce smiled. "Get in the car, Mr. Manager."
On the way back to Nottingham from Middlesbrough, the radio in the car was almost constantly talking about the death of Brian Clough. The honors he had achieved at Nottingham Forest were also brought up again.
"He's one of the best managers in England!" Brosnan said to Tang En as he drove. His tone was very certain. "But on the list of the best managers in England, he can only be ranked eighth! Ramsey, who is ranked above him, is only ranked because he led England to win the World Cup once. But in the hearts of the people of Nottingham, he's the best manager, even better than Paisley! It's a pity … because of his drinking, he had to retire early. "
Brosnan sighed.
"Tony, you have to drink less too …"
"Oh …" Tang En looked out the window and replied absentmindedly. The radio had already turned into a big discussion about who was Brian Clough's successor. Many listeners said that the Portuguese, Mourinho, was obviously influenced by the media. There were also people who thought that Tony Twain was the successor.
But Tang En himself was not interested in this kind of debate. He did not want to be anyone's successor or anyone's second generation. If Mourinho was willing, then let him be. I want to be Tang En for the rest of my life!
※ ※ ※
"In his last interview with us, Brian Clough, who just passed away, said that the Chelsea manager, Mourinho, was the person who was most like him. But let's not forget, before Mourinho came to England, who was the manager that we talked about the most like Clough? Tony Twain! For Nottingham Forest's home game against Chelsea tomorrow, it's a contest between the two successors of Clough. Let's listen to what Manager Tony Twain has to say. "
The main gate of the City Ground stadium appeared on the television screen. The originally deserted area was now surrounded by fresh flowers and candles. The railings of the iron gate were covered with red Forest scarves. Many fans mourned silently in the square in front of the gate. They came to offer a bouquet of flowers and hung the scarves they had worn for who knew how many years.
This was the scene in front of the City Ground stadium in the afternoon. Following that, Tang En appeared on the television screen, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses. It was obvious that he had just returned from Middlesbrough's funeral.
"… I think it's very inappropriate to discuss who Boss's successor at this time. But I know that you media like to do such inappropriate things, so I'm used to it. You're asking me what I think about this problem? I think it's pretty good. Mourinho is Clough's successor. There's no doubt that I think so too. " On the screen, Tang En did not forget to mock the reporters that he could not stand. "I respect Boss very much, and because of this, I don't want others to say that I'm his successor or anything like that. And I firmly believe that Boss would not want me to become a second him. Of course, if Mourinho is happy with this title, then why don't you all call him 'Clough the Second' instead of 'Mourinho?' "
Tang En's words were not friendly towards Mourinho.
(To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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