Before the start of the game, the City Ground stadium's usual incessant singing could no longer be heard. The stands were silent. The players from both teams stood at the edge of the center circle, lined up, and bowed their heads in silent tribute to Brian Clough, who had just passed away.
Tang En stood in front of the technical area and watched it all quietly.
Pierce Brosnan had told him yesterday that Brian Clough's mental state had not been good ever since he resigned as Forest's manager. His feelings for the team were unimaginable. For 18 years, his most glorious years were closely linked to the name Nottingham Forest, just like Ferguson and Manchester United, and Wenger and Arsenal. But the birth of the English Premier League completely shattered the football ideals that Clough held onto. Even if the Forest team did not get relegated in the first season, it would not escape the fate of falling apart in the end. Why? Because the Forest team had no money at the time. No matter how many championships they won, they had no money. The way the team was run then was completely different from how it was run now.
The things that Clough was most proud of were shattered one by one by the cruel commercial football. He believed that there was only one boss in the team, and that was himself. No matter how famous the star players were, they had to be his underlings when they came to the Forest team. He was the king of the Forest team. He had the final say in everything, and the club's directors and chairman had no right to criticize his actions. He could slap Roy Keane to the ground at the locker room door because he did not perform well. He could also hang up the goalkeeper, Kroos, and beat him up out of anger. He could also lock the gay player, Fashanu, in the locker room and scold him because he hated homosexuals. Of course, he once punched the fans who rushed into the field to celebrate with the team in order to protect the players, sending two fans to the hospital.
Such a style was almost extinct in the current football world. Commercial football increasingly emphasized the value of star players, and the managers … the profession known as "Manager" in England was gradually transitioning to "Coach." More and more Premier League clubs began to use specialized marketing managers to take charge of the club's operations, and let the managers only be responsible for leading the team to train and direct the matches. Even the buying and selling of players had changed from "making decisions" to "providing suggestions."
The club did not need a maverick manager. Clough was unique, because in the current football world, it was almost difficult for anyone to replicate his classic. Not even "Madman" Mourinho could do it.
Clough, who felt that he could no longer keep up with the times, finally chose to retire, even though he was only 58 years old, an age that was not considered old for a manager.
After his retirement, Clough was soon investigated for allegedly receiving kickbacks in Sheringham's transfer. He was tormented to the point of exhaustion and his reputation was tarnished. In the end, the investigation showed that the evidence of Clough receiving kickbacks was conclusive, but the Football Association did not take any further action, and the matter was left unsettled. Perhaps it was because the Old Marshal's health was deteriorating that he chose to remain silent.
Later on, it was said that Clough was diagnosed with stomach cancer after his liver transplant last night. However, Clough refused to go to the hospital for surgery. It was only when he was bedridden and his grandson cried and begged him that he agreed to go to the hospital for treatment.
"He firmly believed that there should not be a star player who was more important than the manager in the team. He insisted that he was the only one who could decide everything in the club. However, all of his ideals were shattered by the current football reality. The glory he had obtained in the past had all become fleeting clouds. He had no choice but to retire at the age of 58, and could only rely on alcohol to kill time and numb himself … Such days were too difficult for him." On the car back to Nottingham, Brosnan said with a sigh.
This made Tang En think of another person at that time. He was also talented, arrogant, rebellious, and extremely controversial … the former four-star general of the United States, George S. Patton. Barton died not long after the end of World War II. He did not sink into dejection in the days of peace and retained his perfect image, which was worshipped by countless later generations. As for the boss?
One day, when all the glory I have pursued and obtained is far away from me, will I also be like the boss?
Tang En, who was deep in thought, suddenly shivered. He felt a chill on the back of his neck. He reached out to touch it, and it was wet …
It's raining.
Damn it, why was I as foolish as a philosopher just now, thinking about that kind of question?
Tang En shook his head, retracted his thoughts, and turned his gaze to the field.
The silent ceremony had just ended at that moment, and the stands in the City Ground stadium rang with shouts again. However, this time, they were not shouting the name of a popular player in the Forest team. Instead, they were shouting the name of a generation's legend, the king of the forest, Brian Clough. In the drizzling rain, it was impossible to tell whether the water stains on the fans' faces were tears or rainwater.
There was something that Tang En could not say to others face to face. However, from yesterday to today, with everything he had seen, heard, and thought, he did not know how many times he had repeated this sentence to himself in his heart.
The boss's time in Nottingham Forest was completely over …
※ ※ ※
Was this Chelsea team now considered a strong team?
If Tang En were to answer, he would probably say "yes" without hesitation. Because he knew how many championship trophies the most outstanding Chelsea team in history had won in the future.
So, was Mourinho, who led this Chelsea team, considered a successful manager?
According to Tang En's own standards, Mourinho was, of course, considered a successful manager because he had won six championships with Chelsea.
However, these were all things in the "future." The current situation was that Mourinho had just arrived in London, and with the halo of a European champion, he had led a mercenary team to play six rounds of the league tournament, winning four and drawing two. No one knew what would happen in the future. Now, Tang En could not be sure that Mourinho's team would win this season's league title because of his participation.
Before this game, Chelsea was only two points away from the league's top team, Arsenal. Arsenal was challenging Manchester City in this game in an away game, while Chelsea was challenging the newly promoted Nottingham Forest. In Mourinho's eyes, getting three points in this game should be within his plans.
Perhaps not many people in the English football scene understood José Mourinho at this time, but Tang En knew very well because he had a few more years of memories.
He knew what kind of person Mourinho was and what his coaching style was like. Being an opponent with this man made him feel more comfortable than being an opponent with the managers in the English Football League Championship because he was familiar with him.
If Mourinho knew that Tang En had read his autobiography no less than three times, he would be very surprised. His autobiography, "José, Made in Portugal," had just been released in Portugal for a month and had yet to be officially released in English. Of course, what Tang En saw was later translated online. Because he was very interested in this unique manager, he repeatedly read it so many times that he could even recite some parts of it.
Mourinho had never been a manager who pursued beautiful football or artistic football. His idol was the master tactician, Capello. The principle of 1: 0 was what he insisted on.
Chelsea, who was currently fighting against the Forest team, was such a team.
Mourinho emphasized the team as a whole and especially valued the physical qualities of the players. Speed and strength were brand new concepts that he instilled in Chelsea. He was particular about efficiency and the pursuit of victory. He did not care what method he used to defeat his opponent. From this point, Tang En was very similar to him.
In this game, Chelsea deployed the strongest lineup they could, and they had the intention of attacking right from the start in an away game. Mourinho clearly did not take the newly promoted Nottingham Forest seriously.
Tang En believed that the video of the game between his team and Arsenal would make Mourinho flip through it before this game and confirm that the Forest team was a team that emphasized defense. After all, newly promoted teams were all like that. When faced against a strong team, they would always defend, hoping to defend a pitiful point. Of course, the Forest team's victory over Manchester City was their only victory in the league this season. Mourinho might watch it, but he would not take it to heart because he also looked down on Manchester City and the incompetent Kevin Keegan. This game was designated as a special case and had no reference value.
Compared to Nottingham Forest, this Chelsea team was indeed stronger by more than one level.
The goalkeeper, Peter Cech, had become the main goalkeeper of the Czech Republic national team at a young age and had shone brilliantly in this summer's World Cup in Portugal. The right-back was Paulo Ferreira, who was the best right-back in Europe last season, brought over by Mourinho from the UEFA Champions League, Porto, while the left-back was the England national footballer, Wayne Bridge. The center backs were the captain, John Terry, and the Portugal international, Ricardo Carvalho, who was also brought to London from Porto by Mourinho. In the midfield, Mourinho, who emphasized defense, would certainly not give up on Claude Makelele. The French veteran was like a wall in the midfield. Makelele's partner was Chelsea's iron man, Frank Lampard. Because of Arjen Robben's injury, he did not even make it onto the main list. So, the starting left midfielder was Joe Cole, an old acquaintance of Tang En's. On the right was the Irish fast forward, Damien Duff. The two rookies who had just joined the team this season were responsible for the task of destroying the city in the forward line — Serbia and Montenegro striker Mateja Kezman, who was awe-inspiring in the Eredivisie and could not find an opponent and came to the Premier League to seek a new challenge, and this summer's Premier League transfer king, the Ivorian striker Didier Drogba, who cost Abramovich 24 million pounds to bring from Marseille.
The Forest team, on the other hand, made some changes to the original lineup.
Crouch replaced Viduka as the starting striker and partnered with Freddy Eastwood. There were no changes in the midfield. It was still Ribéry and Ashley Young on the left and right respectively, with George Wood and Albertini guarding the middle. The rear defensive line only made some adjustments to the center back combination, replacing Hierro with Piqué, who was old and physically weak.
(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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