After the match that afternoon, all the major media outlets focused on the league match, Nottingham Forest's home game against Chelsea. It was not only because the thirteenth-ranked Forest team had defeated the second-ranked Chelsea, nor was it because Chelsea, who had not tasted defeat in four wins and two draws, had finally lost, nor was it because of the sudden appearance of the Danish genius, Nicklas Bendtner, or Paulo Ferreira's red card … It could even be said that the media's fanfare in reporting the match had nothing to do with the players on both sides, but because of the managers of the two teams.
The English Premier League's official website updated its homepage half an hour after the match ended. They put up a picture that took up almost half the screen — the scene of Mourinho and Tony Twain facing off on the sidelines was reproduced without any changes. Below it was a one-word caption:
Enemy.
A very appropriate caption.
The live broadcast of "Match of the Day" that night even specially invited a lip-reading expert to interpret for the audience what the two managers had said during the confrontation on the sidelines. The result was not much different from the real situation. Watching the conversation between the two managers, the eloquent Lineker was speechless. He also did not seem to know how to evaluate the performance of the two managers.
Of course, such a thing was just a gimmick. If Nottingham Forest wanted to obtain an important position in the league, it would not do to rely on Twain alone to jump up and down and exchange insults with the opposing manager on the sidelines without using vulgarities. They needed to show their strength, and the victory of the match came at just the right time. Although the public would inevitably feel that Tony Twain's words at the press conference were somewhat arrogant and conceited, the Forest fans were more supportive of Tony Twain than ever before.
The old fans who still missed the Brian Clough era, the new fans who had no experience but had heard of the legend of Clough's character countless times, all now claimed that they had found Brian Clough's true successor. It was not José Mourinho from Portugal, but Tony Twain, who had repeatedly declared that he had no intention of being Clough's successor. They did not care what Twain thought of them. They just publicly announced their expectations.
At the end of the match, Forest's players had satisfied the fans' requests for autographs. As they boarded the bus one by one, Tang En was the last to walk out of the stadium. He noticed a white-haired fan among the cheering crowd along the way. He looked like an old fan who had experienced Forest's most glorious years. He stood by the Forest team bus and did not dance, sing and dance like the other excited Forest fans. He just stood there with a piece of cardboard in his hand. On it was written:
Forget Robin Hood, remember Clough. Now, we have a second Clough.
Tang En walked past him and was attracted by the words on his sign. Then, he raised his head and looked at the old fan carefully. The old fan also looked at him. He did not say anything. He did not ask for an autograph, nor did he ask for a picture. Twain shook his head gently, turned around, and boarded the bus.
He knew what the fans expected of him, but he still did not know what to say when he saw this. Could it be that he really couldn't get rid of the boss's influence? No matter how successful he was in the future, others would only say, "Tony Twain is the second Brian Clough!"
Thinking of this, Tang En smiled bitterly. Even though the boss thought highly of him, he was trying his best to play down his influence on him. He did not expect things to develop to this extent.
A personality coach?
He did not mean to imitate the boss's style. He was just that kind of person.
Just ten minutes before the Forest team's bus left the City Ground stadium, Chelsea's blue bus had just left. Mourinho refused all interviews from reporters. As the loser, he hurriedly left with his team, thinking that there would be plenty of time in the future to take revenge.
A BBC reporter stood in the square of the City Ground Stadium and said to the camera, "Although Brian Clough has left, he has left behind a topic that we can still talk about for a long time. Who is his true successor? José Mourinho or Tony Twain? I think that for a long time to come, the competition between these two will be an indispensable part of the league. The league will definitely be interesting to watch … "
※ ※ ※
As for who was Clough's true successor, the debate continued on the second day. The local media in Nottingham were naturally more inclined towards Tang En, while the London media were not interested in this title. Instead, it was the media from other regions who joined in the fun. If one were to look at their achievements, Mourinho was indeed closer to being one of the most successful local managers in England.
Tang En had no interest in such a debate. He did not even update his column at such a time. This made the boss of the Nottingham Evening Post rather disappointed. This was supposed to be a good topic to attract attention, allowing more readers to participate and interact with each other. The newspaper's sales would definitely rise steadily. It was a pity that the boss of the Evening Post could do nothing as he watched such an opportunity slip away from his eyes.
Such a personality coach was also not someone he could command. There was probably no one in this world who could command Tang En.
Moreover, when the two sides signed the contract, there was no mandatory rule on the number of articles Tang En had to submit. Tang En had full freedom in terms of whether to write a column and when to write it.
On the second day of the game, the team had an entire day off. The players did not need to train. They had plenty of time to rest at home or call their friends to go out and play.
Tang En frowned when he saw Dunn watching videos when he got up.
Although the weather outside was not particularly sunny, it was not good for Mr. Dunn to be cooped up at home and not interact with people. He moved closer and realized that Dunn was watching videos of the youth team's matches. It was worth mentioning that when Tang En was in the youth team, he did not make any videos of matches or training. However, after Dunn had entered the youth team, he had once chatted with Tang En about why Ajax's youth training standards were so high. It had to do with the fact that they had to record their training at all times for later review and analysis. That conversation had touched Tang En. He brought Dunn along to find Evan and suggested to him that the youth training camp should be equipped with more modern facilities and implement a more modern training model. Of course, he did not forget to emphasize many times that the idea was suggested by the Chinese man beside him. Evan agreed to Tang En's suggestion. The Forest team's fine tradition of attaching importance to youth training was continued and carried forward.
"Hey, Dunn, you otaku. Don't stay cooped up at home. Come out with me! "Tang En said to Dunn as he stood behind Dunn and washed his face.
"Otaku?" Dunn turned to look at Tang En.
"You've been in China for so long. Haven't you heard of this term?"
Dunn shook his head. Only then did Tang En react. In 2004 in China, the term "otaku" was not as popular as it was in 2007. "Well, it means to be overly focused on something. To always stay at home and not go out to interact with people. That's not a healthy lifestyle. Look, other than going to the training base to work, all you do is watch these videos at home. "He pointed to the large pile of videos scattered on the floor.
Before Dunn came, Tang En had always tried to keep the living room clean and tidy because Yang Yan would come to class. Now, the place was occupied by all kinds of videos: videos of Forest's First Team matches, videos of the youth team's training and matches, videos of the English Premier League teams' matches, videos of the UEFA Champions League matches, videos of the UEFA Europa League matches, videos of the national teams' matches. In short, all the videos that could be obtained could be seen here. Even Tang En himself did not know where all these videos had suddenly come from. He could not help but sigh at Dunn's strength.
Dunn turned to look at the television screen and pressed the pause button on the remote control. "What are you going to buy?"
Tang En shrugged. "I'm not buying anything."
"Why would you go out if you're not buying anything?"
"Can't you go out if you're not buying anything? Go out to breathe in some fresh air and get to know new friends. Look at the sky outside. It's so bright! "Tang En lied through his teeth as he pointed to the gray sky outside the window.
Dunn did not listen to him and looked out the window. He looked back at the television screen. "This is not part of the plan."
Tang En strode to the television and turned off the power. "Writing your life into a schedule and then following it step by step. Haven't you had enough of these days? If everything is part of the plan, there will be fewer surprises in life! Do you even have to plan when you go to the bathroom? Let's go. "
Finally, Tang En successfully dragged Dunn out of the house.
"There's an old saying in China: strike a balance between work and rest. Have you never heard of it?" Tang En said happily as he stood at the door and watched Dunn come out.
Dunn turned a blind eye to Tang En's excitement. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Where are we going?"
"A lively place." Tang En opened his hands.
※ ※ ※
George Wood was different from other boys. He was not averse to shopping. He almost never slept in. On the morning of the second day of the match, when the other players were still lazing around in bed, unwilling to get up, he was already out shopping with his mother.
Because of Tang En and Dr. Constantine, the Forest Club contacted the Royal Hospital of Nottingham University to treat Sophia's illness. Now that half a year had passed and she had undergone a major surgery, she had been recuperating and slowly recuperating.
Tang En rarely went to disturb Sophia. He only heard some scattered news from Constantine. It was said that the results of the surgery were acceptable, but she still needed to undergo a few more surgeries in the future to continue her treatment.
Tang En knew very little about medicine. Anyway, Constantine told him that Sophia's health was slowly improving, so he was relieved. He really did not want to attend the third funeral in England.
Although he had already become Forest's main defensive midfielder and his performance was getting better with each match, Wood still had not learned how to be a star. When he went shopping with his mother, he wore ordinary clothes that could not be any more ordinary. He did not wear sunglasses or a hat that lowered the brim. He was dressed the way he had dressed in the past.
Nottingham Forest's main defensive midfielder was no different from any ordinary boy.
As a result, when he was recognized and surrounded by Forest's hardcore fans in the downtown area, Wood, who had yet to learn how to be a star, was at a loss and even a little nervous. He shielded himself in front of his mother. Having lived in chaotic places for a long time, it had almost become second nature to him.
"Look, it's Wood!"
"Wood! Wood! "
The more attentive the fans were, the more nervous Wood became. Sophia, who was shielded behind him, smiled when she saw the scene. She gently patted Wood's back and softly reminded her son, "Don't worry, George. They might just be expressing their fondness for you. Smile. Smile at them. "
It was difficult to make Wood smile under such circumstances, but his body was no longer as stiff as before.
Some fans took out pen and paper, hoping to get Wood to sign for them. With his mother's reminder, Wood took the pen and wrote his name on the paper. Unlike other stars, his signature was not fancy at all. It was crooked and looked like a child who had just learned to write.
But the fans did not care. They left happily after getting Wood's autograph.
After meeting a few of the same requests, the people around Wood finally dispersed. Beads of sweat appeared on Wood's forehead. Sophia looked at her son and lovingly wiped away the fine beads of sweat on his forehead. "You have to get used to this, George. You're a big star now. "
Wood was a little embarrassed in the face of his mother's praise.
At this moment, a well-dressed middle-aged man appeared in front of Wood. He first politely bowed to Sophia. Although she did not know why, Sophia still returned the bow.
Next, the gentleman turned to Wood and showed a smile that was enough to make the eyes of the surrounding women sparkle. He said, "Son, are you interested in entering the entertainment industry?"
If this question was asked to any girl or handsome man, they might get an eager affirmative answer. But George Wood and his mother, Sophia's first reaction was that they had heard wrong.
※ ※ ※
Tang En and Dunn walked on the busy street. The former was in high spirits because he had won against Mourinho, while the latter felt that such a meaningless and purposeless walk was a waste of time.
Like George Wood, Tang En did not like to disguise himself in public. So, even though he would wear sunglasses in some places to act cool, he would never wear those burdens when out to play. The result was that he would always be recognized. Unlike George Wood's fans, Tang En's supporters were obviously older and not as fanatical as the younger fans. They would only raise their hands to greet Tang En when they saw him, and Tang En would return the greeting.
It was like two friends greeting each other when they saw each other on the street.
"Look, Dunn. Isn't this great?" Tang En had just sent off a Forest fan and turned to speak to Dunn. "Have you heard of 'the person in the trap?' You're almost like that. You have to interact with all kinds of people and come into contact with more people. Do you want to be an outstanding manager? That's an essential quality! "
Tang En was always chattering in front of Dunn, and Dunn was long used to it. So, he was always silent, neither saying yes nor no. Tang En was also used to it. He continued to chatter, thinking that Dunn would at least listen to some of it.
As the saying goes, many a little makes a mickle …
Just as the chattering Tang En and the silent Dunn walked to the front of the Victoria Shopping Mall, he saw a familiar figure in the crowd … No, it was two familiar figures.
George Wood and Sophia, as well as a middle-aged man whom he had initially ignored but had quickly attracted his attention.
Because his back was facing Wood and Sophia, Tang En suddenly wanted to eavesdrop on what the three were saying. So, he made a gesture to Dunn and quietly moved closer.
Then, he heard the man opposite him say to Wood, "You think that your appearance and temperament are very suitable for development in the entertainment industry. Don't you want to consider it? "
So he was trying to poach someone!
"That won't do, sir." Tang En could not help but speak up, which gave Sophia, who was in front of him, a fright.
"Mr. Tang En?!" The woman's voice was full of surprise.
"Madam, I'm really sorry that I haven't visited you. It looks like you've recovered well." Tang En smiled as he greeted her. He then took a step forward and stood between the man and Wood.
"If you're looking for a handsome guy to star in a reality show, I suggest you change your target. He's my man. "Tang En pointed at Wood. His words made Wood frown, but he did not say anything.
Seeing that someone had interfered, the middle-aged man turned his gaze to Tang En. After seeing Tang En's attire, he also frowned. He then turned to Wood and said, "Child, I think you really have that kind of potential. You can give it a try. If it doesn't work …"
Tang En, who was completely ignored, ground his teeth.
"Do you need me to remind you again, sir? He's my man. "Tang En took a step to the side and completely blocked in front of Wood. "He's the main player of Nottingham Forest's football team. He's a professional player, not some sissy boy toy. You're looking for the wrong person. "
This time, the middle-aged man could no longer ignore Tang En. He frowned and said, "I don't think a football player can't be a movie star or a model."
"Maybe others can, but for me … it's just not possible!"
The two of them went at it.
"Maybe we should listen to this child's opinion." The man seemed to know that the man standing in front of him was very tough, so he decided to go around him.
Tang En very much wanted to reply, "I'm Wood's manager. I have the right to decide on this matter." But on second thought, it was better to let Wood answer the question. He also wanted to hear what this kid thought about football.
Wood looked at his mother, who was staring intently at the manager, and then looked at Tang En, who was blocking in front of him. He then shook his head at the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared. "I like playing football."
Hearing Wood say so, Tang En, who had his back to him and was facing the middle-aged man, smiled. "Alright, sir. You've got the answer you wanted."
The man sighed. "What a pity … I'm really sorry to have disturbed you. Goodbye, Madam. "He did not forget to bid farewell to Sophia. However, Tang En waved at him." Take care. I won't see you out. "
The man glared at Tang En, then handed a business card to Wood. "This is my business card. If you change your mind, you're welcome to look for me anytime, child."
Seeing Wood take the business card, he turned to leave.
Before he left, he did not forget to say to Tang En, "I won't give up."
"That's not up to you." Tang En shrugged.
(To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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