The match ended very quickly. Because it was a warm-up for the team, the match did not last long, only 20 minutes.
For the last part of the training, Tang En gathered everyone and formed a circle. He and Kerslake analyzed the gains and losses in the training and then dismissed them.
When they were disbanding the team, Tang En called out to Anelka. "Nicholas, come to my office after you're done changing."
This time, Anelka did not have the time to hide his surprise, and it showed directly on his face.
"It's not Bendtner. It's you." Tang En pointed at Anelka. "Change your clothes and go to my office." With that, he turned and left the training ground.
Ribéry walked over and gently patted Anelka on the shoulder. He whispered in French, "Nothing good usually happens when the boss talks alone. You have to be careful."
Anelka turned his head to look at Ribéry, who had a serious look on his face and a mysterious tone, and said nothing.
※ ※ ※
Tang En was tidying up his desk in the office. Actually, there was not much to tidy up. Everything was stored in the computer. Other than a pen and a small notebook that he carried with him, there was nothing else on the desk. He just didn't want Anelka to see him sitting foolishly waiting for him when he came in. As a manager, sometimes he needed to put on a show in front of the players. For example, I asked you to come, but I'm also very busy, so I took some time out of my busy schedule to talk to you.
There was a knock on the door. It was not a loud noise, but Tang En heard it.
"Come in."
Anelka pushed the door open and entered. He had already changed out of his training clothes. He was wearing a sky-blue casual suit, a white shirt, and light-colored jeans. He also wore a pair of sunglasses near the collar of his shirt.
Tang En sized up the man's attire and attire.
"What's the activity tonight?"
Anelka was stunned for a moment. He did not expect the manager's first words to be this question. Then, he reacted and shook his head. "No, there are no activities."
"Well … Have a seat." Twain pointed to the sofa. Then, he continued to "busy" himself with cleaning up. This time, he held the mouse and kept right-clicking on the computer desktop to refresh — it was just for show.
After he was done, Twain looked up at the Frenchman. "This is the first time we've had a one-on-one chat since you joined the team. I'm sorry, I've been very busy recently. It's the start of the new season, and there are always a lot of things to do. "
Anelka nodded in understanding.
Tang En felt that it was difficult to communicate with people who could not even clap twice.
Two people chatting can be regarded as playing tennis, I back and forth to carry on smoothly. However, when Tang En and Anelka were talking, he felt like he was playing against air. Not only did he have to serve, but he also had to run over to pick up the ball. He was so tired that he was sweating profusely, yet he might not even be able to play more than a few games.
"Hmm … Putting aside some things, I'm quite interested in your sudden decision to return to England from Turkey. Do you mind telling me about it?" Tang En deliberately paused, waiting for Anelka to speak. In the end, he was disappointed. Therefore, in order not to make the atmosphere awkward, he could only continue, "Uh … Your brother told me that it's because the level of the league is too low? You can't … "
At that moment, Anelka suddenly interrupted Tang En. "Yes, I hope to play in a higher level league."
Tang En did not mind him interrupting. He was already very happy that he was willing to speak.
"But Fenerbahçe is also a team that can play in the Champions League."
"That place … is too far."
Tang En knew that Anelka's "far" was the distance to where. He nodded. "I think so too. Nicholas, is it convenient for you to tell me what's really on your mind? Hmm, that is to say … What other pursuits do you have? What do you hope to achieve? What is the point of working hard to play football? What kind of goal do you have? "
These questions … or rather, this question, stumped the Frenchman. He stood there in a daze, not saying a word.
Some players played football to gain glory, but he had practically taken all the club's highest glory. Some players played football to get into the national team and compete in the World Cup. But he had already told the French Football Federation that unless Santini knelt in front of him and begged him, he would never return to the national team. It was too fake to say that he wanted to work hard to get into the national team. Then, what other goals and reasons did he have?
"Do you want to hear my answer to these questions?" Tang En saw that Anelka did not say a word, so he began to speak on his own. "In the beginning, I was this team's youth team coach. Slowly, I went from a normal coach to the youth team assistant coach, then to the youth team manager, and then to the First Team manager. Just like what you see now. "He opened his arms, indicating that the manager's office was his.
"Have you heard my story?"
Anelka shook his head.
"Then I'll tell you." Tang En sat on one end of the table and crossed his legs. "Originally, I thought it would be good to be an ordinary youth team manager. I'm very satisfied with this job because I'm an idiot who knows nothing but football. I don't know how to do carpentry, I don't know how to fix pipes, I don't know how to sell goods, I don't know how to design, repair buildings, rob banks … I don't know anything. I was very happy to be able to find a job in the Nottingham Forest Football Club, and I planned to continue doing it for a few decades, become the club's old coach, and then retire. "
"But later, I became the caretaker manager of this team. At that time, the team was in a terrible state. I had to ensure that the team remained in the First Division, which is now the English Football League Championship, for half a season. At the beginning, my performance was terrible. I messed up my first game as manager. " Tang En shook his head. "But later, I thought, since I've become the team's manager, whether I'm a caretaker or not, I have to do something to prove that I've been here, right? I decided to lead the team to promotion … Yes, yes, you didn't hear wrong. It's not to avoid relegation, it's to promotion. "Seeing Anelka's surprised expression, Tang En explained.
The Frenchman nodded. He had already heard the story.
"I almost succeeded. That's a nicer way to put it, but in reality, it's a failure. For this, I lost a lot. From that moment on, I vowed to do better and never be a loser. But God didn't give me that chance. My career as a caretaker manager ended, and I returned to the youth team to continue being the manager of the youth team. As for the First Team, it was snatched away by a guy called Collymore. Have you heard of him? "
Anelka nodded. "I know. I hate that man."
Tang En laughed. "That's right, I hate him too! See, we have something in common. " After laughing, Tang En continued. "Soon, that guy was dismissed because of his poor results in leading the team. I returned to my current position. At the end of half a season, Nottingham Forest was fourth from the bottom. No one believed that such a lousy team could achieve anything. There were even many who firmly believed that we would be relegated to Division Two at the end of the season. In the end? Half a season later, my team won the EFL Cup title and a ticket to the English Premier League. "
"Isn't this story amazing?" Tang En asked, spreading his hands. "What's even more amazing is yet to come. In the new season of the English Premier League, they all say that Forest Team's goal should be to avoid relegation and ensure that they stay in the Premier League. I scoff at that statement. My goal is much greater than that bunch of country bumpkins think. As you can see, my goal is to win the UEFA Champions League. Now, we've made a good start. I'm no longer willing to return to a life where I'm satisfied just by hanging around in the youth team. For me, there are still many championships waiting for me to win. "
Having said that, Tang En took a short break before continuing. "I've heard some things about your two brothers."
At the mention of his brothers, Anelka's expression changed. Of course, Tang En also noticed it. Perhaps that was really the case. In Anelka's mind, no honor could compare to his own family. He could fall out with the French Football Federation for his brother. Then, wouldn't it be easier to fall out with a mere club for his brother?
Today was a heart-to-heart talk. Tang En did not want to deliberately provoke Anelka.
Thus, he continued, "To be honest, I don't think there's anything wrong with what they're doing. It's normal for people to strive for more benefits for themselves. When I negotiate a contract extension with the club, I'll also ask for a higher salary and bonuses. It's just that other than money, I have other pursuits that a high salary can't give me. As I said earlier, I still have many championships to win. You're already a player who has won the EFL Cup, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA European Championship. You don't lack honor, and you don't need to prove anything. If you had answered earlier that money is your biggest motivation and only goal in playing football, I wouldn't be surprised at all. That's normal. You're a professional player. "
"I don't care about your previous transfers. You're my player now. You play for Forest Team, so you're a member of Forest Team. I need you to help me achieve my goal. In fact, I've said this to each and every one of them. I need all of your help. Otherwise, I won't even be qualified to participate in the competition alone. Because we're a team, our goal should be the same. I'll win the championship, and you'll get the bonus. " Tang En chuckled. "Championship, money, money, motivation, championship. Look at how great this cycle is! "
Even though Anelka was well aware of such an argument, it was the first time he had encountered a manager of a team saying it so bluntly.
He had been through so many managers, and almost everyone thought he was a greedy bastard who only thought about money and did not know how to play football properly. He would never be loyal to the team.
When he had insisted on transferring to Real Madrid and leaving Arsenal, his mentor, Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, had once said, "People live for three meals a day and a bed. What do you need so much money for?"
Arsenal's vice-chairman, Dane, had lashed out at him. "In the last forty-eight hours of the negotiations, he mocked the rules of English football. He completely lacked respect for people!"
Earlier, at Paris Saint-Germain, where he had made his debut, Arsenal had only spent 750,000 to get him to reject a contract extension with PSG and leave for London. His mentor, Fernández, had said angrily, "It's not worth mentioning this person. When he left, he slammed the door to join Arsenal. It's a problem wherever he goes."
At Real Madrid, people called him "trash." There was a joke circulating there: A child said to his mother in a panic, "Oh no, someone broke into our house!" The mother asked, "What does he look like?" The child said, "Thin and tall, wearing the number 14 jersey of Real Madrid." The mother said, "Don't be afraid, child. This trash can't do anything."
…
Only Tony Twain would tell him this: There's no problem with pursuing money. It's a matter of course. I don't need any bullsh * t loyalty. I just want you to fulfill your obligations during the contract period and do things for money. It's that simple.
He was silent. His mind was filled with every word that Tang En had just said.
"If you want to be the core, then show me the strength of the core. As long as you have the ability and you show it, you will naturally be the core. Of course, if there comes a day when you're tired of everything here, or if you find me repulsive, or if you want to earn more money, and if there's a club that just happens to give you conditions that move you, and you've made up your mind to leave, please don't forget to give me a call. Tell me your true thoughts and decision. I won't force anyone who wants to leave here, because that's your freedom. "
Having said that, Tang En jumped down from the table and moved his buttocks, which were a little numb from sitting.
"Let's go. It's time to go back!" Tang En turned off the computer on his desk. He put his notebook and fountain pen into his shirt pocket. "Don't you have any activities tonight?"
Anelka stood up and shook his head. "I don't have any activities, boss."
Tang En laughed. "That's great. Do you have a car?"
"Yes."
"Can you give me a ride? This side of my buttocks is numb from sitting. It's not very convenient to walk, "Tang En said as he rubbed his buttocks in pain.
"Of course, boss."
※ ※ ※
Three days later, at Bolton Wanderers' home ground, the Reebok Stadium. Nottingham Forest defeated the home team 2: 0. Forest Team's No. 39 forward, the Frenchman Anelka, was in the starting lineup and played the full 90 minutes. He scored Forest Team's first goal in the 21st minute, scoring in three consecutive matches.
(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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