"UEFA's spokesman, William Gaillard, said in an interview with the media this morning that Nottingham Forest manager Tony Twain's actions after receiving the award were inappropriate and inappropriate. The day after the match, Tony Twain explained his actions through the media. He said that after the medal was given to him, it was his personal property. How it was handled was his personal decision and had nothing to do with UEFA. Mr. Gaillard expressed his regret. He felt that the medal represented an honor and that it was inappropriate to give it away so easily. He hoped that Manager Twain could set the right example for his players … "
"What bullsh * t example!" Twain turned off the television amidst his angry curses. "I'd rather they set the right example for the entire European football scene!"
Sitting behind the boss's desk, Evan Doughty waved a piece of paper in his hand. "This is a fax from UEFA. It's a fine of 80,000 pounds for your 'inappropriate evaluation of the referee on duty' after the match. Tony, you're probably the manager with the most fines … "
Twain paced back and forth in the room, appearing a little anxious. "But you can't blame me for this … I spoke the truth, and the truth is not something that people like to hear."
"Where's the evidence? You don't have any. Mourinho can still say that his men saw the Barcelona officials walk into the referee's lounge … What did you see? "Evan criticized without batting an eyelid.
Twain was silent. He really did not have any evidence. It looked like his words were the complaints and unwillingness of a loser.
"Tony, I understand your actions. I understand your actions, and if I were you, I would probably do the same … just maybe. But, you can't always think about venting. You're making things difficult for Allan. "He glanced at Allan Adams, who was sitting on the other side of the chairman's office.
Twain stopped and looked at the club's marketing manager, who was sitting on the sofa in silence.
He knew that Allan must have a problem with him because of that incident. After all, part of his job was to maintain and shape the Forest team's new image. His actions and words at the Champions League final award ceremony had destroyed the image that he had worked so hard to maintain. If it had been him, he probably would not have been happy.
This was not the time to be at odds. Besides, they were all on the same side. There was no need for him to give his own people a hard time. It was the UEFA that made him angry, not the Nottingham Forest people.
"Uh … I'm sorry, Alan. I didn't think of that before. "He scratched his head and apologized to Allan Adams. "You know, I'm a little impulsive … Even though I've been trying very hard to control myself, sometimes I still can't control myself. I want to apologize. "
Allen stood up and shook his head with a smile. "Don't be so nervous, Tony. You have indeed brought me some trouble, but … it is my job to deal with these troubles. If there had been no trouble, I might not have known what to do. Don't take it to heart. "He walked over and patted Twain's shoulder. "The next time I enter the finals …"
Tang En continued his words. "I won't give away the gold medal so easily."
Allan was stunned at first, but after he understood what Twain meant, he laughed out loud.
"You can give it to me." He winked at Twain.
"In your dreams."
"Tony, this fine … is still the same as before, the club will pay it for you. Next time, remember to think before you say something impulsively. "Evan Doughty raised the ticket in his hand and pointed at his head.
Tang En raised both his hands. "I know … I've already deeply reflected on myself."
"In the hotel room?" Evan asked as he looked at Tang En.
"I promise you, Evan." Tang En's gaze went past Evan Doughty, who was sitting in front of the window, to the azure sky. "We will have a new beginning."
※ ※ ※
The day after the UEFA announced Tang En's punishment, Nottingham Forest officials also held a press conference to officially announce that they would renew the contract of the team's meritorious manager, Tony Twain.
As a figure in the news, Tang En's contract renewal press conference was packed with reporters from all over the world.
This press conference was somewhat of a show, as both parties would sign in front of the many reporters at the scene, and not just announce the news after signing.
Some media outlets saw Forest's choice to announce the contract renewal at this time as a form of protest against the UEFA's punishment of Tang En. This was a little unfair to Nottingham Forest. After all, Tang En's original contract with the club was for three years, and it would expire at the end of this year. It was normal to consider a contract renewal at this time. The UEFA's punishment and Nottingham Forest Football Club's support? That could only be called a coincidence.
When the two main characters, Evan Doughty and Tony Twain, appeared at the venue, the reporters quietened down.
"This is a contract that has been prepared long ago. Manager Tang En is very satisfied with all aspects." Evan Doughty went straight to the point. "Before the Champions League final, we had already decided to give Manager Tang En a new contract, regardless of the outcome of the match." His words also answered the media's questions regarding the announcement of Tang En's contract renewal at this time. It had nothing to do with the UEFA's punishment. This was something that had been decided long ago.
"The club is very happy to see Manager Tang En accept this contract. After all, from myself to the ordinary stadium workers, we all think that Manager Tang En is the most suitable candidate to lead this team. He has brought a new life to this old team and restored it to its former glory. He is the pride of this city … "
Tang En sat at the side, quietly listening to Evan's unrestrained praise. There was not the slightest hint of embarrassment on his face.
"As I said earlier — there will be no one more suitable than him to lead Nottingham Forest. So, the club has offered him an eight-year contract. "
His words caused a commotion at the scene. No one had expected Nottingham Forest to offer such a long contract. Eight years. After it expired, it would be 2014! Although a coach was a long-lived profession, and coaching a team for more than 20 years was not uncommon in English football, in today's football, the flow of talent had accelerated, and the supremacy of benefits had long made loyalty a joke. A contract for eight years. Did the Nottingham Forest Football Club really have that much confidence in Tang En?
Amidst the noise, Tang En stood up. Everyone consciously quietened down, waiting for him to speak.
"First, I want to thank the club chairman for his trust in me. I love this team, this club. I can't think of where else I can go after leaving this place. If possible, I hope that after eight years, I can still sign another eight years with the chairman, and then another eight years after that, until I'm too old to continue. Yes, that's what I hope. "
At such a contract renewal press conference, Tang En also put away his usual teasing tone and nonchalant expression. He looked very serious. Dressed in a black suit with a red tie that symbolized Forest, Tang En rarely dressed so formally.
"To be able to dedicate my entire coaching career to this great team, I feel very honored."
The reporters present rarely heard Tang En speak like this. He would feel uncomfortable if he did not mock the reporters. Seeing him dressed so formally and saying such touching words, the reporters always felt a little awkward.
Having said that, Tang En sat down with Evan Doughty under the flashing lights. He spread out the contract and lowered his head to sign it.
"… At that time, I said in the newspapers that this scene would become a long-remembered moment in Forest's history. When people talk about this day in history, they will definitely say that this day Nottingham Forest and Tony Twain renewed their contract for eight years, just like Liverpool signed Bill Shankly. This is a great contract renewal. At that time, I was even ridiculed for comparing a great man to a clown as a sign of lacking common sense … "Later, the famous reporter and biographer Pierce Brosnan wrote in his autobiographical novel, Red Memory. "Time has proven me right."
After signing their names, the two stood up and shook hands in front of the media.
"There is a piece of news that will make all the managers of the English Premier League unhappy — Tony Twain has renewed his contract with Nottingham Forest Football Club for another eight years. He will still be fighting with his team for another eight years." In the evening sports news, BBC5 reported the contract renewal.
※ ※ ※
"England's national team manager, Eriksson, submitted the England squad list to FIFA this morning. There is something special about this list. There is a person who is both unexpected and not unexpected in the national team. Nottingham Forest's captain, George Wood, has been selected by Eriksson to be brought to Germany. George Wood has never been selected for the national team before. Although he has performed well at the club, he has never played a minute for the national team … "
"Nottingham Forest has two players selected for the England national team. They are the right winger, Ashley Young, and the defensive midfielder, George Wood. Freddie Eastwood could have appeared in this list, but the Romani rejected the English Football Association's call. He chose to play for Wales because his grandfather was born in Wales … "
There was no longer any mention of Twain's reward on the television news. Now, everyone's focus was on the World Cup. The Three Lions would once again embark on their journey with the hopes and expectations of countless Englishmen. The media naturally declared Eriksson's team to be the strongest England team in the last 30 years. Of course, they had also said so during the World Cup in Japan and Korea four years ago …
When Wood saw the news at home, he received a congratulatory call from Tony Twain.
"Kid, congratulations. You are now an official member of the England national team! "
"Thank you." Twain was a little surprised by Wood's reply because his tone sounded very calm. He was neither happy nor excited.
"You don't seem to be in a good mood. Why? This is something you didn't even think about when you decided to play football in the first place. "
"Should I be happy?" Wood retorted.
"Uh … Theoretically … Yes. Those who are selected for the national team for the first time will treat this day as the most important day of their lives. At least, that's what they say in their autobiographies … "
"Will I be a main player?"
"You'll have to ask Eriksson about that." Twain shrugged. "I don't have the final say. He's the manager of the national team. But … Do you want my advice, George? "
"Yes."
"Whether you're a main player or not, this is not a problem for you to worry about. You just need to train hard. If you get a chance to play, don't think about anything else. Just perform well. Remember, don't think about 'whether I'm a main player or not.' Do you remember the first time you played for the Forest First Team in an official match? "
"Yes."
"That's it."
Wood was silent for a moment.
Twain thought that there might be another reason why Wood was not in high spirits. "Hey, you're not still thinking about the Champions League final, are you?"
Wood acquiesced.
"Ahem … Football is like this. There's no such thing as an ever-victorious general. There will always be times when you fail. Do you remember what I said to you in the locker room when you messed up the youth team competition and wanted to quit?"
Wood thought for a moment and nodded. "I remember."
"What you lose here, you can win back there. What you lose in this game, you can win back in the next game. If you feel indignant, work hard to win it back in the future. "
"I got it."
"One last word of advice: No matter what, remember that you're from Nottingham Forest. Don't embarrass me."
After ending the call with Twain, his mother walked into Wood's bedroom.
"Mr. Twain called?"
Wood nodded and put his phone back on the table.
"I can't believe …" Sophia stood at the door and looked at her son with her head tilted. "My George will also become a player for the England national team one day."
Wood was a little embarrassed by her words. He turned his head to look out the window.
He felt a pair of hands gently wrap around his waist. His mother's forehead was on his back.
"This back is a lot wider … George has grown up. He'll be shy too."
"Mom …"
"No matter where you are, you have to do your best, George."
"Okay."
※ ※ ※
"Hey, Dunn, we're going to change our itinerary." After ending the call with Wood, Twain went downstairs to look for Dunn.
"Are we going back to China first?"
Twain nodded. "We'll be busy after the World Cup. I didn't think of this before. We'll go back to China first, and then go straight from China to Germany. "
"When are we leaving?"
"In a few days, when I'm done with my things here."
Dunn nodded in agreement.
Twain's "things here" were also related to the World Cup.
Originally, he was required to write football commentaries for the Nottingham Evening Post during the World Cup as usual.
However, because he had successfully "predicted" the major event of Greece winning the championship during the UEFA European Championship, he was targeted by the bigger media during this World Cup.
BBC hoped to sign a short-term contract with Twain to be their guest commentator during the World Cup. Tang En liked this job very much. In the past, when he was watching football, he would always scold the commentators and commentators for talking nonsense, for they were completely irrelevant. Other than repeating the nonsense that everyone knew and making their own decisions to match the players' "inner monologues," they did not know anything else. Even if he went up and said it himself, it would still be better than what those so-called experts said. Now, he finally had a way to satisfy his craving of being a guest commentator.
Since he was hired, he naturally had to be paid. However, Twain did not care about this small amount of money. After renewing his contract with the club, his annual salary rose to 2.7 million pounds. Even though this figure was not even in the top five of the English Premier League managers' income rankings, it was not a small amount for him, who had transmigrated from China to England. Not to mention the Chinese, many Englishmen could not earn as much in a lifetime as Twain did in a year.
His initial idea was to take the job even if BBC did not give him a single cent. However, after he told Shania, he incurred Shania's criticism.
Shania's opinion was that not only did he want money, but he also wanted to raise the price with BBC. Her reason was that Twain was now considered a well-known manager. Even though he could say that he did not care about money, this salary was directly related to his status. If the money was less, it meant that people did not value him. The more money he had, the higher his status. This was the same logic as a model's runway show. The appearance fee of a world-class supermodel must be much higher than those newcomers who had just debuted.
Twain accepted Shania's opinion. No matter what, he was now a manager who had led the team into the Champions League final. He could not be casually dismissed.
Therefore, his main job these days was to discuss the specific contract with the people from BBC.
Out of kindness, Shania wanted to get her agent to help Twain negotiate, but Twain politely declined. He did not want to find himself an agent, even if it was temporary.
Because of the incident with George Wood, he did not like agents very much. Even though he did not have any opinions about Shania's agent, he did not want to have anything to do with her.
The final negotiations went smoothly. BBC expressed enough sincerity, and Twain did not make things difficult for them. Both sides quickly signed the contract. Following that, BBC announced that the famous manager, Tony Twain, would appear as a special guest in the live commentary box during the World Cup.
Even though they had lost the Champions League final, it seemed that Twain had gained even more. The club's new contract represented trust and encouragement, and the television station's contract meant a rise in reputation. George Wood, the kid he had unearthed and groomed, was now one of the 23 players in England. From another perspective, it proved his foresight and coaching standards.
The pain and frustration of failure had become yesterday, gradually fading away. Now, he had to face a brand new future, and he was full of confidence. (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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