As Tang En had gotten the security guards to chase away the reporters surrounding the training ground, the players only found out what had happened from the apologies of their three teammates until the end of the training session. Looking at Tang En's gloomy expression, they did not dare to whistle.
Because the team was going to Amsterdam to challenge their first opponent in the invitational tournament, Porto, half a day after today's training, Tang En announced the player list for the next day after the three publicly apologized.
As it was a warm-up match, the restrictions on the number of substitutions were more relaxed. Both sides could each change five players in a match. Therefore, the name list did not mean much. Almost the entire team could go to the field.
However, Tang En specially announced the name list today to give the three people who had committed a public warning. At the same time, it was also a move to make an example out of them.
Ashley Young, Aaron Lennon, and Gareth Bale's names were not on the name list he announced. The three people involved had long known about it and did not have any reaction to it. Tang En was very satisfied with the reaction of the rest of the team.
"Although you can't play in the game, you can still go watch the game live." After reading the name list, Tang En said to the three people standing outside the team. "Sometimes, watching the game from the stands is also a kind of training."
Handing the notebook to Kerslake, Tang En left the training ground with the other assistant manager, Dunn, and walked to the temporary press conference hall.
There, it was already crowded with impatient reporters.
※ ※ ※
Tang En had not arrived yet, but the small "press conference hall" was already packed with people. The media from England, the Netherlands, and other places swarmed in because they had received Tang En's promise to answer all questions after training.
But what other questions could there be? Everyone only wanted to ask and know one question — the news of three Nottingham Forest players being suspected of paying prostitutes.
As an upstart in the European football scene, would it not be interesting to see such a scandal break out? Moreover, the three players were all very young.
Pierce Brosnan was also in the crowd. He had arrived early, so he had seized the advantageous position — at the very front, there were even chairs to sit on.
The small room was full of people, buzzing. Everyone was discussing the incident in Amsterdam's red-light district last night and guessing how Manager Tang En would face this embarrassing scandal at the press conference later.
"I know what kind of person Tony Twain is. He likes to go against us." A fat middle-aged man was boasting in the crowd. "We said one, but he said two. When we say yes, he says no. He never seems to want to make our work easier.... But this time I want to see what he has to say. Here are the photos, the real deal! "He patted the stack of newspapers in his hand. "As long as I want to, we can publish more photos!"
Brosnan glanced at it. The words "The Sun" were very eye-catching. So it was a reporter from The Sun …
"Why don't you post it and see?" Tang En's voice suddenly rang out from the back door. Everyone immediately stopped their discussions and turned their gazes to Forest's manager, Tony Twain, who had appeared in the venue.
"You have a loud voice, sir. It's so noisy in this house, but I can still accurately find you, the one that stands out from the crowd of flies flying around. "Tang En pointed at the fatty who stood out from the crowd.
Bruce stifled a laugh.
But someone couldn't hold it in, and the crowd burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, The Sun reporter's face turned red and he prepared to sit down.
"Don't sit down, Mr. Reporter. Let's start with you. "Tang En pointed at the reporter who was about to sit down." Didn't you just say you wanted to publish more photos? Very well, I'm very much looking forward to seeing more fresh and interesting photos. I suggest The Sun do a special edition and release all the photos you have in your hands, so as not to leave people hanging. You know, if you consider this problem from a reader's point of view, reading a serialized version is definitely not as comfortable as reading the full book. "
Having said that, he looked at the other person. "Do you have any questions, Mr. Reporter from The Sun?"
The fatty coughed, sorted out his emotions, and decided to retaliate. "Of course, Manager Tang. We want to know what you think of the three players appearing there at night. Tomorrow is the match, and your men went to the brothel … "
"I think it's normal," Tang En replied expressionlessly. "Men have that kind of physiological need. It's as normal as your reporter going to the brothel at night. The reporters from your newspaper are all married, right? "
Laughter rang out again.
This was the characteristic of a press conference with Tang En present. Although there were many reporters, there would definitely not be so many people asking questions. More people were here to see how Tang En would confront the media. His expression, his words, his actions … gave people the feeling that they were watching an exciting show.
Therefore, not all the media stood on the opposite side of Tang En. Some of the media actually stood on Tang En's side with the mentality of watching a show.
The fatty reporter from The Sun was speechless from Tang En's rebuttal. That's right. This news was first revealed by their newspaper, and there were even photos. It could be said that the evidence was conclusive. Tang En could not deny it even if he wanted to. Unexpectedly, Tang En did not intend to deny it at all. After openly admitting it, he even kicked the ball back to The Sun. My players went to the brothel last night, so what did the people from your newspaper go there for?
"Alright. 'Three young Nottingham Forest players visit prostitutes' — those were your original words. Now it's my turn to ask questions … "Hearing Tang En say that, the reporters present perked up. Tape recorders, microphones, sketchbooks, cell phones … all went into working mode.
"You said my players visited prostitutes. Where's the evidence?"
Tang En's rhetorical question stunned The Sun reporter for a moment.
"Evidence? Don't tell me these photos aren't? "He pointed to the newspaper in his hand.
Tang En laughed, very happily. "To catch a thief, you must catch the evidence. To catch an adulterer, you must catch a couple. You said my players visited prostitutes. In that case, please publish the photos of them having sex with prostitutes on the bed. "
"This …" The Sun reporter never expected Tang En to come back with such a move, denying the incident from this angle. Who would follow into a brothel and then squat by the bed to secretly take photos? That kind of place only allowed one person to enter at a time. The people behind had to line up outside. No matter how good their reporters were, they could not force their way in.
Seeing that the other party had nothing to say, Tang En began to ridicule as much as he could.
"Aiya, the resourceful and resourceful The Sun actually did not install a camera in every brothel in Amsterdam's red-light district? What a pity! "He shook his head and sighed, as if he really felt sorry for it. "The Sun, you've really disappointed me!"
A lot of people tried hard to stifle their laughter.
Brosnan was no longer worried about the impact of the incident. Now he sat in the best position, crossed his legs, and happily watched the movie. It would be even better if there was cola and popcorn.
Of course, the opponent would not be so willing to be humiliated by Tang En. The fat man quickly found an angle to counterattack. "As a successful team, Nottingham Forest's players are role models for society's youth. Mr. Tang En, aren't you worried that this incident will have a negative impact?"
What he said made a lot of sense. Football stars were the idols of youth. Children liked to imitate their idols' words and actions and dress. Whatever the idols did was right, no matter whether it was good or bad. Football stars did have the obligation to pay attention to the various effects their words and actions brought to the fans. It was a social responsibility.
Unexpectedly, Tang En was dismissive of it. He waved his hand. "Don't joke around. Would going to the red-light district cause a negative impact? Then wouldn't Mr. Reporter be furious that the Netherlands can still exist in this world? "
"This …" The other party did not know how to respond again.
"I want you to know something, Mr. Reporter. Other than training and competitions, the rest of the time belongs to the players themselves. I have no right to interfere with what they want to do. It's the same for you. If you say that it's a negative impact for them to go to that kind of place, then what about your social responsibility for secretly taking pictures and publicizing it? " Tang En had always found The Sun to be an eyesore. As long as it was possible, he would not let go of the opportunity to humiliate them verbally. "No one wants this kind of thing to be made public. It's personal privacy. The Sun is very good at invading other people's privacy, and they're even proud of it. Do you want to seriously consider what kind of negative impact your actions will have on the millions of readers of The Sun? At the very least, I think my players are healthier than the girls on the third page of your newspaper. They have less negative impact on society. "
Everyone could see that Tang En was determined to protect his players in front of the public. He did not even hesitate to say such harsh words. It was all about social responsibility and moral reflection.
In fact, this was something everyone knew. The three Nottingham Forest players going to that kind of place was definitely not as simple as "sightseeing." However, Tang En would not allow others to point fingers at his players and make irresponsible remarks.
If they wanted to criticize or scold, he had already done it behind closed doors. It was not the place for outsiders to overstep their boundaries.
"You want to criticize my people here? You want to go back and tell your boss to remove the girls on the third page before we talk. "
Of course, The Sun would not really listen to Tang En's "suggestion" and remove their pillar of support, the "third page girls" with their fine traditions. Tang En's words were to tell The Sun that they had no right to make things difficult on this matter.
What was originally a rather serious crisis for the team had been stirred up by Tang En into a farce that made people not know whether to laugh or cry.
Dunn appeared at the press conference together with Tang En, but no one noticed him. He had been sitting beside Tang En the whole time, not saying a word from start to finish. He did not even make a sound, as if he were a statue.
He should be happy that the matter he was worried about had developed into this outcome. However, looking at Tang En's way of handling it, he could not agree no matter what. This man had shifted the potential negative impact on the team onto himself.
Now that the media's attention was focused on the battle of words between Tony Twain and The Sun's reporter, who would care about the "scandal" of the three Forest players going to prostitutes last night?
He scolded the reporter, went against the media, provoked the opponent, reprimanded the referee, and even fell out with the UEFA. Was it because he wanted to become famous, to become a "news figure" and enjoy the "special honor" of being on the front page of the newspaper? No matter how others saw it, Dunn did not think so. The man beside him was only shifting the pressure that the players should have been bearing onto himself, so that they could throw away all the burdens and focus on training and the game.
However, by doing so, the pressure on himself would only increase.
What kind of team manager would do that? It's just a job. Do you have to do this, Tony?
"Alright, Mr. Sun's reporter, you can sit down now. There's nothing else for you to do." Tang En waved his hand at the fat man, who was covered in sweat, and motioned for him to sit down. He then looked at Brosnan, who was sitting in the front row. "Does anyone have any questions?"
The hint was obvious. Brosnan raised his hand and stood up. He began to ask about tomorrow's game and Forest's arrangements.
With the two echoing each other, the topic was successfully changed.
The media was already satisfied after seeing the exciting show of Twain's battle with The Sun. Really, it did not matter at all whether the three of them had prostitutes. This was what they wanted to see. Before Tang En, had there been any manager who had gone against a widely influential media outlet in such a manner? The mockery and ridicule that did not give any face, and the scolding that hid a dagger behind a smile without any vulgarities, were much more newsworthy than prostitutes.
※ ※ ※
After finishing a bottle of mineral water, the press conference ended. The reporters dispersed with satisfied expressions on their faces. Under the deep twilight, the Volendam training base gradually turned from lively to desolate.
The club's staff were moving the chairs away from the temporary press conference hall. Tang En and Dunn sat on the stage without moving. Regardless of how busy the others were beside them, they had no intention of getting up and leaving.
"Very tired, right?" Dunn asked.
Tang En shook his head. "No, how could that be possible? I'm the best at dealing with these paparazzi. I'm the most energetic." But his posture of leaning against the back of the chair had already betrayed him.
Dunn grinned and did not expose him.
"You don't believe me?" Tang En turned sideways to look at Dunn. "When I scolded that damn fatty, I felt a great sense of achievement and pleasure! Especially when I saw his speechless appearance … Haha! "He laughed hoarsely.
"Well, you'll be on The Sun tomorrow and then get lambasted. All of England will know what you've done. "Dunn nodded in agreement.
"Who cares! If they criticize me, I won't lose a single hair and I won't lose a cent. I'm not obligated to be responsible for the perception of people I don't care about. "Tang En's mouth was dry and he wanted to drink water. When he reached out to take the bottle, he realized it was empty.
He threw the bottle out, and the empty bottle accurately fell into the dustbin that the cleaner had pulled over.
"Come on, let's go eat. I'm hungry!" Tang En stood up.
Dunn very much wanted to tell Tang En that he felt a sense of achievement when he looked like a bear and that he felt great pleasure when he scolded him. But perhaps this was what the other party wanted to see. Perhaps the other party also felt a sense of achievement when he scolded him. Because he had gotten hold of the explosive news.
Looking at Tang En's back, he still did not say anything. He just stood up and the two of them left the place side by side.
"I originally thought you would sell Ashley Young out in a rage."
"Dunn, you have to give the young people the space to make mistakes. You have to allow them to make mistakes. Who hasn't been impulsive when they were young? " (To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. QIDIAN. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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