When Tang En announced in his column that Nottingham Forest's goal for this season was to become the UEFA Champions League champion, no one was surprised. However, no one agreed with it either. Most people thought it was just a clumsy performance by the arrogant Tang En to hype himself up.
Even Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool did not dare to publicly announce that their goal for this season was the UEFA Champions League title. They even talked about this trophy, which represented the highest level of European club competitions, as if it was their own.
So, even though no one was surprised, many people felt that such an arrogant declaration was not worth believing.
"Tony Twain likes to be the center of attention. If he doesn't make some noise every once in a while, he'll feel uncomfortable. I understand that, but if you take his every move seriously, you'll definitely go crazy — because you have no idea what he wants to do. " The Daily Telegraph was a staunch "anti-Tony element." His words in his column represented the views of a portion of people toward Tang En.
But after the first round of the league tournament ended, everyone who still thought that way fell silent. Because in the face of Nottingham Forest's overwhelming victory, they did not know what to say in order to not embarrass themselves.
Even though these people did not want to see Tang En appear on the television with a smug smile on his face, when faced with the truth, words paled in comparison.
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The Chinese media did not care about the feud between Tang En and the English media. What made them wild with joy was that they found an Asian face in the Nottingham Forest technical area in this match.
Just as many Chinese people were still guessing whether the Asian was Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, Titan Sports, where Tang Jing worked, had already taken the lead in revealing the man's detailed information and the reason why he could appear in the Nottingham Forest technical area. Even though online dating sounded fantastical, it had really happened. Those people could not help but believe it.
Wasn't Nottingham Forest's victory over Wigan Athletic a matter of course? Therefore, everyone paid more attention to the Chinese man who appeared in the technical area of a strong English Premier League team.
These days, it was not uncommon for Chinese players to appear in European teams. There was no hype value. However, many Chinese people found it unbelievable that a Chinese coach could appear in a foreign team.
In the minds of many Chinese fans, there might be one or two geniuses among the Chinese players who could become good players if they were nurtured well, but there would never be any high-quality talents among the Chinese coaches. Go to a foreign club to be a coach? It would be good enough if they didn't mislead the students!
It was precisely because of this idea that Dunn's appearance caused a sensation in China.
It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere and descended from the sky. Before this, no matter how deep the research on China's football was, no one had ever heard of such a figure among the Chinese coaches. Not to mention understanding Dunn's past, coaching experience, and other details.
In a short period of time, Titan Sports' article about Dunn written by Tang Jing became the only way for everyone to understand this mysterious coach.
Many people were shocked by the information revealed in the report. To be able to become an assistant manager in the English Premier League's second-ranked team, Nottingham Forest, had no coaching experience at all. Furthermore, he got to know the Nottingham Forest manager, Tony Twain, through an online chat! No matter how they looked at it, it was a plot that would only appear in YY novels.
As a result, many "irresponsible conjectures" about why Dunn would appear in Nottingham Forest appeared.
Some people thought that Dunn must be the brother-in-law of the boss of a large domestic enterprise, and that the enterprise paid for Dunn to go there for fun. In reality, he had no real ability at all.
This was the most supported conjecture.
Others thought that Dunn was an expert hidden among the people. Didn't the report say that Twain had traveled to China twice? Then it was normal to know Dunn. Moreover, the Chinese football scene was so trashy. Was having coaching experience in Chinese football something to brag about? Perhaps after Dunn coached in China, Twain would not want him.
Others thought that as England's most individualistic manager, everything he did was unpredictable. So, even if Dunn did not have any ability, it was normal for him to choose Dunn as an assistant manager — because Dunn did not do normal things at all.
The last view was from a business point of view. They thought that after Nottingham Forest bought Sun Jihai, they had the intention of opening up the China market. So, they found such a Chinese manager. This was a bit of nonsense. Who would buy something from Nottingham Forest for a Chinese manager? Would they produce a specialized coach's suit?
In short, no matter how these people made "irresponsible conjectures," Dunn was indeed a member of Nottingham Forest's coaching staff.
So, in order to understand the story behind this — the other media did not want to chew on the leftovers of Titan Sports — countless Chinese media swarmed to where Nottingham Forest Football Club was located.
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"Tsk tsk." Twain shook his head and smacked his lips in the training ground. "Even if Sun came, I've never seen so many black-haired and yellow-skinned reporters. Dunn, you're quite charming! I'm a little jealous … "
The other members of the coaching staff all laughed.
Dunn obviously knew that Twain was joking, so he only smiled slightly and did not say anything.
"We can't let these people hang around outside the training ground all day. It's really affecting our training. Let's find some time to specially hold a press conference. Dunn, you and I will go deal with them."
This time, Dunn nodded. He also felt that it was not good to be looked at like monkeys. This analogy was very vivid. In the training ground surrounded by barbed wire, they were like monkeys in an iron cage, being sized up by the curious gazes of the tourists outside. It was not a good feeling.
Twain understood the Chinese media's enthusiasm for Dunn. It was because he was once a Chinese. Today, when China's football was weak, they really needed a hero to boost morale. Although they did not know if Dunn was a hero, in the eyes of the Chinese media, it did not prevent them from promoting him as a hero — a man who charged into England alone and moved the proud and aloof famous manager Tony Twain with his real ability, thus summoning him to his tent. So what if the international superstars were amazing? We had a manager who specialized in managing these amazing superstars, Dunn!
Twain wiped the corners of his eyes. This was really a touching story.
Therefore, every Chinese reporter who hoped to interview Dunn received an invitation:
Nottingham Forest Football Club sincerely invites all our friends from afar to attend the press conference to be held at the City Ground at 3: 30 p.m.
Tang Jing was naturally among the invited. She held the invitation in her hand and looked at the field. Her gaze was not on Dunn, who everyone was focused on, but on Tony Twain.
Compared to Dunn's legendary appearance at Nottingham Forest, she thought that Tony Twain, who she had decided to recruit into Nottingham Forest as a manager just because they chatted online and then flew to China for two talks, was more worthy of research. What exactly was going on in this man's head all day long? Was he thinking of every possible way to shock the outside world with his decision? If that was really the case, looking at the outside reaction, he had succeeded.
Not only the Chinese media, but even the British media had begun to take notice.
There were a lot of foreigners around her now. But Tang Jing was convinced that these people were not here for Dunn, but for Tony Twain, who had brought Dunn into the English Premier League. Otherwise, why did the British media not pay any attention to Dunn, who had been the youth team manager for two years before this?
No matter how much the Chinese media made a fuss, these British people were not interested in a Chinese manager at all. They only cared about the people and football in their own country. Even the other football powerhouses in Europe and the British media did not care much. English football, which was situated in a corner of Europe, fantasized about being the world's best in its own world.
Having stayed in England for so many years, Tang Jing had long understood what English football was like. Her mentality had also changed from the initial worship of English football to the current indifference of a bystander.
Their losses in the World Cup and the European Championship were definitely not as simple as the players being in bad form and the manager not being good enough. Many times, they had something in common with China football.
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"Let me tell you, Dunn. When the time comes, dress a little more formally. Don't go in a bloated tracksuit. This won't do. "At home, in order to prepare for the press conference the next day, Twain was forcing Dunn to try on clothes. He was now using all the methods that Shania had used to "torture" him on Dunn.
He had to admit that tormenting a living person to do as he pleased gave him a sense of accomplishment.
"I have to wear a tie too?" Dunn held a dark red tie in his hand.
"I hope so."
"It's not like we're going to see Her Majesty the Queen."
"That's more like it!" Twain said sternly. "Tomorrow, you're not just facing reporters from all over the world as Forest's assistant manager. You're also facing reporters from China. Everything you say and do, even the way you dress, represents' China. ' If you don't dress well, if your dress sense is terrible, you'll be laughed at! They'll look down on China and think, 'Do Chinese people all dress like this?' You have to know that there are still many people in the West who know nothing about China. They think that Chinese people are still living in the 50s and 60s of the last century, or even the Qing Dynasty. So, you have the obligation to let those people see what the Chinese people are like today! "He changed the words that Shania had taught him in class and instilled it into Dunn.
Shania had said to Twain, "You're the manager of Nottingham Forest. No matter where you go, everyone will look at you and think of you that way. Everything you wear, everything you say and do represents Nottingham Forest Football Club. If you don't dress well and your dress sense is terrible, people will mock the club behind you. They'll say, 'Look, Nottingham Forest's manager is like a country bumpkin.' They won't say, 'Tony Twain is a country bumpkin.' "
Dunn's current expression was the same as Twain's when he heard it — completely dumbfounded. In the past, they had never thought of so many complicated things. Now that they had been reminded and thought about it carefully, it seemed to be the case.
Everyone liked to say, "I am who I am and I don't live for anyone." It sounded very independent and awesome. But in reality? Humans were social creatures, so they had to live in all kinds of groups. Behind every person, there was bound to be something.
"You're so concerned about China's image," Dunn said after being stunned for a long while.
"No matter what, I'm a Chinese." Twain was very proud. "It's everyone's responsibility to protect their country's image!"
Dunn snorted and put on his tie. "I suddenly thought of a question. Now that you're getting closer to China, if one day the China Football Association invited you to coach the China national team, would you go? "
"Of course not!"
"You're so straightforward in your refusal. Didn't you say you want to protect your country's image?"
"China's football has nothing to do with China's image. If you want to talk about sports image, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and so on are enough. China's football is already complicated enough. Let's make it simpler. Besides, it's not worth it for me to sacrifice my career and my future to do such a torturous thing. " Twain sat on the sofa and swung his legs. He was like a different person from his righteous and positive image just now.
His words left Dunn speechless. He had to admit that the Englishman in front of him had a much better understanding of China's football than he did. He had a deep understanding of the problems in China's football.
"What do you think of this?" Dunn asked after putting on the suit.
Twain scrutinized it for a while. In truth, he did not understand either. It was just an act. All experts were like this. His attitude had to be vague. In the eyes of outsiders, it was a sign that he was deep. He had to speak slowly. In the eyes of outsiders, it was a sign that he was weighing his words. A person who spoke quickly and immediately made his attitude clear would be seen as frivolous and lacking in standards in the eyes of others. After all, "when a bottle of water is not full, half a bottle is swayed."
After pretending to scrutinize it for a long time, Twain finally nodded. "It's done!"
In fact, compared to before, it was just that the sports jacket had been replaced with a suit, the round-neck T-shirt had been replaced with a white shirt, and a tie had been added.
"Perform better tomorrow. Don't be so quiet." Twain gave his roommate a thumbs up.
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On this day, everyone's focus was not on the Forest team's preparation for the next round of the league tournament. Instead, it was on the press conference to be held after 3: 30 in the afternoon.
The first Chinese assistant manager to enter the English Premier League … Everyone wanted to know the story behind it.
When the allotted time arrived, Twain appeared in front of the crowd of reporters with Dunn dressed in formal attire.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. But you have to ask them one by one. Our time is limited. I don't think you want to waste your precious time on maintaining order, right? Let's begin. "After a simple explanation, Twain announced the start of the press conference.
Then, the reporters raised their hands one by one to ask questions. Twain and Dunn would answer them. Some of the questions were directed at Dunn. Twain would occasionally interject.
The reporters were mainly interested in the following points:
First, how did Twain and Dunn, an Englishman and a Chinese, meet and become familiar with each other?
Of course, Twain and Dunn could not say that they knew each other so well because they had swapped bodies. So, Twain once again brought up the topic of online chatting and making friends. Regardless of whether the reporters believed it or not, this was their unified answer. No matter how fantastical or inconceivable they felt, this was the "truth."
Second, whether Dunn really had the qualifications and ability to be an assistant manager in an English Premier League team.
Naturally, Twain would not say that Dunn did not have the qualifications. But whether the media believed his words about Dunn's ability was not something he could control. In any case, time would prove everything. In the future, the media would know for themselves how to judge Dunn's ability.
Third, there were many capable managers in the world. There were also quite a number of assistant managers from England, Scotland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil … Why did Twain choose a China one?
Twain's attitude toward this was very unyielding. Since people from those countries could be assistant managers, why couldn't a China one? As long as he had the ability, he did not care if his assistant was an Earthling or a Martian. He even said something shocking again, "If there's a woman of sufficient standard, I don't mind finding her to be my assistant manager!"
The original target of this press conference was Dunn, but Twain once again became the main character of the press conference. He was really good at "stealing the limelight."
Dunn also answered questions, but he answered very little. Only when the reporters called for him to answer would he stand up and say a few words. Tang Jing had seen this person's style of speaking before. He spoke concisely and to the point, and after he had said what needed to be said, he would not say a word of nonsense. Interview him? That was practically a form of torture. Because you had to rack your brains to think of how to keep the topic going.
When Dunn's answer did not satisfy the reporters, Twain would come out to "add to the explanation." Then, the media realized that compared to the China Dunn, who would say one word less if he could, this Tony Twain, who always liked to go against the media, was very cute.
This press conference solved many of everyone's questions, but it also left people with even more questions. These questions could only be answered in the future.
The next day, The Times specially wrote an opinion article to talk about this matter. Regarding the matter of a China manager becoming an assistant manager of a famous English Premier League club, they used a thought-provoking title, "Chinese Conquers Nottingham Forest."
"… He won the trust of his colleagues. He convinced the arrogant Tony Twain. The process of him and Twain getting to know each other sounds like a modern fairy tale. The internet has made the impossible a reality. There are still too many mysteries about this Chinese man. It's like the faraway country behind him that we actually do not understand."
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Twain handed the newspaper to Dunn and said to him, "From now on, please allow me to call you 'Man of Mystery, Dunn.' Ahaha!"
Dunn took the newspaper but casually put it aside. "I think they're right. The real Chinese have conquered this ancient forest." He pointed to Twain, who was laughing heartily. "The Conqueror, Emperor Twain."
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