Losing to Fulham in an away game was considered an upset by the media in Nottingham, but the media in other places, especially in London, did not see it that way. They thought the gap in strength between Fulham and Nottingham Forest was not so big that a win would be an upset, but they also admitted that Fulham's victory over Nottingham Forest was unexpected before the game.
The day after Tang En's team lost the game, Manchester United also won 2: 1 against Watford. So far, they were the only team to maintain a winning streak in all three rounds of the league tournament, so they naturally continued to sit firmly at the top of the league.
Tony Twain did not taste the feeling of being first in the league after all …
After losing the game, the Forest team's ranking also fell from the original second place to fifth. Even teams like Portsmouth and Aston Villa were ranked ahead of them. The only thing that Tang En was relieved about was that they were still ahead of Chelsea.
For Dunn, the only good thing this week was that the China television filming team finally left, and his private life could return to normal. But since he had moved out from Tang En's place, he had no reason to move back.
In fact, this was also quite good. Everyone had their own private life, even those who lived under the same roof were no exception. If Shania came to play with Tang En, even if the two of them did not feel there was anything wrong. Dunn himself would not feel uncomfortable being a third wheel.
※ ※ ※
Time entered September. In the fourth round of the league tournament, Nottingham Forest beat Blackburn Rovers 2: 1 at home. With three wins and one loss, they were ranked fourth with nine points and continued to be ahead of Chelsea.
It looked like, except for a little setback, everything was still normal.
The results of the Champions League group draw were out, and it was time to focus on the Champions League.
Speaking of the draw ceremony, Tang En also attended. The situation was different from a year ago.
A year ago, Tang En was still a nobody in the UEFA Champions League. When he came to attend the draw ceremony, he sat alone in the corner. Only a few England coaches came over to say hello. Whether it was the media or the managers of other countries, no one paid attention to this somewhat gloomy young man.
What about this time? As soon as he got out of the car, he was wildly photographed by the waiting media. The flashes connected and almost turned the square inch of the hotel entrance into day.
Following closely behind Twain was the AC Milan manager, Ancelotti. Fatty Ancelotti, who was used to seeing all kinds of big scenes, was also taken aback. He thought something big had happened. When he saw that the commotion was caused by Tang En, who was in front of him, he curled his lips and circled around the other party.
Twain turned his head to look at Ancelotti, then waved to the media and walked in.
After entering the venue, it had become an extravagant hope for him to have a quiet rest. Coaches kept coming over to chat with him. Those he didn't know … would all come over to chat with him. Tang En also enjoyed the feeling of being a core figure among the coaches.
Of course, most of the people who came over were managers of non-powerhouse teams. Powerhouse teams also had their reservations. For example, the two managers of Italy and Milan did not have any intention of maintaining a friendly relationship with Tang En. Especially the manager of Inter Milan, Mancini. As someone who had been eliminated by Forest last season, he could not bring up any good feelings when he saw Tang En beaming with success.
Another person who found Tang En an eyesore was the Barcelona manager, Rijkaard. Everyone still remembered the scene that happened after last season's Champions League final. Although on the surface, it looked like Tang En did not give face to the UEFA by giving the silver medal to the ball boy, in reality, as the champion who defeated Forest, Barcelona was also implicated. Tang En's expression was displayed to both the UEFA and Barcelona.
Rijkaard had unceremoniously criticized Tang En in an interview, saying that he had "never seen such an ungentlemanly manager," "England always calls itself a gentleman. Is this how a gentleman behaves?" "If my opponent wins, all I have is congratulations. I would never do such a disgraceful thing." It was obvious that he was filled with resentment.
Rijkaard certainly had a reason to be angry. Tang En's performance made it seem as if Barcelona's championship had come unjustly. This was an insult to Barcelona. Not only was Rijkaard unhappy, even the Barcelona club's top brass and ordinary fans were unhappy with Tang En. Who do you think you are? How dare you point your fingers at us like this? A loss is a loss. If you can't afford to lose, don't play!
Therefore, at the draw ceremony, the Barcelona manager, Rijkaard, and the Nottingham Forest manager, Tony Twain, did not meet.
Originally, these were the highlights of the draw ceremony. Unfortunately, nothing happened between the two men at the venue, which disappointed the media.
Before the draw, there was another highlight. As the UEFA's Tony Twain after the Champions League final, would his team suffer from the UEFA's secret "revenge" in the new season? Of course, the UEFA would not admit that there was "revenge," but would anyone believe their words? If they said the draw was fair, fair, and open, why would Chelsea, led by Mourinho, who was regarded as a scourge by the UEFA, run into Barcelona time and time again?
Now, there was one more person who was regarded as a scourge by the UEFA and could not be tamed — Tony Twain and his Nottingham Forest.
Johansson would definitely complain. Why did England always produce such troublesome people?
But other than in England, where the manager was given great power, it was really unlikely that such a self-centered manager would appear in other places.
The media speculated that the UEFA would secretly use some means to put Nottingham Forest in the "Group of Death," so that they could not advance out of the group. After all, even if they finished second last season, the Forest team was not a seeded team. They were placed in the third tier of teams, and the probability of running into the "Group of Death" was very high.
Even the club chairman, Evan Doughty, reminded Twain to be prepared for the worst.
"Didn't Allan go to get through the joint?" Twain was doubtful.
"Public relations work is not that simple. You have to know that it's not easy to deal with those people. It's very difficult." Evan pouted at the UEFA officials sitting on the stage. "So, no matter how Allan's doing on his side, you have to prepare for the worst."
Twain stared at the group of officials who should already be called "politicians" and nodded. "I understand."
The two stopped talking, each with their own thoughts, and quietly watched how the hands of fate fiddled with the small ball in the box.
When the results of the draw came out, everyone was shocked, including Twain and Evan.
If this time, Mourinho's Chelsea and arch-rival Barcelona were once again placed together by the UEFA in the same group, which caused a lot of noise in the venue, it could be considered the first good show of the day. What happened next was completely out of everyone's expectations.
Nottingham Forest was actually placed in the incredibly weak group!
"Group C: Eindhoven, Bordeaux, Nottingham Forest, Galatasaray."
Not to mention the media who were paying attention to the draw, even the coaches of the various teams present did not expect this result.
Every time before the draw, every team's manager would inevitably have his own little calculations, hoping to avoid a strong opponent, meet a weak team, and successfully advance. Many people hoped that the troublesome Nottingham Forest would be placed in the "Group of Death" and then fight to the death with a strong team. No matter which two teams advanced in the end, it was bound to be a situation where both sides would suffer.
Unexpectedly, not only did the UEFA not secretly punish Nottingham Forest, but it also did Tony Twain a huge favor!
The strength of this group could almost be considered the weakest of the eight groups. If there were no accidents, Nottingham Forest would not have any problems advancing.
How could this be? They were both people who gave the UEFA headaches. Mourinho had always been secretly suppressed, and Tony Twain had instead taken advantage of it.
Everyone cast doubtful eyes on the UEFA president, Johansson, on the stage, but from that smiling fat face, no one could get the answer they wanted.
"Looks like Allan has succeeded." Twain smiled and said to Evan next to him.
Although he thought it was a little strange, Evan still smiled and replied, "That's good. We don't have to spend too much energy in the group stage. "
"I'll have to thank him properly when I get back."
"If you don't give him any more trouble, he'll thank God." Evan smiled helplessly.
Twain laughed out loud. His laughter was very loud. No matter how the people next to him looked at him, he did not hide his pride and excitement at all.
"The draw ceremony for the Champions League group stage is over. I don't think anyone would disagree with the biggest winner of this draw — without a doubt, it's the Nottingham Forest manager, Tony Twain. His team has drawn a lot that couldn't be better. In the publicly recognized weakest Group C, Nottingham Forest's prospects of advancing are bright. " Most of the sports news later reported this way, accompanied by the scene of Twain smiling radiantly at the venue.
Mr. Twain, please hold on tight to the reins …
※ ※ ※
With a resounding victory in the Champions League draw ceremony, Nottingham Forest seemed to want to prove to the world that they were indeed capable of competing for the Champions League title this season. In the first game of the Champions League group stage that followed, Nottingham Forest won 1: 0 against the strongest team in the group, Eindhoven.
The game was not played beautifully, in line with Twain's consistent principle of "only pursuing points, not the spectacle."
Eindhoven, on the other hand, lost gloomily. From the looks of it, they had no fewer chances than the Forest team, but they just could not grasp them. Van Nistelrooy, on the other hand, scored a goal out of a total of three shots in the entire game.
Perhaps it had something to do with Twain's declaration before the season. Nottingham Forest did not need Twain to motivate them before the game to play in the Champions League. The players were especially enthusiastic.
There were no problems with the players' state, the team's stamina, or the coach's tactics. Twain was full of confidence in the prospects of the Champions League.
Having just had a good time in the Champions League, Nottingham Forest, who was favored by many, returned to the Premier League to face this season's newly promoted team, Reading, at home.
※ ※ ※
Before his transmigration, Twain knew almost nothing about Reading. It was not until that famous game that Reading's name was engraved in his mind and could not be erased.
Because he had been a Chelsea fan for a period of time, Twain still had a good impression of the team. Of course, now that he was the manager, the fan's mindset had to be thrown to Java. Chelsea was now his opponent.
In that famous battle, the Reading team had crippled two of Chelsea's goalkeepers. The main goalkeeper, Čech, was hit by the knee of the Reading player, Hunter, in the opening five minutes of the game. His skull was fractured and he fell unconscious. It even made Mourinho worry if he could survive. Then, a minute before the end of the game, the substitute Cudicini was hit by the Reading defender, Sonko, and he fell unconscious. In desperation, Mourinho could only let the captain, Terry, wear the goalkeeper's jersey and play the role of goalkeeper.
This game caused a huge uproar in the international football world. The violence on the English football field was once again recognized by the world.
Twain, who was still an ordinary China fan at the time, also firmly remembered Reading and their blue striped jersey that resembled prison uniforms.
Twain did not know if his transmigration would affect this game. After all, after his transmigration, his team had played against Reading many times. He also had a personal grudge with that manager. It was almost impossible to finish tomorrow's game amicably. He understood Coppell. That man would not let go of any opportunity to take revenge on him. If he could defeat Forest on Forest's home ground, it would be perfect for Coppell.
It was because of such considerations that Twain had such worries. According to his memory, the game between Reading and Chelsea had happened this season. Would the risk now be passed on to Forest? After all, Reading and Chelsea had no enmity. Would Cech and Cudicini escape death because of this?
Right now, Tang En was not clear about any of this. There was only one thing he was very clear about: Reading's rough style of play had not changed in any way because of his transmigration. When they fought in League One, Tang En had already fully understood Reading's style. Now that they had been promoted to the Premier League, in order to survive in this cruel league, their style had intensified.
It had only been four rounds of the league, but the newly promoted Reading had already let people fully understand what kind of football they played — a player had received a red card in four rounds of the league.
Twain was very worried about this. Now, his team was no longer the one in League One who was not afraid of anything when they took off their shoes, rolling up their sleeves and daring to fight to the death with any opponent. There was no need to consider tomorrow's small team. The rash Reading could afford to fight. They were not afraid of anything, and had nothing to lose. Nottingham Forest, with only 23 players in the First Team, could not afford to fight on multiple fronts.
If one person was injured, they would lose a powerful fighting force.
During the training the day before the game, Twain had been frowning, making everyone think he was dissatisfied with the training.
In reality, he was worried about what Reading would do in this game. If he had not known about the game between Reading and Chelsea in advance, he might not have thought about these things that had not happened yet. Now that he knew, it was different. There was always a faint worry in his heart.
Yet, he could not tell others, not even his closest friend, Dunn, that he knew those things in advance. So, he hoped everyone would pay attention to their own safety.
For the sake of safety, did he want everyone to give up their positive attitude in the game? Twain could not say such words, because it would make the players and coaches feel strange — why was Twain, who never gave up, suddenly afraid of a newly promoted team?
After thinking for nearly a day, Twain figured it out. It was not a good habit to worry about things that had not happened yet, but it was also not right to do nothing and wait for bad things to happen.
So, when the starting lineup was announced for tomorrow, Eastwood, who was in good form, was not selected.
Eastwood's leg had undergone three surgeries, and Twain was unwilling to let him do it a fourth time. This was a protection for Eastwood, but did the players appreciate it?
After Eastwood learned that he did not need to come with the team for tomorrow's game, he only shrugged. His expression did not look bad.
This made Twain breathe a sigh of relief. However, he still had to talk to Eastwood to prevent a repeat of Anelka's mistake.
"Freddy, after training, stay behind for a bit. The rest of you, dismissed! "
His teammates looked at Twain and Eastwood doubtfully and left the training ground. After the coaching staff had all left, only Twain and Eastwood were left on the field.
"Do you think it's strange that I didn't put you on the lineup?" Twain asked with a smile, trying to ease the atmosphere.
"It's strange indeed. But I think you must have had your reasons for making this arrangement, Boss. "Eastwood's understanding answer touched Twain.
"Yes, I did have my reasons. You know Reading is a rough team. I didn't want you to take the risk."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Eastwood looked at Twain in silence for a while. "If others knew about this, they would think I was a deserter, right?"
Twain cursed inwardly. He had forgotten that Eastwood was a man with a lot of pride.
"It's not that simple, Freddy." Twain hurriedly explained, "No one will think you're a deserter. It's a normal tactic to protect important players before an important game. "
"Important game?"
"In the sixth round of the league tournament, we're challenging Arsenal in an away game," Twain said.
This was indeed a very convincing reason. Eastwood was silent for a while before nodding. "I understand, Boss."
Tang En's nervous expression finally eased. He laughed and patted Eastwood on the shoulder. "Do you still remember what I said to you? I want to become a legendary manager, and you want to become a legendary striker. Our legend has just begun. I don't want you to take the risk in such a game. An opponent like Reading is not worth our strongest lineup to deal with … Haha! "
Eastwood also laughed. He was, of course, aware of an opponent like Reading. They had faced each other many times in League One, and they had never won against Nottingham Forest. No matter how arrogant Mr. Coppell was, the one who would lose in the end would definitely be Reading themselves.
※ ※ ※
Appendix:
Division of the 06-07 Champions League:
Group A: Barcelona, Chirsi, Werder Bremen, Levski Sofia;
Group B: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Sparta Moesco;
Group C: Eindhoven, Bordeaux, Nottingham Forest, Galatasaray;
Group D: AS Roma, Valencia, Shakhtar Donetsk, Olympiakos;
Group E: Real Madrid, Lyon, Steaua Buglust, Dynamo Kyiv;
Group F: Manchester United, Celtic, Benfica, Copenhagen;
Group G: Arsenal, Porto, CSKA Moscow, Hamburg;
Group H: AC Milan, Lille, AEK Athens, Anderlecht.
※ ※ ※
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
