The 06-07 English Premier League season had come to an end. Except for two teams in England, the rest of the teams were disbanded and on holiday. This year was a good year for the European players. Because there were no international competitions, their bodies and minds, which had been exhausted for a season, could finally relax and rest.
Although the players of those two teams did not have the right to rest so early, it was believed that many people would be envious of them because they had reached the finals of their respective cup competitions.
Liverpool, which had just lost the qualification to participate in next season's Champions League, could only continue to fight in the UEFA Europa League next season. The good news was that they had finally reached the finals of this season's UEFA Europa League, and their opponent was Spain's Sevilla.
The UEFA Europa League final would be held on May 17th, just four days after the end of the league tournament.
At this stage, the media was covering the UEFA Europa League final, and Liverpool became the team with the highest appearance rate. As for Benítez, his first season at Liverpool was amazing, helping the "Reds" win back the UEFA Champions League title that had been lost for many years. But after that, whether it was in the league or in the cup competitions, Liverpool seemed to have suddenly fallen into some kind of bottleneck, unable to achieve anything.
After being blocked out of next season's Champions League for two seasons in a row, he urgently needed a title that was significant enough to prove his ability. The UEFA Europa League became his last life-saving straw. If they were still empty-handed this season, it was hard to say whether Benítez would leave next season.
While everyone was paying attention to Liverpool, Tang En led his team in closed training at Nottingham's Wilford Training Base.
Most of the English media hated Tang En, which had to do with his "closed training." Before him, there were very few managers in English football who would engage in such frequent closed training. This might have something to do with the fact that he was once a China fan and was all too familiar with "closed training."
There were pros and cons to closed training. For him now, the pros outweighed the cons. At least his team could avoid the harassment of those annoying media.
The day of the finals was getting closer and closer, and he still had a lot of things to deal with.
※ ※ ※
Pepe had fully recovered. Although he did not participate in the competition, his performance in the team's matches made everyone believe that the Pepe who appeared in Athens must be the healthy and in excellent condition Pepe. The problem that had plagued the Forest team's defensive line for a long time was solved.
Ashley Young also returned to the team after his injury, and there was no problem with accompanying the team to Athens.
Logically speaking, Tang En should be very happy that Nottingham Forest had resolved their injury problems before such an important match. However, he had been frowning for the past few days. The players did not understand what was going on and were a little hesitant.
In fact, even many members of the coaching team did not know the reason for this. Other than Tang En, only the two assistant managers, Kerslake and Dunn, knew the whole story. Oh, and the team doctors also knew.
According to the practice of English football, the first person the team doctors needed to inform about a player's injury was not the injured player himself, but the manager of the team. Then, the manager would decide what to tell the players. If a team doctor directly bypassed the manager and told the injured player about the injury, then the team doctor would not be able to survive in the football world. No club would want a team doctor who had close contact with the player behind the manager's back.
But now Fleming's problem was not that he bypassed Tony Twain and told the player about the injury, but that the player took the initiative to find him.
Generally, when a player took the initiative to find the team doctor, it was nothing more than to ask about his own injury. At this time, the team doctor could not casually say anything. At most, he would use ambiguous words like "you're recovering well" to dismiss him. If he explicitly told the player about the injury, he could be kicked out of the club.
Now that Nottingham Forest was under the control of the American owner, such traditions and practices were becoming fewer and fewer. Tang En was also not a manager who fussed over such authority. However, Fleming was an old team doctor who had been at the club for decades. That tradition had long been deeply engraved in his bones and had become a professional habit.
Two days ago, the person who took the initiative to find the team doctor, Fleming, was the team's substitute goalkeeper, Paul Gerrard.
He had already recovered from the surgery and had begun rehabilitation training a month ago. At first, it was only a simple physical rehabilitation program, and did not involve specific training in the field of goalkeeping.
After 25 days, he began to enter specific training as a goalkeeper. Here came the problem.
Paul Gerrard found that his reaction speed and prediction, as well as his vision, had all been affected. He was somewhat unable to accurately determine the distance between himself and the football. Occasionally, his eyes would have temporary astigmatism. For a professional goalkeeper, this was a fatal problem.
Deeply worried, he found the team doctor, Fleming, hoping that he would do another comprehensive physical examination, especially on his brain. He suspected that these were the aftereffects of the head injury. However, he did not reveal his true condition. He only said that he hoped to have a comprehensive understanding of his own body after recovering from the injury.
This request aroused Fleming's vigilance. Having been a team doctor for decades, how could he not guess what the players were thinking?
Such a request definitely had to be approved by the manager before it could be carried out. Fleming told Gerrard that he had to talk to the boss before he could give him an answer.
What happened next was that Fleming went to find Tang En. At that time, Tang En, Dunn, and Kerslake were present, so they became the only four people who knew about the matter.
Tang En frowned as he listened to Fleming's recount of the incident. He had a very bad feeling.
As far as he knew, in his world, Čech's head was fractured by a Reading player and he was knocked unconscious on the spot. At one point, his safety was threatened. Unexpectedly, in just three months, he was back on the field again, wearing a "tank helmet" to protect his head and guarding the goal for Chelsea. He was still one of the top three outstanding goalkeepers in the world.
This incident made Tang En maintain a certain optimism about what happened to Paul Gerrard. He thought that since Čech could recover in three months, then they should be more conservative and let Gerrard recover in eight months. There shouldn't be any problems, right?
He was not a professional doctor and did not know much about medical knowledge about the head. He only referred to Čech's actual experience and thought that Gerrard would be fine.
"I'm also not a cranial specialist," Fleming said to Tang En. "But I don't think a comprehensive physical examination is necessary. What we need to examine is Paul Gerrard's head. And it's not just a fracture, but a nerve in his head. I suspect … "
Tang En, who had been listening to Fleming in silence, waved his hand to interrupt him. He had already made up his mind. "Tomorrow, you take Paul to the Royal Hospital of Nottingham University. I'll wait for you there with Professor Constantine."
Constantine was well-known in the entire British medical field. He was an expert in the brain and nerves. As a doctor, Fleming also knew this. Since Professor Constantine was going to do it, he had nothing to worry about.
He nodded.
※ ※ ※
The next day, Paul Gerrard and Fleming came to the hospital together to see the manager, Tony Twain, and Professor Constantine.
After seeing the two men, Gerrard had a bad feeling. He felt that things were not simple. Otherwise, why would the boss appear here? Shouldn't he be at the training ground leading the team? The Champions League final was approaching. He had no reason and no time to come here specifically for a medical examination of a substitute goalkeeper.
After Tang En saw Gerrard, he smiled and extended his hand to him. "Good morning, Paul. You look in good spirits. "Then he introduced the old man beside him to Gerrard.
"This is Professor Constantine, the most famous brain expert in the country."
Constantine smiled at Gerrard and shook his hand. "Hello, Paul. Tony has already told me about your situation. I need to do some simple examinations on you. "
After hearing this introduction, Gerrard thought that his bad feeling had finally become reality.
He shook hands with Professor Constantine with some hesitation and forced a smile.
Tang En did not speak at the side, but he saw everything with his eyes.
Constantine also noticed the uneasiness in Paul Gerrard's heart. He smiled and patted Gerrard on the shoulder. "Don't worry, young man. It's just a simple examination." He winked at Gerrard and then led him to do a brain examination.
Fleming and Tang En did not follow. They were afraid that if a group of people followed, it would create a greater psychological burden for Gerrard.
Fleming, who followed Constantine, was like a helpless child, fearful of the unpredictable future.
He looked back at Tang En and Fleming, and Tang En gave him a smile. Only when he was far away did he stop smiling.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have loaned Akinfeev back. Now we can only rely on Edwin van der Sar for the whole season." Sitting on a bench in the hospital corridor, Tang En took out a cigarette and lighter, intending to light a cigarette for himself.
"Who knew before this kind of thing happened?" Fleming pointed to the no-smoking sign on the wall.
After Tang En looked up and saw it, he put away the cigarette and lighter.
There was a moment of silence in the empty corridor. No one spoke until Constantine led Paul Gerrard back to them.
"It's OK." Professor Constantine nodded to Tang En. Then he turned to Gerrard and said, "The results of the examination will only be out tomorrow. At that time, we will inform the club directly."
Gerrard did not express any objection. Tang En stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Go back and have a good rest, Paul. There's no need to train today."
After sending Paul Gerrard and Fleming out of the hospital, Tang En turned back.
"I knew you had something to say to me." Constantine was not surprised by Tang En's return.
"I want to know the results of the examination." Tang En asked directly.
"When the results are out, I'll call you tomorrow."
"Come on, Professor. Don't use the same method you used on Gerrard against me." Tang En walked over and sat down. "If you don't tell me the truth today, I won't leave."
Constantine smiled bitterly and shook his head. He really had no way to deal with such a rascal.
"In fact, the results of the examination are not out yet." Constantine stood up from his seat, walked to Tang En, and handed him a glass of water. "But I can talk about my personal feelings. His here … "He pointed to his head and said," … is not very optimistic. "
"Eight months of recovery is still not enough?" Tang En murmured.
"No, this has nothing to do with the length of time, Tony." Constantine corrected him. "I think even if you give him two years of recovery time, it won't be enough."
Tang En raised his head and looked at Constantine, who was standing in front of him, with some surprise. "You mean …"
"I think he's no longer suitable to be a professional goalkeeper."
These words were like a thunderbolt that struck Tang En's head. He was stunned for a moment. He tilted his head and asked, "What did you say, Professor?"
"His head was severely injured. Although he has recovered after surgery, but … I think it's not a problem for him to live a normal life. But the competitive professional football is no longer suitable for him." This time, Constantine spoke in more detail.
"Not everyone can recover their professional career after such a serious injury …" Constantine had an "I'm sorry" expression.
Tang En abruptly stood up from his seat, giving him a fright.
He looked at Constantine, and the look in his eyes made the professor feel uncomfortable. But soon, he lowered his head. When he raised it again, there was no longer that uncomfortable look in his eyes. He said to Constantine, "But the examination results are not out yet, are they, Professor?"
Constantine was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, the results are not out yet. What I said just now was just a judgment based on my personal experience. Maybe the situation is not that bad? "He shrugged and pretended to smile casually.
Tang En also grinned at him. This man was a well-known figure in the country's medical field. He had been in clinical research for so many years, and his experience was a treasure in itself. He said that he made a judgment based on his personal experience, but in fact, it was not far from the truth.
"In that case, I'll be waiting for your call tomorrow, Professor." Tang En waved and left Constantine's office.
On the car back to the training base, Tang En sat in the back and did not speak. Landy, who was in the front seat, was also not in a position to ask. He knew that Tony must have encountered some problems. This man always looked fearless, but in fact, he had a lot of troubles in his heart. Others might not know, but as Tang En's "personal chauffeur," he was very clear.
Tang En was thinking about a football fantasy novel he had read before he transmigrated. It was a novel that was quite famous on the Internet. After the protagonist in the movie experienced an injury that was enough to destroy his entire career, he was miraculously cured by an unknown Chinese medicine practitioner. Moreover, his ability was improved by another level. It was as if it was not an injury, but a tonic. This was an Internet fantasy novel. It was normal for any plot to appear, so Tang En did not think it was bad. But in his opinion, it was fortunate that it was the main character. If it were someone else, the author might have arranged for it to be a tragic character. Just think of the main character's poor high school classmate.
At that time, he saw everything that happened to the main character as the fantasy plot of the fantasy novel. Now, the cruel reality was in front of him.
How big of a blow was it for a professional football player that Paul Gerrard could no longer continue his career?
Yes, Tang En admitted that Paul's ability was not enough to be the main goalkeeper. His personality was ordinary and did not attract much attention. The media did not pay attention to him at all. He seemed to be born to be a supporting role. But in Tang En's eyes, he was also one of his players. In his world, there was no distinction between supporting roles and leading roles. Everyone was the same. They all played for him and received his training.
You are not the main character, Paul Gerrard. If you were the main character, fate would show you the light of a miracle and let you stand up again from the dark abyss of hell. No matter how absurd or unbelievable this fate seems, as long as you are the main character.
He sighed softly.
When Eastwood was injured and wanted to give up, he ran to the hospital and told him that fate was a net. Different paths were entangled and intertwined, and it was up to you to choose. Eastwood, the optimistic Romani, chose to keep moving forward. And this time, he could not even say that to Paul Gerrard, because fate did not even give this supporting role a chance to choose. Perhaps for Paul Gerrard, fate was a straight path with no forks in the road. It had never given him a glorious moment. It was not easy to follow the right manager and hope to touch the championship trophy. But because of this damned serious injury, he had to face the problem of whether to retire or die on the field one day.
Was this a choice?
That was really damnable!
※ ※ ※
The next day, Professor Constantine called Tang En's cell phone directly. At that time, he was leading the team in training. Paul Gerrard was also on the training ground, doing individual training with the goalkeeper coach.
"Bad news." Constantine did not directly say "bad news," probably because he was concerned about Tang En's feelings. He knew this person cared a lot about his players and took care of them very, very much, as if they were his own.
Tang En's mood was better than Constantine imagined. Perhaps it was because he thought through some things on the way back to the training base yesterday. When he heard Constantine say that, he did not show that his heart sank. He just silently waited for the professor to finish speaking.
"As a doctor, I recommend that he retire."
The eyes wearing sunglasses were looking at Paul Gerrard, and the owner of the eyes still did not speak.
Both sides of the phone were silent for a while.
"Is there no other way?" Tang En asked.
"I don't joke about human life, Tony." Constantine's tone was particularly serious. Only at this time could Tang En connect him with his identity as a doctor who did research. "He was lucky that he didn't die from that injury. I'm definitely not an alarmist. In 1931, the 22-year-old goalkeeper of the Celtic team, John Thompson, suffered a fractured skull when he tried to stop the ball from the Rangers striker, English, in the famous Glasgow derby. Five hours later, he died in the hospital. Fortunately, Paul survived. But now, if he were to return to the field again, his brain injury may cause his life to be in danger. He will face the danger of what is known in medicine as' second impact syndrome. 'Once the injury is hit hard again, his brain will be damaged. This is enough to be fatal, even if the collision may not have been violent. And … "
After a pause, he continued, "I asked him some questions yesterday. Other than finding that his vision is blurry, he has a headache, and his reaction is slow, if there are any other problems. He told me that he will have intermittent memory loss recently. So, I want to correct what I said to you yesterday. It's not that his daily life will not be affected, but it has already been affected. It's just that the symptoms are mild now. If he continues to treat them, these symptoms can be controlled. But once he participates in intense professional competitions … God knows what will happen. You know, English football is the league with the most intense competition. "
Tang En certainly knew this. Injuries were all too common for people who played in the English league. But hitting the head was definitely not as common as eating.
"Then … retirement is the only way out?" Tang En asked.
"Yes, Tony."
Constantine's answer was straightforward. Without hesitation, he sentenced a professional athlete to death.
"Thank you, Professor. I owe you another favor."
"Don't say that, Tony. I'm also a Nottingham Forest fan. I don't want any Nottingham Forest player to leave. But at the same time, I'm also a doctor. I have to be responsible for my patients. "
"I know, I understand. Goodbye, Professor. Now I'm having a headache about how to tell Paul … "
After hanging up the phone, Tang En watched the training from the sidelines for a while. He found that Paul Gerrard ended training very quickly and walked out of the field.
The goalkeeper coach noticed that Tang En was looking at him. He pointed to his temple behind Paul Gerrard, then shrugged and spread his hands.
Paul had to end today's training early because of his headache. It looked like the situation was getting worse.
Some players noticed that Gerrard left the training ground early. They whispered and talked about it. When Paul announced that he was returning to the team, everyone was very happy because the boss said that he did not want anyone to be left behind when he went to Athens. He wanted no one to be left behind. Seeing that Paul, who was the most injured, could return to the team, everyone felt that they were ready for the finals and that the championship would be theirs.
Now it looked like the problem was not as simple as they thought.
Kerslake whistled loudly to remind everyone that they were still training and that it was not time to drink water and chat.
Tang En stood on the sidelines for a while, waiting for Paul's figure to completely disappear. He guessed that Paul was showering and changing in the changing room. Only then did he quietly turn around and leave the training ground.
He wanted to go to the changing room to talk to Paul and lay out his cards. Although it was a little cruel, it was better than risking Paul's life.
After all, football was just football. It could not and should not be higher than life and death.
He met Paul Gerrard outside the changing room. The latter had just showered, changed, and left.
"Are you going back, Paul?" Tang En asked, startling the other party.
"Why are you here, Boss?" After seeing clearly who it was, Paul was a little embarrassed.
"Why can't I be here?" Tang En said with a smile, trying not to let the other party guess his intentions from his face. "Are you going home, Paul?" Tang En asked again.
Paul Gerrard did not immediately answer "yes" or "no." He was silent for a while before he said with some hesitation, "No, I want to look for you, Boss."
"Look for me?" The shock on Tang En's face was not fake.
"Yes." Gerrard nodded. "I've thought about it for a long time, and I've also asked for my wife's opinion. She doesn't approve of me continuing to play football."
Gerrard said this very casually, or deliberately made his tone sound relaxed. Tang En was not relaxed at all. He had always wanted to say something to Gerrard, but now he had let the other party say it first.
Should he breathe a sigh of relief, or should he feel even more stifled?
"Then … what's your opinion?"
"I feel that I should listen to my wife." Gerrard smiled at Tang En. "I'm also afraid of dying. I'm afraid that I don't know when I'll die on the field. Although I've always been a substitute goalkeeper and have not had many opportunities to play, there are still times when I play. "
Looking at his smile, Tang En felt a little sad. He wanted to smile and comfort him, but he could not.
"So … I've decided to retire at the end of this season."
Tang En had a stomach full of words, but he did not know where to start. He could only look at Paul Gerrard.
After saying this, Gerrard let out a long breath, clapped his hands, and said, "Look, Boss. A lot of people say that it's difficult to make a decision to retire, but haven't I said it now? Actually, it's nothing. My body doesn't allow me to continue playing football, so I'm retiring. It's that simple. "
Tang En grinned. "Yes, it's very simple." After saying this, he did not know what else to say.
After saying what he wanted to say, Gerrard was obviously a lot more relaxed. He smiled and asked Tang En, "Boss, do you think there's any work in the club that I can do? Even building turf is fine. "
Speaking of this, Tang En's mind became active again. He winked at Gerrard. "Seriously, I hope you can stay on the team and be a goalkeeper coach."
Gerrard was stunned for a moment. He did not expect Tang En to not be joking with him.
"I need someone to help me. You're very suitable, Paul. What do you think? "
"I … I'll have to go back and ask my wife," Gerrard said hesitantly.
Tang En laughed. "You're a man who's afraid of his wife!"
His mood improved a lot.
Retirement was actually nothing. It was just the end of one journey and the beginning of another. If he could not be a player, he could still be a coach. If he really loved football so much, it did not matter what he did. Retirement? That was just a conventional saying.
※ ※ ※
After saying goodbye to Gerrard, Tang En returned to the training ground and found the players resting. The coaches were also drinking water and chatting together.
Seeing him return, Dunn quietly came up.
"It's settled?"
Tang En nodded.
"What did he say?"
"I didn't say much. It was all him talking. He himself brought up the hope of retirement to me. He seems to have made up his mind." Tang En's eyes drifted. He was looking around. Not many people had noticed his conversation with Dunn. He did not want to reveal the news before the Champions League final. "I didn't persuade him, and I don't know how to. But I suggested that he be the goalkeeper coach of the team after retirement, whether it's the youth team or the adult team. What do you think? "
Dunn nodded. "It's a good idea."
"Poor man …" Tang En sighed. "Tell Andy (Andy Beasley, head of the Forest team's goalkeeper coaching team) to only let him do some simple training these few days. I'm worried that something will happen during the training."
"You still plan to bring him to Athens?" Dunn asked.
Tang En turned his head and glanced at him. "Otherwise what? He's Edwin van der Sar's substitute goalkeeper, our number two goalkeeper. Previously, he was injured. Now that he's recovered, why don't we bring him to Athens? "
"No, that's not what I meant." Dunn shook his head.
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