On the last night before the final, Tang En did not sleep soundly. He had a dream.
Everything in the dream was very vague. He only knew that there were many people around him. Most of their faces were blurred, and he could not hear their voices clearly. It was noisy all around him. Everyone was talking, but he could not hear what they were specifically saying.
The scene was a little chaotic. The lights flickered, and there were constantly white lights that appeared and disappeared.
Although he couldn't see their faces clearly and couldn't hear their voices, he knew that they were all laughing at him. They were all smiling at him and talking loudly. There were a lot of people around him, and those people were looking at him.
Tang En was a little confused in the dream. He wanted to open his mouth to ask but found that he could not make any sound when he opened it.
What's going on? Who are you? Where am I?
These were the questions he wanted to ask.
Before he could figure it out, he found himself flying and then falling into darkness. He felt cold all over and wet all over. There was not a dry spot.
He woke up with a start.
When he got up, he found that his back was covered in cold sweat. No wonder it felt wet and cold.
The central air conditioner in the room made a low humming sound, proving that it had been working. Tang En grabbed the watch on the bedside table. It was 6: 30 in the morning. He wanted to lie down and continue sleeping, but when he thought of the sweat on his body, he did not feel sleepy anymore.
His pajamas were damp and it was uncomfortable to lie down. Tang En simply got up to take a shower.
He was still thinking about the dream when he took a shower. He could not see it clearly in the dream. After he woke up with a start, he did not have a deep impression. He only remembered that there were a lot of people and that it was cold and wet.
In the hot bath, he suddenly shivered.
That scene could not have been him jumping into the sea in front of the media after losing the game, right?
What an unlucky dream! He opened the bathroom door and spat three times outside.
Tang En's body was dry and refreshed after the shower. He could not sleep even if he wanted to.
He simply sat on the sofa by the window and began to read tactical notes.
The thick notebook recorded a variety of tactics, the Forest team's, the opponent's, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of these tactics, how to deal with them, and other information. This was brought to him by Dunn, and he learned it for his own use.
Now the latest page recorded the various tactics used by AC Milan in the league tournament and this season's Champions League. Even though he could recite it backwards, Tang En still took it out to read to pass the time.
He didn't look at it for long before he put it down again. That dream made him a little concerned.
When Tang En was very young, he had heard the saying, "What you think about in the day, you dream of at night." In other words, dreams were usually images of the things they cared about the most during the day. But he had not been thinking about jumping into the sea for the past few days. He had almost forgotten about it as soon as he mentioned it. If he had not been dreaming, he might not have remembered it.
Later, when he grew up, he heard that dreams were a prophecy of something in the future. Some people often felt a sense of déjà vu when they were experiencing something. Perhaps they had already encountered it in a dream at night.
Could it be that this dream foretold their failure in the finals?
Tang En put down his notes and raised his head to look at the dimly lit sky outside the window.
He believed in fate, but he did not believe in these illusory dreams and prophecies.
After figuring out what the dream was about, Tang En put the matter aside and buried his head in his tactical notes again.
He had already thought of a way to solve this dream.
※ ※ ※
As there was no training in the morning on the day of the finals, most of the players woke up later. Tang En had already finished his breakfast when he saw them coming out of the elevator one after another.
Some even yawned when they greeted Tang En.
"Good morning … Ah … Ah …"
Tang En looked a hundred times more energetic. Kerslake roared in the dining room with his loud voice, "Haven't you all woken up yet? Look, you're not even as energetic as the manager! You can't go to the finals like this. Keep your spirits up! "
Tang En stood beside his assistant and smirked.
After everyone went in to eat, Tang En turned his head to Kerslake and Dunn beside him and said, "It looks like they're all very relaxed. That's a good thing."
"As long as they don't relax too much," Kerslake said with a frown.
This was not his first time entering the Champions League finals with the team, but it looked like he was even more nervous than the rookie Dunn beside him.
Perhaps the defeat last season was too unforgettable and had an indelible impact on his heart?
Who knew?
Tang En laughed. "I think you're a little too nervous, David. Relax a little. Do you have any plans for the morning? "
Kerslake did not expect Tang En to ask this question. The two topics changed too quickly. He was stunned for a moment before shaking his head. "No plans."
"Do you want the three of us to go shopping?"
"I'm not a woman. Why would I go shopping?" Kerslake rejected the suggestion.
After breakfast was free time. Most of the players chose to stay in the hotel and play billiards and table tennis. They used this form of entertainment to pass the time while they waited for lunch and the afternoon break. After the afternoon break, they would set off for the finals venue after a simple dinner to prepare for the upcoming battle.
In order to calm the nervous Kerslake, Tang En sat with him in the hotel cafe and ordered two cups of coffee. They watched the players play billiards and chatted casually.
Dunn did not appear there. Tang En did not know where he had gone. He did not care about Dunn's private life.
Tang En and Kerslake chatted a lot, starting from the time they worked together in the youth team to the Forest team's failure to be promoted and their success in the Premier League a year later at a time when they were least optimistic. Some things felt like beautiful memories when they talked about it now.
Tang En was grateful to chat with Kerslake at this time. It helped him sort out the memories of the past few years and let him remember some things from the past.
It played a big role in his determination to win the Champions League this time.
For people who had nothing to do, the time before the finals always passed very slowly. But for people who wanted to play early, this time could be regarded as flying like water.
After lunch, the lively cafe and entertainment room quieted down again. There were fewer reporters loitering inside and outside the lobby. It was now the lunch break. The Nottingham Forest players were all sleeping. After Kerslake and Tang En confirmed that everyone had returned to their rooms, they also went back to their own rooms.
They had to conserve their energy for the game in the evening.
At the same time, it was the same situation in the hotel where AC Milan was staying. The news media could not rest at this time. They had to prepare for the game in the evening. For example, they had to prepare two sets of post-game report plans. Plan A was for winning the game, and Plan B was for losing the game.
Pierce Brosnan frowned in his room as he faced a blank document on his open laptop. It was easy to write about the win. It was nothing more than praising everyone on the Forest team, focusing on the heroes of the win, arranging for a live interview, and then using the identity of a Forest fan to describe the feelings after the victory in the game with emotional strokes. Brosnan was best at this kind of thing. He only needed fifteen minutes to write after the game was over to finish it in one go.
What if they lost the game?
In fact, losing the game was not without something to do, such as the much-anticipated Tony Twain jumping into the sea. But the Nottingham Evening Post, where he worked, did not win the right to report the event in the print media, which made the boss of the Evening Post a little dissatisfied. He had originally thought that with the newspaper and Tang En's many years of cooperation, the exclusive right to report in the print media would not fall to others. He did not expect Tang En to hand it all over to Billy Woox. Woox naturally did not choose a business partner based on friendship, but who paid more. In this way, The Sun, which paid the most, became the exclusive.
The Evening Post would not be able to report on this sensational event. If they lost the game, they would be in a very awkward situation. After Tang En promised to jump into the sea if they lost the game, the usual reports of losing the game could no longer attract everyone's attention. Perhaps other than the Nottingham Forest fans, people from all over Europe and the world wanted to see the madman manager, who had become famous at a young age, make a fool of himself.
There was nothing more satisfying than making a big talker speechless.
Brosnan thought for a long time but did not know how to prepare Plan B after losing the game. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, sighing.
At this time, most of the other media … No, all the media were in high spirits preparing Plan B, right?
"Drowned Chicken Tony Twain," "Please Jump into the Sea," "Losing and Losing," "To Jump or Not to Jump? This is a Question, "" The Sea Is Cold, Tang En Is Miserable, "" Look at His Unlucky Face! " …
With just a little thought, Brosnan could come up with a whole bunch of similar headlines. Everyone was very interested in the matter of Tang En making a fool of himself. Perhaps adding insult to injury was one of the most common bad habits of human beings, right?
He was a staunch Nottingham Forest fan, even before he decided to become a sports journalist. He was born in Nottingham and grew up in Nottingham. Other than supporting Nottingham Forest, he could not think of any other team he would cheer for.
Of course, he did not want to see the Forest team lose the game. If he were a fan, he would not even think about the idea of "losing." But who asked him to be a reporter now?
It was customary to prepare two sets of plans before the final, and he had to abide by them.
After thinking for a long time, Brosnan still did not know how to start. Finally, he thought of the idea that Tang En had told him over the phone.
At that time, it sounded more like Tang En's angry words, but now … After Brosnan carefully chewed on those words and pondered over them, he suddenly realized that if he wanted to be the special one among the overwhelming "Tang En jumping into the sea," this method might be the best.
He typed this line on the document:
Nottingham Forest loses again and again. We have nothing to say!
After typing, he enlarged the line and emailed it to the chief editor.
Fifteen minutes later, he received a call from the chief editor.
"F * ck you, Brosnan!" The chief editor roared angrily over the phone, so much so that Brosnan had to move the phone away from his ear. Even so, the voice could still be heard clearly.
"This is what you've been thinking about for days? I left a whole page for you. I trusted you so much, and you f * cking gave me this? What is this? What did your journalism teacher teach you? "
Brosnan simply put the phone directly on the table and used it as a hands-free.
After the chief editor vented his anger, he picked it up and said, "Well, it's my fault that I didn't tell you my intentions in detail. But I'm definitely not brushing you off. This is the best plan that I've come up with after careful consideration. "
"What f * cking best plan is this? A whole page of blank space, except for this f * cking title! "The chief editor continued to rage.
So, Brosnan's phone became "hands-free" again.
Once again waiting for the chief editor to finish venting, Brosnan continued, "Remember our title after the Forest team made it to the finals? That was the best-selling issue. "
After he said that, there was no more sound from the other side. Clearly, the chief editor was also considering the connection between this and that matter.
"Sometimes, I think it's not good to say too much. We've said everything, but it may not be what the readers want to see. If … I mean, if the Forest team really loses, I think there are some things that we don't need to tell the readers. If someone nags in their ears at this time, it will only annoy them. So, I think it's best to come up with such a title and not say anything. If they have emotions, they will vent on their own … Besides, when the time comes, it will be overwhelming criticism and condemnation. We won't be able to gain any advantage from it. It's better to be unconventional. It'll be more eye-catching … "
After he said that, he waited for a while before there was a chuckle on the other side.
"I still remember that inexperienced kid who just came to work here and talked about the seriousness of the news. I still remember that 'responsible editor' who deleted all the profanities after getting Tang En's exclusive article. Hey, I have to say, Pierce, where did the old you go? Do you know how to talk and talk in front of me to attract attention now? "
These words made Brosnan blush. Of course, these were not his original intentions, but if he wanted to survive in this world, he would definitely do a lot of things that were not what he wanted.
"But your idea isn't bad. I'll use it! If it doesn't work, I won't let you off! "
Brosnan countered, "Do you want the Forest team to lose?"
"Ah … This … Well, we all pray that your damn idea never appears in tomorrow's extra."
After hanging up the phone, Brosnan breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sense of relief from completing his work. He also hoped that such a great idea would never become a reality, regardless of whether it appeared in tomorrow's extra.
But if they really lost, he could not blame the title for being vicious from the content to the form.
If you really lose the game, even I won't forgive you, Tony …
※ ※ ※
After a simple and light dinner in the afternoon, the players were rushed to the bus. They would set off for the stadium to warm up before the game. At this point, they had already entered the game program.
On the bus, everyone's expressions gradually became serious. Everyone knew that the time for the final had arrived. Not many people were still in the mood to laugh and joke.
The moment of relaxation came to an end.
The team's hotel was very close to the stadium. The roads between the two were subject to traffic control, and they did not encounter any obstacles along the way. They arrived on time at the final venue, the Olympic Stadium of Athens.
Countless fans from both sides had gathered here. As they waited to enter the stadium, they warmly applauded and cheered for the approaching team bus. Of course, the AC Milan fans booed and gave the Forest team bus the middle finger.
"How lively." Tang En casually commented as he saw the scene below from the bus. "It's a big scene …" He thought of the huge advertisement set up in Houston before Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets.
Let's create a big scene together!
This advertising slogan was really interesting to read at this time and made people's blood boil.
A big scene, hey!
He looked at the sea of people outside, but he did not feel nervous at all. Connecting Kerslake's performance this morning, even Tang En could not say why he could be so calm, and why he could still laugh and joke with people in the face of such an important game in his life.
Perhaps it was all fate. He was born for this kind of big scene.
He liked to be the center of attention. He liked to be in the limelight. The more people, the better. The bigger the storm, the better.
To put it bluntly, he was crazy when he came alone.
The bus was about to drive into the special parking lot. Tang En stood up and turned to look at the players sitting behind. Everyone knew that he had something to say again. One by one, they took off their headphones and stopped chatting with others. They moved their eyes away from the phone screen and looked at their manager.
Tang En was very satisfied with the players' reaction. He tilted his head and said with a smile, "Do you see the situation outside?"
Everyone nodded.
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