"Three months ago, Tony Twain and his team brought a joyous feast to the Nottingham fans. Three months later, Nottingham Forest once again returned with glory. Their loyal fans waited at the City Ground stadium and held a small welcome party for the team that returned with the trophy. The rise of Tony Twain and his Forest team was like a legend. From the lowest point to the highest point, they only used a short four years. Today's Nottingham Forest has become a strong contender for the English Premier League title in the new season. Many people hate Tony Twain, but they cannot ignore his existence, which has become a reason to hate him even more. On this weekend's Match of the Day, we will focus on analyzing the reasons for this team's success. "
After winning the Champions League, Railway Cup, and UEFA Super Cup in a row, Nottingham Forest had become hot on the European continent.
The BBC television station did a small feature for Forest's Super Cup victory. They invited three football legends to analyze the reasons for Forest's rapid rise. Of course, to analyze this, they could not bypass a key figure — Tony Twain.
Even now, four years later, some things about him were still a mystery. For example, why after being knocked down by his own players on the sidelines, his temperament changed drastically, and then, as if suddenly enlightened, he displayed amazing talent and ability, leading Nottingham Forest to complete a big rise in four years.
Of course, these legends would not say that it was because Twain had transmigrated and had information that was three and a half years ahead of that time. At most, they would analyze Twain's talent and ability. No one would have thought that transmigration and soul possession could really happen in this world.
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While the BBC television station was analyzing the secret of Twain's success, Twain was having a "date" with Tang Jing. In fact, it was a three-person date, other than the two of them, there was also Dunn.
Tang Jing had proposed to invite the two of them to dinner after the team's game against Fulham.
Twain felt strange when he heard the invitation. He and Tang Jing did not have any interaction other than some work-related interactions. If Tang Jing had invited Dunn for a candlelit dinner, Twain would not have been surprised. The two of them had many excuses for eating together, and being fellow Chinese was just one of them. But Tang Jing specifically invited Twain, which made Dunn more like a foil.
At that time, Tang En did not forget to tease the beautiful reporter verbally. "Why, Reporter Tang, are you interested in me? Are you planning to fall in love with me after our date?"
Of course, after interacting with Twain for so long, Tang Jing had long developed a resistance to his glib tongue. The beauty retorted sarcastically, "Does Coach Twain sleep with every lady he eats with?"
Twain asked for a snub, but in the end, he still agreed to Tang Jing's invitation. He wanted to see what this woman was up to. In the past, when he teased Tang Jing like this, she would have long turned around and walked away in anger. But this time, her determined look made Twain curious.
Now, at dinner, after hearing the reason for Tang Jing's treat, Tang En somewhat regretted coming to dinner.
His face fell.
"Miss Tang Jing, I don't think I can agree to your request."
"Why? I think it's a good thing for the Forest team, and you don't need to do anything too difficult … "Tang Jing's eyes widened. In fact, she was already prepared to face difficulties, and her expression was somewhat pretentious.
Dunn, who was sitting between them, buried his head in his meal as if the topic they were discussing had nothing to do with him.
It was like this.
The three of them came to the restaurant as agreed and had dinner together. Tang Jing first congratulated Twain on winning his second major championship trophy in a row, as well as achieving a five-game winning streak since the start of the English Premier League, placing him at the top. Twain happily accepted Tang Jing's compliment, and did not embarrass her with his glib tongue.
For a moment, the host and guest spoke happily, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Following that, Tang Jing revealed the real purpose of her treating Twain to dinner. The more Twain listened, the less the smile on his face. In the end, it became what it was now — a straight face, a flat refusal in a cold tone.
It turned out that Tang Jing had invited Twain to dinner at someone's request, hoping to discuss the intention of cooperation with the Forest team.
The newspaper she worked for and a television station in Hunan, China, had planned a large-scale talent show in the country. Of course, it was not a "beauty contest" like Super Girl or Super Boy, but a trial competition to find the legendary "football genius" in the China mainland. However, there were all kinds of "talent shows" that were very popular in China. Taking advantage of this trend, the trial was also named a "talent show," and even used a very vulgar term: "audition."
As soon as Twain heard the beginning of the plan, he lost interest in the matter. Tang Jing did not know why Twain had such a strong reaction.
Dunn more or less knew, but now he chose to remain silent and not get involved in the feud between the two.
Twain had transmigrated over, so he was previously a Chinese through and through. Since he was a Chinese, he naturally had a deep impression of the various talent shows that had been popular in China for the past few years, and this impression was definitely not a good one. Even if the talent show itself was a good thing, with the various television stations in China following the trend and producing all kinds of boring talent shows, it had also lost its good reputation. In particular, some media outlets, in order to expand the influence of their own talent shows, did not hesitate to let their own judges quarrel with each other during the recording of the show. After they came down, they would attack each other and scold each other. They would let the contestants play with affectation, innocence, love … Play with all kinds of emotions, creating all kinds of so-called "gimmicks" to attract the audience's attention.
With all these messy things, coupled with the fact that most of the people selected for the elective program were not very strong, it really made it hard for the public to have a good impression. When Twain was in China, he was such an ordinary person who did not have a good impression of talent shows and avoided them like the plague.
Now that he heard that there was a messy talent show, he did not even listen to Tang Jing's introduction and could not wait to start shaking his head.
"Miss Tang Jing, I never thought that a 'talent show' that relied on a show could pick out any real geniuses."
"I think you're too extreme, Mr. Twain. With so many young football players in China, there must be one or two geniuses who have the ability to establish a foothold in the European league, right? Our talent show is just a shell that caters to the public. There's no problem with the core content — football is the core. "
Twain shrugged. "That's exactly why I object. I never thought football had any future in China …"
"This is a folk talent show. It has nothing to do with the Chinese Football Association!"
"Is that so? Look at this document you gave me. What's written on it? 'Co-organized by the youth department of the China Football Association.' It has nothing to do with the Chinese Football Association? "Twain scoffed at Tang Jing's statement.
"They're just in name. You know, Mr. Twain. China's national conditions are that these activities have to give face to the authorities. Do you understand face? "
"Of course I understand, Miss Tang Jing. I'm very knowledgeable about China. Back to the show itself. I think the talent show itself is good. But once it's brought to China, it'll change its flavor with the media. There's a similar selection competition in England. Nottingham Forest Football Club will regularly hold various selection competitions to find good seedlings. But … to be honest, I'm not optimistic about you holding this kind of talent show. Are you going to invite an ugly woman, put a big red flower on her head, and pose in an'S 'style to pick the players? "This won't do. It's too ugly! No typhoon! "Twain said, imitating Yang Erche Namu.
"Mr. Twain. This is a football talent show, not a selection of singers. We won't invite any of those people from the entertainment industry. The people we invite to be the judges are all professional football people. If you agree to participate in this plan, then we'll issue an official invitation to the Forest team. You'll send a coach to be the judge throughout the process. "At this point, Tang Jing glanced at Dunn, who was still engrossed in eating. "Most of the judges are from English clubs. There's only one China coach to be the coordinator. Its professionalism, authority, and impartiality are absolutely incomparable to those other talent shows. "
Twain glanced over. His face was still cold.
"I still don't agree." His tone left no room for negotiation. "To be honest, I hate those messy talent shows you guys do. So, I don't intend to let myself be part of that mess and do something I already hate."
If it was because of Twain's personal preferences, Tang Jing could not do anything about it. Because if it was a matter of interests, then they could sit down and talk. It was just a matter of bargaining. But if it became a very idealistic matter of personal interests, then there was no way to talk. It was very difficult to change a person's obsession, especially when this person was a well-known bigot.
Even so, Tang Jing still had to make one last effort.
"You said you hate talent shows, Mr. Twain. Doesn't England have a similar talent show? Isn't the famous' Britain's Got Talent 'very well accepted in England? From what I know, many people in your club also watch that show. Didn't the fat genius Paul Potts who appeared some time ago become popular all over the world and touched countless people's hearts? "
Twain paused. He did watch the talent show and was indeed touched by Paul Potts' story. But … that was a British talent show. Whether it was in terms of production quality or experience, it was much better than the current talent shows in China. What did it mean to be both a hit and a hit? This show was a living example. And China's talent shows clearly still had a long way to go. But unfortunately, due to the rapid rise in popularity of the second season of "Super Girl," there were countless more talent shows in China all of a sudden. When the media decided to go on these shows, how many of them carefully divided the market audience, carefully arranged the direction of the show, carefully selected the right judges, and strictly controlled the quality of the show? Almost none. In the words of the paranoid Twain, it was "none."
Whether it was "America's Got Talent" or "Britain's Got Talent," the purpose of talent shows should be "a stage for small people and ordinary people to achieve their dreams." But in China, it was more like a "farce" that made people not know whether to laugh or cry. Was it "a stage for small people and ordinary people to achieve their dreams," or "a vanity fair for has-been stars to struggle on their deathbed?"
Because of all these reasons, Twain hated all the talent shows in the country. Now Tang Jing actually wanted his team to cooperate with a China television station to do such a boring talent show. How could he agree? Even if it was a football talent show that was completely different from the previous celebrity talent shows, in the eyes of the paranoid Twain, it was all the same. In the hearts of the China public, perhaps there were two circles that could be considered "notorious." One was the entertainment circle, and the other was China football.
"Miss Tang Jing, I think the most important point is not whether this is a talent show, but that this is a football talent show held in China. To be honest, I have no interest in this kind of thing, and my team will not participate in this plan. You said before that there are other Premier League clubs that have received invitations. You can go and talk to their people. I believe there are many Premier League clubs that are interested in developing the Asian market. But I'm really not interested. "Twain made the final decision on this matter. "I'm really sorry to disappoint you. I fully understand your idea of looking for Nottingham Forest. We have a player from China, an assistant manager from China, and a head coach who greatly admires China's culture. " Twain pointed to Dunn and then pointed to himself. "But, the talent show really has nothing to do with China's culture."
The dinner ended on a sour note.
When Tang Jing left, she still politely told Twain that he could call her if he changed his mind. Twain did not comment.
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On the way home from the restaurant, Dunn was a little surprised by Twain's straightforward refusal. "I thought you would be vague about it, that is, neither a clear refusal nor an agreement."
"Why should I be vague about it?" Twain asked bluntly.
"Well … Actually, I don't think this talent show is as bad as you think it is." Dunn finally voiced his opinion.
Twain smiled. It was a smile with some disdain. "Dunn, you don't understand. You haven't spent as much time in China as I have. I know very well what those talent shows the Chinese media do. "
Dunn did not refute. He calmly accepted Twain's assessment of him. "Yes, I haven't spent as much time in China as you have, and I don't really know what the talent shows in China are like. But I feel that because of this, I won't have a preconceived opinion. "
Twain froze for a moment, then asked, "Are you mocking me for looking at the problem through colored glasses?"
Dunn did not utter a word, but his attitude showed that he meant it that way.
After a moment of silence, Twain sighed. "Alright, Dunn. I can feel that you're drifting away from me. You've been spending too much time with Tang Jing. But that's your freedom. I can't control it. "
"You're thinking too much, Tony. I just feel that sometimes your stubbornness should be put aside for a while. Not every problem is as you imagine it to be. "
In fact, Twain admitted in his heart that what Dunn said was right. He was stubborn and extreme. He also knew that his views on some issues were not right, and he was influenced by too much subjective emotion. It could not be helped. Geniuses were all stubborn. But because of his pride, he would not admit that he was wrong on this point.
"Forget it. You've decided anyway. I'm just expressing my opinion. Don't take it to heart, Tony. "
"Since you don't agree with my views, why didn't you say it during the meal?" Twain did not want to let the topic go. In the end, he asked for a rebuff.
"If I had said it then, you would have felt very embarrassed, Tony."
Twain was once again speechless. Dunn was right. He was actually a person who cared a lot about his pride. Because Dunn knew this, he chose to remain silent.
"Alright, thank you, Dunn." After a while, Twain murmured.
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Since Twain had made the final decision on this matter, he would not look for Tang Jing again. This was also a matter of pride. He later learned from Dunn that Tang Jing had gone to several other English Premier League clubs. There were two clubs that were interested in the China market and eventually agreed to cooperate. One was Everton, and the other was Bolton Wanderers. Neither was a very strong team. It looked like the big clubs were not interested in this matter.
Everton was expected. The club had always had a close relationship with China. They had once brought in two Chinese players, and their jersey sponsor was the Chinese company "Kejian." This was the first time China's Chinese characters had appeared on the chest of a European team's jersey.
How much did these two clubs really care about the possibility of selecting a football genius? They were probably more aiming at the later market. But what kind of football market did China have? Twain thought disdainfully. When he was in China, he was used to buying pirated jerseys and souvenirs. Ninety-nine percent of the people around him were like that. Before he transmigrated, Manchester United had opened a "Manchester United Restaurant" in Chengdu. When it opened, Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton came to support. But he did not know what happened afterward. The level of consumption there was too high. Most fans could not afford it.
Tang Jing had been very busy during this time and had basically not appeared in front of Twain. From some of Dunn's words, Twain learned that Tang Jing had originally been very confident in facilitating the Forest team's cooperation with them. Once this matter was successful, with Nottingham Forest's fame and the prestige of having recently won two heavyweight championships, the program would definitely become popular.
She did not expect that Twain would flatly refuse without any room for discussion.
This made her feel very frustrated.
Originally, Everton and Charlton were supposed to serve as foils for the Forest team. Now, they had become the main characters. Tang Jing must actually feel very helpless.
But Twain did not take this matter to heart. He did not care what Tang Jing thought in her heart.
He had a lot of things to do, such as the game against Reading and the draw for the Champions League group stage.
It was at this time that Allan Adams found him.
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PS: The "football talent show" mentioned in this chapter used a real event as the background and then freely expressed. But to match the development of the plot, the starting time of this matter was changed from early July to early September. In addition, everyone can have their own views on whether this talent show is good or bad. They can also freely express their opinions. As one of the characters, Twain, like Dunn and Tang Jing, had their own different views. Their views were the driving force that drove the development of the plot. Because if everyone's views on a matter were exactly the same, there would be no conflict on this matter. Conflict was essential to the development of the novel's plot.
Finally, as the author, I will also have my own views. But I do not have the right to freely express such views, because I write a novel, not an argumentative article. Therefore, all the comments on the topic of the talent show in the article do not represent my true views. I hope everyone reads rationally and correctly distinguishes the values of the characters in the novel from the author's own values.
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