In Tang En's office, three players stood side by side, like students who had done something wrong, ready to accept the wrath of the person opposite them.
On the training ground not far away, the rest of the team, who were training, appeared distracted. Their hearts were in the Cao camp, but their hearts were in the Han camp. Their thoughts were probably all in this small manager's office.
Tang En ignored the three people standing in front of him. He was fiddling with the digital video camera in his hands with his head down. The small screen that came with the device was playing a video of him being doused with water by Ribéry. From the recording, he could also hear the sound of a group of people laughing. He even recognized a few people from the familiar voices.
So, he turned his head to look out the window at the training ground.
"It's so lively. Everyone's out," he said.
In Wilford, no one could challenge Tony Twain's authority, not even the club's chairman, Evan Doughty. Now, the boss could completely interpret this matter as a challenge to his authority.
Ribéry looked at Tang En, who was fiddling with the digital video camera with his head down. He did not care what punishment he would receive next. Of course, he did not want to make a prank on the manager on a whim. He had his own deeper meaning, but could the boss understand it?
George Wood's face was as wooden as ever. It was hard to tell if he was afraid or indifferent. In comparison, Eastwood appeared to be the most worried among the three.
The Romani meowed Wood and glanced at Ribéry. Seeing that everyone looked calm, he stopped looking around. Since he had decided to prank the boss, he knew what the consequences might be. And with the other two people accompanying him, he did not have to be afraid of anything. Even if he was sent to the reserve team, the three of them would be together. In addition to Chimbonda and Bendtner, who were already there, it would be lively.
Tang En fiddled with the digital video camera for a long time, so long that it made people wonder if he was studying how to delete the video on it.
"Ah, I studied it for a long time and found a problem …" Tang En raised the digital video camera in his hands and said to the three people standing in front of him, "From a bystander's point of view, it was really funny just now."
Eastwood was surprised to hear him say this, and his expression quickly conveyed the emotion of "surprise." Ribéry, on the other hand, was as mischievous as ever. As for George Wood … he was still expressionless.
Tang En looked at the three of them. His gaze swept across their faces and finally stopped on the cheeky Ribéry.
"Frank, you came up with this idea, right?"
Ribéry did not answer immediately. He asked, "What makes you think it's me, boss?"
"George, that blockhead, would definitely not come up with such a crazy idea. As for Freddy …" Twain looked sideways at Eastwood. "His expression is just like an unwitting accomplice. But you, Frank, you're too confident. "
Ribéry smiled and said, "As expected of the boss, it was my idea." He admitted it openly.
※ ※ ※
Ribéry didn't plan to hide at all. Otherwise, he could have just splashed water from above and escaped during the chaos. However, not only did he agree, but he also stuck his head out for Twain to see before splashing the water. After splashing the water, he continued to stick his head out to look around with Wood, allowing Twain to catch him in the act.
Eastwood was the person in charge of filming with the digital camera. He was caught because the crowd behind him let out a loud roar of laughter and exposed the target.
Therefore, in the Forest First Team, other than the two players who were sent to the reserve team and Pepe, who was seriously injured and recuperating, the other 23 players were all caught. However, Tang En only called the three leaders to the office and let the others go back to the training ground to continue training. But everyone was uneasy. When they were called to watch the show, they didn't say they would be caught by the boss. Now, after the training was over, they were bound to face the boss's wrath. What kind of terrible fine would the boss give them then?
※ ※ ※
After confirming that Ribéry was the mastermind, Tang En did not continue to lecture him. He looked down at the video on the digital camera again.
Laughter came from the built-in speaker. The sound quality was not very good, but it was enough to be heard clearly.
He could not see the expressions of the group of people behind Eastwood at that moment, but he could imagine it from the laughter.
Such unbridled laughter had disappeared in Wilford for some time.
Tang En believed that he understood Ribéry's intentions for doing this.
He waved the digital camera in his hand. "I'll take care of this for the time being."
The decision was not unexpected, and none of the three were surprised.
"Well, you can go back." He waved his hand. This made people feel strange.
Eastwood could not wait to ask, "You … Uh, you're not going to punish us, boss?"
Tang En smiled. "You like to be punished so much. Of course. But after the next game. We're playing an away game against Beşiktaş in the Champions League group stage. If we lose, the whole team will have to accept punishment. "
"What about now?"
"Now?" Tang En pointed to the training ground behind him. "Go back and continue training. As for Franck, your punishment … will wait until you recover from your injury. "
Ribéry smiled at Tang En and did not say anything.
The three men said goodbye to Tang En and turned to leave.
Tang En stayed behind to continue studying the video. He had to admit that the moment the cold water drenched him, his anger flared up. When he caught the whole team in the act, his anger was still burning. He caught the mastermind and two important accomplices on the way to the office, intending to give them a good scolding in the office. But on the way, his agitated emotions gradually calmed down, and his rationality made him start to think about the reason for the players' sudden actions.
In Wilford, he, Tony Twain, was the king who meant what he said. No one dared to challenge his authority. He did not think there were any newcomers in the team who were stupid enough to believe that they could casually provoke him. Moreover, the people involved in this matter were all old players, so he felt it was strange and began to think about why.
When he repeatedly watched the video, he almost laughed at his funny appearance in front of the three men. The term "drowned rat" could be used to describe him vividly. So, in this mood of wanting to laugh, he suddenly understood the true meaning of this matter to him.
Then he thought about how Kerslake showed him in the mirror when he came this morning and asked him to first relax his mood. He understood.
Franck Ribéry just wanted the atmosphere of the team to return to normal, so he used a slightly more extreme method. The atmosphere of the team used to be very relaxed, and there was always laughter and chatter. But these few days, it was too dull, which was not normal. There were problems in many places, but the real core was Tony Twain himself. If he was always sullen and gloomy, then the atmosphere of the team would not be good no matter what.
He felt that he had been a little too strict during this period of time. Although it was chaotic times, it was not chaotic at all. There was no need to be so nervous about a little ups and downs. Things should go on as usual. If they were worried that the media would spread some bad rumors, then let them spread it. Since Nottingham Forest had risen again, how could they not hear such voices?
So, he did not give the team any punishment. Although he was played by this group of people, he did not care and thought it was a good thing. Because from the laughter of these players, he could hear that everyone's mood was getting better.
The atmosphere of the team was normal. Only by being united could they defeat the enemies outside. In his view, no matter how strong the enemy was, it was not as terrible as internal conflict. This was the most profound thought that Twain, who grew up in socialist China, had experienced. Mao Zedong once said that a fortress was the easiest to break through from the inside. The stability of an empire and a dynasty must be built on the foundation of internal unity.
So, if this could normalize the atmosphere of the team, then he did not mind being a clown for once.
※ ※ ※
The players waited nervously until the end of the morning training. Twain did not announce any punishment, as if nothing had happened.
The three men who went back told everyone that there would be no punishment at the moment. They only said that if they still could not win the Champions League group stage game against Beşiktaş, the boss said he would punish the entire team.
Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
The players could be carefree and carefree, but Tony Twain, as the manager, could not. The internal conflict had been resolved, but there was still external provocation waiting for him.
Twain brought Eastwood with him to the regular press conference in the afternoon. From the beginning, he had a keen sense of smell and sensed that the atmosphere was not quite right. The reporters all wore a faint smile on their faces, as if they had discovered something.
After Twain briefly looked ahead to the Champions League group stage game that was about to begin, it was time for the reporters to ask questions. Everyone eagerly raised their hands at the first opportunity.
Twain's brows furrowed, and the questions in his heart grew. When did this group of reporters become so proactive?
He randomly picked a reporter who looked more pleasing to the eye to ask a question.
As soon as the reporter opened his mouth, Twain suddenly realized something.
"Excuse me, Mr. Twain. We didn't see Chimbonda and Bendtner in the morning training. Did something happen to them?"
Twain was not in a hurry to answer. He carefully observed the others and found that this group of people should all want to ask the same question. Clearly, these reporters had also discovered that the number of First Team players did not match up. Then …
Twain did not casually make up an excuse this time. He understood that since these reporters had decided to ask this question, they obviously already knew something.
"Ah, they're in the reserves team. Is there a problem?" Twain still played dumb.
The reporter continued to ask, "Is there no problem? Two First Team players suddenly went to the reserves team … "
"Because they played better than the Third Team, so I let them go to the Second Team. Is there a problem?" Twain played dumb and did not answer the question directly.
This answer made many of the people present not know whether to laugh or cry. However, it was clear that the reporters had come prepared this time and would not be easily scared away by Twain's act. Another person raised his hand. "Mr. Twain, don't you think this is very strange? The two of them are regular players in the First Team. Without any reason, why would they go to the reserves team to play football? Furthermore, Bendtner just had a hat-trick performance … "
Twain knew he could not escape today. This group of d * mn reporters!
He interrupted the other person's question and pretended to have a sudden realization. "Oh, you're talking about the reason? The reason is that they had some conflicts during training, so I let them go to the reserves team to calm down. Is there a problem with that? "
The people below finally heard the answer they wanted to hear the most. Excited discussions broke out in the reporters' seats.
"Since there are no more questions, today's press conference will end here …" Twain got up and was about to leave. Eastwood, whom he had brought along, had completely become a decoration in the background …
Seeing that he was really about to leave, a few reporters raised their hands and stood up, no longer caring about the procedure.
"Mr. Twain, can this conflict be seen as a result of the recent … results? Also, do you think this conflict will have any negative impact on the team? " The reporter threw out his two questions in one breath, not giving Twain a chance to interrupt him midway.
Twain shrugged after hearing the question. "How could that be? I don't think it will have any negative impact on the team. My knowledgeable reporter friend, do you dare to say that the other teams don't even have a little conflict during their daily training? Why are you making such a big fuss over such a normal thing? Hey, gentlemen, are you all interns who just graduated from university? "
Eastwood wanted to laugh as he listened to the Boss ridicule the media. However, he could not laugh in front of so many reporters. It was hard to hold it in.
"The crux of the problem is that Nottingham Forest is not a team that prides itself on internal unity …"
Twain once again rudely interrupted the reporter's question. "There's no crux of the problem. I'm very happy to see the players show their manly side during training. This shows that our training content is very high quality and competitive. Don't you, the media, have nothing better to do than to speculate about the story behind Nottingham Forest's miraculous rise? That's the story behind it. Because our players treat their daily training as if it's a finals match, we'll always perform better than the other teams in a real match. "
Eastwood thought of the content that Twain had previously given them when he lectured them, and then listened to what Twain was saying to the reporters now. The two completely opposite meanings were said without any embarrassment, and he spoke with confidence. He could only let him continue to hold back his laughter.
"Of course, the team's rules forbid such a thing to happen. So, even though they're all manly, they still have to go to the reserve team to receive punishment because they violated the team's rules. A clear distinction between reward and punishment is also one of the reasons why a team can continue to move forward. You see, this is all very normal. So, I have no idea what you're all making a fuss about. "
There was still a reporter who did not give up, raising his hand and standing up again. "So you're saying that the atmosphere within the Forest team is currently good?"
Twain glanced at him. He did not reply with a lengthy speech, only saying, "Duh."
The reporter did not expect to receive such an answer. He stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what to do. Twain clearly did not intend to continue to explain to these dissatisfied reporters. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
Fortunately, Eastwood stepped in to smooth things over, taking over the question. "The atmosphere within the team is very normal. We even joked with the boss this morning. I don't think there's anything unusual about it. Oh … "He thought for a moment." The ones who are abnormal should be you guys. You're always looking for news reports about the Forest team's internal conflicts. "
They did not expect Eastwood to say such sharp and unkind words. The reporters present did not expect it.
The scene was a little chaotic. Twain hurriedly came out to make a closing statement. "I don't mind what you write in the newspaper the next day. That's your freedom. But if you want to report the truth … Nottingham Forest is a united team, and it will continue to win. That's the truth. That's all. Thank you. Goodbye. "
He and Eastwood walked out of the hall one after the other.
"Boss, the Turkish team is not easy to deal with. What's more, we're playing on their home ground." On the way back, Eastwood voiced out his concerns. "You spoke so confidently just now. Aren't you afraid that if we lose …"
Twain glanced at him. "If we lose, you'll be out of luck."
"Then the media …"
Twain grinned. "I'll deal with the media. You guys just have to think about the game, Freddy. Although I'm very grateful that you stood up for me at the press conference just now, I hope you won't do it next time. I'll do this kind of thing. You're only responsible for training seriously and the game. Got it? "
Eastwood knew that Twain was doing it for his own good. This could be considered a form of protection. Although Nottingham Forest was always at the heart of the struggle, they, as players, were rarely harassed by the media. This was, of course, Tony Twain's credit.
He nodded. "Okay, Boss. If we win, you can scold us with confidence. "
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