Originally, there would be a press conference when the Forest team went to İNönü Stadium for a warm-up. It was the last press conference attended by both managers before the evening game. The reporters could ask some questions about the two teams' recent situation and the evening game.
All the British and Turkish media prepared a lot of questions, waiting to bombard the two managers.
In the end, the Forest team did not come to the stadium to warm up. The press conference had to be held as scheduled, so it was held with only the Beşiktaş manager, Ertugrul Saglam, in attendance. It completely became a one-man show for the Beşiktaş manager.
Saglam was thirty-seven years old, a year younger than Twain. Because he had previously led Kayserli to excellent results, he was recruited by the Beşiktaş club to replace the previous famous French star player, the former Fulham manager, Jean Tigana. Saglam was now an outstanding representative of the young Turkish managers. In Turkey, he was also considered the future successor of the Turkish national team manager, Terim.
Twain did not know much about the man. Other than some of the most basic information, he did not have a deep understanding of the English Premier League managers.
While Saglam was being interviewed by numerous reporters at the stadium, Twain was in his room, making the final tactical decisions with Dunn. He had completely forgotten about the press conference.
So, when he received a call from Pierce Brosnan, his surprise was not faked.
"What? Press conference? "Twain looked up at Dunn and found that Dunn was also looking at him. It looked like the two men had forgotten.
"Ah … As for why the team didn't warm up … I told them to go to sleep. Those who can't sleep are free to do whatever they want … Hey, are you questioning me on behalf of the Turks, Mr. Reporter? Isn't it? That's good. Then don't ask such boring questions. The fact is that we didn't go and don't intend to go to training. I think it's more important to rest now than to adapt to the venue … Hey, are you going to hold a press conference on the phone? "
Brosnan laughed on the other end of the line. "Mr. Twain, I think that's a good way to put it. It's my own press conference. "
"Don't you have any questions for the other manager?"
"Others have asked for me. The reporters from England are not in high spirits. Not many people raised their hands to ask questions. It's mainly the Turkish reporters who are asking questions."
"Hey, why? Don't they always complain that the press conference is too short? "
"If you were here today, they would be very enthusiastic, Mr. Twain." Brosnan continued to smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was tied up with work and couldn't come for an interview." Twain glanced at Dunn and found that he continued to study tactics. He also wanted to end the call early, so he asked, "Do you have any other questions, Mr. Reporter?"
"Ah … Er, I think …" Bruce hesitated on the other end of the phone. "Forget it. Interesting questions are sharp questions, and I can't ask sharp questions. There might be problems after the match is over … In that case, I won't disturb your work, Mr. Tang En. "
"Hehe, thank you very much. Goodbye. "Twain could not help but smile when he heard Bruce say so.
Brosnan was right. Questions that could excite the reporters must be sharp questions for managers. Most managers would not like to answer such questions. But Tang En was slightly different from them. He would use this as a chance to tease the reporters. The result was that both the teased and the teased were satisfied.
Seeing Tang En hang up the phone, Dunn said without looking up, "I forgot there was a press conference in the morning …"
"It's okay." Twain waved his hands. "It doesn't matter if you don't go to that kind of press conference."
"Then what do you say when the reporters ask you this question before the game tonight?"
Tang En spread his hands. "What do you say? Just say you forgot. It's not a big deal. If you forget, then forget. Do you think they can stop us from playing? Come on, let's continue … "
※ ※ ※
"I don't know why the Forest team didn't come to adapt to the venue, and I don't know why their manager didn't come to this press conference." Sağlam was angered by the reporter's idiotic questions. "I'm not the Nottingham Forest manager. These questions have nothing to do with me. Even if I want to satisfy you, there's nothing I can do."
At first, the press conference was quite normal. Because Tang En did not come, the reporters asked some questions related to Beşiktaş, such as the formation for the evening, which player was on the field or not, whether they had confidence in winning the game.
Originally, the two teams' managers were attending, so the length of the press conference was set to accommodate both managers. Now that there was only one manager, the questions that everyone had prepared were quickly asked. Next, the press conference began to develop in a direction that Sağlam did not want to see … Everyone asked him some questions about the Forest team and the Forest manager, Tony Twain.
For example, "Do you know Tony Twain?", "What do you think of the Forest team's strength?", "How does it feel to play against the defending champion?" These kinds of questions were acceptable. Although Sağlam was a little dissatisfied with the reporters' swarm of questions about the Forest team, he still answered them politely and gracefully.
It was not until a British reporter stood up and asked him, "Do you think the Forest team's failure to adapt to the venue and Tony Twain's absence from the press conference is an insult to your team?" that he finally exploded.
"Insult? What is an insult? Do you think that not attending this press conference is an insult to me and my team? I think this question is too baffling. What does it have to do with me? I'm the Beşiktaş manager. If there are questions about Beşiktaş, I'm happy to answer them. But I refuse to answer questions about Nottingham Forest and their manager. "
He said this with a straight face, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
In the end, the British reporters collectively fell silent. Only a few Turkish reporters thought of some questions at the last minute to smooth things over. The British media clearly did not care about the Turkish team. They were only here because of Tony Twain and Nottingham Forest. Since Tony Twain and Nottingham Forest did not come, there was naturally no need to ask questions.
The press conference ended in a hurry in the cold. The Beşiktaş manager, Sağlam, was already a little nervous before the big game. His mood became even worse after the British media made such a fuss. He was in a bad mood and needed to vent. There was a good way to divert his anger.
The British media were British, and Nottingham Forest was a British team. In that case, he would defeat Nottingham Forest, which was not doing well recently, in the game tonight to vent his anger! In addition, although he fiercely refuted the "insult" of the British reporters at the press conference, in fact, he did think that Twain and the Forest team's collective absence was a show of arrogance and a lack of basic respect for their opponents.
The British were always so arrogant and rude. Did they still think that it was the era of the empire where the sun never set and colonies were spread all over the world and the Union Jack flag was forever flying in the sun?
It's ridiculous. This is our home ground. What right do you have to act arrogant in front of the home team, British!
※ ※ ※
During lunch, Tang En leisurely ate his meal in the restaurant. At the same time, he observed the spirits and facial expressions of the players entering and exiting the restaurant. The result this time was much more satisfactory than the morning. After a morning of catching up on sleep, everyone's physical and mental strength had been restored. Kerslake chatting loudly with the coach at the same table was proof of that.
After lunch and a simple lunch break, Twain let the team go to the hotel gym to exercise their bodies lest they overrested and could not move their bodies.
Just as the team was warming up in the gym, Twain saw a number of reporters in the hotel lobby. He knew these people were not satisfied with the morning's press conference and specifically came here to interview him. But he was in no mood to bicker with the reporters now, so he waved at the reporters who rushed in, indicating that he did not accept the interview.
"Only one question!" A reporter shouted. "Mr. Twain, only one question!"
Twain pursed his lips. "Don't. You have one question, and he has one question. Everyone only has one question. It's time for the game. If you have any questions, there will be a simple interview before the game. Ask them then. Of course, I won't be absent from the post-game press conference. "
As soon as he said that, the British reporters laughed.
"My players need quiet space, so I don't want to be disturbed by the media. I hope everyone will cooperate and not disturb the other guests staying in this hotel. "He made a gesture of invitation and went upstairs by himself.
As for whether the hotel would find security to drive away the group of uninvited guests, or whether the hotel would serve the guests' needs, he did not care.
※ ※ ※
Dinner was light and casual. They could not eat too much because there would be strenuous exercise in a while. Eating too much would affect their condition and play.
After a simple dinner, the team boarded the bus and set off for İNönü Stadium to prepare for the game later.
Gareth Bale was still a little sleepy. He sat at the back of the bus with his head down and was silent. He was not listening to the music or chatting with the people next to him. He seemed to have fallen asleep again.
Eastwood nudged him. "Don't sleep, little monkey. Buck up! If the boss sees you like this, you'll lose your starting spot! " Before they set off, Tang En had already announced the starting lineup for tonight's match. Gareth Bale's name was among the eleven players — he was Forest's starting lineup for this match.
"Ah … I feel like I'm suffering from jet lag right now …" Bale responded listlessly and straightened his back a little.
"Don't sleep. The more you sleep, the more you want to sleep. You need a little stimulation … "Eastwood reached out to tickle Bale's armpit. As a result, before he could put his hand on it, Bale burst out laughing, causing everyone on the bus to look back at the two of them.
"Uh …" Eastwood raised his hands and explained innocently next to the laughing Bale, "I didn't do anything …"
"All right … Stop laughing!" When everyone turned back, Eastwood nudged Bale to calm him down.
Bale laughed until his tears came out. He wiped his eyes and said in surprise, "Hey, I'm not sleepy anymore!"
"Thank you for tickling me, Freddy." He thanked Eastwood sincerely.
The Romani snapped, "I didn't touch you!"
"Heh heh." Bale scratched his head in embarrassment. "I'm very ticklish, so …"
Eastwood smirked and suddenly reached out to Bale. This time, he still did not touch him. Bale laughed loudly again. It was so hot that everyone on the bus collectively turned back.
Eastwood hurriedly raised his hands. "I really didn't do anything …"
Kerslake turned back and said to Twain, who was sitting next to him, "It looks like the players are in good spirits."
Twain nodded and grinned. "Of course. But I hope they can still have this kind of spirit after seeing the enthusiasm of the Turkish fans. Otherwise, it won't be easy for us to win. "
He glanced ahead. Behind the layers of buildings, the roof of Beşiktaş's home ground, İNönü Stadium, was faintly discernible.
※ ※ ※
İNönü Stadium was the home stadium of the Turkish national team. Its status was similar to Wembley for the England team and Bernabéu for Spain.
There were three stadiums in Istanbul that were famous in Europe for their terrifying atmosphere that struck fear into the hearts of their opponents: Galatasaray's Ali Samiyan Stadium, Fenerbahçe's Sukkulu Sarakoglu Stadium, and Beşiktaş's home ground, İNönü Stadium.
For Turkey's enemies, it was a place they never wanted to step into a second time. The fanatical atmosphere and suffocating air left a deep impression on all the visiting players who had played here.
Beckham had unpleasant memories in this stadium. When he was the captain of the England national team, he once kicked a penalty kick amidst the loud boos and interference of the home fans. Then the players from both sides could not wait to clash on the field. The conflict and turmoil continued until the end of the game. In the tunnel of the locker room, the players from both sides fought fiercely. Both coaches and stadium security were also involved.
Then … Would there be a repeat of the past in this game?
This was Nottingham Forest's first time coming to Turkey to play, and it was also Twain's first time coming to Turkey to direct a game. Twain had no idea how much trouble the home fans would bring to the team.
The bus, escorted by police cars, finally arrived at the game venue, İNönü Stadium. In the square outside, the Forest team had already seen the enthusiasm of the Turkish fans. When they saw the Forest team's bus arrive, they raised their middle fingers to the Forest players in the car window in "greeting" and shouted "F * ck" in the world's common language.
In contrast to the arrogance of the Turkish fans, the Forest fans who came from afar were surrounded by the Turkish police. They were far away and waiting to enter the stadium. In the glorified name of "protecting the personal safety of the visiting fans," it was in fact to prevent the Forest fans from cheering for their team and to let the Forest team fully feel the pressure exerted by the home fans.
A number of players were attracted by the Turkish fans outside and turned their heads to look. Seeing them turn their heads, the Turkish fans outside shouted even louder. Even in the closed compartment, they could still hear the shouting outside.
The square was full of people. With the police cars clearing the way and isolating them, the short distance of 200 meters still took them ten minutes to reach the parking area.
It was a little quieter here. Other than the reporters, there were not many other unrelated people. But once they got off the bus, the noise of the Turkish fans in the distance and in the stadium could still be heard clearly. The air was filled with a thick smell of gunpowder.
In such an environment, the coaches urged the players to hurry to the locker room to change and warm up. Outside, Twain simply answered a few questions and hurriedly took his leave.
The players were still discussing the "enthusiastic performance" of the Turkish fans as they changed their clothes. Clearly, some people were experienced in the battlefield and did not care about such things. But some people would still take it to heart.
Twain did not stop them from discussing such topics, but Kerslake kept urging them to quickly change their clothes and go out to warm up.
Soon, these people left, leaving only Twain alone in the locker room. He was different from the other managers. He did not go out with the team to warm up. He just stayed in the locker room. No one knew where or what he was doing. Maybe he was venting his nervousness, maybe he just closed his eyes to rest, or maybe he was doing nothing at all. Some media outlets had speculated that if a camera was installed in the locker room, it might capture something interesting.
But today, the main character was not Twain.
The players walked out of the tunnel in groups. They had only just stepped out of the door when the deafening boos and fanatical hostile atmosphere hit them in the face. Those with weaker mental fortitude directly stopped at the door.
İNönü Stadium could only accommodate 20,000 people, but the noise made by the Turkish fans made the Forest players think they were facing 200,000 people. Everyone's heartbeat involuntarily increased with their boos.
In front of the stands at the entrance of the tunnel, there was a huge banner under the stands. On the white background, there were red English words. The paint that had yet to dry slid down from top to bottom because the banner was hung up, leaving red marks on the cloth. It looked like dripping blood. Coupled with the content of the slogan, it was truly a ghastly sight.
On the white banner, the words were written in red paint:
WELCOME_TO_HELL。
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