The Forest team had suffered two consecutive defeats in the league tournament, and the most direct effect was that their ranking had dropped.
When Twain used to play the FM game, he had led a team to consecutive victories. He felt that if the team won consecutively and ranked first, it would be many points behind the second place in the standings, right? As a result, he ran to look at the league table and found that the difference between the second place and him was only three or five points. At the time, he was quite surprised and thought that the computer was too shameless.
Now in reality, Twain deeply felt that it was not the computer's shameless trick, but the fact of a football game.
When his team won five consecutive victories and nine unbeaten games at the start of the new season, he thought his first place and second place would pull apart a lot of points. But he did not expect the Forest team to fall from first to third place after losing two games in a row in the league tournament.
Arsenal, who had been biting them, took the opportunity to occupy the top spot in the league tournament, while Manchester United, who had the same 26 points as them, was second because they had fewer goals than Arsenal. Manchester City and the Forest team had the same number of points, 25 points. Manchester City was also fourth because they had fewer goals than the Forest team.
In fifth place was Liverpool, with 21 points in 11 games.
In sixth place was Chelsea, led by Mourinho. The team, which had been glorious in the past few years, had now encountered a lot of trouble. The conflict between Abramovich and Mourinho, the conflict between Mourinho and the technical director Grant, the conflict in the locker room … In short, there were many contradictions. If it were not for Chelsea's 6: 0 home win over Manchester City in the 11th round, the media speculated that Mourinho's days at Stamford Bridge would have come to an end.
Chelsea's current situation was that everyone thought Mourinho would be dismissed in the next round of the league tournament, but every time the next round came, people found that the person sitting in the Chelsea manager's position was still him.
At the beginning of the season, Manchester City's unexpected breakout allowed them to squeeze into the top four. But Twain did not take the team seriously. He knew best what kind of manager Eriksson was. What a nouveau riche team like Manchester City lacked was sufficient foundation and stability. Their lack in this area would inevitably lead to the team's ups and downs in the long season. The most important thing for a team with the ability to win the title was stability. A team without stability would be eliminated midway through the season. In Twain's view, Manchester City was bound to slowly fall in the later league tournaments. Their crushing 0: 6 away defeat to Chelsea was a sign.
What Tang En cared about were the traditional powerhouses of the English Premier League — Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. Only these four teams could pose a huge threat to the Forest team's goals this season.
Incidentally, before this season, Tang En wrote in his column that the team's main goal for this season was the league tournament. He did not say that they wanted to win the league title, but everyone knew that was what he meant. After winning the Champions League title, it was a normal goal to take the Premier League title.
With the experience from last season, no one would mock Tang En for being a lunatic. Instead, they took it more seriously. As a result, the resistance Forest Team faced in the League Tournament grew. Since you said you wanted to win the League Tournament before the start of the League Tournament and are so arrogant and look down on us, then we'll show you what we're made of in the League Tournament!
The Forest team, which had lost twice in a row in the league tournament, gave their opponents an opportunity to widen the gap with them. Because this period of time could be said to be the Forest team's devil's schedule — here, the "devil's schedule" did not mean that the Forest team's schedule was dense, requiring two or three games a week, but because the Forest team's recent opponents were not weak. Starting from the tenth round, they had already lost two games against Manchester United at home and Liverpool away. In the twelfth round, they had an away game against Tottenham Hotspur, a home game against Chelsea in the thirteenth round, an away game against Arsenal in London in the fourteenth round, and a home game against Manchester City in the fifteenth round.
Look at this period of the schedule. When the schedule came out, many people turned their attention to the period between October 20th and December 1st. This period of time was when the Premier League's powerhouses had frequent conversations and classic battles were constantly staged. The majority of fans were looking forward to this period of time earlier. When the time came, they would have many exciting games to watch. The Premier League broadcast was also very understanding of the fans' feelings, so when arranging the schedule and broadcast schedule, they staggered the time of these powerhouses' conversations. In this way, the fans could watch all the exciting games without missing a single one.
The fans were happy, but the Forest team was miserable.
During this period, there was still the Champions League group stage to play. And because they did not win the first two games, if they did not want the awkward situation of "the defending champions did not even advance out of the group stage" to really happen, they had to play the next three games well. Winning was the only way out. Under the pressure of fighting on two fronts, it was really hard to say what would happen.
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In the twelfth round of the league, the Forest team went to challenge Tottenham Hotspur in an away game. Compared with several other opponents in the devil's schedule, Tottenham Hotspur was considered a weaker team. This was the Forest team's only chance to win a breather in the devil's schedule — if they could beat Tottenham Hotspur, it would effectively prevent the team from further decline and seek a place to survive in the midst of the great powerhouses' attacks.
But if they lost to Tottenham Hotspur, the situation would become very dangerous. Mourinho's Chelsea would not let go of the opportunity to beat them when they were down, not to mention that he urgently needed to use a victory to stabilize his position. Although Tang En was very suspicious that, with a boss like Abramovich's character, even if Mourinho brought back the Champions League title for him, he might still be fired due to a bad temper.
Arsenal had even less reason to let the Forest team off on their own home ground. In the past two seasons, the rising Nottingham Forest had limitless glory, overshadowing the glory of a group of traditional strong teams. Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea had all lost to Tang En. Although their personal relationship was not bad, Wenger would not give them any special treatment in the game. No, Manager Wenger's special treatment was to defeat this "arrogant and conceited" friend on his own home ground.
With the pressure of having to win, the Forest team went to North London. In the end, they withstood the pressure at White Hart Lane and won beautifully against Tottenham Hotspur with a score of 3: 1.
It was a very crucial victory, so Tang En was quite excited when he celebrated the victory in front of the home team's fans at White Hart Lane. This also attracted some criticism after the game. Some people thought that his arrogant behavior was disrespectful to his opponent. Tang En did not care about that. Such criticism was as common to him as eating and defecating. He would also throw all the criticism behind him like he was excreting.
Some media wanted to become famous by scolding him, but he would not give them such a chance.
Tang En still used rotation in this game, but he did not change all eleven players. He rotated half of the main force and the average substitute, allowing the team to win against Tottenham Hotspur in an away game. At the same time, it was also a warm-up for the Champions League midweek.
Midweek, on November 6th, Nottingham Forest would welcome the team that proved to be the weakest in the group, Beşiktaş, at their own home ground. If they wanted to confirm the qualification spots early and lay a solid foundation for smoothly getting through the "devil's schedule" in the league tournament, they had to win this game. Therefore, even though it was a home game and the opponent was not strong, Tang En still decided to send out the main force and use the strongest lineup to welcome the opponent. After all, they were "guests from afar."
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Before this game, Tang En did not forget that there was one more thing he had to do.
Eating the dinner that Shania had carefully cooked for him, the two watched the sports news on the television, broadcasting the noon "latest news": Turkey's Beşiktaş had arrived in Nottingham.
Just as the two of them were reading the news, the red iPhone on the coffee table after Tang En turned it on again emitted melodious music. It was a very popular pop song from the German band, Groove _ Coverage, called "God Is a Girl."
The two men's eyes were immediately attracted to the phone. Tang En did not immediately get up to pick it up, but Shania bit her spoon with a smirk. "The beautiful creditor has come knocking."
Tang En glared at her before he got up to answer the phone.
He did not take the phone upstairs. Instead, he sat on the sofa to answer it. "Hello? Ah … You're already in Nottingham? Hmm … Tonight? Now? "Tang En glanced at the dining table with some embarrassment." But I haven't eaten yet, Madam. Treat me? Uh … "This time, Tang En glanced at Shania instead.
To his disappointment, Shania was eating with her head down and did not notice his gaze.
"Uh …" He let out another "uh".
Shania finally spoke. "It's okay, Uncle Tony. You go. "She then looked up and smiled at Tang En." But you have to go and come back early. Be careful of those reporters. "
Tang En nodded and agreed to the suggestion over the phone. He also asked for the meeting place. Then, he put on his coat and put the phone in his pocket. He then used his own phone to call Landy twice to ask him to pick him up.
Taking advantage of the fact that the taxi had not arrived yet, Tang En sat at the dining table and ate again.
Shania was a little surprised. "Didn't someone treat you to a meal? Why are you still eating? You won't be able to eat later. "
"I have a big appetite. People give me the nickname 'Big Eater.'" Tang En patted his belly. Compared to when he had just transmigrated, this body now had a small belly and was slowly gaining weight. So, it was not a lie to say that he could eat.
Shania was not as amused as Tang En. She reached for the remote control and switched the television screen to the news channel.
"When did you start caring about international affairs?" Tang En laughed.
Shania rolled her eyes at him. "Just now."
The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Just then, a car horn sounded outside the house. His savior had arrived.
Tang En hurriedly took his leave and went out the door.
※ ※ ※
In the car, Tang En only remembered that he had forgotten to ask for the phone's owner's name and appearance. How was he going to recognize them when they arrived at the meeting place later?
But when he got out of the car, he quickly realized that he had worried too much.
Just as he got out of the car, a fashionably dressed young woman walked past him. "May I ask if you are … Mr. Tony Tang En?"
Tang En found it strange that this stranger would know him. He nodded. "I am. You are … "
"I'm its owner." After confirming his identity, the woman's tone was no longer as careful as before. She pointed to the red phone in Tang En's hand and introduced herself.
"Ah …" Tang En studied the woman in front of him. He wanted to see what the crazy fan who dared to hit him with a phone looked like. Under the neon lights on the street, Tang En realized that the woman in front of him had a head of black and shiny curly hair. Her facial features were regular. Although she could not be considered a beauty that could topple cities, her dignified appearance was still worthy of the description. He could not help but sigh again. Fans were the most wonderful creatures in the world. They could not be judged with common sense.
Looking at her attire and carrying an exquisite little bag, just standing by the side of the road, she was the "daughter of a wealthy family."
When faced with such a woman, could you imagine her face painted, sticking up her middle finger in the stands, pouting and cursing "F * ck you", and doing something like throwing a phone at the back of someone's head?
It was very impolite for Tang En to stare at the other party for a long time. It was just that he was immersed in the shock brought about by the huge contrast between the two images and did not notice. However, the other party's face had already darkened. It was only because her beloved phone was still in the other party's hands that she could not flare up. She coughed. "Mr. Tang En!"
"Ah … Oh! Sorry. "Tang En retracted his gaze and then reacted. Why should I apologize? Wasn't the other party going to apologize to me in person tonight? "Yeah, I just didn't expect such a … beautiful lady to be a fanatical fan who threw a phone at my head. I couldn't accept this cruel reality for a moment and spaced out. But this one … deserves to die. " He cursed in a low voice. "You know I'm Tony Twain, but I don't know who you are. Isn't that a little unfair?"
"Hastily asking a lady's name and cursing in front of a lady is the same as staring at a lady. It's very impolite, Mr. Tang En," the other party replied in a cold tone.
"Hey." Hearing the other party say so, Tang En turned around and walked towards Landy's taxi, which was parked by the roadside. He did not even have the slightest bit of hesitation or pretense.
The other party also did not expect Tony Twain to turn hostile so quickly. She hurriedly chased after him. "Didn't you want to return my phone?"
"I'm sorry, Madam. I said if you apologize sincerely, I'll return it. But you don't even want to tell me your name. I can't be bothered to argue with you. This phone … "Tang En waved the phone in his hand." I'll keep it. "With that, he opened the car door and was about to step in.
The woman was quick to react. She stuffed her delicate palm into the gap of the car door. If Tang En were to close the door, her hand would definitely be caught.
"Alright, alright. I apologize. I sincerely apologize to you. And to fully express my sincerity, I'll treat you to a meal." She pointed to the Turkish restaurant not far behind her. "I've already booked a table."
Tang En turned to look at her and asked, "Can you tell me your name now, ma 'am?"
The woman said somewhat reluctantly, "Shila Akzore."
Tang En retracted his leg from the car and then said to Landy, who was sitting in front watching the show, "Sorry, Landy. It looks like you'll have to wait a little longer."
Landy laughed. "It's okay. Go do your thing, Tony!"
Then, Tang En closed the car door and turned to look at the other party. "Miss Akzore …"
"I'm not married yet, and I'm very young."
"Alright, Miss Akzore. You're making it hard for me to equate you with a football hooligan … "
"I'm not a football hooligan! Only the British Empire can produce and export such things, "she said sarcastically.
Unexpectedly, Tang En did not mind her ridicule of his motherland at all. He did not retort and just nodded. "Alright then, I'm just an ordinary fan who's overly enthusiastic. I'm very grateful that you kept your promise, so now … "Tang En placed the phone in his hand in the other party's hand." I also have to fulfill a man's promise. It's yours again, Miss Akzore. "
After doing this, he opened the car door again, intending to get in. This time, the other party did not put her hand in the gap of the car door. Instead, she looked at him strangely. "Did I not make myself clear? I said I wanted to treat you to a meal to show my sincerity. The table has already been booked. Don't you believe me? Mr. Tony Tang En. "
Tang En closed the car door and poked his head out. He said to the surprised Shila Akzore, "I'm really sorry. Thank you for your sincerity. Of course I believe you, Miss Akzore. I don't doubt the sincerity of a beautiful lady like you. " Tang En smiled at her. This was the first time the two had met that he had smiled. He had kept a straight face before.
"Oh, I see. It's because I'm a Beşiktaş fan, and you're Nottingham Forest's … manager. It's not convenient for us to eat together, is it?" It was only when she said this that Shila suddenly realized that the other party was the manager of the opposing team she supported.
Tang En shook his head. "No, who I am has nothing to do with who I eat with." He thought about it. "I can't have dinner with me just because, well, because … there's someone waiting for me to eat at home. We were eating when you called just now … "
At this point, Akzore nodded with an expression of sudden realization. Tang En knew she was going to misunderstand. Sure enough … "I understand. It turns out that Mr. Tang's wife is waiting for you. I understand that very well. " Shila Akzore clapped her hands. "Then I'll … Well, is it convenient for you to leave your phone number, Mr. Tang En?"
"Why do you want my phone number? Are you interested in me, Miss Akzore?" Tang En teased her with a grin. Since the other party could misunderstand him, he did not mind taking the opportunity to fight back.
"Who would like a man with a wife?" Akzore rolled her eyes at Tang En. "I just … Well, I just don't think Mr. Tang En is like the rumors say, well …"
Tang En smiled. "Hey, what do the rumors say about me?"
"A demon with horns on his head, wings on his back, a tail behind his buttocks, fiery eyes, sharp teeth, and a tongue longer than a woman's braid." Akzore tilted her head as she spoke. Her girlish expression was a little cute.
"Did the Turkish media say that too? The media all over the world are equally uncreative … "Tang En sighed. "If I were really a demon, the Forest team wouldn't have played so hard at İNönü Stadium."
"But you still won in the end. Our interference didn't affect you at all! I know you British media call Turkey's stadium 'Hell's Stadium,' but you still came back alive. If you're not a demon, then what are you? "
The words made the driver, Landy, who was eavesdropping in front, laugh. Tang En glanced at him and turned to say goodbye to Akzore. "It's a pity you're not a fan of the Forest team, Miss Akzore. I think I kind of like you … Ah, don't get me wrong, it's not that kind of like. I just changed my original view of you, just like how you changed your view of me. It's nice to meet you. My phone number … "He gave her his phone number.
"Well, goodbye, beautiful Miss Turkish." Tang En waved to Shila Akzore, who was standing by the side of the road, and then motioned for Landy to drive.
"Goodbye, Mr. Demon." Akzore held her red iPhone and waved at Tang En. Would there be a chance to see him again in the future? Probably not … No, it's actually very easy to see him. If you read the sports news and newspapers often, you'll definitely see him often …
※ ※ ※
Sitting in the car, Landy, who was driving, suddenly asked, "Tony, when she misunderstood you and Shania, why didn't you explain?" Landy was one of the few people who knew that Shania was living in Tang En's house. He knew Shania's identity and the relationship between the two of them, so he found it very strange.
Tang En leaned against the back seat, turned his head to look at the night view outside the window, and muttered, "How do I explain? It's not something that can be explained in a sentence or two. If she wants to misunderstand, then let her continue to misunderstand. I don't care what others think of me. "
Tang En turned back to see Landy in the rearview mirror. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not say anything.
"What do you want to say?" he asked.
"No, nothing … It's just that I think that lady is very cute."
"Focus on driving. You'll run a red light if your mind is filled with women."
Randy chuckled in front of them. "You have to believe me, Tony. I'm an experienced old driver. But Tony, no matter what, you're a big shot. It's not good for your image to always take my taxi. "
"What's not good about it? I'm too lazy to find my own parking space, and I'm too lazy to worry about things like car washing and maintenance. When I'm going out, I just need to make a call and you'll come. How great is that … "Tang En said as he looked at Landy in the rearview mirror. "I'm a very lazy person. It's not like you don't know, Landy."
Landy knew very well in his heart. How was Tang En lazy? He was taking care of his own business.
"Thank you, Tony."
"Ah?"
"Thank you for letting me see Forest lift the Champions League trophy once again."
"Ha! Champion? If you want it, I'll go get it again! I'll get as many as you want! "Tang En and Landy laughed loudly in the car.
※ ※ ※
When the door to the door was opened, Shania was shocked to see that the person who opened the door was Tony Twain. She turned her head to look at the quartz clock hanging on the wall. "Half an hour … You guys eat so quickly?"
Tang En did not bother to answer her question. Instead, he took off his jacket and walked in. Seeing the empty dining table, he turned his head and asked, "Where's dinner?"
"I've finished eating. As for the rest …" Shania saw Tang En walk into the kitchen to open the fridge. "Don't look for it. I've thrown it all away."
"Ah …" Tang En whimpered. "It's not right to waste food, Shania."
Shania got up from the sofa and stopped watching television. She tilted her head and followed him into the kitchen. "Are you still not full?"
"I haven't eaten yet." Tang En was still unsatisfied as he rummaged through the fridge. But other than a few bottles of beer, he did not find anything edible.
Shania did not say anything. She stood to the side with her arms crossed and her head tilted.
Tang En noticed Shania's gaze. He turned his head to look at her and asked, "What are you looking at?"
A bright smile suddenly appeared on Shania's face. "Nothing. Are you hungry? I'll make it for you! What do you want to eat? Fried eggs, toast, macaroni with tomato sauce? Roasted potatoes? "
Without waiting for Tang En to answer, she put on her apron and busied herself, humming a tune that Tang En did not understand.
This time, it was Tang En's turn to stand to the side and stare dumbfounded.
I know! It turns out that Mr. Tang's wife is waiting for you at home.
Actually, she's not my wife. She's just … She's just a tenant living here …
※ ※ ※
For the next night's game, although many Turkish fans came to Nottingham from thousands of miles away from Istanbul to cheer for Beşiktaş. But Nottingham Forest, who had the right timing, geographical and social conditions, still swept the leaderless Beşiktaş with an 8: 0 score at home. They did not give any face at all.
The Forest team poured all the gloom they had suffered in the league tournament onto Beşiktaş. The 8: 0 score set a new record for the largest score difference in the Champions League. The previous record was held by Juventus in the 2003 season and Arsenal this season. At the same time, it tied the record of eight goals scored by one side in a single game set by Monaco in 2003.
The cheers in the City Ground stadium grew louder with each goal scored. In the end, it was so loud that even the television commentators could not work properly. The atmosphere was not inferior to that at İNönü Stadium in Istanbul.
The fanatical Forest fans used their actions to tell the Turkish fans that they did not need to throw debris into the field or set off fireworks. They could turn the City Ground stadium into an absolute hell for the visiting team with just their singing.
On the second day of the game, many media outlets reported on the huge score in the game.
The Turkish media lamented that Beşiktaş, one of the top three teams in the country, was so unbearable in Britain and was slaughtered by the opponent's eight goals. "The blood even flowed from the English Channel and stained the Bosporus and the entire Black Sea. This day is a day of humiliation for Beşiktaş! "
Pierce Brosnan, a columnist for the Nottingham Evening Post, wrote an article praising the "great victory": "With the devil Twain in charge, hell's home ground turns into a river of blood."
Amid the exclamations, only The Sun announced that they had news more shocking than the 8: 0 score: "Twain's second rumored girlfriend mysteriously appears before the game!"
They had expected Twain to hold a press conference to attack or clarify like the last time, but this time, Twain simply ignored them, which made them feel bored. Except for a few media outlets who reprinted the news, everyone was more interested in the 8: 0 game.
※ ※ ※
On a sunny morning, Shania waved The Sun, which she had just picked up from outside, and smiled at Twain. "Rumored girlfriend, Uncle Tony! And it's the second one! "
Twain rolled his eyes at her. "When did our family start subscribing to The Sun?"
Shania wrinkled the tip of her nose and snorted. "If it weren't for The Sun's reporters being so dedicated, how would I have been able to keep up with Uncle Tony's latest developments?" She looked down at the photos in the newspaper again. "There are no photos of you chatting and laughing in the restaurant …"
"Because we haven't eaten together at all." Twain spread his hands.
"Why not? What an exotic beauty. "
"I returned the phone to her and said there were people waiting for me to eat together at home, so I ran back. In the end, you threw away all the food! "Twain puffed up his eyes and pretended to be angry.
Shania did not refute. She just looked at her Uncle Tony with a smile.
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On the night of the game, Twain received a text message. The caller's name was not shown, and the number was completely unknown.
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