Although Beckham specifically attended the press conference, and although he, Tony Twain, and George Wood all guaranteed Beckham's professional attitude, the media always had the power to "turn something rotten into something magical." However, the media always had the ability to turn something rotten into something magical. They could selectively ignore certain things, or twist certain words to completely change their meaning.
Therefore, the feud between Beckham and Manchester United had to continue. Because the masses loved to hear and see. The media would dig deeper into what the masses loved to hear and see.
Twain smiled at Beckham with the various newspapers published the next day. "It's completely useless."
"Anyway, I said what I said. How they interpret it is up to them." Beckham was also open-minded. "Putting my energy on entangling with them might really affect my form."
Twain smiled. He did not know if Beckham was really completely unaffected, but he could not ask. He was afraid that David would think he did not trust him.
"It's just … an ordinary league game."
※ ※ ※
At the beginning of the season, Roy Keane led the newly promoted Sunderland team back to Old Trafford. He was warmly welcomed by the fans in the stadium. In addition to his status and popularity in the minds of the Manchester United fans, it was also related to Sunderland's inability to threaten Manchester United. People always had the habit of showing grace to opponents who were not as strong as themselves.
But if the opponent was a team that was competing with them for the league title at the last minute and was likely to beat them, the treatment would be different. Moreover, David Beckham's departure had been controversial. The choice of a foothold in the Premier League this time caused even more controversy.
Why was Keane so popular? Because he refused Nottingham Forest's invitation. In order not to be a direct enemy of Manchester United, he would rather choose the remote Scottish Premier League. Why couldn't Beckham do this? Some Manchester United fans thought resentfully.
The media surrounding the entrance of the Wilford training base did not decrease. They still wanted to interview Beckham. However, Beckham did not accept any more interviews. He wanted to calm himself down before the most crucial match.
So he came and went in a hurry every day. In the media's writing, it suddenly became a sign of ambivalence, restlessness, and fluctuations in his state.
Fortunately, the entire Nottingham Forest team was on Beckham's side. When the other players talked about Beckham in interviews with reporters, they all said — "David is fine. He was just joking with us at the training ground. I don't think it's anything."
"It's quite normal. Anything abnormal is just your imagination."
"I don't think there's anything strange about it. We're the ones who interacted with David the most. If he doesn't believe us, who should he believe?"
"It was just a normal League Tournament, but you guys made it into a big deal. We are at peace. "
Even Dunn was pulled to talk about his views. If Dunn did not want to talk, the media would not let him go. Helpless, he quickly said in Mandarin, "The emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is anxious."
"What do you mean?" The group of Englishmen did not understand.
"Sorry, can you translate that for me?"
Tony Twain, who was at the side, sneered. "What he means is: the Queen of England isn't even worried, but you bunch of people who don't have any balls down there are worrying for nothing."
Some reporters who did not like Tony Twain thought that he was taking the opportunity to insult them, so they expressed their dissatisfaction and wanted to sue Twain for personal attacks. Twain laughed out loud when he heard what they said.
At first, she just threw her head back and laughed. Later, she simply held onto Dunn's shoulder and slowly squatted down. She covered her stomach and continued to laugh.
She laughed so hard that the people around her were confused.
"You're the one who wanted to translate it. You don't believe me when I translate it." After laughing, Twain stood up and said to the Englishmen in front of him.
At this time, Tang Jing, who was among the reporters, stood up and said, "Mr. Tony Twain's translation is correct. That's what Manager Dunn meant." Then she explained in detail again. Of course, her tone did not sound as sharp and unkind as Twain's.
"'Emperor', to you, can be seen as the same as a queen. 'Eunuch' was a kind of attendant who specialized in serving the emperor and empress in ancient China. Before working, it had to be … cut off, that is, castrated. "She made a" cut "gesture with her hand.
The men in the group of Englishmen could not help but look down at the space between their legs.
Seeing their movements, Twain laughed again. He added, "This Chinese saying means that the people involved are not anxious, but a bunch of irrelevant people are worrying for nothing. Beckham has already said that he has no problem, but you guys are still chasing after him. I find it very boring. Also, Nottingham Forest is playing against Manchester United, not David Beckham. In the future, my team will refuse to answer any questions about this topic. "
Twain once again showed his "unreasonable" side and blocked all the reporters' questions.
He was really tired of being entangled with these flies. They clearly had a lot of important things to do, but they had to face such a group of people every day when they went to and from work. How could their mood be good?
※ ※ ※
If the frequent hype about Beckham's return to Old Trafford could make the entire Nottingham Forest team lose their cool and fall into chaos, then Ferguson would be very happy to provide the news media with talking points. But he did not know if it would work, because Tony Twain was clearly a manager who paid great attention to the psychological work of the players. He had just announced that he would no longer accept any interviews about Beckham, clearly recognizing the disadvantages of being entangled by the media.
As the day of the match approached, he did not want to talk about Beckham anymore. Twain had a saying that he agreed with. This match was between the two teams and had little to do with a particular player. If everyone only focused on a player, it would be useless.
So, he ignored the media and focused on preparing for the decisive battle.
When Tony Twain led Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League, he snatched away a young player he was optimistic about — Piqué, who was now the main defensive force in the Forest team. At that time, he thought about this person. Was it a coincidence that he snatched Piqué, or would it develop to the point of snatching more from him in the future?
Now, the answer was undoubtedly clear.
Nottingham Forest was not snatching Manchester United's players, but the championship title.
Although Manchester United was at home this time, Ferguson did not say he was certain of winning. He knew what kind of team Nottingham Forest was — the stronger the opponent, the more difficult the conditions, the more energy they could explode with. If they were not careful, what was originally their own advantage could become a burden.
The game in which the Forest team eliminated Barcelona could be a good reference. George Wood was no longer a player who could be defended against when the Forest team attacked.
※ ※ ※
Time passed quickly. On May 10th, the entire Nottingham Forest team set off for Manchester City. A day later, the final round of the English Premier League would begin at the same time. At that time, whether it was the league title or the relegation, it would attract countless eyes.
And it was rare in recent seasons to not know who would be the champion until the final round like this year. Nottingham Forest's away game against Manchester United was naturally scheduled to be broadcast live to the nation.
The television station hoped that the two teams would have one last war of words before the game to hype up the game a little.
Ferguson only talked about Manchester United's championship goal. Twain said, "I think this game is hot enough. There's no need for hype."
Both sides did not want to be used by the media.
When Beckham arrived at the team hotel in Manchester City, he received two very different treatments — a group of Manchester United fans holding his posters were chanting his name, cheering and applauding him, and even unfurling a banner saying "Welcome back, David." This touched him very much. But when he turned around, on the other side was another group of Manchester United fans who had defaced his face, shouting slogans and insulting Beckham as a traitor.
Such a situation made him feel very embarrassed, but he was, after all, a star player who was used to seeing storms. Whether it was welcoming him or calling him a traitor, he waved and greeted them with a spring breeze-like smile on his face.
When he first transferred to Real Madrid, because Real Madrid had Figo on the right side of the midfield, no one knew whether he would still have a main position at that time. His wife, Victoria, warned him, "You must be surrounded by cameras, so when you get to Madrid, whether you're on the field or sitting on the bench, you have to keep smiling. Don't let others easily see your true inner thoughts."
In a place like Real Madrid, where he was followed twenty hours a day by the world's media, he did incorporate this into his life. No matter what, he would not let outsiders easily know his true thoughts.
In fact, to be a star, one had to learn this set of skills. Otherwise, it was not so easy to make a living in this industry.
Beckham's expression was the same as usual. He smiled and waved to the crowd, not leaving any traces for the media to stir up trouble. Beside him, Tang En could not help but admire the difference between a professional star and a half-baked one like himself. Although it made him a little sullen, maintaining his image in front of the general public did not affect his ability to make a fortune. To achieve great things, one must be able to endure. Similarly, to make a lot of money, one must also be able to endure.
Tang En could not help it. That was why there were very few commercial contracts, and the biggest source of income was still the salary given by the club.
However, he did not intend to change his bad temper. It was not easy to transmigrate to this place. If he did not have a good time, how could he face the villainous heavens who sent him here?
As for money, it was fine as long as he had enough to spend. Money could not buy his happiness. That was the most important thing.
Countless reporters flocked to Beckham, almost sticking their microphones directly into his mouth. They scrambled to ask, "How does it feel to be back in Manchester, David?"
"It's alright," Beckham answered with a smile, without the slightest impatience.
"What are your expectations for tomorrow's game?"
"We'll only know after the game starts. I don't even make predictions before the game."
"Are you surprised by the Manchester United fans' attitude towards you?"
"I'm very grateful to the Manchester United Football Club. I have such beautiful memories here, and I have many good friends here …" He said a lot of beautiful words, but did not answer the reporters' questions.
Before the group of reporters could ask further, Beckham had already entered the hotel. They saw Tony Twain's dark face, and the group of people sensibly shut up.
※ ※ ※
Tony Twain and Ferguson met at the final press conference before the game. There were no sparks of war of words like they did every day. The two only talked about their own preparations. Only when they talked about the championship did there be a hint of gunpowder.
"I believe Manchester United will be this season's league champion." Ferguson's face was slightly red as he said with a smile, appearing full of confidence.
At this point, it was clearly impossible to avoid the brunt of the attack. Twain did not want to show weakness. He also said with a smile, "Nottingham Forest's goal this season is to win the Double."
As soon as he said that, Ferguson, who was beside him, turned to look at him. The expressions on the reporters' faces also changed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Twain. If I didn't hear wrongly, you said Nottingham Forest will win the Double this season? "A reporter raised his hand and stood up.
Twain nodded and said in a very certain tone, "Yes, you didn't hear wrongly, and I didn't say wrongly. At the beginning of the season, I said Forest would win the league title. But now my plan has to be amended. Since there is hope for the league and the Champions League, why don't I win both titles? "
He said this without considering the feelings of Ferguson, who was sitting next to him, because his tone made it seem like he would win both titles for sure.
Ferguson glanced at Tony Twain with a faint smile that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking. Twain smiled at Ferguson after saying this, but there was no arrogance in his smile.
"It's good for young people to be motivated. If my team beats Chelsea, I will also want to win the Double, "Ferguson said. He did not give a tit-for-tat response like the media wanted. He just nodded very calmly. "But."
The change in the topic made everyone excited.
"Winning the championship isn't something you can get just by talking about."
Interesting. Twain thought to himself, Is this another way of issuing a challenge?
I'll accept it!
"Last season, I said Nottingham Forest would win the Champions League. At first, no one believed me. And the result? "He spread his hands. "Some people say I speak without thinking. Some people think I'm hyping things up. But results speak for themselves. Could it be that Nottingham Forest's UEFA Champions League title last season was just a bluff? Today, I said Forest's goal is to win the Double. If anyone still thinks I'm bragging and joking, we will see after tomorrow's game! "
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