Des Walker was the last to enter the locker room. He wanted to ensure that all the players entered before him and that no one was left outside. But when he walked into the locker room, he was shocked. Tony Twain was not there. The atmosphere in the locker room was chaotic. There were sighs and complaints. There were even people discussing how to leave this "hell forest" during the winter transfer window. The consecutive defeats and turbulent economic conditions had caused the team's morale to slacken. No matter how he looked at it, it was impossible to associate the people here with professional players. If it were the Forest fans who saw this scene at the entrance, they would definitely be disappointed. Who knew how angry they would be?
Ian Bowyer sat in the corner as if he was an outsider. An inexplicable anger rose in Walker's heart. The team's performance was so poor, and there were even some very inappropriate remarks, yet he, a veteran assistant manager, stood by and did nothing. Even if he did not want Twain to be the acting manager, shouldn't he put aside his personal grudges when he was working? What good would it do for his future if the team lost?
Just as he was about to go up and confront Bowyer, he heard a flurry of hurried footsteps coming from the corridor behind him. And judging from the sound, there was definitely more than one person hurrying over.
He curiously turned his head around and saw a scene that made his mouth drop open.
A group of fans wearing Forest scarves around their necks and wearing the Forest team's red jerseys hurried to the entrance of the locker room! Walker did not count, but with a glance, the group of people had already blocked the passageway outside the locker room.
What … What's going on? Who allowed them in? The locker room was an absolutely private place. No one was allowed to step in without permission. Where's the security?!
Just as he was about to open his mouth to stop the group of seemingly agitated fans, he was pushed to the side. Then, he watched helplessly as a large group of at least ten fans rushed into the small locker room.
He was just worried about what the fans would think if they saw such an atmosphere in the locker room. Now, his worries had come true.
He was blocked outside and could not see what was happening inside. But he could hear the locker room, which was as noisy as a street pub, suddenly quiet down.
The awkward silence was broken by the sound of calm footsteps. Walker saw Twain walking slowly from the direction where the fans had come from. Looking at him, he looked as if he was taking a stroll. He could no longer worry about what was happening in the locker room. He quickly walked over and pulled Tang En aside. He lowered his voice and asked, "Tony, those fans …"
"Yes, I let them come in for a tour."
"You?!" Walker's eyes widened.
Tang En was very satisfied with his assistant's reaction. "Well, after I left the stadium, I made a trip to the shop in front, intending to buy a pack of cigarettes. Then I heard them talking about the first half of the game, saying that they really wanted to encourage those bastards who get paid but don't work, so I let them come. "
"Tony! Are you crazy? Do you know what this place is? In the changing room! Even Mr. President would not enter the forbidden area without warning! Your brain … your brain is really … "Walker was really angry.
Tang En smiled. "Don't worry, Des. Stay here with me and watch the show. "He pulled Walker back, not letting him rush into the locker room. Then the two of them heard a surprised voice coming from the direction of the locker room.
"Who … Who are you? How did you get in? "Old Bowyer's voice trembled with a hint of shock and fear.
Bowyer's mental fortitude could not be mocked. Anyone who saw a group of angry fans charging into the locker room would not be able to remain calm. After a short and abnormal silence, there was an explosion.
The leader, a very fat and tall fan, tore off the Forest team's red scarf around his neck and flung it at the face of the striker, Jack Lester, who had performed poorly in the first half.
"We worked hard to cheer you on from the stands, and this is how you repay us!" He roared, his voice shaking the entire stadium. "We paid for the tickets, asked for your autographs, worshipped you, supported you … treated you as the heroes of this city. No matter how bad the results were, we did not complain. But look at you now! Which part of you look like professional footballers? Who was the one who said they wanted to leave? You can leave now! Forest doesn't need trash like you! "
"Let me tell you, we'll continue watching the second half. We want to see how you bastards get humiliated by the East Londoners! Anyway, it's not us who are embarrassed! Bah! " After spitting harshly, the fat man turned and squeezed out of the locker room. The other fans also tore off the scarves around their necks and threw them on the ground before turning and walking out.
Seeing a large group of people pass by him, Tang En even had the mood to greet them. "Good job, guys."
Unfortunately, no one paid attention to him. Everyone kept their heads down and walked hurriedly, leaving the tunnel without a word.
Des Walker also kept his head down. He had just retired from his position as a player. Sometimes, he could not separate the two completely different identities of an assistant manager and a player. Just now, when the fans angrily accused the players of not doing their best, he felt as though they were also accusing him of not shouldering his responsibilities as a manager. When he was a player, he had a good relationship with the Forest fans. Even when he scored an own goal in the FA Cup final, causing the team to lose to Tottenham Hotspur, no fans blamed him. Now, he felt as though those fans were pointing at his nose and scolding him, "You're not fit to lead Forest! You're not worthy of our respect! "
Just as he was blaming himself, Tang En suddenly patted him on the back and said, "Des, come with me." To be honest, Walker had already lost the ability to think. He only followed Tang En mechanically into the dead silence of the locker room. What he saw next was still fresh in his memory even when he was very, very old.
Tang En strode into the locker room and stood at the door, scanning the crowd. Then, his gaze stopped on the scarves on the ground. It looked like those fans were really angry. He shrugged his shoulders in his heart.
Hearing the footsteps stop abruptly, everyone raised their heads and looked at the temporary manager who had returned after missing. No one could see the expression on his face because there was nothing there. But they knew that he must have let these fans in on purpose. Without the manager's permission, no one could enter the locker room. What was the manager going to say now?
Many people still remembered the last match in League One. Before half-time, they were already two goals behind. During the halftime interval, the manager said some things, but there was no way for them to remember. Because his voice was too soft and could not suppress the singing, boos, and jeers coming from outside. In any case, everyone saw him scribbling on the tactical board, but they had no clue. Just like that, they lost 0: 3 in the end, the same score as today's first half.
Tang En did not open his mouth to speak. He lowered his head and picked up the team scarves abandoned by the fans. He dusted them off and handed them to Walker, who was standing behind him. Then, he raised his head and looked at the players on the team.
"Jack Lester, Marlon Hailwood, Mathieu Louis-Jean." He spoke slowly, listing out the names of the players who did not perform well in the first half. "Gareth Williams, Eugen Bopp, Andy Reid, Darren Ward. I'm asking all of you a very serious question now … Did you all go out together to visit prostitutes last night? "
No one expected their manager to ask such a question. They all looked at him with their mouths agape, not knowing how to answer.
"Answer me, yes or no?!" Tang En suddenly raised his voice and roared. Everyone in the locker room was frightened by him. No one dared to answer.
"This is the first time I hate the person who made the rules of football so much. If there was a rule that allowed 11 players to be changed in an official match, I would have changed all of you out now! "Tang En waved his arms agitatedly. He was like a different person from the gloomy Tony Twain from before. "Your performance was dog sh * t … No, not dog sh * t. Ten pieces of dog sh * t! I was the one who let those fans come because they said they wanted to encourage you to do well in the second half. There's still a chance. Being behind by three goals isn't a big deal … But! "
Tang En paused for a moment and then sighed. "But you let them down. What kind of team were they looking at when they were so excited? I'm wrong again. Can you still be called a 'team'? You're one, two, three, four … fourteen pieces of dog sh * t! "Tang En gestured one with his left hand and four with his right. "Let me tell you, if I wasn't the manager of this team, I'd really like to do this to you right now …" He retracted his left hand and retracted three of the four fingers on his right hand, leaving only a middle finger raised high. "There are still 27,000 middle fingers like this on the stands outside!"
None of the players expected Manager Tony Twain to start scolding them the moment he opened his mouth. His words were vicious, articulate, and agitated. It completely overturned their impression of this person in their hearts. They were dumbfounded by Tang En's scolding. One by one, they sat in their seats in a daze, not knowing what to say.
On the way to the locker room, Evan Doughty was still trying to persuade his father to give up on the idea of bringing him to meet the team. "Manager Twain must be very busy during the precious half-time break. The team and he probably won't have time to meet with us. I think we should forget about it. "
"We're just meeting and greeting each other. We'll leave after that. It won't take more than half a minute. "Nigel continued to insist on his own opinion. Evan shrugged and shook his head lightly behind his father.
Just as the two of them reached the fork in the road leading to the locker room, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the corner, giving them a fright. Evan hurriedly reached out to hold his father back. He was afraid of bumping into the group of people. His old father could not take any more trouble.
"What's going on?" Nigel realized that the group of people who rushed past him were coming from the direction of the locker room. He looked in that direction strangely and muttered to himself.
After passing through the group of people, the two of them arrived at the door of the locker room. Nigel turned to look at his son and realized that his tie was loose. He let him tie it again. "Evan, remember. The locker room is a very sacred place. We must maintain our image. "
Seeing that his son was still relatively obedient, he nodded in satisfaction and turned to knock on the door. Just as he placed his hand on the door, he heard Tony Twain's roar coming from inside.
"Twenty-seven thousand middle fingers! Just as lush as Sherwood Forest! "
After a short break, he took the opportunity to observe the expressions of the players. Tang En continued, "I know that it's not the first or second day that someone in this team wants to leave. To some people, the Forest team is just a large ATM machine. No matter how they perform, their monthly salary will still be paid. But I have to remind you fools, no club will fork out money to buy a pile of sh * t. If you continue to perform like sh * t on the field, don't expect anyone to pay for your performance! I won't stop you from leaving, nor will I keep those whose hearts are not here. But you must understand that your future is not with me, but with your own performance! Who do you think you're playing football for? The fans? The club chairman? Or me, the acting manager who may be dismissed at any moment? Idiots, you're playing football for yourselves!! "
Many people looked at Tang En with different expressions. There were astonishment, agitation, contemplation, and all sorts of other emotions. Tang En knew that his psychological attack had succeeded. At a time like this, it was useless to talk about the glory of the team to those who had already made up their minds to leave. He could just say that what they were most concerned about was their own future. It was guaranteed to hit the hearts of those who were originally distracted to focus on what he had to say.
As for the other group of people …
Tang En took out a folded scarf from Walker's hands, shook it open, and held it in front of everyone.
"What does a scarf with the emblem and name of one's favorite team mean to a fan? If there's anyone who doesn't understand, I can call that group of people back to explain it to you. Do you think they're wearing it around their necks because it's cold? Des. "
Hearing Tang En call him, Walker hurriedly stood up.
"Look at the scarf in your hands. Does it look familiar?"
With Tang En's reminder, he realized that the scarves in his hands were different in terms of style, size, pattern, and color. They were not the same.
"Des, what year's scarf is the one in my hands?" Tang En asked without turning his head.
Walker looked at it carefully for a while, then answered with certainty, "The 91-92 season."
"Very good." Following which, Tang En took the scarf out of Walker's hands one by one and asked. Walker also answered them one by one, all correct. This caused Ian Bowyer, who was beside him, to be secretly shocked. Even an old player cum manager like him could not accurately report the year these scarves were introduced.
"The last one." Tang En picked up the last narrow scarf. Compared to the others, this scarf was especially old. The color was dull and faded, and there were signs of wear on the edges. This time, he did not hear anything for a long time. Puzzled, he turned to look at Walker, only to realize that Walker was staring at the scarf with a strange gaze.
"Des?"
"I'm sorry … This, this is the 79-80 season. It's the one that appeared at Bernabéu when Forest was defending their Champions League title!" Des Walker said agitatedly. The scarf reminded him of the glory days of the Forest team. Although he was a Londoner, and although he had only joined the team in 1983, when Forest was at its most glorious, he had played for Forest for a total of 12 years, and played 321 matches for Forest. He had long become a Nottingham Forest fan through and through.
Hearing Walker report the origin of this tattered scarf, many people in the changing room sucked in a breath. The Champions League was an honor that many people here did not even dare to think about. However, the badges on their chests had come into close contact with the Big Ears Cup twice. Although this club was currently in dire straits, it had previously been the recipient of the highest honor in Europe twice in a row.
Tang En also did not expect his luck to be so good. There was such an antique among the scarves thrown down by the fans. He really did not know which overly agitated fan had thrown it. Would he feel remorseful after he calmed down? To ordinary people, this scarf was no different from a broken rag. However, in the hearts of the hardcore Forest fans, it was priceless!
He could not help but carefully examine the scarf in his hands, as if he could see history from this tattered scarf. The cheers above Bernabéu Stadium were endless. The sparkling silver trophy under the illumination of the fireworks was the dream of so many people …
He calmed himself down. Then, he looked at the players again. The situation was already different from before.
Michael Dawson was a true Nottingham Forest man. He was familiar with Forest's past glory like the back of his hand. When he saw this scarf, he was already so excited that he could not control himself. He stood up abruptly. "Boss, boss …"
"What are you doing?" Tang En did not understand what he wanted to do.
"Can, can you let me touch that scarf?" Dawson stretched out his finger towards the scarf in Tang En's hands.
Tang En handed the scarf over. Dawson solemnly received it with both hands, then pulled it open and raised it over his head. He looked like he was holding up the Champions League trophy. The bright white light shone down through the scarf and shone on his eyes. However, he did not shift his gaze away from the scarf. His voice trembled as he muttered to himself, "When I was four years old, I followed my dad to the City Ground to watch football. This is how I learned to pull open the scarf and shout 'Forest!' and 'Forest!' I dreamed that when I grew up, I could also play for Forest and win games for the thousands of people in the stands like my dad. "
It was quiet in the changing room. Everyone's eyes were on the scarf in Dawson's hands. Even the two people outside the door were listening attentively.
"When I was young, if I asked my dad to tell me a story, he would always tell the story of Forest winning two Champions League titles and 42 consecutive matches without a defeat. However, I would never get tired of hearing it. Every time he talked about those two Champions League finals, he would imitate the commentator on the radio and shout, 'Trevor Francis!' 'John Robertson!' 'Forest is the champion, the Champions of Europe!' "Dawson sighed." This scarf is even older than me. However, when I finally got into Forest's youth team when I was ten, Forest was relegated … "
Dawson's narration seemed to be a whisper, and it made Des Walker reminisce. He did not experience the sorrowful moment of Forest's relegation, but he experienced the final glory of Forest. He still remembered the scenes in the City Ground stadium. He even remembered that he scored an own goal, which caused Manager Clough's dream of becoming the FA Cup champions to come to naught. At that time, he was in tears when he faced Manager Brian Clough, who was like the Godfather.
He and Stuart Pearce formed the England national team's defensive line, which was impregnable. At that time, their team was full of talented players. Franz Karl, Neil Webber, Ian Bowyer, Nigel Clough, John Robertson, Steve Stones, Teddy Sheringham, Roy Keane … They were fearless together. Even Liverpool, who had won the Champions League five times, would tremble in front of them.
Another person who was also touched was a man with white hair hiding in the corner.
"… I don't know how long Forest stayed in League One. I didn't keep count. Every year before the start of the new season, they would say that we shouldn't stay in League One. We should go to the Super League. But we were still in League One at the end of the season. Many people lost their confidence and left because of one reason or another. I also know that some of you will leave at the end of this season. Then, we will wait for a new group of teammates to come and start a new season. Our teammates have changed batch after batch, and the manager has changed. The only thing that hasn't changed is that we are still in League One. I really want to play in the Super League. I feel that as long as we are given a chance, we can also prove that we can play in the Super League! "At this point, Dawson's tone became heavier and his emotions became a little agitated. "I can't wait for things like next season or the season after that. I want to prove that we can also play in the Super League now! Isn't West Ham United a Super League team? Playing against them can also be considered playing in the Super League, right? Let's just think so! Beat them and prove that our strength is indeed suitable for the Super League! I implore everyone to help me this once. Let me play a game in the Super League! "
Looking at the radiance radiating from the nineteen-year-old boy's face, Tang En suddenly felt that his idea of making him the captain was correct. Was there anyone more suitable than him? There was no need to say the words that he had spent so much effort to prepare. This child did a much better job than a lousy actor like him.
He raised his arm and raised his voice to say, "Now, I have a way to salvage the situation in the second half. But I need people who sincerely want to play football and want to play to implement this plan. I don't need sleepwalkers who have not woken up and cowards who think that we have already lost. What I need are warriors. Warriors who can give up everything for victory at crucial moments! Who among you is willing to be such a person? Stand up! "
Everyone in the locker room stood up at the same time.
Tang En smiled. "Very good, soldiers."
There were two people listening outside the door. Nigel Doughty lowered his voice and shouted his son's name, "Evan."
"I'm here, Father."
"You're right. This is indeed not a suitable time for us to go in and greet them. Let's go. I will find another time to arrange for you to meet with that group of warriors. "With that, he turned around and walked back slowly.
Evan looked back at the locker room door and hurried to catch up with his father.
At that moment, in the locker room, Tang En was grasping the last bit of time to explain the tactics for the second half to the players. He did not have time for self-modesty or pleasantries. There were less than five minutes left in the halftime interval. He only found out about this after Walker reminded him. At that moment, he naturally did not have the leisure to lament about how his fate had taken a huge turn out of thin air. Four days ago, he was still an unknown, ordinary Chinese man who was muddling through his days. Four days later, he could actually see such a good show in the locker room of a professional team and explain tactics to a group of professional players.
He quickly drew up West Ham United's lineup on the tactical board. This lineup was what he had observed in the first half of the game.
"The core of the West Ham United team is their captain, Joe Cole. They have many high-level players. The team's techniques are meticulous and they cooperate well. It will be difficult to play against such a team, but they are not unbeatable. Their team looks like they are playing well, but there is a huge hidden danger. They beat us by 3: 0 in the first half. We are also a First Division team, one level lower than them. For West Ham, the most important game at this time is no longer the third round of the FA Cup against us. Instead, it is their home game against Newcastle in the 23rd round of the English Premier League. Do you understand what I'm saying? " Tang En raised his head and asked, giving himself and the listening players a breather. It was not good to instill too much information in one go.
The players might still be confused, but the two assistant managers understood in their hearts.
Although it was only halfway through the season, West Ham United's situation to avoid relegation was already very serious. The qualification to stay in the English Premier League was far more important than a single FA Cup match. With a three-goal lead, the opponent was bound to hold back, be it in terms of tactics or the performance of the players. In addition, they would definitely underestimate the opponent. In comparison, what advantage did Forest have? Although the team's recent performance was not satisfactory, there was no worry about relegation. They could put all their energy into the second half. The result would be much worse if they were fully committed and absent-minded.
Sure enough, Tang En's next words confirmed their speculation.
"West Ham United will definitely not be able to maintain their focus and outstanding form in the first half for the next 45 minutes. We'll use this to our advantage and catch them off guard! In addition, West Ham United's cooperation is based on delicate footwork coordination. We won't play with techniques with them. I'm asking each and every one of you, from the striker to the goalkeeper, to faithfully execute the tactics I'm about to tell you. Make your kicking movements rougher and bigger. If Jockel takes the ball, go up close to him and snatch it. Be more ruthless! I don't care if you foul. As long as it's not in our own penalty area, it's up to you. It would be perfect if you could knock one or two of their players down! Remember, you must be fierce. You must be ruthless! This is not a football match. This is a war! You must go all out to snatch the balls that both sides have half the chances for! Don't worry about getting hurt. The opponent will definitely give up on these kinds of balls. That's our chance! If you want to turn the situation on the field around, you must make use of these kinds of collisions. When the opponent is afraid, that's the time for us to turn defeat into victory! "
"Let me tell you about the relationship between West Ham United and us. They are those high and mighty nobles who live a life of debauchery and debauchery. And what are we? We are the Robin Hoods who topple these nobles! We have nothing to begin with. We don't have to worry about losing anything. On the contrary, the people who should be afraid of losing are them. This is Nottingham. We are surrounded by the dense Sherwood Forest. This is the place we are most familiar with. It's our territory! In the forest, the chivalrous bandits never return empty-handed. If we snatch back a point, we are only two points behind them. If we snatch back two points, we are only one point away. If we snatch back four points, we will win!! "
Tang En clenched his fist and smashed it hard on the tactical board.
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