Perhaps knowing that the Forest team now only had three strikers who could be considered official strikers, Allan allowed Tang En to use all the remaining transfer funds to buy a center forward on the market.
But Tang En's problem now was that he could not buy a player even if he had the money.
This situation was too depressing. It was like a poor man who could only drool at the sight of others eating and drinking well, with no money in his pocket. Suddenly, a large sum of money fell from the sky and was picked up by him. He happily ran to eat a big meal, only to see that the restaurant was closed for the day.
As it was already August 31st, there was less than a day before the transfer window closed. By this time, most of the transfer deals had been completed, and those that were not completed had entered the signing stage. Even if Tang En took a fancy to a target, it was already someone else's. Half a day was not enough to go to other teams to find a new target.
In Tang En's dark heart, he had already determined that this was Manchester City's intention. They delayed for a few days and only made a decision at the last moment to not give the Forest team time to find a substitute. It was a pity that he had been busy fighting with Manchester City for a few days and forgot about this.
Now, he was caught in his own trap.
On the one hand, he was unwilling to find a suitable candidate in the transfer market. On the other hand, Tang En was also ready to be self-sufficient.
He decided to go to the youth team and the reserve team to see if there were any suitable strikers available.
Of course, this had to wait until after the Super Cup.
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When Tony Twain led the Nottingham Forest team to the tourist resort of Monaco to prepare for the UEFA Super Cup, the club's people were also at full throttle, making a final effort worldwide.
The Brazilian striker that Manchester City did not manage to buy was an option, but the complicated relationship behind him and the tight time made the Forest club uncertain whether they could get him.
Mario Gomez, the top striker in Germany last season, was a strong center forward, but his performance in the UEFA European Championship was so clumsy that Nottingham Forest's scouts were not optimistic about the kid's future.
The red-eyed Nottingham Forest even approached the Spanish club Valencia, offering all their assets to buy the other team's leading striker, Villa. They did not care whether this man's style was suitable for Nottingham Forest's tactics or Tang En's requirements.
Inter Milan's talented player, "Super Mario" Mario Balotelli, might be suitable. But when Mourinho heard that it was Nottingham Forest who wanted him, he did not even think about it and directly refused.
Egypt's rising center forward, Zaki, was very much in line with Tang En's requirements, but he had long been bought by Portsmouth in advance. For a player who had just transferred for less than a month, there was no way Tang En would let him transfer again no matter what.
Just at the last moment, the scouts found someone who fit Tang En's requirements.
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Nikola Zigic, Serb, 2.02m tall. He is the second tallest center forward in European football.
There had been a strange phenomenon in European football over the years. The taller the center forward, the weaker his heading ability. The typical example was Ibrahimović. His footwork skills were a hundred thousand light years better than his header skills.
But Žigić was different. He was very much in line with Tang En's requirements for a center forward to have a good header. As a tall center forward, his header ability was as good as his height. 2.02m tall and 100kg weight made him a true "king of the air" in the penalty area. When playing against Real Madrid, his height and weight made the FIFA World Player of the Year, Cannavaro, helpless. Even if he wanted to foul, he could not bring the big man down.
Not only that, but an excellent header did not mean that he was clumsy. Žigić's footwork was also not weak. He could be said to be a true all-around center forward.
Unlike Bendtner, he could also become a "second passer" who could create opportunities for his teammates and not be stingy with the ball. The Serbian man's tactical discipline was much better than Bendtner's.
Most importantly, Žigić was not happy at Valencia.
Valencia spent 17 million euros to bring him from Racing Santander to the Bat Corps last season, but he did not get a chance to play. After missing a few rounds of the league tournament at the beginning of the season due to injury, he was always on the bench … No, a frequent visitor to the stands.
The absolute main strikers in Valencia were the "Calabash Brothers" Villa and Morientes. Behind them were Angulo and Arizmendi. Neither Flores nor Koeman dared to take risks with the tall center forward. Valencia spent 17 million euros to buy a fifth striker. No wonder they were in deep financial trouble last season … No matter how rich they were, they could not be a prodigal.
This summer, Atlético Madrid wanted to take Žigić away, but Žigić rejected the offer. He wanted to prove himself in Valencia again.
But now, with the start of the new La Liga season, Žigić discovered a cruel reality. In the tactics of the new manager, Emery, there was no place for him as a tall center forward. Villa's last-minute stay in the team almost announced that he had no chance to fight for the starting center forward position.
At this time, Nottingham Forest, who lacked a tall center forward, came knocking.
Originally, the Forest people came to buy Villa, but they were rejected by Valencia with disdain. They expressed that Villa was not for sale. They would not let him go even if Real Madrid wanted to buy him, let alone Nottingham Forest, who was far away in England. Feeling helpless, Nottingham Forest glanced at Valencia's striker's bench and was pleasantly surprised to find a big, dispirited man there.
Valencia was unwilling to part with Villa, but they were indeed short of money. If the others could be sold for money, they would be more than happy to welcome them.
Žigić also realized that he had no future in Valencia, and Nottingham Forest was a team that had just won the Double. There were many high-level players in the team, and they still wanted to fight for the championship title. This was in line with Žigić's wish — he yearned for glory.
Both sides hit it off. On the morning of September 1st, Nottingham Forest and Valencia signed an agreement. Žigić flew to Nottingham in the afternoon for a medical. In the evening, when Tang En was in Monaco making the final preparations and deployment for the next day's game, Nottingham Forest and Valencia announced at the same time that Serbia and Montenegro's center forward, Nikola Žigić, would be transferred to Nottingham Forest for a transfer fee of 10 million euros.
If not for the time constraint, Allan would have tried to lower the price. Since Valencia was short of money now, it was a good time to rip them off.
In the new season, Žigić would wear the number 9 jersey that Bendtner had left behind for his new club.
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After buying Žigić, Tang En was very satisfied with the transfer. The last stone in his heart had been lifted. He had spent too much time and energy on other unrelated matters this summer. To be able to get an "air hog" at the last minute could be considered to have made up for those regrets.
Now, he could seriously deal with his opponent in the UEFA Super Cup — Scotland's Rangers.
Rangers had narrowly defeated the veteran powerhouse Bayern Munich in the UEFA Europa League final last season and picked up the UEFA Cup.
In the UEFA Super Cup, they certainly hoped to continue this good luck.
Tang En, who had lost his strong center forward, had no choice but to put on a defensive formation and rely on the occasional sneak attack to threaten the opponent's goal. Most of the time, the Forest players were exhausted in defense.
From the looks of the game, Nottingham Forest did not have the temperament of a "European champion" at all. Instead, the high-spirited Rangers were more like the UEFA Champions League winners.
But the result?
Nottingham Forest successfully held on until the penalty shootout. At this time, the Rangers, who had been attacking wildly for 120 minutes, were already impatient and exhausted. They did not think that a UEFA Super Cup game would drag to the point of a penalty shootout. On the other hand, the Forest players, who had been passively beaten in the mobile game, were all full of confidence and calm, as if the penalty shootout was within their expectations.
The penalty shootout, which tested the most psychological qualities, had not even started, but the psychological superiority of the two sides was already clear.
In the penalty shootout, Rangers' first player, Kevin Thompson, kicked the ball into the stands under great pressure, giving Nottingham Forest a good start.
Nottingham Forest then scored four out of four penalty shootouts, while Rangers only scored two. They had not even kicked the fifth ball before they announced their defeat.
Nottingham Forest was the second team to successfully defend their UEFA Super Cup title after Serie A powerhouse AC Milan. They had obtained the second championship trophy of the new season, bringing a little joy to the team that had just sold their star of the future.
Although the situation was ugly, they had won the championship. The media still expressed their admiration for Nottingham Forest. After all, there were too many messy things that had nothing to do with football that happened during this period. It was overwhelming. Winning the UEFA Super Cup title under such circumstances proved Tang En's ability. At the same time, it also proved to people a fact that they were unwilling to admit but had to admit, that "defense will always be the foundation of winning the championship."
So, some experts began to boldly predict, "Nottingham Forest's glory this season will continue!"
After three seasons of observation, these experts summed up an experience: when it comes to Nottingham Forest, do not be afraid to talk big. Because Tang En talked big every year, but in the end, he became the winner. Doubting him would only result in a slap in the face in the end. It was better to talk big. If he guessed correctly, it would show that he had great foresight. If he was wrong, he could also push the blame to Tang En and his team. They were the ones who did not live up to expectations, not me.
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Although they won the UEFA Super Cup, although they bought the tall center forward, Žigić, Tang En's frown showed no signs of loosening. The reason was simple — someone was injured again.
Van der Vaart and van Nistelrooy were still on the injured list. After the UEFA Super Cup game, they had another partner.
Pepe sprained his ankle in overtime. At that time, Tang En had no substitutions in his hands, so he could only grit his teeth and persevere on the field. After the game, he was examined and needed to recuperate for 15 days.
Now, Tang En could only be thankful that they were not serious injuries. Otherwise, the start of the new season would be unfavorable.
After returning to Nottingham, Tang En introduced Žigić to the players and found time to talk to him alone through the interpreter. He let him know what kind of team Nottingham Forest was, what style of football the manager was good at, what role he hoped the center forward would play in this kind of tactic, and what kind of position he would have in this team. In passing, he asked about his life in England and told him to look for him if he was not used to it. He fully displayed the image of a "benevolent," "kind" and "gentle" middle-aged man.
After the UEFA Super Cup, the Forest team was temporarily disbanded. The players who had national team assignments had to fly to their respective national teams to participate in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
Italy's famous gold-medal manager, Capello, had become England's new manager, and thanks to this iron-willed manager, George Wood was also re-selected for the England team. Stable play, faithful execution of tactics, and a calm personality that did not cause trouble were very much in line with Capello's requirements.
The media predicted that Wood was likely to be in the starting lineup for England's away game against Andorra. The young Nottingham Forest captain still had to prove his value in the England team with his own actions. Previously, he had always been regarded as a player who had been underestimated by the two previous England managers.
Wood needed to work hard for his future in England, and Tang En was not idle. Taking advantage of this time, he went to the reserve team and youth team. Although he bought Žigić, van Nistelrooy was old after all. No matter how good his form was, there was no guarantee that he would be like this next season. In fact, it might not even be guaranteed for this season. Tang En felt that he still had to dig out his own reserve lineup.
Although the First Team was on holiday, the reserve team still had to prepare for the Reserve League on the weekend. Tang En's arrival made the reserve team players very happy, because they knew what it meant for a manager who rarely came to the reserve team to come once.
If they performed well, they would get a chance to be promoted to the First Team.
The former Turkish genius, Şahin, was currently training with the First Team, but participated in the reserve team's matches. Tang En hoped to let him start to get in touch with and familiarize himself with England's football style from the intense matches of the reserve team, while gradually restoring confidence and inspiration.
He came to the reserve team this time to see how Şahin's performance was.
The reserve team manager, Colin Calderwood, saw Tang En and thought that he had come specifically to inspect Şahin. As soon as they met, he gushed to him about Şahin's performance, "… Tony, this guy is really a genius. His performance in the reserve team's matches was very outstanding. I think he already has the ability to play in the First Team. His passing is very imaginative and his ball control skills are excellent … "
Tang En nodded after patiently listening to his introduction, "Let him stay under you for a while, Colin."
"Huh? Isn't Rafael injured? "Calderwood was puzzled.
"There are so many players in the First Team. I always have to try to arrange for them to play." Tang En smiled helplessly.
Calderwood suddenly realized, then shook his head and smiled, "No one wants to play as a substitute."
"And, I listened to the advice of the psychologists. Miss Taresha, who has been following Şahin's treatment, thinks it is not a good time to let him return to the First Team immediately. I believe in the advice of the professionals, so let him continue to wait … Does he have any dissatisfaction? "Tang En was concerned about the last question. Bendtner's departure was a wake-up call for him. He could no longer wishfully think that everyone was an obedient NPC without personal desires.
Calderwood shook his head, "Not really. And … I think he enjoys this kind of stress-free game. "
Tang En grunted and no longer said anything. He continued to watch the reserve team's internal match on the training ground. This match would determine the lineup for tomorrow's reserve team match. Everyone put out their real skills and wanted to show their best in front of the First Team manager.
Several of the most promising young players in the youth team were loaned out by Tang En this summer, such as a winger like Adriano Moke. Those players in the First Team who did not have national team assignments also appeared in the reserve team. If they performed well, they would participate in tomorrow's reserve team league match. In fact, the reserve team had always been the most direct platform for the First Team to adjust the condition of the players and observe the level of the players. Tang En rarely came, not because he did not care, but because he had the best eyes — Dunn. Dunn came back for every reserve team match. Those First Team players who were determined not to appear in the league tournament list would also come to the reserve team to play and maintain their condition. There were also players who had just recovered from injuries who would also re-find the rhythm of the game through the reserve team matches. Another type of person was a promising young man like Moke, who impressed the First Team manager by playing in the reserve team matches and thus used the reserve team as a springboard to rise to the First Team and move towards a broader stage. However, these people were just passersby in the reserve team. Most of the players who were permanently in the reserve team were ordinary players who were not outstanding. They did not have a high salary and could not play in the First Team matches. They were content to play in the reserve team. Every summer, the club would terminate the contracts of a group of such players or sell them to teams in the lower leagues at a low price. Then, they would transfer some of the players from the youth team for a closer inspection. Those with potential were kept or loaned out to train. Those without a future were eliminated after a few years, and so on and so forth.
Tang En quickly noticed the center back in the Yellow Team because he was too tall. He was at least 1.9 meters tall because he was taller than the goalkeeper.
He thought the man looked familiar, perhaps because of his unique height. He turned his head to ask Calderwood, "Who is that number five?"
"Aaron Mitchell, center back. But his performance in this position is terrible. " Calderwood was a respectable reserve team manager. There were some people in the team that Tang En might not know who they were, but Calderwood did keep them in mind.
"What kind of terrible play?" Tang En remembered the name. Last summer, when he went to the youth team to see if there were any promising stars, he also noticed the big man.
"He lacks defensive awareness." Calderwood shook his head. "His headers are better than before, and his physical fitness is great. But he's completely at a loss when defending. Look. "
As he spoke, Mitchell was easily deceived by Hoyt, another striker in the reserve team, and then he shot successfully.
"In addition, he's terrible at tackling. For this reason, I had to forbid him from tackling the opponent's ball in the penalty area. He has already given the opponent two penalties in three games. He's always easy to be deceived by the opponent and then lose his center of gravity. "
The side without a vest celebrated the goal, while the culprit of the concede stood in place with his head down in frustration. Tang En took a few more glances. Even with his head down, the boy's height was too outstanding. He was almost catching up with Žigić, right?
Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind.
"Maybe it's the wrong position. Colin. Why don't you try switching him to the forward line? "Tang En said to Calderwood.
The reserve team manager was taken aback by Tang En's absurd idea.
"Forward? This … "
Seeing the other side's difficulty, Tang En smiled. "Well, you call him down, and I'll tell him."
Calderwood whistled to pause the game, and then waved for the silly big man to come down from the field. His teammates looked at him in disbelief. They did not understand why Mitchell, who had just made a mistake, was chosen by Tang En.
"Coach, Boss … Boss." After first greeting Calderwood, and then facing the smiling Tang En, the big man stuttered a little.
"Young man, how tall are you?" Tang En nodded in response, and then he asked.
"Uh … 1.98 meters."
Tang En smiled. "No wonder you're so tall. You're taller than him." Tang En pointed to the other goalkeeper who was Mitchell's opponent. It was the team's third goalkeeper, Dale Roberts, who was 1.91 meters tall.
"To be honest, your performance was terrible."
As Tang En said so, the other side immediately fell completely silent, bowing his head like a strange schoolboy being scolded.
"Now I'll give you a chance. You go and play forward. "
Hearing Tang En say so, Mitchell froze. He looked up at the boss who was shorter than him incredulously.
"I, but I didn't, never …"
"If I tell you to play, just play. Why so much nonsense!" Tang En frowned, and the other side immediately fell silent.
"Go on." Calderwood patted the other side on the shoulder and pushed him back to the field. Then he withdrew the defensive midfielder back to play as a temporary center back and let the team change to a 4-4-3 formation.
"Let them pass more from the two sides and lob the ball."
Calderwood understood Tang En's meaning. "You want to see that kid's header ability?"
"It's the ability to score with headers." Tang En smiled and corrected his colleague's mistake.
Until the end of the first half, Mitchell, who was pushed to the front line for the first time, did not score a goal.
At first, he was very nervous and did not understand why the manager wanted him to be a striker. He was somewhat at a loss. But when he found that his teammates kept passing the ball high into the penalty area, he began to try to jump to compete for the header. Then, he found that once he jumped, the opposing defender could not do anything to him. He completely relaxed and put all his thoughts on how to head the football into the goal.
Although he did not score, he smashed the football twice on the crossbar and once forced the First Team's number three goalkeeper, Dale Roberts, to make a very awkward save. In order to save the ball he headed to the bottom left corner, he almost hit the goalpost.
After his teammates found that Mitchell, who had nothing but his height, had such a useful side, they took the initiative to pass the ball to him. Suddenly, a shrill air defense alarm sounded in front of Roberts' goal. Whether he could head the ball or not, such a big Mitchell could put tremendous psychological pressure on the opposing defender as long as he stood in front of the goal. His presence also helped his teammates distract the attention of the opposing defense, and the Yellow Team equalized the score before the end of the first half. When Şahin appeared in front of the goal and swept the football into the goal, there was not even a defender beside him. Everyone was around Mitchell.
Seeing this scene, Tang En smiled and clapped his hands. While applauding Şahin's goal, he said to the stunned Calderwood next to him, "It seems that we all got his position wrong. He should be a center forward. From now on, train him as a center forward. "
So, Aaron Mitchell, who started playing football at the age of ten, played as a goalkeeper for a year and as a center back for seven years, officially became a backup center forward from today.
Chelsea's "Beast of Monsters" striker, Drogba, also started to change from a defender to a striker. Perhaps Mitchell could not become the first Drogba, but he could at least start working towards this goal.
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Notes:
Nottingham Forest First Team squad list for the 2008-2009 season (26 players):
Goalkeepers: Edwin van der Sar (1), Igor Akinfeev (12), Dale Roberts (25).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (22), Gareth Bale (2), Pascal Chimbonda (3), Sun Jihai (21), Jonathan Woodgate (5), Vincent Kompany (33), Pepe (6), Wes Morgan (30), Robert Ayala (4), Rafinha (14).
Midfielders: George Wood (13), Martin Petrov (8), Rafael van der Vaart (23), Chris Commons (20), Aaron Lennon (17), Franck Ribéry (7), David Beckham (24), Tiago Mendes (31), Nuri Şahin (15).
Forwards: Freddy Eastwood (11), Nikola Žigić (9), Ruud van Nistelrooy (10), Arshavin (18).
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Notice:
The plot has reached a small critical point. I am very understanding of everyone's hard work waiting for an update every day and their eagerness to see the subsequent plot development. Therefore, I have made the best use of my time these two days to write a few more chapters and dedicate them in the next two days. I hope everyone will like them.
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