After the game against Manchester City, the media lost interest in continuing to hype up the feud between Bendtner and the Forest team. Bendtner lost the bet and treated all his teammates to drinks out of his own pocket. He seemed to have forgotten the game he experienced in the City Ground stadium, and a smile reappeared on his face. Although he had lost the game and the bet, his relationship with his new teammates had become more harmonious. It could be said that there were gains and losses.
The Nottingham Forest fans also did not talk about the player who no longer belonged to the Forest team. However, if Bendtner returned to the City Ground stadium with Manchester City again, he would still hear loud boos. His performance in the game had long been deeply engraved in the hearts of the Forest fans.
The Nottingham Forest players also would not talk about the game that had already passed, even though that game had given birth to many topics that people liked to talk about.
George Wood's goal was named the best of the round and was repeatedly played in the highlights produced by the television station. Žigić was also favored by the media because he had just transferred to the Premier League for a month and had already scored a goal for the Forest team in his second appearance. Furthermore, it was the final winning goal.
Once the league tournament ended, Tang En took the team to Kiev, Ukraine, to participate in the second game of the Champions League group stage.
It had just entered October, and the temperature in Kiev was cool and suitable for outdoor activities.
Although they were playing in the Champions League, Tang En still decided to rotate considering the strength of Kiev Dynamo and the state of the team itself. He replaced the entire main lineup for the game against Manchester City. Relying on the second lineup, the Forest team defeated Kiev Dynamo 1: 2 in an away game, winning two games in a row and making a good start to advance from the group stage.
The continuous campaign caused the team's fitness to once again become a problem — in fact, it had not been good. From the national team competition until now, the Forest team's fitness reserves had always been below the safety line.
Returning to England, the Forest team was forced to a 0: 0 draw by Middlesbrough at home.
After seven rounds, the Forest team was ranked fourth in the league with 14 points, even behind the newly promoted Hull City. Hull City had won three games in a row since losing to Nottingham Forest with five goals in the second round of the league tournament. In the last five rounds of the league tournament, they had achieved four wins and one draw. In the league table, they were ranked third above Nottingham Forest who had the same points as them. They became the biggest dark horse since the start of the new season.
Even Tang En would sometimes lament the impermanence of the world. Hull City, who had been beaten to a pulp by them in the second round of the league tournament, was now ranked above them. In the top three.
But he was not worried that Hull City could really threaten his team. These newly promoted teams relied on their drive and people's lack of understanding of them. It was normal for them to be ranked at the top at the beginning of the season. But endurance was the key to testing these teams. Wasn't Wigan Athletic team also known as a "dark horse"? Now? The team led by the coach who admired him so Forest was still in the Football.
To put it bluntly, the top football league was a game for the rich. Without a certain economic foundation, it could only shine for a short period of time. In the end, they would still be ruthlessly eliminated. No matter how strong the team was, if they did not have money, they could not escape the fate of being divided up by the strong teams and becoming a "player supermarket."
Think about Parma in Italy, think about Leeds in England …
Although he knew that Hull City could not pose any threat to him, he also knew that the league tournament was a long battle. It was not the start, but the halfway and the final sprint. Tang still with the team's current situation. and he was. was
In the summer, the team was strapped for manpower. Two months after the start of the league, it was already like this. As a result, the team was now stretched thin in terms of personnel arrangements. It had only been two months since the start of the league tournament and it was already like this. There was still an even crueler winter to come. Tang En did not know what kind of disadvantageous situation the team would encounter at that time. He decided to find Evan to discuss the funds needed to bring in players during the winter transfer period.
Speaking of Evan, he remembered that he had not seen much of him in the past month.
Speaking of Evan, he suddenly remembered that he had rarely seen Evan in the past month. He had been based in Nottingham. However, he rarely saw him in Wilford in the past month. Like him, Allan Adams was one of the few people he saw.
Was he busy with something? Fortunately, they were all in Nottingham these days. Tang En decided there was no time like the present. He immediately went to look for Evan.
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In Evan's office, Tang En saw Allan again. Tang En was already used to this business partner and good friend who always hung out with Evan. He greeted Allan and went straight to the point to put forward his ideas.
"Evan, you've seen the team's current situation. Injuries and a lack of stamina have caused me to be unable to arrange a complete lineup for many matches. I think we should bring in at least three players during the winter break, especially in the midfield … "
Just as he finished speaking, Evan and Allan looked at each other. Then, they smiled bitterly and spread their hands. "Tony, I'm afraid I can't satisfy your request this time …"
Tang En was puzzled. "Why?"
Evan continued to smile bitterly. "We have no money."
"No money? I don't understand. Isn't the club's financial situation still good? "
Allan stood up from the sofa. "Simply put, we can still fork out the necessary expenses to run the club. But it's difficult to fork out the extra money to buy new players. Do you watch the news, Tony? "
"I only watch sports …"
Allan sighed. "The financial crisis has arrived."
Tang En was a little confused. He could not tell the difference between "financial crisis" and "economic crisis." To him, they were all the same. He only had two chances to understand these crises. One was when he was in secondary school. He learned about the world economic crisis in the 1930s from a history textbook, as well as the financial crisis that broke out in Southeast Asia in 1998. But as an ordinary person living in mainland China, even the most recent year, 1997, had a negligible impact on his life. It was even more impossible for him to have a more direct impression of such crises. What exactly is a financial crisis? What kind of impact can it have on my life?
Now, he had the chance to see it face to face.
"A credit crisis broke out in the United States. It's only a matter of time before this crisis spreads to the whole world. Evan's business in the United States has suffered a heavy blow. This credit crisis was caused by the American real estate market bubble, and Evan's company in the United States deals in real estate investments … "
Evan continued Allan's words. "Simply put, Tony. My company in the United States went bankrupt. "
"But isn't your business in the United States always separate from the club's business?" Tang En asked. He still did not understand what the club had to do with the bankruptcy of Evan's company in the United States.
"It's separate. But in reality, my business in the United States can still support the club. This summer, we made a big investment in China. Our business is too big, and our funds can't keep up. Now that the business in the United States has collapsed, our capital chain is broken … "Evan said dejectedly as he sat on the chair.
Tang En felt that he had more or less figured out the situation. Although the business in the various places was separated, in reality, they had always been connected. The business in the United States could supplement the club's operations, and the club's profits could also be distributed to investment projects in mainland China.
From the United States to the United Kingdom, and then to China, this business was indeed too big for a team that was still not considered a powerhouse and lacked a financial foundation. Now, as long as there was a problem with the business in one place, it would affect the other places. Of course, if there was a problem with the investment in China, the impact on the other two places would be the least.
"For the business to be big, we can't let the money stay in one place. So, all the funds are constantly circulating. Now that there's a problem in the United States, this chain is broken … "Allan's words confirmed Tang En's guess. "We've been in the United States this month to deal with the business there."
Tang En carefully asked, "How bad is the situation?"
Evan smiled, but it was a bitter smile. "It doesn't look too bad now. But as this crisis spreads to the whole world, I think it might be very bad. Global integration makes it easy for one country's problems to become a common problem for many countries. In fact, the credit crisis had already appeared in the United States last year. It was just that I was still optimistic at that time, thinking that the economy would not collapse and that the market's self-regulating function could resolve this crisis. And there were many people who were as optimistic as I was at that time. But in reality, we all underestimated the power of that crisis. It was only a crisis last year, but this year, it has snowballed into a storm in the European and Japanese financial markets. "
"Will the club go bankrupt?" Tang En did not understand the specific terms that Allan was going to say. He was only concerned about one thing.
"I can't be sure." Allan shook his head.
"That's really bad," Tang En muttered.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little silent, Evan clapped his hands and smiled. "Well, the situation is not that bad after all, is it? I've already ended all my business in the United States. Now this club is my only property. No matter what, I won't let this club go bankrupt. "
Tang En looked at Evan Doughty, who was forcing a smile, and Allan Adams, who was usually full of confidence but was at his wits' end. "What can I do to help?"
Evan smiled. "Just lead the team well, Tony. You don't have to worry about the management. In fact, you don't have to worry about it. Didn't I say it? No matter how bad the situation is, I will keep this club. Because this is my last stand. "
What else could Tang En say? He had originally wanted to ask for money, but now he naturally could not continue to make that kind of request. He said goodbye to the two of them and returned to the team alone.
He sighed at the impermanence of the world. Allan Adams and Evan Doughty were still smug when they returned from Asia in the summer, describing the exciting and wonderful prospects of the future Nottingham Forest to him on the plane. He did not expect that in just two months, things would change so drastically. The company in the United States went bankrupt, and the cash flow was not good. The plan became a plan, and at present, there was no possibility of it becoming a reality.
And what could he do? As a club, how could it profit? Naturally, it was the television broadcast's share and sponsors, as well as the sales of tickets and peripherals … And all these profit points had to be implemented in one point — results.
If the team's results were not good, the television broadcast's share would be sharply reduced, the sponsors would no longer favor them, the ticket and peripherals' income would decrease, and the competition winnings would also fly away.
Tang En felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier. His heart was heavy, and he could no longer relax.
In fact, even if Nottingham Forest went bankrupt, he could still jump ship and leave. Based on the results he had already achieved with the team, he could find a high-paying manager position in any club in the world. Even now, there were a few teams waving their cheques, hoping for him to join them. He definitely did not have to worry about starving to death one day. In the early days of his transmigration, he thought that if he did not work hard and succeed, he would lose his job and die of hunger and cold on the streets. That kind of tragedy would never happen to him again.
He did not have to bear any psychological pressure or guilt for Nottingham Forest's bankruptcy and sinking once again. But he just could not let go of the team he had personally brought up, and could not let go of the fans who trusted and admired him. As a traditional Chinese, he valued relationships and loyalty.
Evan and Allan treated him well, and he could not do anything to betray them. He wanted to help them as much as he could.
Evan said that Nottingham Forest was his last base, and Tang En was also willing to treat the team as his last base.
I don't know how to run a club, and I'm not some business genius. I might even make mistakes when I go to the supermarket to buy things, and I get a headache when I see a large number of complicated numbers.
I only know how to lead the team to play. There's a bonus for winning a game, a bonus for ranking high, and a bonus for winning the championship … I can only use my own methods to earn money for the club and tide it over.
※ ※ ※
Tony Tang, who did not care about anything other than football, only now knew about the financial crisis. In fact, the worldwide financial panic had lasted for almost a year.
The real estate market was hit hard, the stock markets of various countries plummeted, credit companies went bankrupt, and currencies depreciated … Like a storm, it began to appear in 2007, developed, and finally swept the world, reaching a climax in the second half of 2008.
In the first half of 2008, the global market was still filled with optimism that the worst of the sub-prime crisis had passed. But in the second half of the year, the situation took a turn for the worse.
In August, Germany announced a profit warning. Subsequently, it was estimated to have a loss of 8.2 billion euros, because its "Rhineland Fund", with a scale of 12.7 billion euros, participated in the sub-prime loan investment business in the United States.
On August 6th, the tenth largest mortgage lender in the United States, American Home Mortgage Investment Corporation, officially filed for bankruptcy protection, becoming the second large mortgage lender in the United States to file for bankruptcy after New Century Financial Corporation.
On August 8th, Bear Stearns, the fifth largest investment bank in the United States, announced the collapse of two of its funds, also due to the sub-prime crisis.
On August 9th, the first largest bank in France, BNP Paribas, announced the freezing of three of its funds, also due to the huge losses from investing in American sub-prime bonds. This caused the European stock market to plummet.
On August 13th, Mizuho Bank, the parent company of Japan's second largest bank, Mizuho Group, announced a loss of 600 million yen related to the sub-prime crisis in the United States.
In the past, people still thought that with the United States and other economic powers working together, the economic situation would not be so miserable. But now, the cruel reality was placed in front of everyone. The financial crisis was not an alarmist prophecy, but a reality.
In fact, these things were still very far from Tony Tang's life. But after entering October, something happened that changed his original life and work to a certain extent.
The American investment bank Lehman Brothers, which provided loans for the Nottingham Forest Football Club's new stadium, announced the filing for bankruptcy protection.
In the United Kingdom in October, Tang En also felt a chill.
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PS。 Writing today's chapter was very difficult, and he did not know if it was written correctly. After all, finance is not my area of expertise, and I try not to touch fields that I am not good at. But today's chapter still had to be written, because it involved the future development of the Forest Football Club. It could be considered as foreshadowing and explaining the background. The result of looking for information everywhere was that the more he looked, the more dizzy he became. He could only brace himself to write and make up.
Some of the events were different from reality, but it did not matter. Anyway, they were all YY novels, so it was normal to be different. Adjusting these times to serve the plot was also a common method … As for the low-level mistakes and shortcomings made in other professional fields, everyone should not pay attention to it. Just treat it as a joke by a layman pretending to understand. The key was to understand the spirit — Nottingham Forest Football Club had been a little troublesome recently.
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