On the plane back to England from Belarus, Tang En would still think of the scenes that happened at Dinamo Stadium in Minsk from time to time. He would feel a lingering fear and his heart would beat faster.
When he replaced Žigić, he could already guess how many media outlets in the distant England were sharpening their knives, ready to attack the Nottingham Forest team that had lost the game. If they lost the game, they would not have to worry about the pressure from the club's top brass. Just the public opinion in the country could cut him into pieces.
Even if he successfully won the game now, the debate about the game would not stop. The Belarusian media screamed injustice and fiercely attacked Nottingham Forest for their lack of sportsmanship. They said that Britain advocated the spirit of fair play, but as an Englishman, Tony Twain had no intention of playing fair at all. He had stolen three points from Borisov in this game. It was an unfair victory.
There were also people in the British media who mocked that Tang En had fallen to the point where he had to rely on robberies to ensure his advancement from the group stage. It was a pity.
He could foresee that in the near future, the pressure on him would not lessen at all because he had won the game. He was still in the center of the vortex. He was still unlikeable.
In addition to thinking of ways to deal with the enemies on the field, he had to think of ways to deal with the media.
The pressure made him tired. He did not care how loud the noise on the plane was. He tilted his head, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
※ ※ ※
Recently, Tang En felt that he did not sleep well and was in a bad mood every morning. As soon as he opened his eyes and saw the ceiling, the worries that he had temporarily forgotten in his sleep came pouring in, making him suddenly feel that his life was boring. There was only worry every day, and there was no time for his brows to relax.
He forgot where he had heard the saying, "What determines your mood for the day is your mood when you wake up." He now felt that this saying was too true. He was in a bad mood every day after he woke up, so his mood was not much better the whole day.
During this time, he ran to the Forest bar more and more frequently, downing glass after glass of wine, and never leaving his hand with a cigarette. Everyone in the bar also knew that Tang En had been under a lot of pressure recently. The team's results were frightening, and they had to escape death against the weakest opponent in the Champions League group. Carl Spicer continued to attack Tang En in his own column, just because he had sent him 10,000 books, causing him to make a fool of himself in front of everyone. Also, after his relationship with Shania was exposed, countless rumors attacked him.
As a football manager, the pressure on him was greater than that of ordinary people, and there were so many things outside the football field that troubled him. Other than drinking and smoking, he really couldn't find any other way to relieve the psychological pressure.
John and the others could do nothing about it. No one else could help Twain shoulder this kind of pressure.
No …
Actually, there was.
The fans chatted and laughed loudly in the bar, talking about the interesting things that happened recently. This was not a place where only football-related topics could be discussed. The fans who often gathered here were familiar with each other and could talk about any topic.
Tang En continued to sit alone in the corner, drinking and smoking.
John reclined with his elbows on the bar. He looked at Tony in the distance and muttered to himself, "It's not easy to see Tony like this. It's a pity we can't help him … We can't play football and help him win good results; we can't help him deal with the media; we can't help him raise money to buy players in January next year … "
"Behind the glamour is a lot of hard work …" Skinny Bill also sighed.
As the leader of the new generation of managers, Tony Twain was the center of attention. He also had many admirers and followers. Regardless of whether they liked him or hated him, all they saw was Tang En's arrogant and domineering appearance and dazzling results. Who could see the Tony Twain of today?
Burns wiped the glass of wine and said calmly, "Being exhausted all the time, only to face a dark and cold room when you return home. No matter how small the pressure is, it will slowly accumulate and become bigger, right?"
John turned back and glanced at him.
Burns raised his wine glass and examined it under the light, looking for any stains that had not been wiped clean. "A man in his forties, still single, and in such a high-pressure job. How many football managers have you heard of are single? "He looked up at John and asked.
With a crash, Tang En stood up and knocked into the glass on the table. He waved goodbye to Burns, John, and Bill, and staggered out of the bar.
"How can there be a person who spends his life in a bar?" Burns said as he looked at the swaying door.
※ ※ ※
Every day after work, he would go to Burns' Forest Bar to get himself drunk and sleep soundly. When he woke up the next day, he would frown and think about it. He realized that there was still nothing that could improve his mood. The international financial situation was worsening every day. The club's finances could only shrink again and again. If they shrank any further, he was worried that Evan would come to him the next day and say that the club could no longer afford the high salaries of the big stars. The players' depleted stamina could not be completely recovered by sleeping for a few days. There would always be a few names on the injured list. Sometimes, one would leave and another would come.
This was Tang En's "happy life" nearing the end of the year.
Even so, even though he could not think of any good news that could cheer him up every morning as he sat by his bed, he still had to pull himself together and force himself to go to work in Wilford.
He supervised training, made a work plan for the week, communicated with the physiotherapists and team doctors to understand the recovery of the injured players every day, communicated with the fitness coach to understand the team's latest fitness status, observed the players' condition during training, occasionally paid attention to the youth team and reserve team players, listened to the latest reports from the scouts from all over the world, searched through the player database specially created by SI for the Forest team, and hoped to rely on SI's huge global scouting network to dig out one or two unknown demons. He continued to deal with all kinds of tricky questions from the media at the regular press conference, researched the latest information on the next opponent, and worked out a detailed battle plan with Dunn.
Since the pressure was too great to be resolved, he might as well use even more frantic work and busyness to temporarily forget the pressure.
This was Tang En's method of "reducing pressure" when facing it.
It could be said that this method was indeed effective at work. He was so busy that he had no time to consider the issue of pressure. Only when the day's work was over would that feeling surge ashore like a tide, each time stronger than the last.
When he returned home from "relaxing" at the bar, he had the urge to turn around and leave when he saw the dark behemoth from the outside.
It was cold outside, and it was just as cold at home.
Standing in front of the pitch-black doorway, he broke out in a cold sweat when the cold wind blew after drinking.
※ ※ ※
November 29th, Round 15 of the Premier League. Nottingham Forest defeated West Bromwich Albion at home by 3: 1. In the other matches that took place at the same time, Chelsea tied with Arsenal at 2: 2 at home, Liverpool beat West Ham United at 2: 0 at home, and Manchester United tied with Manchester City at 1: 1 away in the Manchester derby. As a result, Liverpool surpassed Chelsea in first place on the league table with 38 points, followed by Chelsea with 36 points, and Nottingham Forest with 30 points. Manchester United, who originally had the same points as them, was in fourth place with 28 points due to the draw, and Arsenal was in fifth place with 27 points.
Nottingham Forest finally pulled away from Manchester United in points and no longer shared the third place in the Premier League with the other teams. Chelsea's winning streak was also held up by Arsenal. They had 36 points, and there was only a six-point gap between them and the Forest team, which gave the Forest team hope of catching up and overtaking them.
In the game against West Bromwich Albion, the team also showed a rare spirit in recent games, easily defeating their opponent by 3: 1.
Logically speaking, this was a good thing, but Tony Twain and the media clearly did not think so.
Van Nistelrooy fell to the ground with an injury in the 70th minute of the game against West Bromwich Albion and was replaced by Žigić.
According to the preliminary diagnosis after the game, he needed to be sidelined for two months.
This number had already made Twain's frown tighten even more.
Van Nistelrooy knew what the boss was worried about. When he was interviewed, he still had a relaxed smile on his face to show that he was no big deal and to relieve Twain's pressure. "It's only eight weeks. Just take it as a good rest for two months. I'll definitely be back! "
As a result, when he flew to the United States for further examination, a huge piece of bad news came out.
The previous two-month recuperation plan did not include the option of surgery. The team doctors thought that there was no need for surgery. He just needed to rest. Of course, this was from the club's point of view. After all, the team doctors knew how much the Forest team was lacking now. Beckham and Eastwood had always been injured. Pepe had also aggravated his injury in the game against Borisov and had no choice but to sit in the stands. Sun Jihai had also been injured for a month.
In a situation where the team's personnel were stretched thin, surgery would not be considered at all.
The doctors in the United States did not have this concern. The famous doctor who diagnosed van Nistelrooy, Richard Steadman, bluntly pointed out that the Dutchman should undergo surgery immediately, and …
"Eight months!!"
printed this big and somewhat shocking black headline.
Eight months was the estimated time van Nistelrooy would need from surgery to recovery — eight to nine months.
When the news reached Nottingham from the United States, Tony Twain could hardly believe his ears. He thought the other party had mistaken "eight weeks" for "eight months."
How could it be wrong?
※ ※ ※
"… At least eight to nine months, and this is only the time from surgery to recovery. It will take at least a year for him to be able to play again!"
At such a sensitive time, how could Tony Twain's most loyal opponent, Mr. Carl Spicer, be absent? He revealed it in an interview with a television station, pushing Tony Twain further to the heart of the struggle.
"Under normal circumstances, a player needs at least a month of muscle training to recover from a serious injury. During this month, any strenuous exercise is likely to cause the newly healed wound to relapse again. Van Nistelrooy's injured knee meniscus is the part of the body that is most prone to collision and relapse. The most typical example is Ronaldo. Can any of you count how many times that Brazilian alien has injured his knee? "
"No, no, I'm not saying stupid things like van Nistelrooy will definitely say goodbye to this season. I'm just saying that the Dutchman has a 95% chance of retiring completely! Am I being an alarmist? I'm not. Well, let me pray for the Dutchman. The surgery went well and his recovery from the injury was perfect. Then, he began to do simple muscle strength training, and then gradually increased his strength. He participated in the team's training and trained with the whole team. Slowly … he can play in a game. There were no twists and turns in the middle. A year has passed. " In the football program on the television station, he wrote and drew on the prompt board and spoke with assurance about van Nistelrooy's serious injury. "Please remember, there was no problem at all. He recovered well and his right knee did not relapse. Then he's 34 years old. "
Spicer spread his hands and smiled at the host. "You know what 34 years old means to a striker, don't you? In a fast-paced and competitive league like the English Premier League, a 34-year-old striker who has just suffered a serious knee injury … What can he do? Will Nottingham Forest renew van Nistelrooy's contract? In such a bad economic environment, I don't believe Evan Doughty will be a philanthropist. That's why I said he has a 95% chance of retiring directly! "
"Okay, I've made it clear before about the unlucky Dutchman. Now let's see who caused all this and who is the culprit behind van Nistelrooy's tragic fate! " He saw the host's mouth open and hurriedly stopped him with a hand gesture. He continued to speak. "That's right, it's obvious — Tony Twain!"
"From the beginning of the new season, van Nistelrooy was injured and his physical condition has not been good. In the first half of the league, he basically played a few games and rested for a game. At the beginning of the season, van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from the Dutch national team to concentrate on playing for Forest. This made Twain overjoyed. After forcing Bendtner away, the only center forward he could rely on was van Nistelrooy. The Sevillians are simply not used to English Premier League football. The team's results are not good and the whole team's state is fluctuating. In addition, the club is affected by the financial crisis. Tony Twain knows he must achieve good results. Under great pressure, he can only continue to rely on van Nistelrooy … "
At this point, Carl Spicer calmly leaned back in his chair with a mysterious smile.
"I have insider information. Just before the game against West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest's team doctor had warned Twain that it was best not to let van Nistelrooy play, otherwise he would be in danger of injury. But Tony Twain did not listen to the team doctor's warning for the sake of his own position and forcefully sent the Dutchman. In the end, everyone saw it. Some people might say that a manager who disregards the health of his players for the sake of his own position is iron-blooded, but I can only scoff at it! "
※ ※ ※
While Carl Spicer's bombastic program was being broadcasted on the television, Twain was drinking in Burns' bar to relieve his boredom. Van Nistelrooy's serious injury was indeed a very heavy blow to Twain. Žigić was still slowly adapting to the English Premier League, Eastwood was constantly suffering from minor injuries, and Arshavin was more like a winger than a scoring center forward. Originally, the only one he could trust was the dedicated van Nistelrooy. In the end, he was injured for eight months … He had no idea how to solve the team's goal goal for the remaining half of the season.
In his frustration, he naturally came to the bar to drink and drown his sorrows.
He was surrounded by John and Bill, who were all consoling him.
Then, he heard Carl Spicer's gleeful face on the television as he blabbered on and on.
At that time, he stood up shakily with a thick beer mug in his hand and was about to smash it at the television. Fortunately, John and Bill reacted quickly. One hugged him while the other reached out to grab the mug. But the liquor in the mug also splashed all over Twain.
"That b * stard!" He cursed with his fists clenched.
"Why bother with that kind of idiot, Tony? Drink, drink! "John motioned to Burns to continue serving the beer.
But Twain did not continue drinking. He sat on the chair in a daze. He was still thinking about what happened before the game.
Carl Spicer was right about one thing. Fleming did warn him that van Nistelrooy's body was close to collapsing and could no longer be used like that. So, Twain decided to rest van Nistelrooy and let Žigić, who was still not used to the English Premier League, start. After all, West Bromwich Albion was only a newly promoted team. They could always handle it. Even if Beckham was injured, Eastwood was injured, Pepe was injured, van der Vaart was injured … they could always handle it.
But van Nistelrooy found him and insisted on playing. He knew the team's current predicament and knew that the boss had no one he could use.
Twain thought for a long time and nodded in agreement.
But he did not expect that what he feared would come true. Van Nistelrooy really got injured in the game and went off the field. And he was seriously injured for eight months!
He was really unlucky. Even cold water got stuck in his teeth …
※ ※ ※
The next day, there were quite a number of reporters at the entrance of Wilford. They all wanted to confirm whether what Carl Spicer said on television last night was true.
Twain's hoarse voice sounded a little small in front of these reporters. The troubles that came one after another these few days made him feel powerless.
"Don't make wild guesses …" He waved his hands. "It was my decision to let Ruud play, and I don't intend to shirk responsibility for it. I feel sorry and shocked for the team to lose such an important striker, but the team will definitely persevere. We are ranked third and in good condition. It's normal to have injuries. I don't see what you call a crisis. That's it. Goodbye, everyone. "
With that, he turned to walk inside.
A group of reporters rushed forward from behind. "Mr. Tony Twain! I have another question! "
"Mr. Twain, I heard that you forced van Nistelrooy to play in a closed game?"
Twain turned back to stare at the reporters and said coldly, "I'm in a bad mood, don't bother me! If you're curious, go ask Carl Spicer. Doesn't he claim to have insider information? Let him tell you all the insider information he knows! "
Striding forward and shaking off the reporters, Twain finally stopped and looked up at the hazy sky.
At least eight months …
Who knew what the situation would be like after van Nistelrooy recovered from his injury and returned to the team?
Was the global economic crisis over? Were we rich? Could I wave my cheque book around the world to buy players? What would the team's results be like? Could we win the UEFA Champions League title for the third time in a row? Could we still defend the league title? What kind of breakthrough could we achieve in the FA Cup?
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