On Sheffield United's bench, Warnock walked back and said to a player sitting on the bench, "Are you ready? It's your turn to play. "
"Yes, Boss." The man stood up and took off his jacket, revealing the red and white Sheffield United home jersey and the name behind it: Jack Lester.
He walked down from the bench and stood on the sidelines, waiting for the fourth referee to bring him on.
It was a strange feeling to see a player he had once coached wearing his opponent's jersey on the field to deal with him. The distance between the two was no more than two meters. He frequently glanced at Lester, who was standing on the sidelines, but Lester seemed to not see him and only stared at the field.
Twain looked at Lester and then at Warnock. Another striker was brought on. What was this old man thinking?
"Hey, Jack." Twain decided to take the initiative to chat with Lester. They did not have a chance to greet each other before the game. They could talk now and find out the other manager's plans.
Lester turned back to look at Twain and smiled. "Sir, I didn't expect to see you again under such circumstances."
"Yeah, I didn't expect … Hey, Jack, why did Neil bring you on? You already have two strikers, and they're both performing well … "
"To beat you, of course, sir." Lester winked. "You said it before, to be worthy of every penny you earn."
Twain scratched his head. He did not expect to be held back by his own words. "That's right, you did the right thing … We're opponents now … damn opponents!" In the end, he cursed in a low voice and retreated.
Jack Lester replaced Peshsolido, who had scored a goal. Even though the 32-year-old had performed well and had scored a goal, in Warnock's eyes, his presence on the field was clearly not enough of a threat to Dawson. He needed someone who understood the Forest team's defensive system better to go up and attack. That person was Jack Lester.
Twain did not make any adjustments to Sheffield United's substitution. He watched the game quietly on the sidelines. The situation had not shown any bad side yet, so he did not need to do anything.
However, the dark clouds in his heart gathered more and more, piling up in his chest.
"Michael Brown! 2: 3! In the 68th minute, Sheffield United scored! "Motson shouted. Next to him was Mark Lawrenson, who was waving his hands and feet.
"Steve Caba! It was unbelievable. Sheffield United had equalized the score! Nottingham Forest has suffered a heavy blow! "Just three minutes later, Motson's voice rang out again.
Lawrenson saw that there was hope for his beard to be saved and was in the mood to comment on the Forest team's goal concede.
"Smeka's ability is limited. A defensive midfielder simply can't defend against Sheffield United's attack. Although it looked like Warnock was playing in a 532 formation after replacing Tang Qi, in fact, this formation should be 352 when attacking. With two full backs pressing forward to assist as the side midfielders, the powerful pressure of five midfielders was not something that Smeka could bear alone. Without the midfield barrier, Michael Dawson's rear defensive line was powerless to stop Sheffield United's wave after wave of attacks. Michael Brown was neglected by Twain, and now he's being punished! "
Tang En looked at the Sheffield United players cheering and celebrating the goal. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. In less than ten minutes, the situation on the field had changed so much. What was going on? He was afraid of falling into Warnock's trap and did everything he could to prevent such a situation from happening. But in the end, he still fell into it, and fell deeper and deeper!
He glanced at Warnock and found that the other party was also looking at him. As the two stared at each other, Warnock smiled and shrugged, then turned around and no longer looked at him.
Tang En felt a ball of fire explode in his chest.
Damn it! I've been tricked! I've been tricked by this old bastard!
Starting from the calm performance of conceding two goals in the first half, this old man had been acting, including the handshake and greeting during the halftime interval. It was all an act. He wanted to make him think that he had some crafty plot, to make him overly suspicious, and then, step by step, fall into the trap he had dug in another place.
He substituted Michael Tonchi to trick himself into substituting Pope, eliminating a defensive midfielder and reducing the defensive pressure on their midfield. He knew that he did not value Michael Brown, who looked like a defensive midfielder, and used him to organize the attack. Of the two goals, one was completed by him personally, and the other was instigated by him. He was the true core of the Sheffield United team in this match! Tang Qi was just a cover!
Tang En burned with rage. He had always enjoyed the thrill of toying with and manipulating his opponents, but he never thought that there would be a day when he would be toyed with by someone else. Even if he was unwilling, Tang En had to admit that compared to the 54-year-old Neil Warnock, he was still too young and inexperienced. There was a gap of 20 years of experience between the two.
Tang En's bad luck did not seem to be over. He was destined to use up the luck of his previous consecutive victories in this crucial match. After Sheffield United equalized the score, the Forest team fell into a state of panic. Their main right back, John Thompson, twisted his ankle in a fight with Stifka Ba and could not continue in the match.
"Bastard!" Tang En cursed gloomily when he saw the team doctor, Fleming, shake his head at him. He turned to look at the substitutes' bench. One of the five substitutes had already been used, and there were four left.
Finally, Tang En's gaze stopped on the childish child.
"James, go warm up … Damn it! There's no time for you to warm up. Go on the field now! "He grabbed the child from the substitutes' bench and pushed him to the sidelines. "Just like what you've done in training!"
Other than that, he really did not know how to explain to this seventeen-year-old child the things to take note of for his first time on the field. James Biggins, who Tang En had arranged to be a substitute right back on the substitutes' bench for this match, unexpectedly got the chance to represent the First Team for the first time.
Seeing the child trembling as he ran onto the field, Tang En really could not have high hopes for him. He could not even take care of himself here.
He did not know if the young James Biggins ever had such a beautiful dream:
When the team was in danger, he, a nobody originally sitting on the substitutes' bench to watch the match, was suddenly called up from his seat by the manager. Then, he patted him on the shoulder and said to him expectantly, "James, our team depends on you! Go up and get rid of those bastards! Win the match! "
The assistant manager and the other teammates also nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes! The only one who can change the situation now is you, James! You're a genius. You can do it! "
Then, he puffed out his chest and stepped onto the field, leading the team to turn defeat into victory under the disdainful gazes of the opponents, and finally making all the opponents kneel in front of him to beg for mercy and admit defeat.
But the truth was, the current situation could indeed make a genius hero famous in one battle, but it could also make a teenager full of hope for the future suffer a double blow. This kind of stressful match was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
James Biggins knew what the current situation was. The team had a great lead over the opponents, but they were now tied. The main players were also forced to withdraw from the match due to injuries, and the team's morale was greatly affected. But he did not know what he was going to do. What should he do?
Tang En did not tell him. His brain could not think about such a problem.
He stood blankly at the right back position, then watched as the Sheffield United players rushed towards him like wolves and tigers.
Huge cheers and applause once again rang out at Barramore Lane, while the Forest fans were collectively silent. Not only in the stadium stands, but also in the pubs far away in Nottingham.
"God! What happened in these 28 minutes? "Motson groaned." In the first half, Sheffield United did not score a single goal. But in the second half, from the 51st minute onwards, they scored four goals! 4: 3! Now the home team is in the lead! In the blink of an eye, Nottingham Forest has gone from being the leader to the chaser. Poor James Biggins. This is his first appearance for the Nottingham Forest First Team at the age of 17, but he scored an own goal! "
Biggins knelt in front of the goal as the ecstatic Sheffield United players ran past him. The football lay quietly in the goal. Biggins lowered his head and could not see the expressions of his other teammates. He even had the heart to die now. He felt like he had become the team's sinner.
Sitting in the technical area, Durswalker and Ian Bowyer both held their foreheads with their hands. None of them had expected this scene. The situation during the halftime interval was so good that it was unbelievable. Now, it was unbelievably bad.
From 2: 0 to 3: 4. The way the game was played … really made people want to curse.
Standing on the sidelines, Tang En stared blankly at the field. He was no longer in the mood to care about how excited Warnock was over there to celebrate the goal.
It was as if he could hear the footsteps of the English Premier League passing by him and then gradually moving further away …
What did this score mean? Nottingham Forest had lost 1: 2 to Sheffield United at home and was now trailing 3: 4 in the away game. The overall score was 4: 6. This meant that if they wanted to enter the finals of the play-offs, they had to score at least two goals in the remaining 11 minutes to have any hope of qualifying for overtime.
This requirement was very demanding for the current Forest team.
Because of Biggins, the Forest team's rear defensive line was no longer a system, and the opponent's morale was high. In the remaining time, it would be good if they could guarantee not to concede any more goals …
Michael Dawson lowered his head and comforted Biggins, who had scored the own goal. He had done everything a captain could do, but he could not bring victory to the team. Perhaps his heart was in even more pain than Biggins, who had scored the own goal.
Looking at the dejected players on the field, Tang En asked himself in his heart: Is this the end?
"Tony! If you can't lead the team into next season's Premier League, I'll make you pay! "Michael's roar came from afar. Tang En turned back to look at the stands above the technical area.
There was a sea of excited Sheffield United fans in red and white. Where was Michael's shadow?
Another voice came from the side. "Manager Tony, have you ever thought about what would happen if we could not be promoted to the Premier League this season?"
Unable to be promoted, unable to be promoted, unable to be promoted …
Michael, Little Gavin … No! I can't let that happen. I definitely won't let that happen!
Tang En strode back and said to Walker, who had a grave expression, "Where's Westcarl? Let him play! "
"Tang En replaced the only defensive midfielder, Smeka, and staked everything on a single throw to bring on the only 17-year-old striker, Karagi Westcarl. Can Nottingham Forest, who has changed to a 4-3-3, score two goals in a row in the remaining 10 minutes? To be honest, I don't have much confidence … Westcarl has been on the field as a substitute three times before this. He did not score, and his ability cannot make people give him the heavy responsibility to complete. I don't understand why Tang En would make such an adjustment … It's useless! "Motson mercilessly criticized Tang En's on-the-spot command. Beside him, Lawrenson snickered. From the looks of it, his beard could be considered preserved … and this was precisely the part that made Motson unhappy.
Evan Doughty turned his head to look at the television in the corner of the room. Watching it was much clearer than watching the match live. Hearing the commentator say so, he smiled and then said to his father, Nigel Doughty, who was beside him, "You see, I've said it before. He can't be trusted. "
Nigel seemed to not have heard his son's words. He just watched the match in a daze. Just when Evan thought he was being ignored again, the old man said slowly in a low voice, "Do whatever you want. Anyway, you'll be in charge here very soon. You can do whatever you want … "
Reality proved that Tang En's substitution was the best interpretation of "being bold but not astute." Withdrawing their only defensive midfielder and changing to a completely unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation, Forest Team was increasingly at a loss. They did not know what their manager wanted to do, and they did not know what they should do. Some wanted to attack and score as soon as possible, while others wanted to ensure that their rear defensive line did not concede any more goals. A team fell apart at the last moment and was torn into two parts, one in front and the other at the back.
Tang En had already lost control of the team. He stood by the side of the field but could not give any useful instructions. He could only watch and hope … hope for a miracle to appear.
The cheers from the stands at Baramore Lane grew louder and louder. Sheffield United's manager, Neil Warnock, was already eagerly high-fiving the people around him in celebration. This was his true colors …
In the 91st minute of the match, James Biggins used a corner kick to head in a goal, atoning for his own goal. But this goal did not help the team in the slightest, because it came too late.
A minute later, the referee blew the whistle to end the match. The stadium at Baramore Lane was filled with thunderous cheers. The home team's fans were heartily celebrating that their team had advanced to the playoff finals, and that Tony Twain had once again become the loser.
The dream that he had worked hard for for half a season was shattered. In that instant, his mind went blank as he stood by the side of the field in a daze. He did not even see Warnock, who had reached out to him.
The noisy stands of the stadium disappeared, and the green field disappeared. It was dark all around. The elated Sheffield United players, the dejected Nottingham Forest players, Neil Warnock, who had his shoulders hunched with a disdainful smile, Ian Bowyer, who had his eyes closed in pain, Dwight Walker, who was trying his best to comfort the players, Michael Bernard, who was nowhere to be found, and Gavin Bernard, who was already lying quietly in the mud. These people surrounded Tang En tightly, causing him to feel suffocated.
His heart tightened.
The season was over.
Ten days later, at Bradford's Glory Valley Stadium. The stadium had a very good name, but it did not bring Warnock the glory that he had dreamed of. His team had lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers with three goals and lost the qualification to advance to the English Premier League. Warnock had used all his energy to deal with the difficult Tony Twain, but he had exhausted the last of his energy at the same time as he won.
Three days after that semi-final, on the 19th of May, in the Spanish city of Seville, on the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula in the south of England.
A Portuguese named Jose Mourinho had defeated Brian Clough's disciple, Martin O 'Neill, with a score of 3: 2 in overtime at the city's Stadio Olimpico. Porto, Portugal, had defeated Celtic, Scotland, and picked up the UEFA Cup for the 02-03 season.
This victory allowed the whole of Europe to get to know the young Portuguese manager, who was used to being serious in speech and manner, as well as a group of outstanding players under him.
But none of this had anything to do with Tang En. His season ended on the 16th of May. This was the first season that he had led a professional team as a professional manager. Even though it was incomplete and imperfect, it was bound to deeply affect the path that Tang En would take in the future.
The two losses against West Ham United and Sheffield United would be forever engraved in his heart. A voice would always ring in the bottom of his heart, reminding him:
Failure, how painful it is …
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