Dunn seemed to have returned to the time before he was possessed by Twain.
In addition to training the team every day, he had to work hard with his colleagues to study the opponent's information, make the most detailed preparations, hold tactical meetings, and lay out the tactics for the game. Then he just had to wait for the game to come.
He sadly discovered that he was still the same as before. He had not improved at all.
He would only think of all the situations that he could think of before the game and then make arrangements in advance. When the game started, he would slowly lose control of the game. In terms of adaptability, he was tens of thousands of light years behind Tony Twain.
The team's results were terrible.
The only thing that gave him some comfort was that the team he coached had finally ushered in a winning record.
January, when Twain's condition was the most serious and dangerous, was bleak for Nottingham Forest and Dunn.
They continued their terrible performance in December without a single win. Only on the last day of January did they manage to beat Aston Villa 2: 1 in an away game. That was also the day Twain announced to the public that he was about to be discharged.
Nottingham Forest's ranking plummeted due to ten consecutive losses in December and January. In February, they were only ranked 12th in the league tournament with 36 points.
Ribéry's transfer and departure dealt a huge blow to the team's original tactics. After all, when he was there, the left flank was almost his own corridor. Now that he had gone to Real Madrid, Nottingham Forest, which was good at attacking on the flank, had lost half its wings.
Allan Adams had initially insisted on selling Ribéry for money to help the team overcome its difficulties. Dunn did not agree. But would his words, as an acting manager, be effective? Was his relationship with the club owner as good as Allan's? Besides, he was not the kind of person who liked to argue with others. Since the club's top management had decided to sell Ribéry, all he could do was immediately modify the tactical details and let the team get used to playing without Ribéry.
Perhaps the Forest people were still unwilling to admit it, but the outside world already thought that Nottingham Forest could not hope to win any championship honors this season. In fact, it would be very, very difficult for them to qualify for next season's Champions League.
After Twain was discharged, the team's performance finally began to improve.
Winter was also slowly passing. No matter how far away spring was, it would eventually come.
In the league tournament in February, the team led by Dunn achieved an undefeated record, with three wins and one draw. They had a total of 43 points and moved up two places to tenth place.
He was also chosen as the Manager of the Month by the Premier League officials.
As a young Chinese, receiving such an honor had attracted a lot of attention from all over the country. As soon as February ended, countless Chinese media outlets rushed over from the country, hoping to interview the man they called "the rising Chinese power in the international football coaching world." Dunn's reputation was unparalleled in the country for a while.
In many places, Tang Jing's name was the most dazzling because she could get the first exclusive news that other media could not get. She was the only spokesperson for Dunn. There were many rumors about her in China. The most widely accepted one was that this beautiful reporter actually had an affair with Coach Tang. Their relationship was so close that it had surpassed the boundaries of interviewer and interviewee. In fact, Tang Jing and Dunn were in a relationship. There was also a person who claimed to be studying in Nottingham who posted a post on a famous Chinese community describing how he ran into Tang Jing and Dunn shopping, hugging and kissing each other.
As for Dunn, he did not care about such baseless rumors. As long as there was nothing between him and Tang Jing, he could calmly continue to accept Tang Jing's exclusive interview and provide her with the news material she wanted. As for Dunn, he did not care about such baseless rumors. As long as there was nothing between him and Tang Jing, he could calmly continue to accept Tang Jing's exclusive interview and provide her with the news material she wanted. Moreover, maintaining a good relationship with Tang Jing had a huge advantage for Dunn. It was not like he could have intimate contact with a beauty. Don't get the wrong idea. He could ignore the messy reporters who claimed to be from certain newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations and websites in the country. He could free up his energy and time to work.
However, the enthusiasm of the China media and the public was quickly doused with a pail of cold water. The Champions League knockout stage restarted. Nottingham Forest faced Mourinho's Inter Milan and suffered a crushing defeat. Mourinho finally won against Nottingham Forest. However, he did not seem very happy in the press conference after the second leg. Any smart person could understand why he was unhappy. He had won against Dunn's Nottingham Forest, not Tony Twain's Nottingham Forest. It was as if he had painstakingly defeated his nemesis, only for the other party to suddenly jump up and use the "not me" card on him.
To Mourinho, defeating Nottingham Forest was not important. The important thing was to defeat Tony Twain. It did not matter even if Twain was not leading Nottingham Forest.
※ ※ ※
Entering March, Nottingham Forest's situation was still not good. Although the team did not fail, it only had two draws and one win.
When Tony Twain left, everyone seemed to lose confidence in the team. Even if there were some bad signs sprouting within the team, the team would lose their fighting spirit and never give up spirit. Even if they were facing a weak team, they would still be at a loss after the opponent scored a goal. If they were trailing by a goal and the match was about to end in ten minutes, the team would usually give up on the move to equalize the score. George Wood was furious about this, but he was only a captain. He could never replace Tony Twain's influence in everyone's hearts.
The media said of this Nottingham Forest team, "Tony Twain's problem was his heart. This Nottingham Forest team clearly has a problem with their heart. Having lost their motivation and fighting spirit, Nottingham Forest is no different from any mid-tier team in the English Premier League. They have completely lost the demeanor of a Double Winner. It is said that Twain is still following the doctor's advice to 'block out' football. I wonder if he would be so angry that he would have another heart attack and be sent to the hospital if he saw this Forest team. "
Even an acting manager like Dunn was helpless when faced with the team's mental problems, no matter how good he was at training and tactical arrangements. The joy brought about by the team's success in February had long been washed away by the team's predicament. Now, he faced a team with low morale every day, and there was no time for his brows to relax.
In April, when Tony Twain and Shania were in Brazil and enjoying a carefree holiday, Dunn was still far away in the United Kingdom. He was vexed over how to help the team out of its predicament.
After entering April, the team's results were like the Dow Jones Index in the United States during the economic crisis.
On April 4th, Matchday 31, they lost to Moyes' Everton 0: 2 in an away game.
On April 11th, Matchday 32, they lost to Wenger's Arsenal 1: 3 at home.
On April 18th, Matchday 33, they lost to Ferguson's Manchester United 1: 2 at home.
On April 25th, Matchday 34, they drew 1: 1 with Blackburn Rovers in an away game.
For the British, the cold and humid winter had long passed, and now it was spring with everything coming back to life. But in Wilford, in the City Ground stadium, around everyone related to Nottingham Forest, the cold wind of winter was still raging, and there was no sign of retreat.
※ ※ ※
On the afternoon of May 2nd, a Premier League Round 35 game had just ended.
The crowded Forest bar was silent. The final score of the game had been played on the television screen, but no one cared — they were numb. Nottingham Forest lost again, 0: 2 at home to Bolton Wanderers.
In the past, the Forest fans did not care about such an opponent at all. They would not lose even in an away game. But now, he was being bullied by others.
What made them feel even more stifled was the players' performance against Bolton Wanderers. It was as if these people were not interested in the game. The continuous defeats had made them lose their fighting spirit, and the fans gnashed their teeth.
"This is not Nottingham Forest!" Someone finally stood up and roared in the silence. "I don't admit that such a team can represent the glorious name of Nottingham Forest!!"
No one echoed him, but there were a lot of sighs.
"Tony … How long will it take for Tony to come back?" Someone said faintly.
His topic aroused the interest of more people.
"He won't be fired, will he? It's been five months … "
"How is that possible? Don't talk nonsense! Dunn's name is clearly written in front. It's' Acting manager. '"
"What's going on with Tony's body? The media doesn't seem to have any accurate information … "
"Didn't they say he's getting better?"
"Then why hasn't he come back since he's better? Can he bear to watch his team be bullied by an opponent like Bolton Wanderers? "
"Who can say for sure about his heart? I think it's best if Tony doesn't come back this season. Otherwise, seeing the team like this, I'm afraid he'll be so angry that he'll be admitted to the intensive care unit again … "
"That's right. Anyway, the team can forget about qualifying for the Champions League next season with this kind of results. I don't think there's even hope for the UEFA Europa League!"
"Sigh …" All the discussions would end with this sigh.
Kenny Burns was wiping a wine glass in the bar, quietly listening to his customers' discussions. He had seen Forest in a worse state than the current Forest team. This was really nothing. He could endure loneliness, and he believed that Tang En would definitely have a solution. So, as a spectator, the most important thing was to watch patiently.
※ ※ ※
The players had already finished bathing and changing, and they returned to the bus in groups of three or four. Dunn, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair tiredly, unwilling to leave.
He could suddenly understand how Tang En felt in the final moments of the game against Newcastle.
There was only one word to describe it — tired.
In other words, it was mental exhaustion.
He felt that he had worked very hard, but there was nothing he could do about the current situation of the team. This team was clearly not his team. He, as a substitute, could not be compared to Tony Twain, who was on vacation and resting in the hearts of the players.
Kerslake turned back and saw Dunn sitting alone in the locker room. "What's wrong, Dunn?" He glanced at Dunn's expression. "Don't tell me you also have a heart attack."
Dunn smiled bitterly. "Almost."
Kerslake also knew what the situation of the team was like. Seeing Dunn like this, he could only remain silent.
"I feel very sorry for the others. If Tony were here … he would definitely curse at halftime, 'You actually let a team like Bolton Wanderers take the lead!' Then we would readjust our tactics, and everyone would fight back in the second half … Although we can arrange the tactics very carefully, we can't stimulate the enthusiasm of the players to execute the tactics … "At this point, Dunn shook his head and spread his hands.
"Dunn, this is not your responsibility. In fact, you've done enough … "Kerslake also did not know how to comfort his colleague. From the moment he was promoted to this position, he would inevitably be compared to Tony Twain. Now that the team's results were not good, the outside world's criticism of the Chinese man had not stopped. The acerbic British media seemed to be particularly enthusiastic when it came to scolding the Chinese man.
Whether it was in terms of charisma or coaching results, he could not compare with Tony Twain.
"I suddenly understand Grant's feelings at Chelsea very well," Dunn suddenly said.
Yes, the predecessor was a very unique "one," and the successor was just an ordinary person.
Kerslake felt that it was meaningless to continue discussing this topic. After all, the problem was not the manager, but the entire team. Now there was even such a thought within the team — since they were destined to be empty-handed this season, then what was the point of working so hard? As long as they did not get relegated, they could wait for the boss to come back next season to clean up the old place.
Moreover, there were all kinds of rumors about the team having a major purge at the end of the season and the sale of players to raise funds to restart the construction of a new stadium. In this eventful year, it seemed that no one knew what the future would be like.
The team's current situation was no longer just a problem at the competitive level. The problem of the club's management could not be ignored.
He did not want to continue discussing such depressing things, so he changed his tone and asked, "Has Tony contacted you?"
Dunn nodded.
"How's his health now?"
"According to him, there's no problem at all."
"Then … does he know the team's situation?"
"He should know."
"Did he say when he plans to return?"
Dunn shook his head. "No, I think it might be after the end of this season. The team is like this now, there's no use for him to come back, right? "
Kerslake did not speak again. Dunn got to the key point. With such a mess, even if "King" Tony Twain came back, he would only be deeply mired in the mud. He might even ruin the prestige and reputation that he had accumulated in the previous seasons. A smarter approach would be to stay far away and wait for this terrible failure of a season to end. Then, he would come back and build a new team. He could also show his control over this team at the same time.
Kerslake did not doubt that the cunning and intelligent man would not do so.
※ ※ ※
Twain turned off the television and shook his head vigorously.
Shania stared at Twain nervously at the side, for fear that he would suddenly fall to the ground while shaking his head.
Douglas was also a little nervous, sitting at the side and waiting.
Twain slowly sat down and did not speak for a long time. The air in the room seemed to freeze. All sound disappeared, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was uncomfortable.
After a long time, Shania carefully asked, "Uncle Tony?"
Twain looked at her and smiled. "I realized, Shania."
"Huh?"
"My heart is really fine!"
"Huh?" Both Shania and Douglas were stunned. What was going on?
"I watched such an infuriating game, and I feel good now!" Twain stood up and moved his limbs to prove that he really felt good.
Shania let out a long breath. "Don't scare me, Uncle Tony!"
Twain chuckled. "But I was really angry just now. I think if I were in the manager's seat, I would definitely yell at them during halftime. It would be as bad as it could be. I even prepared a script to yell at them in my head. Just a moment ago, I imagined myself to be extremely angry and kept trying to hypnotize myself. I wanted to see how much my heart could take. Now, it seemed that I was extremely angry. Now, it seems that my heart is ready to make a comeback. "
Seeing that Tang En was fine, Douglas used the excuse of resting early as an excuse to leave the living room. He returned to his room and closed the door, leaving Tang En and Shania a space that belonged to just the two of them.
"Uncle Tony, are you really going to do that?" It was rare for Shania to speak to Twain with such a serious expression.
Twain just smiled and nodded. "Yes. I've thought about it for a long time, and I don't think I can run away anymore. "
"But what's the use of you going back, Uncle Tony? The team is already like that, and there are only a few rounds left in the league tournament. Do you think you can lead the team to soar to the sky and win the league championship if you go back? "
"Ha!" Twain laughed. "Don't talk about the league championship, Shania. I don't even think it's possible to qualify for the UEFA Europa League. "
"Then why do you still …"
Twain reached out and pulled Shania, who was still a little dissatisfied, into his arms. His hand caressed her soft brown hair, and the tip of his nose sniffed greedily in her hair. The girl's body fragrance drilled into his nose, making him a little confused.
"It has nothing to do with what kind of results we can achieve, Shania," he murmured with his eyes closed. "I just feel that only by returning to the team can I feel like I'm living. It's good to have you and Douglas to take care of me, but it's not the kind of life I want to live. Haven't you noticed? These few months, I feel like I've lost my spirit and vitality. "
Shania buried her face in Twain's chest and carefully recalled. Then she realized that Uncle Tony was right. The Uncle Tony who had left football and the manager's seat seemed to be different from the Uncle Tony of the past. At first, she could not tell why, but now she understood what was different.
These few months, Uncle Tony was the same as any other middle-aged man. But the Uncle Tony of the past few months was different from any other middle-aged man. He was unique. He was the "one and only," and "unrepeatable." Such a man had his own unique charm. It was as if there would be a dazzling light rushing out from him at any time. He was completely different from the Uncle Tony who laughed all day, followed the doctor's advice, and was obedient and well-behaved under the care of a nurse. In fact, he was the complete opposite.
One was a wolf that ran amok in the wild, daring to howl at the sky without any restraint. The other was an obedient, docile sheep that was kept in a farm and watched over by a shepherd dog.
Which Uncle Tony was it that made me fall in love with and fall in love with no regard for anything?
I'm afraid it's definitely not the Uncle Tony of the past few months.
She pressed her ear against Twain's left chest. "I hear the sound of your heartbeat … It sounds a little fast?"
Twain smiled and hugged her tightly in his arms. "That's because I can't help but get excited when I think about the life I'm about to start again."
He raised his head, as if he could already hear the clamor coming from the City Ground Stadium. There were songs cheering for the Forest team, merciless boos against the enemy, sharp whistles, and the muffled sounds of bodies colliding and football being kicked. Wave after wave, it was as if the waves of the Atlantic Ocean were crashing against him, stirring his chest. And in his chest, the nuclear-powered heart was stirring.
If you guys think that a heart attack and five months of disappearance have turned me, Tony Twain, into a docile, obedient, and non-threatening sheep, then you're sorely mistaken!
Ladies and gentlemen! Have you heard the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'?
I never lie. This time, the wolf has really come!
※ ※ ※
PS: Uncle Tony is about to return. Everyone, let's use the monthly tickets to welcome the return of the king!
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