Ibišević had completely integrated into the team. He had no problem with his language. Now that he scored, his confidence was restored. He often joked with his teammates during training and in the locker room, or told everyone about his "wandering" life. He was very popular.
In fact, this was one of the reasons Tang En bought him. Ibišević was definitely not the kind of player who would destroy the atmosphere in the locker room. On the contrary, he played a very important role in the team's cohesion. When he was at Hoffenheim, although he had not yet played as the main force, he had provided great help to the other two direct competitors, Obasi and Demba Ba, in integrating into life in Germany. His selfless character of helping others allowed him to not be abandoned by the team even though he only scored five goals in thirty-five appearances in his first season at Hoffenheim.
Now, this strength of his was carried forward in Nottingham Forest, where the atmosphere in the team was better.
Tang En also hoped that the team would have as many happy people as possible.
Having solved Ibišević's problem, Tang En now had to consider how to solve Matías Fernández's problem.
This was more troublesome than Ibišević's problem.
First of all, Fernández's English improved slowly. In the team's locker room, he was more like an invisible man. In fact, he was not the kind of person with an introverted personality. But because he could not understand or speak English, he simply chose to shut up and never participated in his teammates' conversations. This gave him the impression of being "very unsociable" and "not easy to get along with."
His teammates also distanced themselves from him, intentionally or unintentionally.
This further led to him not getting the team's support on the field.
Tang En felt that if he did not solve this problem, Fernández might have to seriously consider whether it was appropriate for him to transfer to England. Perhaps he would think about it carefully and realize that England had neither the delicacies of Spain, nor the blue skies, white clouds, and sunshine of Spain. He might decide that he must have chosen to transfer to Nottingham Forest on a spur of the moment. At that time, his mind would probably be filled with how to escape this rainy country.
That would not do. He did not buy him to send him away again.
But a simple conversation would require the help of a translator due to the language barrier. The effect might not be as good as Ibišević's. More importantly, you can't rely on talking to solve problems every time. After all, not every problem could be solved by talking alone.
So he had to think of another way.
※ ※ ※
After finishing his shooting practice with Tang En, George Wood quickly walked to the changing room. He was covered in sweat and only wanted to quickly take a shower, change his clothes, and go home to be with his mother.
When he walked to the door of the locker room, he found the team's manager, Tony Twain, standing there and waving at him with a smile on his face. "Hi, George! I'm so happy to see you! "
"You can see me every day." When Wood saw Tang En smiling so brightly, he instinctively felt that it was not a good thing, so he was on guard.
"Haha!" Twain rubbed his nose and laughed dryly. "Then … when is your birthday?"
"The first of April. Don't you know? "
"Uh …" Of course, Tang En knew. How could he not remember the birthday of his favorite disciple? What's more, the date was too easy to remember — April Fool's Day! However, he had another request … "Can I ask you to celebrate my birthday again in two days?"
Wood's eyes widened. He had heard something very strange. "My birthday has already passed this year. My mother gave me … "
Tang En nodded repeatedly. "I know, I know. Actually, I just want you to be the convener and gather the teammates to your house for a little dinner party … "He rubbed his hands together and smiled even more brightly. "You can drink, you can eat meat, but you're not allowed to find prostitutes. You can bring your girlfriends and wives … I'll allow you to play until 12: 30 at the latest. I'll agree to let you all be an hour late for the next day's training. What do you think? "
Wood no longer looked at Tang En as if he was looking at a normal person. He looked at his boss as if he was looking at an alien.
"Don't look at me like that …" Tang En waved his hand and shook his head. "Alright, I'm telling the truth. Don't you feel that Matías's condition has always been not quite right? "
"Chilean?" Wood thought about it seriously and then shook his head. He did not feel that there was anything wrong with Fernández.
"That's because you don't know what he was like in the past," Tang En explained. "In fact, he's not always this gloomy. He can also become very sociable and cheerful, but we have to create such conditions for him. I think it's a good idea to let everyone get together and play. You're the captain, and the captain's job is not as simple as leading his teammates to play, George. "
Wood thought about it seriously, then frowned and said, "But my birthday is really over. They all know. This can't be hidden from anyone."
What he said was the truth. The truth of the banquet was enough for a few people to know. There was no need to make Matías Fernández's problem known to everyone in order to explain to them why the captain's birthday was moved to September 19th instead of April 1st.
He could not let Matías know what he had done. He did not want to put any more pressure on the Chilean. He hoped that Fernández would think it was just a simple banquet, and then through this banquet, he began to take the first step of drinking and chatting with unfamiliar teammates, and everyone very warmly accepted him. Then he realized that this team was really cute and great, so the bad weather and food in England were not important at all! He liked Nottingham Forest. He loved every blade of grass and every tree here, and he decided to pledge his loyalty to it …
But the method of using George Wood's birthday to celebrate was no longer feasible. So what excuse should he find?
The two of them stood at the door of the locker room, immersed in deep thought.
"What are you doing?" He did not see Tang En in Tang En's office. He went to the parking lot and found his car still there. Dunn went all the way to the locker room, only to find the person he was looking for and George Wood standing outside the locker room in a daze.
"Ah, it's like this …" Tang En saw his partner come and told Dunn everything in detail.
Dunn found it strange. "What's there to worry about? Didn't George just renew his contract with the club? "
By this point, Tang En had already understood. "Ha, that's a great idea!" He clapped his hands and laughed. "George, let's use this as a reason to gather everyone and have a lively party!"
Wood didn't have any objections. Although he felt that it was a little … not low-key enough to celebrate with a big party just because he had renewed his contract, it was much more normal than delaying his 24th birthday on September 22nd, or celebrating his 25th birthday ahead of schedule.
※ ※ ※
September 22nd was the date Tang En had chosen. It was midweek, and there was neither a Champions League group match to be played nor a Premier League match to deal with. It was a good time to relax and have fun. Moreover, the heavens were very kind. It had been sunny from morning until night.
"The weather forecast says it won't rain tonight," Tang En said to Dunn, who was sitting beside him in the car, with a sigh of relief.
Dunn responded with a frown. "They're having a party. Why should we come? Moreover, you said you wouldn't be attending the party in the morning so that everyone can let loose and have fun. "
George Wood had announced the decision to hold a party in his back garden the day before and hoped that everyone would come. At first, when Eastwood heard that it was Wood's private party, he wanted to refuse. However, after Bell and Lennon joined forces to persuade him, he decided that he could not give face to Wood, but he had to give face to everyone else, because almost everyone in the team would go as long as they had nothing to do.
At this time, according to the "script," Wood hypocritically invited Tang En, Dunn, and Kerslake to participate.
The straightforward Kerslake was very happy and opened his mouth to say yes. However, Dunn suddenly coughed at the side, interrupting his attempt to speak. Then, without giving Kerslake time to react, Tang En "tactfully rejected" Wood's good intentions. He said that as coaches, appearing at such an occasion would make everyone unhappy, so the few of us won't be going! Go ahead and have fun, have fun, and have fun to your heart's content! We'll allow you to be an hour late for tomorrow's training!
When the players heard Tang En say that they could be an hour late for the next day's training, they all cheered happily. The matter was settled, and everyone was happy. Only Kerslake smacked his lips at the side, looking a little disappointed. He actually really wanted to go, but who cared about his feelings?
Just like that, the entire Nottingham Forest team went home to change after their training ended. Then, they gathered at Captain George Wood's house.
Tang En's white jeep was parked in a dark corner at the corner of the street, out of the reach of the street lights, so it did not attract attention. Nottingham Forest's number one and number two figures were sitting in these two pitch-black cars at this very moment.
"Idiot, I said we're not going. I was just saying nice words to put on a show. If I'm not going, why would I put in so much effort to organize this event for them? "Tang En refuted Dunn's ignorance.
"You can totally listen to Wood and the other players' reactions to this gathering tomorrow." Dunn disapproved of Tang En's words.
"As the saying goes, what you hear is false, but what you see is true." Tang En wagged his finger, then opened the car door. He picked up a black backpack from the back seat and beckoned to Dunn.
Dunn helplessly followed him out of the car. The thing he could not understand the most was why he had to come along for such an event.
"I found a South American band for them. When the time comes, we'll sing 'El Condo Pasa' for them! This is the real original sound, not the one that Paul Simon adapted into English! We'll definitely be able to successfully stir up Matías' emotions and let him find his native accent even in faraway England! "On the way to Wood's house, Tang En excitedly told Dunn about his" ingenious arrangement. "
"That's a Peruvian folk song, not a Chilean one." However, Dunn dampened his enthusiasm.
"Peru?" Tang En was a little surprised. He really had not noticed it, but … "Who cares! Aren't Peru and Chile next to each other? It's all the same! South Americans are all good at singing and dancing. I believe that with good wine and music, Matías' emotions will definitely be stirred up. The Chinese emphasize that drinking makes things easier. This is a truth that applies everywhere! Ha! "Tang En laughed proudly.
Dunn was not interested in his wise words. He lowered his head in silence and only cared about walking.
※ ※ ※
Since they had already said that the coaches would not attend this party that completely belonged to the players, Tang En and Dunn naturally could not press the doorbell in front of the door and walk in openly.
To put it bluntly, Tang En and Dunn were there to peep. This also explained why Dunn was so disgusted with this matter. He felt like a peeping tom.
Tang En and Dunn were no strangers to the surroundings of Wood's house. They would come here at least once a year.
Initially, the mother and son lived in an apartment provided by the club. Later, Wood moved again. It was still not far from Wilford, but the environment was better. It had its own courtyard and no one would disturb it. It was close to the Trent River. The air was fresh and the house was surrounded by lush greenery. It was very suitable for Sophia to recuperate.
There were many big trees around Wood's house. Some of them were outside the garden behind his house. The dense branches would extend into the garden and leave a thick shade in the summer, allowing people to cool off under it. Tang En's destination for this trip was those thick and strong trees.
Tang En took the silent Dunn and circled around the outside of the yard before he finally locked onto his target. But when he looked up, he found a person lying on the ground in the dark! He was startled by this discovery. After he saw clearly who it was, he said in a low voice, "Do you really think you're James Bond, Mr. Brosnan?"
Pierce Brosnan was so frightened that he almost fell from the tree. He turned his head to look down and happened to meet Tang En's eyes.
"Get down!" Tang En forcefully pointed at his feet. "Or I'll call the police, Mr. Reporter!"
Having bumped into Tony Twain, Brosnan could only admit that he was unlucky. He scowled miserably as he scrambled down the tree, still trying to explain himself. "I just went up. I didn't see anything …"
"Why are you here?" Tang En did not listen to his explanation.
"I heard that the Forest team had an internal gathering, but the media didn't know about it before. I thought there might be some good news …" Brosnan said with his head down, feeling a little wronged.
Tang En laughed. "What a dedicated reporter. But who did you hear this news from? "
Brosnan pursed his lips and shook his head.
"You're really loyal!"
If Tang En found out who had told Brosnan the news, although he would not fire that person, a round of criticism would certainly be unavoidable. For the sake of himself and that "informant," Brosnan's choice to remain silent was correct.
Tang En no longer paid attention to Brosnan. He did not care at all about who had given Brosnan the news. Anyway, everyone knew that Brosnan was the team's "exclusive reporter." So, there was no harm in revealing some superficial "inside information" to him. He began to carry the backpack he was carrying on his back and did some warm-up exercises.
"But Mr. Tang … and Mr. Dunn, why are you guys here?" It was only then that Brosnan realized something was amiss. He had actually met the team's top two figures at the same time outside Wood's house.
Tang En first spat on his hands before replying, "Whatever you're doing!" With that, he ran up and stepped onto the tree.
Following that, Brosnan watched dumbfoundedly as Tang En nimbly climbed up the tree with his hands and feet and lay down on the branch he had just been lying on. After settling himself down, he waved to Dunn below. "This place isn't bad, Dunn. The scenery is great. "
Dunn crossed his arms and stood where he was, rejecting Tang En's warm invitation. "I don't want it."
Tang En shrugged and did not continue to persuade him. Instead, he took out something from his backpack and placed it in front of his face. Under the dense tree trunk in the night, Brosnan could not see very clearly. But from Tang En's gesture and the position of the thing, it should be a pair of binoculars.
"They didn't hire prostitutes. They're all their girlfriends or wives." Brosnan felt that he needed to speak up for the team's players. From the looks of it, Tang En was clearly planning to imitate Ferguson and catch them in the act. He was now collecting evidence.
"Shut up! Come up if you want to see! "Tang En's eyes did not leave the binoculars.
Under the illumination of small, star-like lights, a lively party was gradually entering its climax in the spacious garden surrounding an open-air swimming pool. The guests were all chatting and eating in high spirits. A temporary wooden stage was set up in a corner of the house. On it, a band dressed in a South American style was singing to liven things up.
Tang En looked around in the crowd and found his target.
Matías Fernández was very interested in this South American style band. He stood in a daze with a glass of wine in his hand in front of the band. Due to the distance and the noise, Tang En could not clearly hear what the band was singing. But he was satisfied as long as he knew that Fernández was interested in it.
Liu Bang had used being besieged on all sides to break the morale of Xiang Yu's army, while he was helping Fernández find a familiar voice in the faraway United Kingdom.
However, Fernández did not enjoy the Peruvian folk song for too long. Tang En saw George Wood walk over and strike up a conversation with Fernández.
They speak to each other? Tang En was surprised for a moment and then reacted. They seemed to be able to communicate in Spanish and Portuguese.
In the tree, Tang En looked through his binoculars and watched with interest as George Wood, who was not good with words, chatted with Fernández. Both of them used quite a bit of body language. Half of it was guessing, and the other half was speaking. Even so, they could still chat for several minutes. Tang En could not help but admire George.
After chatting for a while, Fernández had already turned and walked towards the crowd with Wood.
Tang En knew that the matter was basically a success.
But he was not in a hurry to come down. He continued to watch.
Surrounded by his teammates, Fernández was busy greeting the women. The smile on his face grew wider, and the wine in his glass became lesser. In the end, he jumped onto the stage with a ruddy face, grabbed the microphone from the band's lead singer, and sang!
Tang En saw this scene and laughed loudly in the tree, which almost caused him to fall from above.
Seeing this, he was finally completely relieved and slid down from the top.
Dunn was still standing below waiting for him, and Brosnan, who was lying on another branch, also slid down when he saw Tang En come down. In fact, he still did not know what had happened. It looked like the party George held was normal. They did not spend tens of thousands of pounds to invite countless prostitutes here for his teammates to have threesomes, foursomes, and group sex. The atmosphere was lively but not chaotic. Everyone played some small games to liven things up, but they were related to football, such as competing to see who could kick the football to a certain target. They used this as a bet, but such a bet should only be a small bet. Tang En would not object to it. What confused him even more was that when Fernández ran up to sing, Tang En suddenly laughed.
He really could not understand what the man was thinking.
Just as he was confused, Tang En had already walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Mr. Bond, you came at the right time. You're lucky enough to get exclusive information that no other media can get. I'll allow you to write about what you saw tonight and publish it in the newspaper. Of course, don't write about me and Dunn's appearance here. "
Brosnan did not expect a free lunch to fall from the sky. He hurriedly nodded. "I know what to write and what not to write, Tony. But can you tell me why … "
"I think it won't be long before you know, Mr. Reporter. If you have confidence in your IQ, you might as well guess, haha! "He patted Brosnan and then called Dunn to leave.
Pierce Brosnan tilted his head and scratched it. Then he frowned and looked in the direction of George Wood's yard. The lights were bright there, and the party was in full swing.
※ ※ ※
"Hey, Dunn. I really didn't think that the Chilean could sing. It's a big loss that you didn't go up to see this scene! " On the way back to the parking lot, Tang En told Dunn about all the interesting things he had seen with delight. "The way he held the microphone was like a mic hog in a KTV! I never saw that he had any musical talent … "
"So, things are going well?"
"Yes, very well. I really want to hear Matías sing … No, I have to come up with an idea. I'll let him sing a song in the locker room … "
"Actually, it had nothing to do with me. Why did I have to come?" Dunn was still brooding over how Tang En had shamelessly dragged him to come.
"You were the one who didn't want to climb up to watch the show. If you climbed up, it would be your business. If you didn't come up, of course, it would be a wasted trip." Tang En pushed all the blame to Dunn.
"I don't want to be like the paparazzi. This isn't the way a coach does things … "Dunn frowned.
Tang En scoffed at this statement. He pursed his lips. "What is the way a coach does things? As long as it can achieve its goal, it's okay to do anything. "
"I think at least I should be a little more dignified … It's not a good idea to climb up a tree to peek. It'll be too undignified if we get caught."
"In front of them, of course, I'm dignified. But sometimes you need to use some dirty tricks to help you create this dignified manager image, Dunn. "Tang En began to impart to Dunn what he had learned as a manager for many years. In fact, it could be summed up in one word: act!
"As long as Bruce doesn't say anything, no one will know that we came here to peep tonight. Tomorrow, of course, I'll pretend to ask George how the party went, and I'll pretend to be very interested in the topic they're talking about … As long as the goal is achieved, it doesn't matter what I do. The key is that Matthias has integrated into the team because of this. It doesn't matter if I act like the paparazzi tonight. "
Dunn realized that he could not win against Tang En in an argument, because it was true. As long as Bruce did not say anything, no one would know what they did tonight. And Bruce would certainly not say anything. His integrity could be seen from his refusal to sell out the informant who gave him the inside information. In addition, if this matter were to leak out, Tang En would 100% know that it was Bruce who leaked it. Needless to say, the consequences of angering the King of Wilford were obvious …
Although Dunn felt that doing so was somewhat suspicious of deception, there seemed to be no other way.
Tang En smiled a little proudly. "Dunn, being a manager is actually a very interesting thing. Don't keep a straight face. Keeping a straight face doesn't mean you're very professional and dignified. That will only make people alienate you. Look at me! I think what happened tonight was very interesting and fun. Let's just treat it as us coming out to relax for a night. It's no big deal! "
He opened the door of the front passenger seat. "Let's go. I'll send you home!"
Dunn muttered, "You're always right!" Then he got into the car.
"Ha, you're absolutely right!" Tang En shamelessly took it as a compliment and happily accepted it.
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