As the final round of the league approached, the number of fans coming to the City Ground Stadium increased. Sometimes, when Tang En drove home from Wilford, he would deliberately pass by the City Ground Stadium. Outside the gates, flowers were piled high, and all kinds of fan scarves hung on the metal railings. The flowers and scarves swayed slightly in the wind.
He knew that these people were here to bid farewell to the City Ground Stadium.
The clear River Trent reflected the red color of the City Ground Stadium. Across the river was Notts County's home ground, Meadow Lane Stadium. Tang En and Dunn worked in two places so close to each other.
But the two of them had not seen each other since they parted that year.
There were still two days until the final round of the league. After Tang En finished his day of work, he drove to the City Ground Stadium. It was almost dusk. There were more fans at the City Ground Stadium than a few days ago. They also knew that there was not much time left. After the Forest team finished their last game at the City Ground Stadium, the stadium would be demolished this summer. The land would be vacated to build a new sports and leisure plaza for all.
Tang En parked the car by the river and turned on the car stereo. Listening to Delores's soft voice, he quietly admired the last moments of the City Ground Stadium under the setting sun.
If he had not transmigrated and his life had not experienced such a period, then his feelings toward the stadium would only be icy cold. It would not be like today, filled with a warmth like the sun and a feeling like the afterglow of the setting sun.
He had fought in this stadium for 11 years. He had complained that the stadium was too small, unable to bring more live spectators to the team, unable to create more pressure on the opponents. Evan Doughty felt that this small stadium did not match Nottingham Forest's current results, status, and reputation. He also nodded in agreement.
But he still felt a little reluctant to send it off.
He did not buy a bouquet of flowers, tie a card, and place it under the gates like the other fans. He leaned against the front of the car with his hands folded in front of his chest, quietly looking at the City Ground Stadium.
Although it had been 11 years, Tang En still clearly remembered the initial shock this stadium gave him. At that time, he did not despise the City Ground Stadium for being small.
When his team scored two goals in a row and sent West Ham into a panic, he felt as if he was born here. He loved the fanatical atmosphere in the stadium and enjoyed the cheers and songs from the stands. He did not think that the noise was noise at all. To his ears, it was more beautiful than the best music in the world.
In eleven years, he had changed from thirty-four to forty-five. It was an unforgettable and unforgettable period of time in his life. It was engraved in his bones. But for the City Ground stadium, 11 years was only a tenth of its life. It stood by the banks of the Trent River quietly. It had witnessed countless glories and was no longer shocked by them.
The heroes who had left their names in history had only become famous in its bosom. It was older than all the champions displayed in the Hall of Honor. No matter how arrogant and conceited Tang En was, he could not raise his head high in front of this stadium.
One hundred and fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye, becoming history. The red City Ground stadium was rimmed with gold. Even against the golden western sky, it was still very conspicuous. Countless people placed bouquets in front of it, sending their parting thoughts.
Tang En leaned against the front of the car, lost in thought. Someone recognized him.
"Tony?" The person who came up squinted and scrutinized for a while. Because of the backlight, he could not see clearly.
"Kenny, long time no see." The person standing in front of Tang En was the owner of the Forest Bar, Kenny Burns.
"Indeed, it's been a long time since you moved."
"How could you bear to leave the bar and come here?"
"I'm here to say goodbye to an old friend. What's business?" Burns pointed to the City Ground stadium in front.
Only then did Tang En notice that he was holding a bouquet of flowers like everyone else.
"Do you have a ticket for the last round of the league tournament?" He wanted to say that if Burns did not have a ticket, he would give him one.
"I'm a season ticket holder, Tony."
Tang En chuckled. "I've never seen you come to watch a game live."
"I'll be here for the last round. And it's not just me. Many of my old friends will be coming. "
"Reporter Brosnan told me that he's working on a farewell plan for the City Ground stadium. He's put in a lot of effort to find many Forest players from different eras. Looks like he's also looking for you?"
Burns nodded. "I'll come even if he didn't look for me. It's a pity that the boss can't come. "
The "boss" he was referring to was not Tony Tang En, but the boss of their generation of players, Brian Clough.
"Mrs. Clough agreed to come," Tang En said.
Actually, both of them knew that Mrs. Clough could not replace the boss. They had no intention of being disrespectful to Mrs. Clough by saying that.
Once they talked about the deceased Clough, the conversation automatically stopped. The two of them fell into silence.
Under the glow of the setting sun, Delores hummed softly.
"I had a dream, a dream that seems a little strange now … Opening my eyes, I realized that the sky was perfect … May you always be young, may you always be young, may you always be young, may you always be young, may you always be young, may you always be young …" (The Cranberries' "Never Grow Old")
"Tony …"
"Hmm?"
"I'll speak from the bottom of my heart. I hope you don't mind."
"Go ahead."
"I have to thank you. No matter what kind of results you've achieved, you've never said that you can make people forget about Brian Clough."
Tang En laughed. "I'm not a fool. I also respect the boss very much. "
"Perhaps this is the stubbornness of our group. No matter how good your results are, the boss is irreplaceable, "Burns said as he looked in the direction of the City Ground stadium.
Tang En laughed. "If you dare to say that someone is better than him, a bolt of lightning will definitely appear in the sky and strike you in the head. Neither you nor I want to be struck by lightning. "
Burns was amused by Tang En's words, and the slightly sad atmosphere dissipated.
There was an allusion to this sentence. Back then, the team led by Nigel Clough, who was Brian Clough's son, met Manchester United in the FA Cup. A reporter ran to interview him and asked him if he agreed that Ferguson was the best manager in English football today. Nigel Clough said, "It's too difficult for me to say it. Because of my family, if I said it was Sir Alex Ferguson, a bolt of lightning might immediately strike my head."
There was a similar quote at the base of the bronze statue of Brian Clough in the heart of Nottingham. It was said by Clough himself. "I dare not say that I'm the best manager in the industry, but I'm definitely one of the best."
"You're really a little like him …" Burns looked at Tang En and shook his head. "Seeing what you've achieved today, he'll probably be very proud."
"No." Tang En shook his head and denied it. "He'll write an article in the newspapers and give me a good scolding. It's just because I complained that the referee was unfair. "
Burns laughed even more happily. As he laughed, he looked at the stadium in a daze, as if he was thinking of his younger days when he followed Manager Clough and fought alongside his teammates. It was still the same stadium, and even the cheers were exactly the same. The stadium was still there, but the people were gone. Now that the stadium was about to be demolished, all the things that existed in his memory were gone, and he could only rely on his brain to remember. But one day, when he was old and his brain was muddled, what else could prove that those memories had really happened?
Tang En's phone rang in the car. He reached out and took it out. It was his wife, Shania, calling to ask when he could come home.
"Ah, I met Mr Burns at the stadium …" Tang En explained to his wife over the phone.
Burns snapped back to reality and smiled at him. "Go back, Tony, your wife is waiting for you."
Tang En shrugged. "I still want to talk to you a little longer."
"We'll be here to watch the match this weekend, Tony."
"Are you trying to pressure me?" Tang En opened the car door and turned to look at Burns.
"Are you afraid of pressure?"
Tang En smiled. "We'll definitely win. But whether we can win the league title or not still depends on the results of the match between Arsenal and Manchester City. "
"It's really an exciting season. Good luck. "
Tang En sat in the car and poked his head out to wave at Burns. "Good luck to Nottingham Forest."
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Tang En drove away from the City Ground stadium. Burns turned in the opposite direction, holding a bouquet in his hand as he slowly walked towards the gates of the City Ground stadium where the fans gathered.
※ ※ ※
The Nottingham Forest players had just finished training the next day and had yet to leave the training ground when they saw their old acquaintance, Pierce Brosnan, accompanied by Allan Adams, enter the ground with a cameraman.
Tang En frowned when he saw Allan Adams beside Brosnan, but he did not say anything. When the three of them walked up to him, a warm smile appeared on his face. "This is a rare sight. I wonder what Mr. Reporter is doing at our training ground?"
Brosnan was about to speak when he was interrupted by Allan Adams. "It's like this, Tony. Mr Pierce Brosnan is planning to do a special project to bid farewell to the City Ground stadium. He needs to interview the team and let the team talk about their feelings towards the City Ground stadium … "
Brosnan smiled and nodded at the side.
"If that's the case … Then please. But let me remind you, don't take too long. They just finished training and haven't had time to change their clothes. If they catch a cold … "Tang En put on a straight face." It wouldn't look good on all of us, would it? "
With that, Tang En turned and walked away.
Brosnan was a little embarrassed because his first interview target was Tony Twain …
Allan could obviously see the emotions that Tang En was expressing, and he also knew the reason. Ever since he had forcefully interfered and sold Lennon, the team's manager had not spoken a word to him. But he was unwilling to expose the conflict between him and Tang En in front of the media, so he explained to Brosnan, "The big match is at hand, and he doesn't like to be disturbed …"
"Haha, we understand. Mr. Adams. "Brosnan laughed. His understanding was not, of course, "The big match is at hand, and Tang En doesn't want to be disturbed." His understanding was, "Tony is such a temperamental person. It's normal for him to be passionate about you and cold to you."
The interview went rather smoothly because Allan Adams followed the two reporters the whole time. The players all knew that he was the club's second-in-command, and his relationship with the chairman was not ordinary. Tang En, on the other hand, crossed his arms and looked on coldly from the side.
After interviewing the players, Brosnan still intended to interview Tang En. When he walked towards Tang En, Allan Adams hesitated behind him and deliberately pulled away.
"Tony, let's talk about this last match at the City Ground."
Tang En looked at the two reporters and said with a straight face, "We will use victory to bid farewell to the City Ground." He did not give a passionate speech about his determination to win the league title.
If it were another reporter, they would definitely ask, "Why not 'use victory to bid farewell to the City Ground'?"
Brosnan did not ask that because he understood Tang En and the complexity of this last match. Even if Forest could beat Sunderland on their home ground, it still depended on the results of the match between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Before the last league match, Nottingham Forest unexpectedly did not show the slightest bit of optimism. Even the usually arrogant manager, Tony Twain, did not mention the league title at all.
Carl Spicer announced on his show that he had ordered the latest table from IKEA for Tony Twain, and hoped that Tang En would like it. Tang En did not make any retort, which disappointed many of the media who were waiting to watch the show.
Because there were too many things that could be hyped up in this last round of the league.
The suspense between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal for the title, and whether the two former Nottingham Forest players in Manchester City's team would let Arsenal off because of their personal grudge against Tang En …
Bendtner, on the other hand, clarified the rumors in an interview a day ago, "I'm a professional player. I don't care about who wins the title, but my own victory."
Ashley Young had already confirmed that he would leave Manchester City next season to join Liverpool, and he also expressed his hope to bid farewell to Manchester City with a victory.
They did not mention anything about Tang En.
※ ※ ※
When there was only one day left before the last league match, Fat John and Skinny Bill were in the Forest bar with their buddies making banners, slogans, and flags to be displayed. Similar things happened in any bar where the Forest fans gathered.
The Nottingham Forest players had their last training session at Wilford, and Tony Twain took the time to study Sunderland with his coaching staff. Even though they had studied their opponents thoroughly this week, they could not find anything else to do. Perhaps a deeper study of Sunderland could help Manchester City defeat Arsenal?
As dusk fell, there were fewer and fewer fans gathered at the entrance of the City Ground stadium, leaving only fresh flowers and scarves swaying in the night wind.
Thompson Isaksson's figure appeared in front of those fresh flowers. He was the maintenance worker for the training base and the stadium's turf. If someone were to ask him if the most memorable thing in his life was helping Tony Twain create a "unique home ground" and thus helping Forest eliminate Barcelona, he would definitely shake his head. To him, stepping on the turf of the City Ground stadium and starting to maintain it was the most memorable thing.
He had decided to resign at the end of this season and retire with the City Ground stadium. It was his honor.
Today, he was here to say goodbye to the City Ground stadium alone. The next day, he hoped to witness Nottingham Forest say goodbye to the City Ground stadium, which had served them for 115 years, with a league title trophy.
Looking at the City Ground stadium as the night fell, Isaksson seemed to see himself when he was young. He stood quietly in the evening wind, with a smile on his crisscrossed face.
"… This is our City Ground stadium, he's as old as our grandfather. When we've become grandfathers, he'll still be there, on the banks of Trent … If one day I'm buried, he'll still be there, on the banks of Trent. We'll all be like this one day, but he won't grow old and he won't die, because he's our City Ground stadium … "
This song from a long, long time ago was now sung by few people. It was a song sung by the fans in the City Ground stadium when Isaksson was still young. The melody was simple and the lyrics were simple. At that time, there was no such a developed sound culture environment as it is now. There were no professional companies to record the songs sung by the fans and package them for the market.
The night grew darker, and the lights came on.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
