“We‘ve`got`the`whole`world`in`our`hands！” The song was still echoing above the City Ground Stadium. Forest's players felt like they were playing at home again: they were surrounded by people who supported them, and every move they made could receive unreserved cheers from the fans. Yes, this was the feeling they had not felt for a long time.
Come on, come on! Come on, come on! We'll never get tired of it!
Amid the fans' cheers, Forest launched a sustained attack on West Ham United's goal. For a moment, James' goal was in a state of panic. It was as if the Forest team could score a goal with any random shot.
Glenn Roeder glanced back at the substitutes' bench. He found the substitute center back, Gary Breen, still in his seat.
"Damn it! Breen, why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to go warm up? "
Gary Breen was confused. When did the manager tell him to go warm up? But he knew it was not the time to argue with the flustered and exasperated Roeder. He hurriedly took off his jacket and jumped off the substitutes' bench.
The change in West Ham United's substitutes' bench also attracted Tang En's attention. He was unfamiliar with the person warming up, so he turned his head to ask Walker, "Des, who's the one warming up?"
Walker watched for a while, then told Tang En, "Gary Breen, an Irish international footballer. A center back with excellent defensive capabilities."
"Looks like our opponent has given up on the game." Tang En laughed. "Bring on a center back … Do they think they can stop our attack with just five defenders? Call Jess back. I think he should have warmed up enough. "
Walker got up and walked to the area where Forest was warming up, shouting for Ian Jess to come back.
West Ham United wanted to defend, which was exactly what Tang En wanted. If Roeder had a little boldness and let the team press out to attack, Tang En would probably find it difficult to handle. But if the opponent wanted to defend, the game would be simple. Wasn't it just a tight defense? He believed that as the game progressed, West Ham's players' mentality would change from disdain to anxiety. Their footwork would gradually increase, and the number of fouls would increase. He would be able to get a lot of free kicks in the front field.
The thirty-one-year-old former Scotland international footballer, Ian Jess, had a unique skill in free kicks. He was selected for the Scotland national team eighteen times and scored two goals. During the set-piece practice the day before the match, Tang En had personally witnessed the old fellow's free kick standards. He could score six out of ten kicks!
He did not want anything more. He just wanted to be able to pose a threat to West Ham with free kicks in this game and let West Ham know that it was useless to defend.
Taking advantage of the time when Walker went to call Jess, Tang En took a look at the field. Andy Reid was on his side, while West Ham United had another rather famous player, the former genius midfielder, Lee Bowyer, active on this side. Looking at the long-faced, short-haired West Ham player, he suddenly thought of another weakness in West Ham that he could exploit.
Bowyer made his debut at Charlton Athletic, but became famous at Leeds United.
In the 2001-02 season, Leeds United was known as the Young Guards. They eliminated the powerful AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League and advanced to the semi-finals. The main players in the team were mostly young players. The 21-year-old Jonathan Woodgate, the 22-year-old Harry Kewell, the 21-year-old Paul Robinson, the 22-year-old Rio Ferdinand, the 23-year-old Ian Hart, the 20-year-old Alan Smith, the 25-year-old Mark Viduka, the 24-year-old Danny Mills, the 21-year-old Robbie Keane, the 26-year-old Robbie Fowler … Each and every one of them was a dazzling name. They were still very young at the time. Later, because of Leeds' economic crisis, these players went their separate ways. Incidentally, Aaron Lennon, who later became a rookie in the England national team, was still in Leeds United's youth team at the time. He was only 14.
Bowyer had just transferred to West Ham during this season's winter break. This was the first game he played for the team.
Tang En did not deny that Bowyer was a genius, but this genius's character flaw … was somewhat serious. Everyone knew he was England's bad boy. There were even media outlets that publicly called Bowyer "scum." Most of the famous scandals in English football in recent years had his name on them.
For example, the case of beating up a young Asian man with Woodgate, and was finally exempted from prosecution after paying 170,000 pounds. He stepped on the face of the opposing player, Gerardo, in the UEFA Europa League. After the game, the Spanish media commented that "Gerardo's eyeballs almost popped out" and was banned for six matches by the UEFA. He insulted his girlfriend and called her a monkey because she was half Indian. He said, "I don't want my child to revert to ancestry," which was suspected of racial discrimination. The case of raping a young girl was still inconclusive, but he and Dyer were among the suspects. He and his teammate, Dyer, fought each other in a match and were both sent off by the referee. This incident was recorded in the history of the English Premier League.
The latter few incidents all happened after 2003. This made it clear to Tang En that Bowyer's bad character was deeply rooted in his heart and soul. It was definitely not a spur of the moment thing, and it would not be eliminated. As long as he made good use of this point, he could push West Ham into the abyss of failure.
The fourth official raised the substitution sign on the sidelines. The first to make the change was West Ham. As expected, Rod brought out the center back, Gary Breen, and he replaced the mediocre Di Canio. It was a very ordinary substitution, so ordinary that even a fool could guess it.
Taking advantage of this moment, Tang En pulled over Andy Reid, who was near the sidelines. "Andy, watch Bowyer." He pointed to the bad boy not far away, who had his back to them.
"I've been watching him the entire game, Boss."
"No, no, I'm saying it in a different way. As long as Bowyer has the ball, you go up and constantly harass him with small movements. If necessary, you can use a foul. But be careful to control your limits. Don't get sent off. You can also use one or two verbal provocations. In short, provoke him and make him lose his cool. As for the rest … you know what to do, right? "
Reid looked at Tang En in surprise. "In the past, Manager Tony Twain never allowed us to do this kind of thing!"
"In the past, you were a kid, a youth player. Now, you're a professional player. You're an adult! "Tang En randomly found an excuse. "Do you know what a professional player's highest goal is?"
"Uh … to score more goals?"
"It's victory!" Tang En roared. "Football that can't achieve victory is a failure! Alright, now, in the name of victory, get that scum Bowyer off the field! "He slapped Reid hard and pushed him onto the field.
Reid still looked back at Tang En hesitantly, but Tang En made a throat-slitting gesture. His back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Was this really the Tony Twain manager he was familiar with?
"Don't care so much, Andy! Victory, victory! "Tang En's voice rang out behind him.
"Yes, Boss. I'll listen to you … "Reid replied.
Tang En turned back to the technical area and found Jess already taking off his jacket.
"Jess, you go up and play Pop's side. Any set pieces are yours. Blast the ball into their goal for me! "Tang En punched his fist hard.
The veteran Jess nodded. "Don't worry, Boss. I won't let you down. "
"Hehe. I know you never let anyone down. Go up and give them a good beating! " Tang En encouraged Jess and pushed him to the side of the field. The fourth official once again raised the substitution sign. Number 16 Eugen Bopp off, number 22 Ian Jess on.
"Both teams make adjustments at the same time. Rod has brought on a defender, while Tang En has brought on a midfielder to continue to strengthen the offense. It looks like he only has one requirement for this match — victory! Ian Jess, Scotland's international footballer, 18 appearances, two goals, good at free kicks, and Scotland's top set piece expert. I believe all of Forest's free kicks will be taken by him! "
"Tony, what did you talk to Reid about just now? I think he's a little confused. "Walker was really meticulous. He could observe all these details. Tang En felt that he would become an outstanding assistant manager.
"Nothing much. I told him to try to provoke Bowyer."
Walker laughed. "That's a great idea! The Tony Twain of the past wouldn't have thought of it. "
Tang En knew that there was still a period of time before he had to face the current situation of being surprised by others. He rubbed the back of his head. "Thank God, I'm enlightened … Des, how much longer till the end of the match?"
"Not counting the injury stoppage time, there's still 24 minutes."
"There's still half of the second half. Two goals. Hmm … Des, don't you think it's much quieter behind us? "Tang En suddenly asked.
Walker turned back to take a look, then smiled. In reality, there was no difference between being quiet and not being quiet sitting in the manager's seat. They were surrounded by the shouts of the fans. The two of them had to move their heads very close to each other to be able to hear what the other was saying. Tang En's "quieter" meant that all the insults from before had completely disappeared. Walker turned back to see Michael, who had started the scolding, currently working hard with his teammates to cheer on the Forest players. The way they stretched out their arms and shouted "Forest" was much better looking than when Tang En had given them the middle finger.
Turning back, Walker said to Tang En, "Tony, I think he'd be willing to treat everyone in the bar to a drink tonight."
Both sides made their own adjustments, which were quickly reflected in the match. However, the most eye-catching thing was not the two adjustments. Rather, it was the "confrontation" between Andy Reid and Lee Bowyer. Tang En felt that changing the word "confrontation" to "conflict" would make it more realistic.
Reid very obediently carried out his instructions. Tang En recalled that when they were in the youth team, Reid was very obedient to him because he was the one who had unearthed him. There were countless people in Forest's youth team and youth team, but there were very few people who could stand out and play for their beloved Forest's First Team. Reid was only 20 years old this year. Although he was an Irishman born in Dublin, he had received football training from Forest since he was young.
Earlier, when Bowyer received the ball, Reid rushed up, pulling and pushing. Although the referee whistled for a foul in time, it still made Bowyer furious.
Tang En carefully observed the changes in Bowyer's expression from below. If this yellow-haired kid were to be placed on the streets and drink a little, he would be a typical football hooligan. What Reid did was not enough. Bowyer was clearly suppressing his anger.
He had played for Leeds United for six and a half seasons. At first, he had shone brilliantly and had a bright future. Then, he was plagued by endless scandals. Coupled with his own injuries, his condition plummeted. Only last season did he rise again with Leeds, helping the team defeat AC Milan and advance into the Champions League semi-finals. This season, he had chosen to transfer to West Ham United, hoping to start afresh in a new environment and prove to the world that the genius Bowyer was not dead.
Unfortunately …
If you don't die, I'll die. Tang En said in his heart.
In the history that Tang En was familiar with, Bowyer had only played for West Ham for half a season in 2003. He had played only ten times, which could be counted on one hand. Following that, he had transferred to Newcastle United on a free transfer and had not been doing well. It was not known if it was directly related to this match. In any case, the genius bad boy Lee Bowyer, who had been placed high hopes on but disappointed many times, had completely sunk. He was no longer as brave as he was in the past.
Joe Cole was completely frozen. In the face of the Forest team's desperate defense, he flinched. After all, it was only a FA Cup match. They had a more important English Premier League match 11 days later. If he was injured in this match, it would undoubtedly cast a shadow over the team's path to avoid relegation. There were some balls that could be avoided and avoided if possible.
Therefore, West Ham shifted their focus to Lee Bowyer on the other side of the field in their counterattack. They hoped that the former genius could help the team get out of their current awkward situation. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong opponent and day.
For the third time in a row! Reid used a foul to stop Bowyer's breakthrough. The price he paid for it was just a verbal warning from the referee. Bowyer's expression turned uglier.
In the next attack, Bowyer received a pass from Joe Cole. He should have chosen to pass it to Defoe, who was in a better position, and let the latter break through. Instead, he took a few steps forward and shot a very demoralizing kick.
"Actually, Bowyer's goal for this shot was the roof of the City Ground's stands!" Motson mocked mercilessly. He mocked Forest for their poor performance in the first half. Now, it was West Ham United's turn.
Twain clenched his fist and waved it fiercely. "It's done!"
The Forest fans in the stands began to make up a song to mock Bowyer's shot. "Lee Bowyer is an outstanding rugby player! The ball he kicked soared into the sky! Oh yeah! "
Understanding the meaning of the lyrics, Tang En laughed heartily. England's fans must be the most talented and the best in the world. He liked this kind of environment.
Seeing Bowyer shoot the ball into the sky, Rod waved his hands in annoyance. On the field, Defoe was a little dissatisfied. He shouted at Bowyer, "Hey! I'm here! Not in the sky! "
"I don't care if you die!" Bowyer responded in a very unfriendly manner to his teammate, then turned and ran away.
Behind him, Defoe shrugged his shoulders at Joe Cole in an aggrieved manner. The young captain clearly had no way to restrain this wild and unruly new teammate. He could only shake his head helplessly.
Originally, Twain's plan was for Reid to provoke Bowyer, and Bowyer to retaliate. Then, Reid would fall to the ground in an exaggerated manner. The referee would give Reid a yellow card and Bowyer a red card. It was a very good plan. It would leave the opponent with one less player and one less point of attack. It would also greatly damage their morale.
He did not expect the situation to suddenly change on the field. It was completely beyond his expectations.
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