When Dunn and Tang Jing, who were far away in China, found out that Tang En had resigned from Nottingham Forest Football Club, only a day had passed since the Forest Football Club announced the news. The developed internet allowed them to know what was happening on the other side of the world, even if they were in a remote town in South Sichuan.
Within a day, the sports media all over the world reported the matter as sensational news.
In Italy, the Sky TV newscaster had a strange expression on his face when he reported the news. Clearly, he could not believe that the "Godfather of Nottingham Forest's Champions" in his mouth would end his glorious days in the Forest team in such a manner.
In Spain, the Spanish media, who were still denouncing Nottingham Forest for using improper means to "steal" the Champions League title, collectively lost their voices — they did not know what to say in the face of this news.
A manager who had just won the Treble for the team suddenly resigned. This was probably not something that could be simply described as "very unique." It was only at this time that the group of reporters who usually boasted of their eloquence realized how poor their vocabulary was.
In China, there were even web portals that had specially made a special topic for Tony Twain, with many people leaving comments for a while. China's Central Television Sports Channel also produced a forty-five-minute-long special program that comprehensively reviewed the ups and downs of Tony Twain's 11 years as manager of Nottingham Forest.
On the internet, the Nottingham Forest fans had long been shaken to the point of dizziness. Some people cried bitterly over Twain's departure on the forum, angrily accusing the club's top brass of being ungrateful, putting away the bow after the birds were out, and cooking the hound after the hare was done … Another group of people chose to stand with the club's top brass in order to express that they did not like Tony Twain because they liked the Forest team because they liked Tony Twain. They thought that Twain was gone, and the world would still spin without him. In addition, there were several rumors that Twain was dissatisfied with the annual salary offered by the club, and that he was fighting with Evan Doughty for the same woman. From a positive point of view, Twain's character was indeed not very good.
Most of the other team's fans expressed a feeling of schadenfreude. For them, the most troublesome enemy had finally left, and the team they supported also had a new hope of winning the championship. In addition, they were happy to see the usually arrogant Forest fans fall into a state of internal strife.
In England, the news of Tang En's resignation had even overshadowed the England national team, which was preparing for the World Cup. As for the Treble winners, Nottingham Forest … it was even more pitiful. The praise given to them by the media had not even been up for a few days, and now it was nowhere to be found.
Carl Spicer clearly did not expect Tang En to so resolutely choose to leave when the team was at its most glorious. This made him suddenly feel as though he had lost the focus of his life — he would not be able to find anyone to scold in the future. If he didn't scold people, how could his show stand out among so many football TV shows?
Later, Lineker said half-jokingly and half-helplessly on his special edition of BBC's Match of the Day, "I really don't know if this is good news or bad news. But I'm sure it's good news for the other nineteen managers in the Premier League. Because their powerful enemy had finally left. For others, this is definitely bad news, because the English Premier League has lost its most special scenery … "
Many reporters and friends wanted to find the male lead in the incident and listen to what he had to say. But no matter how they called, they would always get a prompt that his phone was switched off. This time, even Pierce Brosnan, who had always been considered Tang En's personal reporter, did not get any first-hand information. As a result, he was berated by the chief editor of the newspaper, and had a good taste of what it felt like to be an intern reporter when he first entered the newspaper. As a result, the storm intensified amid all kinds of rumors.
Until the end of the year, when the Associated Press ranked the top ten sports news of the year, the news of Tony Twain's departure from Nottingham Forest was still ranked fourth, which showed how much influence it had at the time.
There was another example. Capello joked during an interview with the reporters, "I should thank Tony Twain. He made you guys disturb my team much less often."
…
Tony Twain and his wife were touring around Brazil to their heart's content when the storm made everyone stagger, dizzy and at a loss. This time, he really did not touch football again. In Brazil, children could be seen performing or playing soccer everywhere. But as long as Shania was by his side, Tang En could not look sideways. He only stared at his wife. It was as if his wife was the only one in his world.
Shania enjoyed this treatment. She did not think about whether Twain's many sweet words to her along the way, "From now on, I will only accompany you until the end of time," were true. She did not care if it was the truth or a lie just to make her happy. She just wanted to enjoy this time.
If it were not for the World Cup, Shania would have wanted to play longer and crazier. It had been eleven years since she met Uncle Tony, and she had never been so happy. Because she no longer had to worry about waking up one morning to find Uncle Tony gone, and then finding him lying in the hospital's intensive care unit with traces of tubes inserted all over his body, nurses going in and out to remove equipment, and doctors standing next to him almost writing "I'm sorry" directly on their faces.
She often had such nightmares, especially when she was alone in the United States. She had them very fiercely. She would be scared awake every time, and then gasp under the dim light of the table lamp. Her whole body had long been soaked in sweat. In the past, Shania did not turn on the lights when she slept. Later, when Twain had a heart attack, she developed the habit of sleeping with the lights on, even when she was in Nottingham being held in Uncle Tony's arms to sleep together.
For the first time, this woman's heart finally felt safe. And then she was satisfied.
※ ※ ※
Good times were always short. Although this World Cup was being held in Brazil, Twain could not always stick to Shania's side. If there was a game in Rio de Janeiro, Twain could still stay with Shania every night. If they went to other cities, then there was no way. Unfortunately, only one of England's three group games was held in Rio de Janeiro. If they wanted to continue to come back to enjoy the sunshine and bikini beauties on Copacabana Beach, then they had to fight their way into the semifinals in one go.
During the preparation for the World Cup, the English media finally remembered that they still had a team to participate in the World Cup, so they began to predict the team's prospects in the World Cup. It was no different from any of the previous editions — "This is the best team in England's history, and they are the favorites to win the title."
Twain met his temporary BBC colleague, John Motson, for the first time in the lobby of the hotel where he was staying, and this was the first time he appeared in front of the media since that incident.
Motson looked at Twain with interest until he saw that he could not stand it anymore, then smiled and said, "You don't seem to have changed much. You're the same as the old Tony Twain."
"Nonsense." Twain did not stand on ceremony and had a look of disdain. "You've been watching for a long time, and that's all you can see?"
Motson's smile deepened. "Tony, Tony, you really are the number one monster in English sports …" He shook his head and patted Twain on the shoulder. "When the whole world is going crazy because of your departure from the Forest team, you're in Brazil with your wife. What should I say about you? "
"Then don't say anything, John." Twain shrugged. The media's reaction was within his expectations, and he was very satisfied with the madness that arose because of him — even if he left that position, he would make the world tremble with him!
"Maybe I should use my authority to conduct an interview with you …" Motson pinched his chin and pondered.
"Don't think about it. The World Cup has started, and no one cares about how I'm doing now. It's a pity that I'm already outdated. "Twain smiled and spread his hands, but there was no hint of regret in his voice.
Motson snorted. "The paparazzi's nose is never outdated. They can smell something on you that attracts them. When that time comes, you'll have to face those reporters all day long. "He glanced to the side.
This was the news center of this World Cup. Media from all over the world would gather here to process the latest news from Brazil's various competitions and training grounds, and then send it back home to present it to the television audience, newspaper readers, and netizens online.
Therefore, this was also the paparazzi's base camp. This time, Twain could really be considered to have "ventured deep into the tiger's den."
He also noticed this. There were already some reporters next to him whose eyes lit up when they saw him again. That light was like the light that bloomed in the eyes of a vicious criminal when he saw a large chest of gold.
Twain looked at these people and also snorted. He muttered in Mandarin, "What's there to be afraid of! Counter soldiers with arms, and water with an earth weir! "
Hearing him pop out another sentence that he did not understand but knew which country it was, Motson suddenly became interested in Twain's language talent. "You speak China so well. I heard that you even have a column in China's sports newspaper. Why didn't China's TV stations come to you to commentate on the World Cup? You're very eloquent. "
When Twain heard him say so, he immediately shook his head like a rattle. "No way. I'm going to commentate for them? They're going to replace me at halftime. "
Motson stared, as if he had heard something very interesting. "Freedom of speech is not allowed?"
Twain continued to shake his head. "This is a difference in culture. Some words can be accepted by the British, but it doesn't mean the world can. It's just like Europeans don't ask 'have you eaten' when they meet, but Chinese people always use this to greet each other. "
Motson clapped his hands to indicate that he understood. "It's like we always use the weather to start our chats."
Twain did not shake his head this time. He smiled and said another China phrase. "The boy is worth teaching."
Motson did not ask what this sentence meant. He smiled and patted Twain on the shoulder, motioning for them to leave. Work was about to start.
The World Cup was also about to start.
※ ※ ※
Brazil was a place full of amorous feelings, like those hot girls in bikinis shopping on the streets as if there was no one else around. When countries came here to report on the World Cup, they would choose to use this kind of local customs as a breakthrough point. Twain was not interested in these things. He and Shania had already played all of them before.
He appeared to be more dedicated than some of his colleagues. After completely leaving football for less than a month, his life was all about football. And he discovered a very important problem. When he faced football again, his nuclear-powered heart was beating vigorously in his chest. Every time in the middle of the night, in the dead of night, he could clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat as he lay in bed.
That heart, when he accompanied his wife to play wildly, seemed to be silent. Twain could not feel its existence. And now, it seemed to be alive again.
This discovery was as surprising as Columbus's discovery of America. At the same time, there was a trace of fear in the depths of his heart. Because he had just said that he would spend the rest of his life with Shania, but now he could not resist the temptation of football, his former lover, and his heart wavered.
When he was commentating the game live, listening to the roaring cheers and singing from the stands, he would be a little distracted. His comments were no longer as sharp and nimble. Sometimes it would even attract a puzzled look from his partner, Motson.
In his trance, Twain seemed to have returned to the narrow City Ground stadium, standing on the sidelines, clenching his fists and cheering for the team's goal.
He thought again of the big photo that had been hanging on the bedroom wall. He stood alone with his arms open in front of the sea of red people, as if to embrace the raging sea. He had played in Brazil for so long that he did not know how much dust had fallen on that photo.
Perhaps … there were some things in his bones that were not so easy to quit …
Twain sighed softly in his heart, feeling that he was really too useless. After only a few World Cup games, the originally firm thoughts in his heart were actually a little shaky.
Perhaps it was because of the amorous country of Brazil, their football also made Twain feel hot and dry.
Brazilian women were good-looking, but Brazilian football was even better …
In the end, England lost at the feet of the Brazilians again after four years. This time, their results were worse than the last time. Last time, they were in the top four. This time, they did not even enter the top eight.
In the Round of 16, England unfortunately met the host, Brazil. After the game, the English media complained that the Brazilian team made full use of the "host advantage", which was a disguised accusation of the problem with the referees. But the Brazilians did not care so much. How could the victors care about the complaints of the losers?
However, in Twain's view, England did not go to the next level in this World Cup and reach the final, not because they met the host in advance, nor was it because Capello was old as some people did not say. It was very simple, but also very strange — George Wood was not in a good state.
Having coached Wood for ten years, this was the second time Twain had seen him in a bad state. The first time was when Eastwood retired.
Motson wondered why Wood was not in a good state. Twain also wondered. The media all over England found it strange. Twain even wondered if something had happened to Sophia.
Capello liked and trusted Wood and had the intention of letting him take over Gerrard's position. However, he did not expect George Wood's performance in Capello's last World Cup to be so disappointing. He completely lost the domineering and ruthless spirit he had in the club team. Faced with the Brazilian team's Kaka, he was toyed with until he could not tell north from north. Kaka also wondered why Wood, who had always been fierce, was like a hypnotized sheep in the game. He ran after his butt several times but did nothing and let him go. If it had been in the past, he would have shoveled someone from behind. Although he would get a yellow card, it could make the opponent feel fear and shock, and the defense would be much easier. If he met a tough character, he would fight to the death with the opponent and see who was tougher in the end.
Used to this kind of George Wood, Kaka really could not get used to the soft George Wood. So, in the opening twenty minutes or so, the Brazilian core did not perform well. At first, the English reporters thought it was George Wood's work, and then they realized something was wrong. By the time Kaka and the Brazilian team reacted, the England team would be finished.
Wood was England's first line of defense, like the immune system of the human body. Now that this first line of defense had collapsed, even if England had a strong man who weighed more than two hundred pounds, it would just be a blow from the wind.
At the end of the ninety-minute game, the teammates around him had tears in their eyes, but George Wood's eyes were a little confused. On the big screen behind him, it showed the score of the game: 0: 3.
The England team, which was touted by the English media as the strongest in history, was completely defeated in the face of the last World Cup's third place.
Tang En did not care about England's failure, but some of his colleagues around him had already wiped away their tears. For them, the dream that happened once every four years had come to an end. Tang En looked on coldly, but in his heart, he thought that these people could at least live a befuddled life once every four years, but how many years would it take for the China fans to dream once? Would it really be like 2002, when they walked around freely once every forty years?
Thinking of this, his cold eyes turned into a sneer.
You bunch of bastards who do not know how lucky you are.
He was not sad nor did he care about England's elimination. What he had been brooding over was George Wood's state. Although he was no longer the Nottingham Forest manager, he still subconsciously regarded himself as a member of the Forest team. As the captain of Nottingham Forest and a genius that he had personally cultivated, his face would not have any glory if he performed so badly.
He was also not in form for the commentary work of this World Cup. The frequency of the usually popular witty remarks was not high, which had something to do with Wood's not in form.
But Tang En did not know why Wood was not in form at all. He did not ask, because he was no longer anyone to Wood, so there was no need to care about everything about this man. He just hoped that this bad state was not because of Sophia.
England was eliminated, but Tang En's work was not over. He still had to be responsible for partnering with Motson to commentate until the final.
After England was eliminated, the English media pushed the blame for the loss to two people. One was George Wood, and the other was Capello. As a result, the combative Tang En dedicated his column to protecting the two of them. In fact, it was mainly to protect Wood. It was just that he did not want to do such things too openly, so he conveniently protected Capello, writing an article to scold the media. He was not very reasonable and did not analyze the data. Anyway, everyone in the circle knew that even if Tony Twain was reasonable, what he said was unreasonable. Rational people would not argue with him, and those who argued with him were not fools. They all had ulterior motives.
With all the bickering, the pressure on George Wood's body gradually lessened — Tang En was still protecting him up until now. And he did not care about Capello. What kind of storm had that old fox not seen? Did he still need him to reduce the pressure?
Tang En's only regret was that because of his poor performance in the World Cup, although George Wood won the Treble, he was destined to miss out on this year's European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year.
As a defensive midfielder, to be able to obtain these individual honors was so precious …
At the thought of this, Tang En gritted his teeth, somewhat resentful that iron did not meet his expectations.
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