David Moyes was the first candidate to reject the English Football Association. He expressed that he was satisfied with staying at Everton and did not want to work in a different environment. Moreover, being the manager of the England national team was too tiring. He was watched by reporters 365 days a year. He had to be busy 24 hours a day. He also had to be wary of those tabloids, such as the Sheikh's Men.
He did not like that kind of life. So, he publicly rejected the Football Association. Then Everton also issued a statement on their official website to clarify some of the previous rumors, saying that Moyes would continue to stay at Everton.
The English Football Association offered the highest annual salary of 8.5 million pounds to the new manager. It looked like this position was coveted by everyone, but in fact, it was a hot potato. 8.5 million pounds was the annual salary of leading the team to the UEFA European Championship. Coupled with other rewards, the new England manager could earn up to 10 million pounds a year. But all the coaches knew how difficult it was to sit in the position of England manager.
Not only did you need to have enough fame and prestige to control the big star players who were spoiled by the media, you also needed to have the real ability to withstand the doubts of the experts. In addition, you had to have the awareness of an entertainment star. You could not complain about being under the magnifying glass of the media all day long.
Stuart Pearce also decided to give up the high-paying job after hesitating for a while. When answering the questions from the reporters, he said that he was more willing to continue working in the U21 youth team. Nurturing young players was the way forward for English football.
These two people announced their withdrawal one after another, which put the Football Association in an awkward position. Within the scope of local managers, it was estimated that no one would take over this job.
They could only set their sights on overseas.
There were many good managers overseas, such as Scolari, Mourinho, Ancelotti, Hiddink and so on …
But the Football Association's executive, Shaun Barclays, still wanted to find a good manager from England. It was not convenient to manage foreign managers. If there were no results in the end, the Football Association would be scolded for "choosing a foreign manager". Local managers were much more obedient.
But Moyes and Pearce did not appreciate it. Especially Pearce, who was heavily trained by the Football Association, chickened out. He did not have the ferocity he had when he was a player. This made Barclays very disappointed.
Just as he was worrying about this, he unexpectedly received a phone call.
"I'm in London now. I think we can talk in more detail …" The person who said this was Tony Twain.
Twain was actually tempted. The Football Association was in a difficult position this time …
※ ※ ※
The English Football Association was worried about a new manager. and so was Nottingham Forest. They had sent an invitation to Mourinho before, but Mourinho was not interested. It was not that he thought the young seedlings of Nottingham Forest could not keep a big Buddha like him. Mourinho himself was a manager with a very unique personality, so he did not like to go to a team where another person had left a deep imprint. That way, it would be too difficult to get started. He was not interested in being someone else's second life, nor did he want to live in Tony Twain's shadow.
He was not interested in being someone else's second life and did not want to live under him. Hiddink agreed to coach the Forest team, but the conditions he put forward were unacceptable to Evan Doughty. The amazing Dutch coach had to be the manager of the Netherlands national team as well. Hiddink agreed to manage the Forest team. But Evan Doughty could not accept his conditions. The amazing Dutch manager wanted to be the manager of the Netherlands national team.
Evan was not hiring a temporary manager. He would not allow them to have a foot in the door. So Hiddink passed Nottingham Forest. These people were mostly second-rate managers. Evan did not think they could manage the current championship team.
In the end, Nottingham Forest went through a lot of hardships in July to poach the Manchester United manager, Martin O 'Neill. The former Nottingham Forest manager was indeed the most suitable candidate for the Forest team from all aspects. Martin O 'Neill was capable and had a certain reputation. And most importantly, his temper was much milder than Tony Twain. Such a person was easy to discipline.
O 'Neill's departure triggered a chain reaction. Manchester United stepped up their pursuit of Mourinho after losing O' Neill and finally succeeded in persuading Mourinho to jump ship and leave Inter Milan to join Manchester United. His arrival was regarded by Manchester United as the starting point for the Red Devils to rebuild their glory. They compared him to Liverpool's signing of Shankly, Manchester United's signing of Ferguson, and Nottingham Forest's signing of Tony Twain.
Inter Milan could do nothing but express their regret. Manchester United was desperate for talent. They even helped pay for Mourinho's breach of contract. It looked like Manchester United, who were used to winning trophies during Ferguson's era, was panicking after missing out on the title for several years in a row. In order to get an outstanding captain, they were willing to pay any price and use any means.
Inter Milan wanted to find a manager. They contacted Tony Twain. Unfortunately, Twain had already reached an agreement with the English Football Association. He was going to officially manage the England national team.
Now they were just waiting for the Football Association to announce it to the public.
Both sides agreed on the terms in the meeting with Barclays. Although the English Football Association was similar to the China Football Association in some ways, they would not interfere with the manager's work. Twain was most satisfied with that. He did not care about anything else. Some people were afraid of being watched all the time after becoming the England manager. Twain was not afraid. He felt that fighting with the heavens and the earth was not as good as fighting with people because fighting with people was fun.
It was the same at Nottingham Forest. It was the same for the England national team.
The Football Association's idea was that they had already said before that they must find an English manager to lead the England team. Since Twain took the initiative to express his goodwill, they had no reason to turn a blind eye or refuse. As long as everyone could reach an agreement, then Twain would be the manager.
Both sides hit it off. As a result, the candidate whom the media was most pessimistic about became the final winner and came together with the English Football Association.
Two days later, the English Football Association and Tony Twain would hold a press conference together to officially announce the news. At that time, this news would definitely make many people's jaws drop.
※ ※ ※
Today was Martin O 'Neill's first day of work at Nottingham Forest. He was going to meet his team. It was supposed to be an ordinary meeting, but O 'Neill was a little nervous and even uneasy. It was all because the team's previous manager was really … too bright.
He and Twain were not close, but they were friends. Because he had never publicly said anything bad about Twain. This was enough for people like Twain to see him as a friend. One had to know that there were countless people who cursed and insulted Twain every day.
Now he had to face the huge influence left by his friend. He was also a successful manager. Naturally, he was not willing to live in the shadow of others.
Perhaps from another point of view, how difficult Martin O 'Neill's job was.
While waiting for the arrival of the new manager, the Forest players changed in the locker room, but they were still discussing Tony Twain.
"I saw in yesterday's news that a reporter photographed the boss with that old man Harvey. Do you think the boss is really going to coach the England team?" Bale asked.
"Who knows? I don't think it's possible. The Football Association hates the boss so much … "Mitchell said with a frown.
"Hey, why do we care so much … I think we should think about the difference between the new Mr. Martin O 'Neill and the boss."
"What's the difference? We can talk about it for a day and a night. The boss is the most special one. In the whole of England … No, in the whole of Europe, you can't find a second person like him, not even Mourinho! "
"Why do you think the boss is leaving …" Bale asked again.
This time the discussion died down. Some people even sighed softly. This question troubled many of the Forest players. They thought of many reasons, such as the boss's health was not good, the boss's family had problems, the boss was not on good terms with the club's top management, the boss was tired of coaching the same team for 11 consecutive years, or the boss had betrayed them …
Twain never explained the reason for his sudden resignation in the media. There were a lot of rumors outside, some of which were very close to the players' guesses, which made them feel confused and did not know who to believe.
The impact of Tony Twain's sudden resignation was still there today. Today, some of them still could not understand why the boss chose to leave suddenly at that time. But they could clearly feel that the team seemed to have lost something very important when the boss left. The hearts of the people were scattered, and it would not be easy to get them back together again.
Before O 'Neill came to the Forest team, Kompany had already been sold by Allan to Italy. Without Twain's obstruction, Allan could sell anyone he wanted, as long as the other party could afford a price that moved him.
Leighton Baines was sold right after, and he went to Everton in the English Premier League.
The two of them brought Allan Adams an income of 27 million pounds. If Twain were here, he would definitely be berated by Allan Adams. But now, no one could stop this businessman.
The Forest team was very unhappy with the top management for chasing away the boss and selling two of their teammates. More and more people in the team had lost confidence in the team. How ironic. Just two months ago, this team had won the great Treble, becoming the only one in European football in the past 15 years. At that time, they must have thought they could continue to create glory and become the strongest team in Europe. If football could learn from the NBA and have championship rings, when everyone retired, they would definitely not have ten fingers. Even their toes would not be enough. That kind of future would be wonderful!
Rome was not built in a day, but for it to collapse, one night was enough.
The gloomy atmosphere in the locker room was broken by one person.
"Stop dawdling. Don't let the new manager think you're all professional players who like to be late." The one who spoke was George Wood. He had already changed into his training uniform and stood at the door of the locker room, coldly looking around at his teammates in the room.
He seemed to have recovered from the blow of the boss's departure. The terrible performance in the World Cup was also a thing of the past. He was still the most hardworking and serious one in training. He was also more talkative than before, but the expression on his face … was getting colder.
No one dared to go against George Wood like this. They could not even look him in the eye. A group of people hurriedly lowered their heads and hurriedly changed their clothes and shoes. Some people who had clearly changed their shoes still untied and tied their shoelaces again, as if it could tighten them a little.
Then the players filed out and walked to the training ground in twos and threes.
There, David Kerslake was introducing the basic situation to Martin O 'Neill. He was trying his best to avoid mentioning Tony Twain's name. He did not want the new manager to have any unnecessary thoughts.
"… We sold Kompany and Baines before, but fortunately, they are no longer the absolute main force of the team. Pepe and Woodgate can play as the main center back partnership. We have Gareth Bale and Joe Mattock at left back. Bale can attack and defend well. Mattock is younger and has more potential … Although our defensive line is the best in England, I think it would be good if we had a high-level substitute goalkeeper … Tiago is a little old and his form is declining quickly. He did not have many opportunities to play last season. Tony said that if a team wanted him, he would … Uh. "He suddenly stopped talking because he realized that he had inadvertently mentioned that person's name.
O 'Neill smiled amiably and said, "Tony is right. Some people do not need to stay in the Forest team. The Forest team is the most united team in the Premier League and has the most harmonious atmosphere in the locker room. But it does not mean that we are a nursing home, and a public nursing home at that. "
Kerslake sighed in his heart that O 'Neill seemed to be easy to get along with, so he continued to introduce.
By this time, the players had all arrived on the pitch. They gathered on the other side and did warm-up activities under the guidance of the fitness coach.
O 'Neill listened to the assistant manager's introduction while quietly observing.
For the first time, the team that swept Europe and made their enemies tremble in fear welcomed a new captain. What gift would they give him? How long would he be able to stay on this ship? O 'Neill did not think about these. There was only one person on his mind — Tony Twain. He was trying to get his thoughts as close to Twain as possible, speculating how Twain would lead this team so that he could find the fastest way to integrate into the team and turn this team into Martin O 'Neill's team.
When the team finished warming up, O 'Neill walked over and greeted them, "Hello, gentlemen. I'm your new manager, Martin O 'Neill. I believe everyone must have heard of my name? "
Some of the players laughed, while others whispered, "What did he call us? 'Gentlemen'? "
"That's awkward. I still prefer 'lads'."
"Shh, it's just a different style. Be careful not to let him hear … "
In fact, O 'Neill heard it all. He had a smile on his face, but he acted as if he did not hear it at all.
He was joking on the surface, but he was smiling bitterly in his heart. It looked like there was no way to make this team his own simply …
Although the Forest players did not know the difference between the new manager and the former boss in terms of personality and temper, they soon knew the difference between Manager Martin O 'Neill and the boss in terms of leading the team in training.
Twain always liked to leave the specific matters to the other members of the coaching staff. He just stood at the side and observed, occasionally coming out to say a few words. He looked very cool in a suit and a pair of sunglasses.
O 'Neill, on the other hand, wore a tracksuit and personally demonstrated during training. This clearly had something to do with the fact that he was once an outstanding football player. In terms of training results, O 'Neill was better than Tony Twain. At least, that was what some players thought.
There was a stubborn "Tony Twain Faction" among the Nottingham Forest players. They would look down on anyone and the manager other than Twain. Although they did not give the new manager any trouble on the surface, they were full of contempt in their hearts. They were waiting for the new manager to make a mistake, which they could use against him.
The stubborn faction was reluctant to admit that O 'Neill was better than Twain in training. They felt that O' Neill's on-the-spot command and psychological ability were definitely not as good as the boss. In any case, football ultimately depended on the results of the game, not the results of training.
After the morning training, everyone left with their own thoughts. Martin O 'Neill went to see his immediate superior, the club chairman, Evan Doughty.
"How's your first day on the job, Martin?" Evan asked with a smile.
"Very good. Everyone is very cooperative. This is really a great team." O 'Neill did not tell the truth. He lied to cover up his troubles.
Evan smiled and shook his head. "Don't lie to me, Martin. I know this team. They're like Tony Twain's temper, stinky and stubborn. " When he said this, his face did not show a look of disgust. Instead, he smiled, as if he was joking with an old friend. "I think some of them must not be convinced by you. But it doesn't matter. They'll know after winning a few games. You must know that Nottingham Forest's tradition is very simple. Victory is a million times stronger than sweet talk. "
Martin O 'Neill muttered in his heart, It's also a million times harder than sweet talk.
When he said this, Evan shrugged his shoulders. He suddenly remembered that this tradition did not last long because it was brought to the Forest team by Tony Twain. Sure enough, this man's influence was everywhere in Nottingham Forest … Like a ghost in an old castle, haunting him. He felt a little uncomfortable and changed his expression. His smile became faint and he said to O 'Neill, "You can draw up a list of purges.
We have to rebuild the team. Other than the core players, you can do whatever you want with the rest. "
O 'Neill was a little surprised to hear the club chairman say this. He looked up at the man in front of him, his eyes full of confusion.
"If you want a team that is completely yours, I think a proper purge is necessary, Martin. It's time to reshuffle the cards. "
O 'Neill was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, after I observe for a while, I'll give you a list. Including the players that need to be sold and bought, it's all on it. "
With that, O 'Neill bid farewell to Evan Doughty and left the chairman's office.
Standing outside under the sun, he suddenly understood why Tony Twain had to leave Nottingham Forest at such a glorious time. There were not many managers who had the power to compete with the club chairman, and there were very few old monsters like Sir Alex Ferguson. When a club chairman interfered too much with the team's affairs, it meant that the team was in danger.
He was like that at Manchester United, and it was the same at Nottingham Forest. It seemed that successful club chairmen felt good about themselves.
How long could he persist in such an environment?
O 'Neill did not know. He could only hope that he could use victory after victory to regain the right to speak and regain his rightful position in the team.
Just like what his predecessor did, win after win and keep running forward. There was no chance for you to stop and catch your breath. Even if you were tired, you had to grit your teeth and continue running.
Fortunately, I don't have a heart attack.
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