The media's nose was very sensitive. Although the English Football Association had not officially announced that they had reached an agreement with Tony Twain, The Sun had already divulged the news in advance.
However, they used a question, "The new leader of the Three Lions Legion?"
There was a picture of Tony Twain next to the large headline.
When Twain saw the news, the first thing he did was to turn off his phone. Otherwise, he would be harassed to death by countless calls that day.
Anyway, the Football Association would hold a press conference the next day. He could ask any questions then.
※ ※ ※
The next day, at the headquarters of the English Football Association in London's SOHO Square, the Football Association and Twain held a press conference here to officially announce Twain's appointment.
Media from all over the world gathered together to bear witness.
Although Twain had been the manager of a club for 11 years, it was his first time being the manager of a national team. Today, he purposely wore a new suit and a tie, which was rare for him.
When he walked into the venue, the flashing lights were already flashing before he said anything. It shook the Football Association's executive Shaun Barclays who followed him in.
After the two took their seats, Barclays officially announced Tony Twain as the manager of the England national team in the name of the Football Association.
"We are delighted to be able to hire Mr. Tony Twain as the manager of the England national team. Among the many candidates, Tony Twain's results are the key to him standing out. His results at Nottingham Forest have satisfied and reassured us. We also believe that the England national team can usher in a new era under Mr. Tony Twain's leadership. "
Twain signed a two-year contract with the Football Association with the goal of the UEFA European Championship and then decide whether to extend the contract until the World Cup based on the results at the UEFA European Championship.
Next, Twain made a brief announcement.
"Managing the England national team is a new challenge for me. And I like challenges. "
Twain leaned back after saying this, indicating that the reporters could freely ask questions.
It was indeed very short …
The first reporter to stand up to ask a question was from The Times. His question was still considered to be in line, "Mr. Twain, the best result that your predecessor, Manager Capello, led the team was fourth place in the World Cup. May I ask if you have a specific goal?"
Twain was about to answer when Barclays suddenly interrupted, "Our goal is the UEFA European Championship."
Twain glanced at him and then nodded, "Yes, the immediate goal is the UEFA European Championship."
The questions that followed were getting more and more out of hand.
The reporters were clearly more interested in why Tony Twain had resigned from Nottingham Forest. Tony Twain had yet to give an explanation. The Forest club did not reveal any more information.
The reporter from The Sun stood up and asked, "Mr Tony Twain, may I ask why you chose to resign from Nottingham Forest at the height of your glory days?"
Tang En looked at Barclays. The Football Association's executive was also embarrassed.
So, Tang En spread his hands and said, "I'm sorry, this is the English Football Association's press conference on the selection of the England team's manager, not the Nottingham Forest Football Club's press conference. You're in the wrong place, Mr. Sun reporter. "
This scene had finally arrived. The reporters were extremely excited. They had not seen each other for more than a month, but Tang En still did not give any face to the reporters. When he was at the club, he did not have a good relationship with the media. So, don't expect him to understand and cooperate sincerely with the England national team.
The media gained more attention and readers by provoking Tang En, while Tang En saw going against the media as a great pleasure. A manager is under a lot of pressure, and there must be a way to vent it. Scolding the media was also a way.
The reporter from The Sun wanted to continue but Barclays finally interrupted, "Mr. Reporter, you better ask questions related to the topic of this press conference. Otherwise, we have the right to refuse to answer."
"Okay, Mr Barclays. I have a question for you. " The reporter smiled and nodded, "As the English Football Association, they chose Mr Tony Twain to be the manager of the England team because of his results. So, is the Football Association worried that Mr Twain's big mouth will bring some unnecessary trouble to the team and the Football Association? "
"This …" Barclays cursed under his breath, "We believe that Mr Tony Twain will watch his words and actions."
Tang En interrupted, "Don't worry about this, I will definitely not bring any trouble to the Football Association or the England team. In fact, I will only retaliate when others take the initiative to provoke me. I also hope that in the days to come, we can all live in harmony. "As he said this, he gave the reporter from The Sun a meaningful look.
After knowing that Tang En was going to attend the press conference, Pierce Brosnan was sent to London by the editor-in-chief, hoping to get some news through his personal relationship with Tang En. Unfortunately, Tang En turned off his phone, so he could only attend the press conference.
He was picked by the host and stood up to ask questions. In fact, he wanted to ask the reporter from The Sun why Tang En wanted to leave Forest, but he knew that such a question would only destroy the relationship between him and Tang En, and would not get any answer.
"Can you reveal a little about your guidelines for building the team, Mr Twain?"
"All England players have a chance to be selected for the national team. I don't look at their fame, and I don't even care what their names are. I only look at their form and attitude. People who are lazy have no place here. "Tang En's answer was very" iron-fisted ", which was expected by everyone. He was such a manager at Nottingham Forest. He was a man of his word and no one could oppose or question his opinion.
Brosnan did not continue to ask questions. He sat down. Another person stood up and said, "Mr Twain, when you were at Nottingham Forest, you thought Forest was the best team in England. May I ask if you will build a team around the English players in Forest?"
Of course, Tang En knew that this person was indirectly asking if he might be more biased towards Nottingham Forest's English players. He would not explain, "No, I won't do that. I choose every player fairly and impartially." This was not in line with his personality and style.
He nodded and said, "If they perform well, why not?"
Nepotism was a derogatory term, but there was also the saying that one should not avoid family. Compared to the players of other teams, he was more familiar with Nottingham Forest's players, so Forest's English players naturally had to take advantage. Tang En did not shy away from talking about this topic. In fact, he was prepared to do so.
If the media wanted to scold him, then the fundamental reason must not be because he chose too many Forest players, but because he lost the game. Therefore, the national team and the club were the same. As long as you can win, there is no problem.
Things were much simpler once he grasped the essence of the problem.
The reporters took turns to ask questions. Tang En handled them with ease and there were no flaws. It seemed that his condition was not affected after resting for more than a month. When the press conference ended, Harvey was very satisfied with Tang En's performance — — he did not cause any trouble at the press conference.
He only hoped that it was not a flash in the pan.
※ ※ ※
After this press conference, the news of Tony Twain officially becoming England's manager appeared in all the major newspapers, television, radio, and the internet. Tang En became the focus of the news.
His picture was everywhere in the newspapers.
The BBC was even planning to invite him to do an exclusive interview.
Kerslake ate his breakfast and looked at the freshly baked newspapers. He flipped to the sports section.
What came into view was a large picture of Tang En. In the picture, he was dressed in a suit and had a serious expression on his face.
Looking at him, Kerslake was reminded of the time when he left Forest. There was no doubt that Tang En lied to him and said that he would be the first to know. In the end, when the media outside spread the news, he received a postcard from Tang En from Brazil with a tropical bikini beauty printed on it, telling him that he quit.
This news was very sudden, but Kerslake was not at all unprepared. As an assistant manager, he knew that Tang En and Allan did not have a good relationship. However, he did not expect Tang En to really be willing to leave the team that he had painstakingly managed for 11 years because of this reason. This person really has a personality. He can't be judged by common sense …
In Kerslake's view, it was a difficult decision to choose to leave at such a glorious time. However, he did not know that Tang En had considered this decision for a whole year and was still hesitant until the last moment. If Evan's performance had not completely disappointed him, he might still have been able to stay in Wilford. At first, he only wanted to leave because of the conflict with Allan. In the end, he found out that the smiling Evan was actually on the opposite side of him. In that case, there was no struggle. It would be better to just leave.
Holding the newspaper, Kerslake lamented his fate. He put the newspaper aside and continued eating. At this moment, his cell phone rang.
Looking at the phone number, it turned out to be Tony Twain calling!
"Tony, you finally called me. Are you calling to apologize to me? "
"I'm really sorry, David. I didn't expect the club to hold a press conference so soon … I wrote you a postcard as soon as I arrived in Brazil. " Tang En knew what Kerslake meant by "apologize." He really did need to apologize to his partner. In addition, he also had a favor to ask of him.
"Forget it. Let bygones be bygones. Why are you looking for me? "Kerslake also did not want to continue on this issue. There was no point in continuing.
"It's like this, David. You should know, right? I've become the manager of the England team. "
"I'm reading the newspaper. Your photo is too serious."
"Ha!" Tang En laughed. "I'm a commander without an army. I don't even have a helper … I'm going to invite you to join the England team's coaching staff. We can work well together. There's absolutely no problem! "
Kerslake stopped eating and was silent for a moment.
Tang En did not rush him. He knew the news was sudden and had to give the other party some time to consider. "You don't have to rush me to answer, David. You can seriously think about it for a few days before calling me … "
"No, I refuse, Tony."
"You really can think about it for a few days, David."
"I've just thought about it," Kerslake said resolutely, leaving no room for discussion.
"Alright … Can you tell me your reason?" Tang En knew he could not convince Kerslake because he did not like to force others to do things they did not want to do.
"I love Forest, Tony. The Forest team is a mess after you left. The new manager, Martin O 'Neill, does not understand the team at all. As someone who understands the team, I have to stay and help him adapt to the team as soon as possible. If I leave after you leave, I don't know what this team will become … "
These words made Tang En's face slightly red. He had been forcing himself not to care about the Forest team's news because he was afraid that thinking about it would make his heart ache. The team he had built up as champions had already sold two players, and it was said that they would continue to sell. When the new season started, how many old players would the Treble winners, Nottingham Forest, have left?
"If Dunn was still here, I might say yes. Oh right, why don't you ask Dunn? "
Tang En thought to himself that there was no point in asking. The answer would definitely be the same as yours. He wanted to be a manager, and he was doing well at Notts County. Why should he leave the team he had single-handedly built and follow me to England as an assistant manager?
"I'm sorry I can't help you, Tony. I wish you the best of luck. "
After hanging up, Kerslake picked up the newspaper again and stared at Tang En's photo in a daze for a while.
"Who called so early in the morning?" His wife came out of the bathroom, wiping her hands. She had just bathed their youngest son.
"An old friend." Kerslake put the newspaper down again and continued eating his breakfast.
※ ※ ※
Tang En was now troubled by the fact that he did not have a suitable coaching team. Although he was good at the club, they were all unwilling to come to the England team. When Capello took over, he brought a full coaching team of Italians. From the assistant manager to the goalkeeper coach and fitness coach, they were all Italians. These Italians also left England with Capello's departure. They did not leave anything for Tang En. Before setting up a team, he had to set up his own coaching team.
He gave Roy Keane a call, hoping to invite him to be England's assistant manager. Without a doubt, Keane turned him down.
"I'm an Irishman, Tony." Keane had a strange smile on his face. Perhaps it was because he thought Tang En's invitation was too baffling. "How could I go to the England team to be an assistant manager? Have you seen an Argentinian being an assistant manager in the Brazil national team? "
At this time, Tang En realized that he was not very popular. Other than a few good friends, he could not find anyone else to work with. And the few people he was close to were all head managers. How could he ask them to leave their current jobs and be his assistant manager? Unless they were crazy.
Although the Football Association recommended some candidates, Tang En still wanted to find them himself. Because only then would he be able to find the coach he needed. Only then could they work together and get twice the results with half the effort.
Now he needed an assistant manager, a goalkeeper coach, a fitness coach, and a psychologist. The most important of these was an assistant manager. Tang En's coaching style determined that he must have a capable assistant manager to assist him. He did not need to worry too much during training and could put more energy into tactical design and studying opponents.
This assistant manager did not need to be famous. He only needed to be capable and obedient. Because Tang En alone was enough to suppress the locker room. An assistant manager with a mediocre personality could play a more active role.
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