In fact, in order to celebrate the completion of Nottingham Forest's new stadium, the Forest Football Club had already made an agreement with the English Football Association half a year ago — after the completion of the new stadium, they would invite the England national team and Nottingham Forest for a friendly match. Twain knew about this, but he had forgotten about it now that he had changed his identity.
The match against England was just one of the events in the celebration. The other events included a parade of the Forest jersey changes over the past hundred years, an exhibition of honor, a gathering of the elders, and so on. It was a very grand celebration.
When Twain was still around, he would be one of the main characters. Now that he had left the Forest team, these things naturally had nothing to do with him, even though he had led the Nottingham Forest Football Club to more than half of the glory in its history.
Now that he was returning to Nottingham, he was not excited at all. He did not know how the Nottingham Forest fans would view his departure. He had not revealed the truth of his resignation to the media because he did not want to completely fall out with Evan. It was not a personal feud, it was just a difference in philosophy. Another consideration was that it was not a big deal. It was a resignation, there was no need to make a big deal out of it.
But the ordinary fans would not think so. In their hearts, Tony Twain was the spokesperson of Nottingham Forest. Now that the spokesperson was gone, their sky had fallen. There would definitely be people who would not forgive him. Twain knew himself.
He could only smile bitterly — why did they arrange such a match in the first place? Fate really knew how to play tricks on people.
※ ※ ※
"The match against England?" John looked at Bill.
The Burns Forest Pub was bustling with activity again, as the new season approached. There were more and more people who came here to drink and chat, and business was booming.
"You forgot too?" Bill looked at his old friend with some excitement. "In order to celebrate the completion of the new stadium, the match is between us and the England national team."
"A little interesting." John replied noncommittally.
"It's more than a little interesting. It's simply too interesting! "Bill clenched his fist and waved it." I have to teach Tony a lesson! "
"You're still complaining about that?" John felt that Bill was quite boring. It was already more than a month ago, and he still could not forget it. "Tony must have his difficulties."
"I don't care what difficulties he has!" Bill screamed, a little like a hysterical woman. "Damn it! That's blatant betrayal! "
Some of the people around him agreed with what he said, and they all agreed with him. John opened his mouth, but in the end decided to ignore them. He picked up his glass and walked to the bar counter, placing the glass in front of Kenny Burns. "One more, Kenny."
Burns silently refilled his glass.
"They've all forgotten the glory Tony once brought to this city, even though it was still more than a month ago," John muttered.
"There are people who like him, and naturally, there are people who hate him. This applies to the present and the future. "Burns smiled like a philosopher.
"I kind of don't want to go to that game. I couldn't accept that the people who had supported him unconditionally were now scolding him. I think Tony will be very sad. "John was not in a good mood.
"That's all the more reason for you to go," Burns advised. "You have to let him know that there are people who understand him."
"Ahem." Fat John coughed, "Actually, when I first heard this news, I was much angrier than Skinny. At that time, Skinny tried to persuade me. But how did it become like this now? "
"Is it because of Tony's' indifference 'towards Nottingham Forest?" Burns said casually as he continued to wipe the glasses that he could not finish in a hundred years.
John was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered. Ever since Tony resigned, he had never mentioned the name "Nottingham Forest" on any occasion. It was as if this team had never appeared in his eleven years of coaching. Perhaps it was this "indifference" that angered people like Bill.
But John understood it better. It was not that Tony was indifferent, but his feelings were complicated. He had coached this team for eleven years. How could he forget? But he could not keep mentioning this team after he left. That would put a lot of pressure on the new manager, and it would be detrimental to the new team's relaunch. He wanted to use silence to minimize the huge influence he left on this team. Those players were all brought up by Tony. As long as he said something in the newspapers, even if he was no longer in Wilford, the players would definitely put his words first. How would Martin O 'Neill do his job in that case?
However, it was a pity that not everyone understood this point.
He looked back at the people who were still discussing what slogans to make to mock Tony during the game, and another doubt arose in his heart. That doubt had been in his heart for many days, and he did not know the answer.
If you knew this would happen, why did you leave in the first place, Tony? Is there any trouble that you can't solve? Eleven years of trials and tribulations, including a heart attack. Why can't you get over this twelfth year?
※ ※ ※
"Some people say that Tony's resignation was because of the conflict with Allan Adams, but I have to say, haven't they always been in conflict? Didn't he leave for so many years? Why is he resigning now? Don't tell me those people in suits and leather shoes never think about us fans? "
"He, on the other hand, just walked away. What about Nottingham Forest? Is he happy to see that the results have fallen? "
"I know he has his difficulties, but I don't think these difficulties are enough to support his decision to resign. Compared to the other clubs, he already has a lot of power. "
"If he had to leave, he could have chosen to wait for another season before leaving. Why did he leave when we had just won the Treble? I simply can't describe my feelings at that time. It was as if I had just been amused by someone, and then the same person immediately gave me two slaps … "
Until now, under the news on Nottingham Forest Football Club's official website that Tony Twain would not be renewing his contract with the club, there were still fans expressing their opinions one after another. To Twain, most of them were messages that made him unhappy.
This was perhaps a scene that Nottingham Forest Football Club hoped to see. They had held an early press conference to proactively announce that they had failed to renew their contract with Twain. They also had the idea of turning from passive to active. In this way, everyone would obviously think that the main responsibility lay with Twain, who had been secretive all along, and Nottingham Forest would be like an innocent girl who had been bullied and could only use this method to complain about her experience.
In any case, Twain's image had always been bad. If he had not stood on the side of those people, almost no one would have liked him. Previously, everyone supported him because they were all in the same trench. Now that they were not in the same trench, it was inevitable that they would not see eye to eye.
Both Evan and Allan did not want to be blamed for forcing a meritorious manager to leave. Since that was the case, they might as well let the man with a bad image bear the blame — — He wanted to leave. We gave him the best contract in the whole of England, but he did not appreciate it and wanted to leave.
Such a decision was difficult for ordinary people to understand, but who asked Tony Twain to be an ordinary person? His way of thinking was bound to be different from ordinary people. Using ordinary standards to measure the words and actions of this eccentric person, one would come to the conclusion that he was a madman. This was also the reason why Twain was called a "madman" and a "personality manager." He was destined to not be understood by most people.
※ ※ ※
Nottingham Forest had arranged for five warm-up games this summer. The game against England was sandwiched in the middle. It was the first game after the official opening of the new stadium. Originally, this game was purely a game and was not taken seriously by people. England could not train for several days for this game. It was a team that was pieced together at the last minute and did not even have the same lineup for the World Cup. Such a game was worthless in preparation for the new season.
But suddenly, because Nottingham Forest changed their manager, because Tony Twain became the new manager of England. This game became the focus of attention.
The major media gathered in Clifton, southwest of Nottingham Forest, to participate in the coverage of this game. Evan would definitely be smiling happily. Because of Tony Twain, Nottingham Forest's new stadium had once again received free publicity, and the effect was even better than the publicity activities he had deliberately arranged.
Martin O 'Neill, Nottingham Forest's new manager, had his own ideas for this game. The team did not perform well in the previous two warm-up games, with one loss and one draw, and had not won yet. There were already voices of doubt in the local media. He was eager to win through this game to reduce the pressure. England would not play at full strength, such a game could boost the team's confidence.
There was another reason why O 'Neill felt that he had to win this game — — England's manager was Tony Twain. This was the first head-on confrontation between the new and old Nottingham Forest managers, and it might also be the last time. O 'Neill must use this game to win to make those who could not forget the name of Tony Twain.
He had taken over the Forest team for almost a month, and more and more he realized how much influence Tony Twain had on this team. Defeating Twain's team was a good way to tell the media, to tell the players — — I am your boss now.
"It's just a casual game, but the boss is preparing so seriously …" O 'Neill was talking about tactics, but the people listening below were a little distracted.
"Being serious is always a good thing."
"Being too serious makes you nervous."
The players were whispering.
"If the boss was here, I think more than half of them would be in the youth team, and then tell them to play as they please."
Immediately someone put a finger to his lips, signaling the person who said this to shut up. "Boss" was a word that no one wanted to mention. They called Martin O 'Neill "boss", not "boss". In Nottingham Forest, only special managers could be called "boss", and Tony Twain was such a special manager. But in today's Nottingham Forest, Tony Twain was a name that was forbidden to be mentioned. No one forced them to do so, it was just an unspoken rule in the locker room.
O 'Neill heard whispers below, and he looked up at the players.
The voices immediately disappeared.
O 'Neill did not pursue the source of the voices, and he continued to talk about tactics.
The players were quiet for a while, and then continued to whisper together.
"Hey, you say … when the boss comes back, how do you think the fans will treat him? I heard that a lot of people hate him … "
"You don't hate him?"
"Me? Cough … At first, a little. Now, I've thought it through … Players can transfer, why can't a manager? "
"You're forcing yourself to say that."
"Shut up."
"I think … Actually, I don't know what the boss thinks, but I have mixed feelings when I see him again. I still can't get used to the way the boss does things. I don't feel comfortable when no one in the locker room says something to us loudly … "
"I don't care what you guys think, I miss the boss. I'm very happy to see him again. Maybe I'll give him a hug. "It was Pepe who said this.
"Cough, do you guys think the boss has a chance to come back to coach?" Bale suddenly asked this question. The voices disappeared in an instant.
Some pretended not to hear, while others looked at Bale with a meaningful look. Bale shrugged and said, "Alright, pretend I didn't ask."
While his teammates were whispering, only Wood did not join in. He looked at O 'Neill the whole time, as if he was seriously listening to him talk about tactics.
But in fact, his heart was in turmoil. He wanted to try hard not to listen to the discussion, but the voices just drilled into his ears, and then evoked memories of that person in his heart.
He sent him home and persuaded him to go to school in the car. He was even more childish than he was. He met his mother for the first time, and it actually aroused a sense of crisis in his heart, as if he would lose his mother one day in the future. When he did not have any hope, he opened a window for him, and left a note for him to look for him. When he experienced his first failure and was about to give up, he grabbed his collar and told him not to give up, not to admit defeat, otherwise he could only be a hooligan for the rest of his life …
If someone were to write a biography of George Wood, perhaps two-thirds of the content would not include that person's name. That person was only his manager, but in his heart, his position surpassed that of a father. Wood had not enjoyed a day of fatherly love, but he vaguely felt it from Tony Twain.
He was not very clear why that person wanted to leave, because that person never let others come into contact with his inner world. But Wood wanted to stay in the Forest team. He wanted to prove that that person's departure was wrong, or that he was guarding something.
His thoughts ran wild, and he did not listen to what the manager had just said. Anyway, his task was still the same — to intercept the opponent's attack, erect the midfield barrier, protect the teammates around him, and participate in the attack himself when necessary.
O 'Neill's use of him was no different from Twain's. It could not be said that O 'Neill did not have standards, but Twain had almost used Wood's role to the fullest. If there were to be any more changes, they could only let Wood completely give up on defense and focus on offense. But no manager would agree to do so, because it would be the biggest waste not to use Wood's defensive talent, and a waste was shameful.
O 'Neill looked at Wood, who was listening to him seriously, and felt slightly relieved. At least the captain was performing well. As long as the captain was still on his side, the locker room would not be too messy.
In fact, the person he was most worried about in the beginning was George Wood. The outside world knew the relationship between Wood and Twain, and some media described them as "father and son." He was worried that if Twain left, Wood would also transfer and leave. If that happened, the team's future would be bleak.
Fortunately, Wood did not leave, and signed a new contract with the club.
As long as Wood was around, O 'Neill did not care whether the others left or stayed.
After talking about the tactics, O 'Neill intended to say something else.
"I hope to see a victory in this game."
After he finished speaking, there was silence below. The players finally aimed their gazes at him.
There were all kinds of meanings in these gazes. O 'Neill met their gazes. "I know this is an insignificant exhibition game. But I hope you understand one thing — no matter what kind of game it is, you have to prepare for victory. You are a champion team, a team that pursues victory. That's it. "
Everyone retracted their gazes.
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