When England scored a goal to overtake the score with some luck, loud boos rang out in the stands of the Crimson Stadium. The boos surprised the celebrating England players. It was reasonable to say that when the national team played in any stadium in their country, it was impossible to receive such treatment. Why were they being booed?
They were wrong. The ones being booed were not them, but the one sitting in the manager's seat with his legs crossed, expressionless … No, it could be said that he had a straight face, Tony Twain.
In fact, Bill knew why Twain was indifferent to the fact that England was leading. After all, he used to be Twain's closest fan. He more or less understood Twain's personality and character. He knew that Twain did not want to further agitate the vast number of Nottingham Forest fans and Nottingham Forest players.
But because of this, Bill was even more furious.
He was angry at Twain's behavior.
You've already left. Why are you still pretending to be a good person in front of us? Why can't you be a real bad guy for once? So that we can vent our dissatisfaction and anger? You've already left. Why are you afraid of offending us? You've already offended us deeply, do you know that? Tony! Don't tell me you still want to return to the Nottingham Forest manager's seat one day? If you still want to come back, then why did you leave us in the first place? In your eyes … No, in your heart, what do we, the fans who followed you, mean? Toys that can be casually thrown away and picked up again?
I'm so sorry, Tony. We are living people, and we also have our own emotions. You've made us happy, but no amount of happiness can make up for the harm you've done to us this time. When you decided not to renew the contract and played to your heart's content in Brazil, did you know how we felt?
The sky was falling!
Bill led his companions in the stands to "dedicate" all the crazy boos to the man who had once made them cheer and worship.
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Amidst the boos, Twain gently lowered his head and looked at his toes in a daze.
Des Walker next to him looked at him with some worry, as if afraid that he could not withstand such stimulation.
This man really was going against the whole world … In the past, there were Nottingham Forest fans who unconditionally supported him. What about in the future? When his results were slightly unsatisfactory, Walker could imagine the storm of criticism from the media. At that time, who would be able to support him?
"Don't worry about me, Des. I'm just wondering if I should change to a new pair of shoes, "Tang En suddenly said with his head lowered. Amidst the booing, his voice was still clear.
Walker retracted his gaze and looked at the field.
"Martin O 'Neill will definitely not be willing to let this result last until the end. From now on, he would change players frequently. Let's wait and see what adjustments he makes, then decide how we should adjust. "
Since Tang En said so, Walker nodded. He also agreed to such an arrangement.
"Before this, let the team defend and counterattack."
Twain gave the task of informing the team of the latest instructions to Walker instead of personally going out and shouting to the team. Obviously, he was still a little worried about the boos.
After booing wildly for a while, the fans were tired and they refocused their attention on the game.
Martin O 'Neal was indeed dissatisfied with the result. He felt that the current Nottingham Forest was stronger than Tang En's England Third Tier team, even if they had substitutes. There was no reason for them to lose to such a team on their home ground.
At the same time, he also knew that Evan Doughty on the podium would not want Nottingham Forest to lose in the game to celebrate the opening of the new stadium, especially to Tony Twain. He had to win this game.
Although the players on the field were stronger than the substitutes, O 'Neill decided to replace them all.
Pepe's foul suddenly sprouted an idea in his mind, an idea that he would usually dismiss with a laugh. But today, in such a game, in such an environment, facing such an opponent, he could not help but seriously consider — — whether the old Nottingham Forest players were loyal to the Forest team or to Tony Twain? If Tony Twain had accepted Manchester United's invitation, how many of these people would follow their teacher from here to Old Trafford?
This idea was like a poisonous snake biting at his rationality. Although he knew it was absurd, he was powerless to stop the spread of this idea.
He decided to replace the players who were suspected of "colluding with the enemy," no matter how good they were.
Who would he rely on next?
The substitutes, the youngsters drawn from the youth team, they had little to do with Twain. They were eager to play and to prove their ability. They had more fighting spirit than the main players, and they had the desire and reason to fight. This kind of Nottingham Forest was the Nottingham Forest that Martin O 'Neill needed.
Pepe was the first to be replaced. When he came off the field, he was even booed by the fans, but he still raised his hands and applauded the stands. Twain quietly watched from the side as he used this method to complete his farewell ceremony. His heart was sad, but no expression could be seen on his face.
The player who replaced him was the Cameroonian Nkoulou. At 1.88 meters tall, he could play as a right back or a center back.
Then Gareth Bale was replaced by Joe Mattock.
After a minute, Aaron Mitchell also came off the field, and the player who replaced him was the Chilean striker, Nicolás Millán.
Then, Rafinha was replaced by John Bostock, and O 'Neill conveniently changed the formation. From the 442 to the more aggressive 352.
For the fans who wanted to see the star players they were familiar with perform, such a substitution would certainly not satisfy them. But O 'Neill would not care about what the fans thought at this time. He did not want to lose to Tony Twain, especially as the new manager of Nottingham Forest.
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Not long after O 'Neill's substitution, Twain also made a substitution. O 'Neill believed that he did not lack players with fighting spirit and reason to fight, but Tony Twain's side was even more so. Every player he replaced would be called to the side and patted on their shoulders, hinting that as long as they performed well, they could be included in the next national team roster. At that time, it would not be a friendly match, but a real UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier in Spain.
These players certainly knew what that meant, and they had no reason not to give their all in this game. When the national team next assembled, it would only be a month after the start of the league tournament. It would be difficult to expect to impress the national team manager with an excellent form in the league tournament. The most convenient and fast way was to perform well in this game, and let the national team manager see their ability clearly under his eyes.
Perhaps some of them were not interested in the manager who had a lot of rumors about him, but as professional players, they were all clear about one fact — no matter what you thought of this manager, he was now your boss. He decided your fate in the national team, and if you still wanted to play in the national team, then you had to please him.
O 'Neill almost changed the entire starting lineup, and Twain did the same.
Both sides were very fighting spirit, and when they collided, no one could do anything to the other.
In the last five minutes, O 'Neill stood on the sidelines, anxiously watching the field. He no longer hoped to "win" now, he just hoped that the team could equalize the score, so that he "did not lose."
But such a wish was not satisfied. Twain sacrificed his strategy of defending to the death. Nottingham Forest, who had replaced all the main players, lacked experience and had no way to deal with such an England team. In the end, the referee blew the whistle to end the game, and also announced that Tony Twain had won his first game in charge of the national team.
The commentator was not very passionate when he announced the result, because the ending he most hoped for did not appear — Tony Twain was defeated.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, boos rang out over the Crimson Stadium again. Amid such boos, Tony Twain stood up and walked towards O 'Neill. His face still did not show any joy because he had won the game.
"What a pity, you could have won," Twain said after shaking O 'Neill's hand. If O 'Neill had not replaced so many main players in one go, it was possible for the Forest team to equalize the score or even overtake at the last moment. At the very least, after Bale came off the field, the Forest team suddenly did not have the main penalty taker for the set pieces in the front field. England could wantonly carry out foul tactics in the danger zone, and did not have to worry about being killed by the Welsh.
O 'Neill might know what Twain was referring to, or he might not. In any case, he did not respond. He just smiled, a little reluctantly. Then he let go of his hand, turned around and walked away.
Twain looked up at the stands. Some people were leaving the field, and some people were still booing at him. He did not know what the people who booed him would think once they knew the truth, but he did not want to retaliate by giving them the middle finger or anything. That would be too boring. A day together as husband and wife meant a hundred days of grace. No matter what, he had been worshipped by these people for a whole decade. Being booed by them today was nothing.
After winning the game, Twain suddenly found himself a lot more open-minded. He was also in a good mood and no longer bothered about the boos. Moreover, he knew that he had disrupted Evan Doughty's celebration this time. His desire for revenge had been satisfied, and there was no need to continue being mean.
Instead, the news reporters were very dissatisfied. In the press conference later, Twain did not show any of his special characteristics of a big mouth. His words were like plain water, and there was nothing but polite words. Originally, the former Forest manager's return to Nottingham was a piece of news worth hyping up. But with Twain's uncooperative attitude, nothing interesting was squeezed out of him.
The reporters used all their tricks, but were unable to get anything valuable out of Twain's tightly shut mouth.
A reporter asked Twain to evaluate his opponent's performance in the game. This was a very normal question, but in fact, the reporter's intention was to get Twain to talk about Nottingham Forest.
Twain did not fall for it. He simply said, "They're very strong. They were a little unlucky not to win." Then, perhaps feeling that it was a little unfair to the team he was currently coaching, he added, "Of course, our performance was better. Victory should belong to the team that performed better. "
This was the first time he mentioned Nottingham Forest in front of the media. Even though it was to answer a very ordinary question, the reporters were also encouraged. Another person stood up and asked, "George Wood's condition was not good during the World Cup, and you even defended him. So what do you think of his performance in this game? "
Twain looked at the reporter, then glanced at Martin O 'Neill, who was sitting next to him, and laughed. "You should ask Mr. Martin O' Neill, this reporter. In today's game, George Wood was his player. "
O 'Neill also felt a little awkward. He, the current Nottingham Forest manager, was sitting here, but the reporters would rather ask Tony Twain, who had left his position.
The reporter looked at O 'Neill and sat down again. This made O 'Neill very angry, but his self-restraint was better than Twain's, and he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.
Next, whenever a reporter stood up to ask Twain about Nottingham Forest, he would push it all to O 'Neill. O 'Neill really had good self-restraint. If the reporters asked him again, he would answer patiently with a smile on his face, without the slightest unhappiness in it.
After the press conference ended, Twain pulled O 'Neill back and shook hands with him again. Twain also felt a little apologetic for dragging O 'Neill along to be a shield for so long.
"I'm really sorry, Martin." Twain apologized to O 'Neill.
O 'Neill and Twain's relationship was not bad, so he could not be like McClaren and the others, who coldly snorted and then flicked his sleeves and left. He could only smile bitterly. "You're such a person. If I follow you, I'll encounter this kind of situation. I've long been mentally prepared."
This could also be considered a kind of mockery, right?
Twain's mouth opened into a self-deprecating smile. Then he looked at O 'Neill, his expression slowly becoming solemn. "In the future, Forest … I'll leave it to you …"
After interacting with Evan Doughty, O 'Neill had already vaguely guessed why Twain decided not to renew his contract. Even he himself was not sure how long he could stay in this team. He smiled. "I'll do my best, Tony. If you can't let it go, you might as well come back and do it yourself. "
Twain laughed this time and did not say anything else. He reached out and patted O 'Neill's shoulder twice, then turned and left.
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The news of Nottingham Forest's loss to England at the Crimson Stadium was not a big deal. Other than a portion of Forest fans' determination to hate Twain even more because of this loss, the results of the friendly match were nothing to be surprised about. What people were interested in was Tony Twain's treatment upon his return to Nottingham. Images and reports of him being booed at the stadium for the next few days repeatedly appeared in various media outlets, triggering everyone's discussion. Those who hated Tony Twain were happy to see that even his most loyal supporters had left him, while those who liked him felt indignant over Twain's encounter. It was just that … when Nottingham Forest's fans began to change sides, how many people would really be indignant over his fate?
Twain did not care about these things. After the team's match, there was still half a month left before the Premier League reopened. After the formation of the coaching team, there would not be any national team matches for this month. Twain could take this opportunity to rest. When the Premier League started, he would be as busy as a dog, running around everywhere to watch the matches.
At this time, he saw this piece of news in The Sun:
Pepe has personally admitted his intention to leave Nottingham Forest!
"… Ever since he was brought to Nottingham Forest from Portugal by Twain in the 05-06 season, the Brazilian Pepe has become the core and pillar of the team's defense. No matter who his partner is, he is Twain's unshakable main center back. Now, ten years have passed, and Pepe is finally tired of everything at Nottingham Forest. In an interview with this newspaper's reporter, he personally admitted his intention to leave the team … After successively selling Wes Morgan, Tiago Mendes, Kompany, and Leighton Baines, he is the first main player to decide to leave the Forest team, and even a core player … We don't know what kind of impact his announcement will have on the Forest Football Club. Please pay attention to our follow-up report … "
Twain looked at Pepe's photo in the newspaper and was speechless.
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