Nottingham Forest's plane did not fly directly to Birmingham Airport but landed at London Heathrow Airport. In reality, there were not many players who came back with the team this time. Most of the players who had national team assignments had parted ways with the team in Monaco.
Only the five players who were selected for the England national team returned to England with the team. They then parted ways with the team in London and rushed to Colney in North London. That was usually Arsenal's training base and now it was used by the national team.
When they parted ways at the airport, Flores looked at the five gathered together and suddenly felt that he should work hard to increase his influence in the changing room. In the changing room now, the players were more willing to talk about Tony Twain and not himself. This made him a little jealous.
So, he walked up and patted Bentley's shoulder and said to them in not very fluent English, "Lads, be careful not to get hurt."
Such words that were filled with concern did not receive the kind response that should have been expected. The England national players who were chatting turned back to look at their manager and did not reply.
Even Wood looked at Flores without any expression and it was a little impolite.
It was Joe Mattock who broke the awkwardness as the youngest national player who smiled and said, "We'll be careful, boss."
Then, the group of people turned around and huddled together again, not knowing what they were talking about.
The awkward Flores was also too embarrassed to stand there. If they were discussing something private … As the manager, he would be seen as eavesdropping on them on purpose. That would be very disadvantageous to the management of the changing room. The players all had their own little secrets that they did not want the manager to know about.
He left angrily and went back to his side.
Kerslake saw everything that happened. In his heart, he felt that Flores was really pitiful. Because even he himself had unintentionally compared Flores and Tony Twain together. At that time, he thought that if it was Tony who went up, the group of players would definitely be happy to let him join in the discussion and joke around without restraint, causing the people around to look at him.
This was the norm for the Forest team in the past.
Now, it had become a distant memory. The current Forest team looked rather harmonious on the surface. Because of the recent good results, the players also said that Flores was a good manager during interviews and the negative news about the team was a lot less than three months ago.
However, the best time to test a person was never when everything was going smoothly. Once there was a problem with the team's performance, Flores and the Forest team would be under immense pressure. The restless media and fans would be more than happy to summon Tony Twain once again to reminisce about his glorious days.
While Tony Twain molded himself into the king of the team, he also became the Sword of Damocles above the team's head.
How ironic.
To completely rid Forest of Tony Twain's influence, even a season might not be enough.
※ ※ ※
After Flores returned to his seat, the players resumed their conversation. They were indeed talking about Tang En. Other than Wood, everyone was looking forward to and excited for this reunion. After more than three months, they could finally play football under the boss again!
"I want to give the boss a hug!" Aaron Mitchell announced eagerly. Just like what Pepe did in the changing room. Until now, he still regretted letting Pep steal all the limelight. "As an apology! As an apology for doubting him! "
"That's enough, Aaron. You don't have to shout so loudly. Do you want the whole world to know that you've let the boss down? "Bentley felt that Mitchell was like a child sometimes.
Mitchell's voice became softer as he muttered, "Anyway, I have to give the boss a hug."
"Speaking of which …" Bentley touched his chin, "When the boss was still around, I didn't think it was a big deal to listen to him in the changing room. But it's only been three months and I suddenly miss the way he was in the changing room … "
"Hey, do you guys think the boss will give us special treatment?" Joe Mattock suddenly asked such a question, causing everyone to be stunned.
Mattock was originally a peripheral figure in the national team. There were still Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines in front of him, and Lescott could also play as a left back. If it was not for Ashley Cole's injury, he might not even be able to make it into the squad list this time. Mattock felt that he was able to make it into the national team because of his identity as a "Forest player". It was naturally good to be able to be selected for the national team, but if he was selected for this reason … he was afraid that he would carry a heavy burden instead.
"I don't think so. The boss is not the kind of manager who will give special treatment to certain people." Bentley rejected Mattock's idea. "Besides, if he gives special treatment to us, how will the outside media criticize him?"
Agbonlahor shrugged, "That's not necessarily true. The boss is a very special person. He never cares about what the media says. He even likes to go against the media. I think the boss is a person who distinguishes between likes and dislikes. As long as we perform well, I think we have a good chance of being in the starting lineup! "
George Wood did not want to join their discussion because he thought the topic was too boring. But he was dragged in by Mitchell, who was still like a child.
"George, what do you think?"
For a moment, the argument disappeared, and everyone turned to look at him.
Wood could put on a sour face when dealing with his agent, the media, and even that man. He was unwilling to pay attention to anyone. But he could not do that to his teammates, his comrades who fought side by side with him.
"I … I agree with David." Wood pointed at Bentley. Wood pointed at Bentley and kicked the football back.
Everyone knew that Wood was not the kind of person who talked a lot. Seeing that he had expressed his opinion, they did not pester him further.
The group chatted for a while more before getting ready to get into the car and set off.
Mitchell was still a little unsatisfied. He let out a long sigh, "Reuniting with the boss in the national team, I never thought about it in the past …"
These words touched on the reality that Tang En was no longer in the Forest team. Everyone suddenly did not have the mood to continue the conversation.
So, they did not speak all the way to Colney in silence.
※ ※ ※
Colney's training base was in Hertfordshire, only a forty-five-minute drive from Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. It was now the England national team's training base. Arsenal's First Team had three training grounds, which were now used by the national team. The First Team players who did not have to play for the national team would train with the Second Team without worrying about being a burden to the Second Team. For a team like Arsenal, even the substitutes in the First Team were national footballers in their respective countries. So, there were actually very few people left here. It was possible that only the players who were injured were left.
The training base covered an area of one hundred and forty-three acres, of which forty-five acres were covered in forest. The environment was very good. There were no tall buildings around, and the view was wide. The air was fresh and the tranquility was like a paradise. It was a pleasure to train in such a place. Compared to Colney, Nottingham Forest's Wilford was much more stingy. It was no wonder that Evan Doughty planned to build a new training base. It looked like he intended to achieve a "powerhouse level" in terms of the hardware.
Colney was the best training base in the entire United Kingdom. If the new training base that Evan Doughty envisioned was built, Colney would have to settle for second place. So far, there was no other training base that could shake its position.
Each of the ten standard football fields was installed with underground drainage facilities and an automatic sprinkler system. Two of the fields even had underground heating facilities. Even if it snowed, there was no need to worry about outdoor training not being able to be carried out.
Because of this, the English Football Association chose Colney as the designated training base for the England team.
When the five of them arrived at Colney, the England team had just finished their morning training. The players gradually returned to the changing room. Only a few of them were stopped by the media outside for interviews.
Their appearance attracted the attention of the media present. If they were not interviewing the players, they would have pounced on them.
At this moment, Des Walker appeared in between the two and intercepted them.
"Tony wants to see you." He said to Wood.
Bentley whistled behind him. He said he wanted to see them, but in fact, everyone knew that he only wanted to see Wood.
"Leave your things in the dormitory and come over."
Wood did not ask stupid questions like "where is the dormitory? Where is he?". It was not his first time participating in the training for the national team. He pulled up his suitcase and turned to leave with his teammates.
The photographer chased after him and took more than a dozen pictures before stopping.
"Now the national team is all here. Hey, I have insider information … "A few reporters who had finished their interviews gathered together to chat.
Hearing him say so, the others suddenly became interested. Because this reporter was from The Sun.
"There's a conflict between George Wood and Tony Twain!" The reporter said mysteriously. He was also afraid that these people would use it as his own insider information and publish it. Because The Sun had decided to report this news in tomorrow's newspaper. They specifically waited for Wood to come to the national team before publishing it. This way, it would be more effective.
"Eh? Is it true? "
"It can't be? Didn't they say that they are like father and son? "
"Wood was discovered by Twain, and it is said that Twain and his mother have an unclear relationship …"
The reporters were startled.
The reporter was very satisfied with everyone's reaction.
"What's impossible about it? Back then, didn't Cassano in Italy see Capello as his father? In the end? Didn't they become enemies? "The reporter from The Sun clapped his hands. "Who knows, the relationship between Wood and Twain will become a ticking time bomb in the national team. Now, Wood's role in the team is growing and has become a barometer of the team's results. If he is in good form, the team's results will be good. If he is in bad form … Capello is a good example. "
The reporter from The Sun laughed.
Everyone understood his behavior. Because Twain and The Sun had a feud. Both sides could not see eye to eye and would take the opportunity to spit on each other.
Thinking of this layer of relationship, some reporters suddenly felt that The Sun was deliberately making things difficult for Twain. The credibility of the rumor that Wood and Twain did not get along immediately dropped by 50%.
The reporter from The Sun could see that some people were doubting him. He did not defend himself and only said, "Hey, we'll wait and see!"
The reporters were still in the dark. The Sun had paparazzi all over England. They guaranteed that the information they got was the most authentic, fresh and confidential!
When the newspaper came out tomorrow, they would show Tony Twain!
※ ※ ※
George Wood led his teammates and knocked on the door of Twain's temporary office.
Twain and Kerslake were chatting happily inside.
When he saw the five Nottingham Forest players appear in front of him, Twain stood up from his seat and walked towards them with his arms open.
"Welcome, guys."
Originally, Wood was standing at the front. If they were to hug, they would be the first to hug. However, Aaron Mitchell seemed to be afraid that he would not be able to fulfill his promise. He suddenly rushed out from behind and welcomed Twain with his arms open.
"Boss!" He shouted excitedly, and then hugged Twain.
Twain did not let anyone see the change in expression on his face. He had originally planned to use this opportunity to hug Wood and soften his attitude. He did not expect Mitchell, the excited kid, to run out first. He could only make the best of it …
"Oh, be gentler, Aaron!" Twain yelled. The agitated Mitchell hugged Twain so hard that it hurt.
"Ah, sorry, sorry … Boss!" Mitchell hurriedly let go of his hands. He was a little frightened.
However, Twain looked at him with a smile. The look in his eyes was like he was looking at his own child.
"You're a little tired," he said.
"I'm not tired!" Mitchell shook his head vigorously.
Twain smiled and did not say anything. He patted his head and went to find the second person.
Bentley did not give Twain a hug like Mitchell did. He just looked at Twain happily. "Long time no see, Boss."
"You guys only saw me once half a month ago."
"We were opponents then. It's different this time."
The ones who greeted Bentley were Agbonlahor and Joe Mattock.
Finally, they came to George Wood.
However, Twain's smile disappeared because Wood did not look like he wanted to smile.
The harmonious atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
The four teammates standing at the side tried their best not to look at the two of them. Their eyes darted around to hide the awkwardness.
Twain did not know what to say. He reached out and patted Wood on the shoulder, then let go.
Then he turned to the others. "There's a training session in the afternoon. Be careful not to get hurt. Go back and have a good rest. "
The meeting ended here.
※ ※ ※
After the players left, Kerslake asked Twain curiously, "I thought you wanted to keep George alone to say something."
"This place is only this big." Twain pointed to the training base. "What kind of news can be hidden from others? I don't want others to think that I'm being special. That's not good for the unity of the team. "
"Then George …" Walker was still worried that Wood would have other ideas.
"Of course I'll talk to him, but not now …"
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