Tony Twain was once again in the news. However this time, he did not only appear in the local media of Nottingham or the English media; he was also in the major sports editions of the European media.
The focus of media coverage was not the 3:2 Nottingham Forest home game, a narrow victory over Sporting Lisbon, but the argument that had happened at the post-game press conference. The first to break the news was the Lisbon media in Portugal. Naturally, they would not say that José Peseiro was at fault. The Portuguese people described Tony Twain in the news as an ill-mannered, arrogant, rude, and uneducated country bumpkin and hooligan. They twisted the words he had used to attack Peseiro and published them as evidence.
The Portuguese press fired the first shot, and the English tabloids had absolutely no reason not to retaliate. “The Times” launched the first counterattack from the English press. The English media’s counterattack was mainly focused on Rochemback’s malicious assault and his smug expression afterward. Thanks to the advanced television technology, such a subtle and fleeting expression could be captured, and the frozen frame could be repeatedly broadcasted for a long time for viewers to appreciate.
Both countries’ media waged a war of words which, unsurprisingly, attracted the attention of the media of other countries in the European continent. In the UEFA Europa League 16th round match, two players were injured and one player was sent off. After the game, the two managers did not let the matter drop and quarreled endlessly in the press conference. There was a lot to cover.
Funnily enough, Tony Twain was now a manager of some European renown.
But Twain was simply in no mood for jokes.
As mentioned earlier, it was a game with two serious injuries. Sporting Lisbon’s Fábio Rochemback was diagnosed with an ankle ligament tear, accompanied by a slight fracture. It was optimistically estimated that he would not play for eighteen months!
George Wood’s seemingly ordinary kick had that kind of power. If Peseiro had known that exact piece of news about Rochemback’s recovery time after the game, it was likely that he would have enacted a scene from “Mortal Kombat” with Tony Twain on the spot in front of reporters.
Eighteen months was a full year-and-a-half. It would be 2007 before Rochemback could return to the field. Even if he recovered, his condition and physique would surely take a nosedive, and he might never return to his former self. Rochemback was a tough and strong defensive midfielder. Perhaps he did not know how many opponents he had injured in his career, but he certainly had not expected that he would be seriously injured with a kick one day.
Manager José Peseiro had a good reason to be angry. And Tony Twain was no exception.
As soon as the press conference was over, he received a call from Professor Constantine himself, telling him the bad news.
Freddy Eastwood’s injury was in the medial meniscus of his knee.
Just hearing this name, Twain’s heart leaped wildly. When he was a football fan, he had often heard this term. Countless players were ruined by this small medial meniscus.
Eastwood’s right knee had suffered severe trauma again and his outer meniscus had ruptured. He had to undergo surgical treatment and required a minimum of five months of recovery after the treatment.
This meant that if he was lucky and everything went smoothly, Eastwood would still have to wait until next season to play again. Furthermore, the meniscus was basically a special part with very little or no regenerative ability. Even if the operation was very successful, Eastwood’s right leg would be permanently left with hidden damage. He could fall again at any time due to this injury. Even if he was not injured, the damaged meniscus would greatly limit his play. No one knew how he would perform when he returned to the field.
Only two years had passed since his last serious injury and now he was seriously injured again. Twain was very worried that Eastwood would lose his mind before his body recovered. The next day after the game, he decided to personally visit the striker he had brought back from a community green space in East London.
He hoped to still be able to see Eastwood’s mischievous smile and hear his rapid, sharp, and cheerful voice.
※※※
Twain had not been to the Royal Hospital of Nottingham University for a long time. The first time he had come here was to find someone who could give his head an authoritative appraisal. From then on, he had met the loyal Forest fan, Professor Constantine, and procured two clinical experts in sports injury as well. The last time, he had brought Shania, who had seemed to be running a high fever. He and the young girl had gotten to know each other well for the first time here in the hospital ward. Time flew so quickly; one and a half years had gone by in a flash.
Professor Constantine greeted Twain alone at the gate. Although Eastwood was under sports injury, which he was not in charge of, as Tony Twain’s personal friend he still helped in the matter.
“How’s he feeling, Professor?” was the first thing Tang En said when he arrived.
“I don’t know what to say.” Constantine shook his head. “We informed him of the injury. His reaction was very… Well, it’s inappropriate to say he was happy. But he was the one who smiled and comforted others. I feel like his mood is abnormal. It’s not the kind of emotions a normal person would display at a time like this. You know what I mean, Tony?”
Twain nodded.
“The same area suffered two serious injuries. I’m worried about his career…” Constantine could not continue. He was aware that Twain knew as well.
Twain did not speak and his head was lowered. He just quickened his pace.
The two men walked silently into the inpatient building.
Compared with the comings and goings in the outpatient building, the inpatient building seemed deserted and quiet. The footsteps of Twain and Professor Constantine were crisp in the corridor. The last sound of their footsteps faded away in front of a door.
“Here it is.” Constantine pointed to a door with the number 402. “I’ll go back first. Come find me if you need anything, Tony.”
Twain nodded again. “Thank you, Professor.”
When Professor Constantine turned and left, Twain raised his hand to lightly tap on the door of the ward.
“Come in, please.” A female voice could be heard from inside.
Twain pushed open the door and stepped in. He saw the heavily-pregnant Sabina peeling an apple for Eastwood.
Sabina’s back was towards the door and she did not see who pushed the door open and entered. Lying down, Eastwood sat up on the bed. “Chief.”
The room was filled with flower baskets, like a florist. The biggest one was from the Nottingham Forest Club and the rest were from the Forest fans and players.
“It all looks really nice, chief,” Eastwood quipped when he saw Twain fix his gaze on all the flowers. “Even if I retire now, at least I can open a florist.”
Twain smiled. “That’s pretty corny, Freddy. Are you starting to think about your life after retirement?”
When Sabina heard the two men starting to discuss the topic, she quickly put the apple down and found an excuse to go out.
Twain watched Sabina leave and then asked, “When is your baby due?”
“There are still three months,” Eastwood replied.
“You’re so young, and yet you’re going to be a father of two…” Twain sat the chair where Sabina had sat, picked up the half-peeled apple and continued Sabina’s unfinished task.
“Chief, don’t you want to find someone for yourself?” Eastwood laughed.
“Uh… I haven’t met the right one.”
“Who would be the right one?”
Twain lowered his head to peel the apple and said, “I don’t know. That’s too difficult to answer. There is a saying in China; a real man aspires to travel far and make his mark. That is to say, a man should put his career first. Matters like finding a wife before you’re successful in your career should be secondary. As you can see, I still haven’t achieved anything yet.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“The legendary manager…” muttered Eastwood. It was a picture of the future that Twain had once painted for him, and it was wonderful. “I think… Chief, maybe you need to find another legendary striker to partner with you.”
Twain cut off the last apple peel and handed the apple to Eastwood. “You have no confidence in your abilities, Freddy?”
“No, I never doubt my ability. I just… I just have no confidence in my body.” Freddy took the peeled apple and stared blankly at it. “After my first injury, I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to play professional football again. Chief, you helped me to realize a dream that I could only think about occasionally. I even got a championship trophy. I’m very lucky compared to the guys I used to know on the Grays Athletic team. Some people love football, have a healthy body, but can’t even touch glory. And me? I have a championship, played in European competitions, participated in the English Premier League and scored goals…”
Twain quietly waited for him to finish his words and then put away the fruit knife. He looked at him and asked, “Do you know the result of yesterday’s game?”
Freddy nodded. “Sabina specifically bought a lot of newspapers for me. I even watched the news on TV. We won. It was really good, but too bad we let the opponents score two goals.”