Chapter 69: Manager Vs. Manager Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!" John Motson repeatedly shouted the word three times, each time louder than the previous. "What a beautiful set piece play combination! Who would have thought that Reid would send the ball into the penalty area in this manner, and who would have thought that the person to score this goal would be David Johnson! God, he is only 1.68 meters! Scoring with a place kick! Beautifully done!" On the last two sentences Motson looked at Lawrenson sitting beside him.
Lawrenson could only helplessly smile. "Indeed very beautiful. I've overlooked this point. In terms of place kick, Twain has spent a lot of effort. However, the match has not ended yet. John, the beard is still on my face."
Motson laughed. "Don't speak too soon, Mark. Forest's offense won't end here!"
The excited shouts of the fans resounded throughout Forest Bar. "That's right! Our offense hasn't ended! Scoundrels from Sheffield United, be prepared for a world of pain!"
Burns looked at the excited fans and smiled at the big guy, John, beside him. Then, the two of them clinked their glasses together.
Motson was right. Forest's offense had not ended. Seven minutes after the first goal, at the 24th minute, Nottingham Forest once again made use of a place kick score. This time, the goal was scored by the team captain, Michael Dawson. For the corner kick, Andy Reid kicked the ball straight toward the front of the goalpost. Even though there were still two Sheffield United defenders beside him, Dawson was still heads above them, smashing the ball into the goalpost.
"2:0! 2:0! Michael Dawson! He possesses all the necessary qualities to become an exceptional player, and he is the team captain of Nottingham Forest! He is Robin Hood!" Motson could not stop praising the young Dawson. "This small forest is bound to be unable to contain him. He will definitely become an important player on a prestigious football team. He is a very important player! Hey Mark, your beard…"
Lawrenson was no longer in the mood to banter with Motson. He kept touching his big beard as he stared at Tang En. Tang En first knelt on the ground and waved his fists, before rushing over to the players who were still celebrating. Even though the person who scored was undoubtedly Michael Dawson, Tang En the manager appeared to be much more excited than Dawson.
Perhaps Motson was right. Tony Twain was unpredictable… really unpredictable!
Bramall Lane Stadium slowly quieted down, and only the Forest fans were singing nonstop on the viewing platform. Nobody could have expected that Nottingham Forest would actually be able to take the lead in the away match, leading Sheffield United with a score of 2:0.
Tang En was currently in an extremely good mood, although it was only halfway through the first half of the match, and there was still a huge bulk of match time remaining. After that they still had the grand finals to play. However, it was as though he had already seen the doors to the English Premier League slowly opening. Behind those doors, was an even more flourishing and broad world.
Compared to the excited Tang En, Sheffield United's manager was silent. He walked back to the manager's seat from the side of the field, before sitting down to observe the match without making any adjustments in response to the 2:0 score. From Tang En's perspective, he was displaying obvious signs that he was losing.
For the rest of the first half of the match, after taking the lead with two goals, Nottingham Forest deliberately intended to slow down the tempo. Therefore, the match returned to the same state as the first 15 minutes of the match. Both sides began their tug-of-war in the center of the field.
Until the referee blew the whistle that signaled the end of the first half, Warnock did not stand up from his seat. After the whistle sounded, he stood up and headed straight for the changing room, without any expression on his face.
On the other side, after Tang En heard the sound of the whistle, he immediately stood up and did a high-five with Walker, before he happily walked to the changing room. His tactics had all been realized, despite being in such an unfavorable situation as the away team. As such, he could not have asked for anything more from the team.
Tang En had originally wanted to tell everyone that Ian Bowyer was going to leave the team after the playoffs. However, after much thought about, he had decided not to disrupt their battle-focused hearts. In case the finals match did not go smoothly, it would then be brought up to raise their morale.
Turning off the microphone, Motson pointed toward Lawrenson's beard and laughed. "Mark, do you like electronic or manual razors?"
During halftime, regardless of whether they were in Bramall Lane Stadium's changing room or Nottingham's, which were about 30 miles apart, both Nottingham Forest's players and fans were extremely relaxed. To be able to get a score of 2:0 by halftime in their away match… this kind of score was more than enough to make them heave a sigh of relief.
During halftime, there were even people who already started discussing Nottingham Forest's opponents for the finals, as well as their potential opponents after they got promoted to the Premier League.
Tang En was all smiles as he looked at his subordinates, but he did not utter a single word to stop their celebrating. However, this was all on the surface. In actuality, he was in the midst of thinking about potential situations that could happen in the second half. He did not think that Warnock was the type of opponent that would give up at halftime. Warnock would definitely make some changes, and Tang En had to have contingency plans in response to them.
It was almost a given for Warnock to strengthen his offense, and if he did that, the tactics employed by Tang En would be effective. The midfield would be used completely for defense, and the means of offense would only be via long balls. It would be simple and fast, and it did not matter whether or not it succeeded, as long as there were endless attempts to go on the offense. With two goals already in their hands, they had the capital to defend the last 45 minutes, even if they did not manage to score even once. As long as they could hold, they would be Nottingham's heroes.
The League One playoff matches were different from the other two rounds of home-away elimination matches. There was only one deciding factor for the outcome of the match—the score. The team that scored more goals would win, regardless of whether they were scored on away grounds or not. Even if a team had drawn a match at 5:5 with their opponents during their away match, it was useless. As long as their opponents manage to draw at 1:1 in the second match, both teams still had to play overtime and penalty shootout.
The 15-minute halftime passed very quickly, and the players for both teams once again stood on the field, waiting for the second half to begin.
When Tang En was walking toward the away team manager's seat, he happened to cross paths with the opposing team's manager, Warnock. The two of them looked at each other, and, therefore, they could not avoid greeting each other. However, Tang En really did not know what to say at that moment. He was used to shaking hands and engaging in some small talk with the opposing team's manager after the match, because at that moment, the results of the match were already known. He knew what sort of feelings he should have when he faced them, and what he should say. However, it was currently right after halftime, so what should he say?
Should he say something like, "We are currently in the lead, and it's highly possible we're going to win?" Or something like, "Even though we are in the lead, there's still a chance for you to make a comeback?" These words did not fit Tang En's character.
So, he lowered his head and pretended that he did not see Warnock as he hurried away. Unexpectedly, he was called out by Warnock.
"Manager Twain, why do you run away at the sight of me?"
Tang En rolled his eyes with his back toward Warnock, before turning around with a face full of smiles. "Ah, I'm so sorry. Actually, I was thinking, and did not see you, Mr. Warnock. Is anything the matter?"
Warnock extended his hand to Tang En. "Nothing much. I only wanted to congratulate you. From the season's ranked 14th at the start of the year, to ranked sixth by the end of the season, you've performed remarkably. Truth to be told, I didn't think that our final opponents would be you guys."
Tang En also extended his hand. Since Warnock expressed his friendliness, Tang En did not have any reason to not reciprocate.
The two of them shook hands.
"Regardless of the final result of the match, I must say, that this is an extremely splendid match," Warnock said.
Tang En smiled as he nodded to express his agreement. However, once both of them parted, Tang En turned around and frowned.
That darned old man doesn't have the slightest worry that his team will lose! He's extremely confident, and from the looks of it, he is confident of securing the win. But... Where did his confidence come from? The one who is two goals down is him, not me!
With slight apprehension, Tang En returned to the manager's seat. The match had already started. Walker asked concernedly, "Where did you go?"
"I met Warnock and casually chatted with him for a while," Tang En replied. After that, he focused all of his attention on the match. He hoped to be able to see through Warnock's ploy and to stop it in time.
After watching the match for less than five minutes, he immediately stood up from his seat and frightened Walker, who was beside him, causing Walker to look at him in bewilderment.
Tang En paid no heed to Walker, while he stared at Neil Warnock who had his hands in his pockets, and scolded, "That old b*stard!"