Chapter 89: I Will Return Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the 15th of August, while Collymore and the first team departed from Nottingham for Reading to challenge their home team, Tang En's youth team welcomed their first round of opponents in the youth league—Leicester City.
Unlike Reading, to where most of the media followed Collymore, the youth team's training grounds were desolate. Aside from some parents and relatives of the young players, there were only two groups of reporters present. One was Nottingham Forest's official website, while the other one was the Nottingham Evening Post.
Tang En looked strangely at the refined young man who was standing beside him.
"Mr. Reporter, the first team's match is in Reading, not Wilford," Tang En playfully reminded the news reporter, Pierce Brosnan.
"I know that, Mr. Manager." Brosnan stood there, without any intention of leaving.
"If you know that, then why aren't you leaving? The match takes place tomorrow. If you go now, you can stay overnight and interview the Nottingham Forest players regarding their exciting night lives."
"How exciting, Mr. Manager?"
"Erm…" Tang En looked at the sky and replied, "You'll have to ask Mr. Stan Collymore about that."
Brosnan laughed. "Mr. Manager, I was worried that you wouldn't recover, but it seems that I was wrong."
"Hmm?" Tang En thought what he said was strange and asked, "Why would I be unable to recover?"
Brosnan looked at Tang En and discovered that his shocked expression was not feigned. Brosnan shook his head and replied, "Never mind, it's nothing."
"Alright, that's the end of our chatting time. Why aren't you leaving already?"
"I won't leave, Mr. Manager. I won't just be here today. I'll be here in the future as well. From now on, I'm in charge of reporting on the Nottingham Forest youth team."
Tang En opened his mouth wide. After scratching his head, he muttered, "Up to you…" Then, he returned to the resting area of the team and made the final preparations for the upcoming match.
Brosnan suddenly stopped him. "Manager Twain! Can I ask you a question?"
Tang En turned around and looked at him. "Speak."
"Regarding our match with Leicester, how confident are you in the team's victory?" Brosnan whipped out a small notebook and prepared to take down Tang En's reply as he flipped the pages.
Tang En waved his hand. "There's no need to take notes. The question that you just asked is extremely meaningless."
Brosnan was slightly shocked, as he did not expect this to be the reply that he would receive.
"Of course we will win. What other questions do you have?"
Hearing this classic Tony Twain reply, Brosnan smiled and shook his head. "I don't have any more questions to ask."
When Tang En returned to the team, the young players were already changed into their jerseys and had formed a circle, awaiting his lecture. Tang En looked at the blue sky above his head, and then looked at the hopeful looks on these kids' faces. If a person had done something very impressive, then that impressive thing would come to symbolize him and be mentioned on many occasions. What Tang En did at halftime during the match against West Ham United was remembered by everyone. Upon returning to the youth team, Wes Morgan must have vividly illustrated to this group of kids everything he had seen or heard about Tony Twain.
Although that had not been Tang En's intention, he had to admit that Morgan had done him a huge favor by doing so. Young people were the easiest to gain adoration from, and he, Tony Twain, was undoubtedly the idol of this group of boys. They would listen to anything that Tang En said.
It was good that way, as it saved him a lot of trouble.
In the distance, the young players from Leicester also surrounded and listened to their manager. They were wearing blue jerseys that only had numbers and not names on them. However, they were just like the young lads from Nottingham Forest and were players who had received professional football training.
Aside from the fact that the empty Wilford Youth Training Grounds lacked a three-story tall viewing platform and enthusiastic audience, Tang En felt that the current environment that he was in was no different from professional matches.
"Listen up, guys," Tang En said with a stern look on his face. "I was just interviewed by that reporter over there, and he doubts your abilities. He thinks that all of you will have a hard time performing against the youth team of a Premier League team." Tang En pointed to Pierce Brosnan in the distance.
Having been provoked, the young players immediately shot their gazes toward Brosnan, shouting and waving their fists at him. Brosnan, who was kept in the dark, had no clue why they were behaving that way toward him. He waved back in a friendly way, but the young men did not reciprocate.
"Alright, alright. Don't scare that pathetic reporter." Tang En clapped his hands, telling them to put their focus back on him. "The youngest among all of you is already 17 years old. For most of you here… no, perhaps for all of you, your goal is to become a professional player, to become a star like Michael Dawson, and to play a match in City Ground Stadium while wearing a red Nottingham Forest jersey with your own name on it. Am I wrong?"
The young men shouted in reply, "No! Not at all!"
"That's what we want!"
"Very well." Tang En nodded his head. "You guys are no longer eleven- or twelve-year-old kids who are content with playing four hours of football every week and spending the remaining time as good kids in school with your bags on your back. All of you have signed a professional contract with the club and are professional football players. Am I right?"
"Yes! Yes! We are professional players!" the young lads shouted as they waved their fists. If it was not for their still very youthful faces, their physiques might have convinced one that they were professional players playing for the first team.
"Therefore, when you all are unable to win the next match, when you make people feel that you are unable to attain victory, you will be looked down upon by them." Tang En once again pointed at Pierce Brosnan. "Just like that. I know that all of you are unwilling to submit, and I have already given that guy a tongue-lashing! I've already told him—we will definitely win! He will regret ever looking down on all of you!"
"That's right! He will regret it!"
Tang En extended both of his arms, signaling for them to quiet down and let him finish his sentence. "But! We all know that talk is cheap and bragging is something that anyone can do! I want you to prove with your actions in the coming match that I'm not wrong! Make that reporter who looked down on you regret his ignorance!"
As the young men started to become agitated, Tang En shot a glance to the side and saw that George Wood, who was standing at the outermost part of the crowd, had his fists clenched tightly as well, and was biting his lip forcefully. Although he would not be fielded in this match, Tang En was extremely happy to see Wood react like this. This was a good opportunity to instill his football philosophy in the group of young lads, and he could not stop there.
"All of you must remember!" Tang En waved his arms forcefully and swatted them toward the ground. "Manager Tony Twain's football is a victorious football! From the moment that you change into the jersey inside that changing room, get rid of all the random thoughts inside your head! The only thing that you should think about is how to obtain victory! You have to tell yourself: I must win today! And not 'what if I lose'!"
"We must win!" Wes Morgan took the lead and shouted loudly, and the group's victory announcement attracted the guest team's attention. They watched the bunch of maniacal opponents with strange looks.
"We—must—win!"
After 90 minutes, guest team Leicester City's youth team left the venue crying as they returned home with a score of 4:1. They had been completely frightened and stunned by the group's fierce display during the match.
Brosnan, who was by the side of the field, was happy that Tang En had won. However, the Forest youth team did not seem to like him at all, as they made faces and shook their fists at him while they ran back to the changing room.
Just as Brosnan was thinking that it was preposterous that the whole team hated him, Tang En walked up to him with a radiant smile on his face and said, "Mr. Brosnan, look for me tomorrow afternoon at Forest Bar. I'll treat you to some drinks. I really got to thank you for this match!"
Brosnan scratched his head, not understanding why Twain had suddenly become so friendly. But Brosnan still happily accepted his offer. "I will be there, but what is there to thank me for?"
"I, uh… just need to thank you."
The next day, Brosnan was at Forest Bar with Tony Twain, Kenny Burns, and several loyal Forest fans. They were drinking beer together as they watched the live broadcast of the match in which Nottingham Forest challenged Reading F.C.
Under the bright afternoon sun of Reading Town, Nottingham Forest played the most miserable match of the season. Rebrov, who had high hopes placed on him, exposed his old problem of being unable to adapt to the English football style. Faced with the tall, bulky builds and rough playing style of the Reading defenders, he was at a loss of what to do and did not manage to accomplish anything. As a result, he was subbed off the field 60 minutes into the match.
The match ultimately ended with Nottingham Forest losing 0:3. From the beginning to the final score, the match went extremely terribly, with no way for Forest to come back!
When the match broadcast was nearing the end, the television screen suddenly showed Collymore's stunned close-up. Waves of coordinated shouts suddenly erupted inside Forest Bar. "Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!" These fans, who were watching the match, shouted Tony's name as if they were on the viewing platform rooting for the team.
Tang En and Brosnan stood in the middle of the fans. Brosnan was startled by the sudden shouting. He looked around the bar, and discovered that almost everyone inside the bar was standing up and clapping their hands while shouting Tony's name.
In contrast to Brosnan's surprise, Tang En was extremely calm. Or rather, it should be said that he viewed the occurrence as a given.
"Mr. Twain, this is…" Brosnan said in bewilderment.
Tang En opened his mouth, revealing two rows of neat teeth. Just like a lion, the king of the beasts that was respected and surrounded by the rest of the animals, Tang En shot a look at Brosnan, before shouting at a volume so loud that he could almost blow away the ceiling. "Mr. Brosnan, one day, one day, I will return! At that time, you will hear cheers much louder than this!" He opened up his arms, before clenching his fist and punching it up in the air.