Here Lies My Legend
Here Lies My Legend
None of these matters had anything to do with Twain.
In the past, Twain felt that being the manager of the national team was easier than being the manager of a football club because the national team played very few games each year. It was only when he took the position that he realized the error in his thinking.
Having just taken over the England team, he was unfamiliar with the players on the national team's waiting list. He had to spend a lot of time doing homework every day, which was to watch the players' game videos, getting to know each of their strengths and weaknesses and establishing their positions in his mind.
Even though he had competed with the teams that these players played for when he coached the Forest team, researching the players on his team was not the same as studying the opponents. He also needed to get reacquainted with these players. This type of understanding was detailed. It even included what everyone liked to eat.
Twain's eyes were a little strained from spending 10 hours a day looking at the computer screen. When he was tired, he would give Shania a call. She would talk to him no matter how late it was.
Their time apart was slightly longer, so there seemed to be a lot to talk about. They chatted about the trivia stuff in life, such as what they both ate in the morning. The two would chatter on for a long time. They would also heartily laugh for a while.
Chatting with Shania was a way for Twain to relieve his stress, so he never talked about work. He did not even try not to talk about football.
※※※
The days quickly passed like. The new season of the English Premier League had finally begun.
As the defending champion, Nottingham Forest's home game with the newly promoted team, Charlton, was set as the opening match. It was to be broadcasted live around the world.
The day before the game, Nottingham Forest's official website published a slogan for the new season:
New stadium, new season, new glory!
It was Evan Doughty's heartfelt wish. After Tony Twain's departure, the best way to make people forget about the meritorious manager was to re-create a new period of glory. It was as if the best solution after a breakup was not to drown one's sorrows in a drink but to quickly start a new relationship.
Evan hoped that Flores could get the team back into the phase of passion. Flores was capable of it. He had once Valencia to be the domestic powerhouse of Spain. Evan had high hopes for him.
Ibišević had already left the team, and Aaron Mitchell had completely secured the position as the team's top striker. However, he was not happy playing for the Forest team because his most trusted manager had left and a lot of things had happened on the team. If it were not for the fact that he was the most hardcore Forest fan from an early age, he might have followed the example of the players who left and quit the Forest team.
Twain would once again head to the stadium to watch the game for this opening match. Some journalists thought Twain choosing to watch Nottingham Forest play twice in a row was a signal that he would form the new national team with the Forest players as the core. Some people also thought Twain could not let go of the team he had coached for 11 years.
Only Twain knew what he was thinking. Having watched Nottingham Forest play twice in a row within a week was bound to cause displeasure in other clubs. They felt he had ignored the other 19 clubs in the English Premier League. Twain had always been a man who marched to his own beat, and the English Football Association did not influence the rules against watching the games of the same team continuously.
"I don't deny that I intend to build a team with the Nottingham Forest players as its core, Des," Twain said to the assistant manager next to him on the way to the stadium. He needed to make the assistant managers understand his thinking so they could work well together.
Walker did not say anything. He knew his partner's temper. The media's comments could not affect this man. He just needed to worry about whether the Forest players could withstand the pressure.
By the time the two men arrived at Crimson Stadium, most people were already seated in the stands. The players from both sides were warming up on the pitch. They did not meet anyone on their way to the VIP box. They were not recognized by the avid fans.
Walker even made fun of Twain. "You're not wearing your sunglasses."
Twain glanced at him and said, "It's a cloudy day."
Walker grinned.
The scene of being booed by more than 50,000 fans was still vivid in Twain's mind. It was not a pleasant experience. Coming back more than half a month later, dramatic changes had happened.
Pepe was gone. Şahin had left. Ibišević was gone. Martin O'Neill had also left.
The Nottingham Forest team, which was warming up, was becoming unfamiliar to him and would soon have nothing to do with Twain.
Twain and Walker sat down in their seats and waited quietly for the game to begin.
With five minutes to go before kick-off, the club chairman, Evan Doughty, appeared on the podium. The live broadcast cut the camera footage to him. When the fans saw him on the big screen, the crowd, which had been idle, began to boo in unison.
A striking sign appeared in the grandstand opposite the podium. Written in black paint were the words:
F*ck you, Mr. Doughty!!!
One sentence was enough to convey what the Forest fans wanted to express.
Twain could not help but laugh when he saw the sign in the VIP box. It looked like the fans knew exactly who the cause of the problems had been. He did not have to be made a scapegoat anymore.
The director in charge of the live broadcast was a smart man. The 15 cameras throughout the stadium captured every corner of the stadium. With 15 monitor screens in front of him, the fifth camera captured the shot of Evan Doughty. As a director who already knew what had happened at Nottingham Forest, he purposely broadcasted the footage.
He was pleased with the reaction of the fans in the stadium. The first attention grabber of the game had been produced.
The 15th camera scanned the area of the VIP box. The eagle-eyed director felt something was up.
He motioned to his men to cut to the footage that had just swept past the area. He soon saw a familiar face on it.
He laughed and said, "Ah-ha! I got you, baby…. Zoom in for a close-up! Prepare to hold for at least 10 seconds!"
The man in the frame was Tony Twain.
※※※
When Tony Twain and Des Walker appeared on the big screen in the stadium, the fans who were booing Evan Doughty in the stands stopped booing the club chairman and began to stand up to applaud the man on the big screen.
Some people even blew their whistles, but it was not to hiss at him.
On the screen, Twain was seen talking to Walker. He did not notice the figure on the big screen had been switched to him. Walker, who had been listening to him talk, saw it and hurriedly gestured to Twain.
As a result, Twain looked up at the big screen.
When he looked up, the applause in the stadium kept going. Loud cheers erupted. Many fans blew their whistles and waved their red scarves at him. Other people opened their mouths and shouted something. The voices were fragmented and could not be heard clearly amid the ruckus.
Walked smiled and said to a surprised Twain, "It's a very different treatment than last time, Tony. How do you feel?"
To be honest, Twain was taken aback by the fans' conduct. Although he thought that after the truth was revealed he would not have to suffer the fans' hissing anymore, he did not expect that he could still receive such a welcome.
After regaining his composure, he was a little moved.
No matter which corner the fans were in the stands, everyone stood up and turned to the VIP box on the left side of the podium. They waved their scarves or anything that could be waved in their hands at him.
The shouts of these people grew louder and louder. Eventually, a torrent of voices washed over the podium and surged toward the VIP box.
The voices could now be heard clearly without having to cock his ear to the side to listen carefully. The voices were clearly transmitted to Twain's ears. Even the thick double-layered soundproof glass did not do the trick.
More than 50,000 fans were chanting a person's name.
"Tony! Tony! Tony!!"
The voices swept through the stadium and barreled on without any constraints.
※※※
"Zoom in closer! Another close-up! I want a close-up of his face!" The director in charge of broadcasting the game directed the camera. It was the best show before the game.
※※※
In the zoomed-in close-up shot of his face, people could see that Twain's eyes glistened with tears as he stood up and looked at the grandstand.
He had been sitting. When the fans' voices grew louder, he could no longer sit still, so he stood up.
Standing in the VIP box, close to the huge glass wall, he looked down at the fans below who were starting a violent commotion.
※※※
Skinny Bill in the stands whistled and clapped. He waved his scarf after a few claps and faced the VIP box. Behind him, many people did the same thing.
These people used to scold and boo Twain in the same place. Now, they gave the same person applause and cheers from their hearts.
"Tony!!" Bill roared until he was hoarse. It was as if his vocal cords would break.
John looked at him without clapping. He and his companions were holding a banner and facing the VIP box.
The banner was not unfamiliar to Twain. The banner was there when he led his team to compete half a month ago. The banner said:
Welcome home, Tony!
The thunderous cheers lasted a whole minute. There was no sign of abatement. What should have been a 10-second close-up turned into a minute, then two minutes...
The commentator and pundits, who were doing the pre-match analysis, looked at the live footage of the stadium and exclaimed, "This is indeed a reception fit for a king!"
"Perhaps the English Football Association should consider changing the England national team's home ground from the new Wembley Stadium to the Crimson Stadium. In this place, Tony Twain's team will get the warmest and most unconditional support."
※※※
Both teams had finished their preparation work in the locker room. The players showed up in the tunnel one by one. They lined up and waited for their appearances.
They heard a round of loud cheers and applause, which erupted without warning. It was especially noticeable since the sounds came closely after a series of boos. No one could figure out what was going on outside.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know..."
While a group of people were still confused about it, Flores walked out, accompanied by Kerslake.
Thunderous cheers came from the stadium. He was almost stumbled from the noise.
His first reaction was: This is a tribute of cheers and applause for me!
He held his head high and puffed out his chest, intending to accept the welcome gift.
He did not expect to look up and see a close-up of Tony Twain on the big screen. His expression turned awkward. He understood who the momentum was meant to welcome.
※※※
As the fans cheered louder, the uglier Evan Doughty's face became on the podium. In his view, the fans' move was undoubtedly a slap in his face.
What made him even more furious was that he could not retaliate...
※※※
"I know!" Bale suddenly snapped his fingers.
The Forest players looked at him.
Bale did not announce the answer. He acted mysteriously and asked, "Who could be so popular here? Who's the one who could make the fans outside cheer for two minutes? Who is eligible to enjoy such a treatment? Who?"
When Bale asked the first question, the players had already guessed who he was talking about. In Nottingham, there was not a second person who could meet all of those characteristics.
Before Bale finished talking, everyone followed suit and shouted out, "The boss!!"
"Yes!"
The Charlton players next to them got a fright when the Forest players suddenly shouted. They leaned on the other side and curiously observed the opponents behaving strangely. They could not understand the older Nottingham Forest players' deep affection for Tony Twain, just like they could not understand the earth-shattering cheers outside.
George Wood was the last to come out. As soon as he arrived, he heard his teammates shouting, "The boss!"
"What's going on?" Wood asked.
Bale pointed excitedly above and said to him, "The boss is back! He's up there!"
Wood glared at him and asked, "What does it have to do with us? Our mission here is to win the game."
Bale shrugged it off and ignored the surly man.
※※※
Twain stood in the VIP box while the fans were still shouting his name, waving scarves toward him, clapping, whistling, and expressing their love for him.
His emotions finally stabilized.
Although it was a freak combination of factors that he would appear in the beginning, he never thought he would have anything to do with such a professional football club in England. Now, Nottingham Forest had taken an important place in his life.
He thought he would never fall in love with a second team again in his life.
This place held his ideals but also the cruel reality. There were years full of passion and painful memories full of tears. Eleven years of his life were spent there.
When he left after bringing back 12 championship trophies for the team, he found that no matter how many championship trophies were won, they could not be compared to the fans' support from the heart, which gave him a sense of accomplishment.
It was precisely because of these people in front of him that there was a glorious meaning for him to give his best to grab back the championship trophy.
※※※
The players came out, and the cheers continued.
Almost all the players who had played for Twain turned their heads and looked up as they ran out of the tunnel to look for Tony Twain in the VIP box. After learning the truth, the players who were bewildered and at a loss rediscovered their faith. It made them ecstatic to know that their most admired person did not betray them.
As Bale ran out, he turned to salute the VIP box.
Walker knew what his action meant. He lamented at the side, "It's really tough to be your successor."
Still standing in front of the glass wall, Twain replied, "Eleven years… If I couldn't even leave something behind, I would have failed."
"You said Doughty called you again and invited you to return to the team. Why did you refuse?" Walker could not help ask that when he saw Twain looking reluctant to part with the team.
"Although Evan was a jerk, he said something right. It was time to start a new journey, which is true for me and Nottingham Forest," Twain turned and said to Walker.
The fans had already turned their attention to the players coming out. Every Forest player was greeted with a hero's applause.
The big screen in the stadium changed to show the list of appearances for the two teams. Twain finally retreated from everyone's sight.
※※※
In the opening game, Nottingham Forest, which had the home-field advantage, was almost beaten by the newly promoted team, Charlton. Had it not been for the two consecutive goals scored in the last five minutes, there was a chance they would have lost the game at 1:0 on their home ground.
The Forest players did not want to perform badly in front of their boss. However, they were burdened by that thought.
A near-miss victory did not please the fans. It only made them yearn for Tony Twain in the VIP box even more. In the final 10 minutes of the game, the fans took aim at Evan Doughty on the podium again. They stuck their middle fingers at Evan and mouthed the word "F*ck" to insult him. They shouted Tony Twain's name to further embarrass Evan.
Even the news media and match commentator did not pay much attention to the outcome of the game. It could be said that the results and proceedings of the game had further fueled their interest in reporting on Tony Twain's influence on the team.
To all the media present, they had personally witnessed the shocking scene before the game began and learned what Tony Twain meant to Nottingham Forest.
Although he was not a leader of the club with the highest post, he was indeed the king there.
It was because…
Even though he was no longer there, his legend still laid here.