Chapter 1023: Before the Last Game

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The reporter who had asked Mourinho at the press conference if he was worried about playing against Twain was clearly prescient. While the media in Manchester were still hyped about the aftermath of the Manchester Derby, the media in Nottingham and elsewhere had already promoted the final battle between Tony Twain and Mourinho.

“Mourinho has never won against Tony Twain during his time as a manager.”

Such a record, which greatly embarrassed Mourinho, was once again rummaged through and retrieved from a dust-covered heap of waste paper, to the extent that people who saw the record had a sense of déjà vu. They felt like they had gone back to nine years ago. At the time, the clash between Twain and Mourinho for two games in a season was a unique sight in the Premier League.

Ever since Mourinho was ousted from Chelsea by Abramovich, such a showdown between two madmen had not been seen again. Later in the European tournament, Twain and Mourinho also played against each other but Twain still had the upper hand. It just too difficult to encounter each other in the European arena. During this time, the fight between Mourinho and Nottingham Forest was also in the mix. It was not just a feud between Mourinho and Tony Twain.

What the media were interested in was purely the showdown. It was a battle that belonged only to Tony Twain and Mourinho.

What kind of sparks could fly when two unruly self-important managers collided together?

It was something to look forward to.

Now that the scene was back in the Premier League, how could the media not be excited?

The media was extremely anticipant. Even the record of the two men’s first game had been analyzed again to give fans a renewed look at their feud.

“…It is said that Tony Twain had always tried to ask Mourinho to have a drink together after a game, but Mourinho always turned down the invitation. No one knew why he refused, but Twain finally made it happen. Before the World Cup in Brazil, they had a drink together as respective guest commentators for their national television stations. No one knew exactly what the situation was, and no one saw them drinking together. Twain himself revealed it in his autobiography, but did not provide any more details…”

“What is the relationship between Tony Twain and Mourinho? They’re opponents… or maybe it is more appropriate to say they are rivals. Their only goal after they met was to beat and crush each other. However, one scene still haunts me: when Mourinho left Chelsea, the reporters rushed to ask Twain what he thought of the incident, and Twain uttered a swear word for Abramovich the moment he opened his mouth. It was a real shock to everyone at the time. People thought Twain would be happy to lose a strong enemy…”

“Therefore, a friendship between men is one of the most puzzling things. If someone were to ask Mourinho, do you plan to make any allowances for Tony Twain in the last game of his coaching career? I’m sure Mourinho would definitely answer, I’ll give him a defeat.”

That was the way it was.

Indeed, a reporter did ask Mourinho. He caught hold of Mourinho at Carrington’s training base and threw the question out.

“Tony Twain will retire from professional football completely at the end of the season. Do you have anything to say about losing such an opponent?”

Mourinho replied, expressionless, “I will use his defeat as a farewell gift to him.”

※※※

“That’s cold…” Twain clicked his tongue, holding a newspaper.

However, he did even better. When reporters asked what he would do to Mourinho, he stated that it was not the time to talk about Mourinho and Manchester United because they still had one more game before that and their opponent would be Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. Wolverhampton Wanderers have already secured a relegation spot and would be in the English Football League Championship next season. In the face of such an easy opponent to overcome, Twain still implied that they were more important than Manchester United, which was the highest level of contempt for the enemy, not taking the opponent into account at all.

Was Twain really not taking Manchester United seriously? If it was really so, he would never have won so many honors. Strategic contempt for the opponent and tactical emphasis on the opponent were Twain’s methods.

He was just using this to engage in psychological warfare with Mourinho. As for whether it was effective, he did not care. Mourinho was also an expert at psychology, and Twain did not put stock into it. He still had to rely on tactics to deal with Manchester United and Mourinho.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club was relegated early and they lacked fighting spirit in the last two rounds. Although it was an away game, it was predicted to be an effortless victory for the Forest team. Such an opponent was not worth too much thought. As a result, Twain’s focus had been on dealing with Manchester United these two weeks.

Mourinho’s Manchester United team did not have a sole feature like Wenger’s Arsenal. The impression that Arsenal had given people for more than two decades was that its offense was natural and unforced, complex and diverse as well as delightful to watch. However, they were slightly inferior in confrontations and combat, which was the reason why they were not as good as Manchester United in terms of winning championships. On the other hand, Manchester United had continued to use Ferguson’s style, with a greater emphasis on physical confrontation and speed in on-ground attacks. They were more balanced and comprehensive than Arsenal.

They had very few shortcomings many strengths. Such a team was seasoned and had a lot of experience. The players had a tenacious fighting spirit and would not give up easily. They would not be complacent just because they were ahead, nor would they lose hope quickly because they were trailing behind.

Such an opponent was the most difficult to deal with.

Nottingham Forest’s style was enough to restrain Arsenal, but not Manchester United.

This game would be a real meeting of force with force. If Twain did not want his last game to be messed up by Mourinho, he would have to work hard.

※※※

Twain was preparing for his last game, while Mourinho was trying to get his two players to evade the penalty of suspension, at least during the game against Forest. He decided to appeal to the English Football Association to buy some time. According to the English Football Association rules, a player who had been shown a red card during a match did not automatically start a suspension, but the suspension would only take effect after being examined and verified by the Football Association.

As long as the Manchester United Football Club appealed, it could be delayed. It was just that a delay of two weeks was… unlikely.

Mourinho did not care. He just wanted to appeal and drag it out a little.

At the same time, as a good manager, he could not put all his eggs in the appeal basket. He had to be prepared to play against Nottingham Forest in the away challenge without Rooney and Evans.

If it had been the Nottingham Forest team of half a season ago, he would not be wasting his time on it. Now it was different. He would definitely not underestimate this particular Nottingham Forest team. In front of people, he always appeared to refuse to bow down to Tony Twain, but in his heart, he did not dare to take Twain lightly.

Strength counted for a lot in the football world. The best way to prove one’s strength was to gain victories and win trophies. A manager who had won 16 important trophies within 15 years absolutely could not be taken lightly.

Mourinho was not stupid. He knew it was not easy to beat Tony Twain’s team. Therefore, he was extra careful.

What were the strengths of Nottingham Forest? What were its weaknesses? How had their condition been in the last few rounds of the league tournament? How was the situation with the team’s injuries? Had the mentality of the players changed with the approach of the end of the season? Did Tony Twain’s announcement that he was retiring make a deep-seated impact on the players?

These questions hovered in Mourinho’s mind and he needed to figure them out.

He was already well aware of Nottingham Forest’s strengths and weaknesses, having played against this team for so many years. He also understood Tony Twain very well. How could he not? However, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the other side did not mean that he knew how to deal with them.

Fortunately, he still had two weeks.

※※※

As the league tournament drew to a close, a lot of people had things to do. Some people were busy making a last-ditch effort for the season’s goals, either to win the title or to secure a spot in the league. While others were trying to get a good ranking and obtain a bigger share of the broadcast fees after the league tournament ended.

Some others were thinking about their next season.

Dunn was among the last group.

Two days ago, after Nottingham Forest defeated West Ham United by 2:0 in an away game, he received a call from someone claiming to be Evan Doughty, the chairman of the Nottingham Forest club.

Just listening to the voice, Dunn could tell if this man was really Evan Doughty. He had not had any contact with the Forest club for seven years, so it was understandable if he could not recall Evan Doughty’s voice. However, he believed the man was the chairman of the Forest Club, as Twain had once told him that Nottingham Forest would contact him during this period to discuss a matter about a contract.

It was just that he did not think it would be the Nottingham Forest club chairman who personally contacted him…

Could Evan Doughty be putting on a show of courtesy? Or was Tony’s influence at Nottingham Forest so great that even the club chairman had to show him some face?

Dunn did not want to delve into the issue. It was none of his business. Since Evan Doughty had called, it meant that it was time to think hard about the matter of leaving Notts County and returning to Nottingham Forest.

Actually, Evan Doughty remained skeptical about Dunn. However, he was somewhat hopeful since he was a candidate that Twain had strongly recommended. After all, he still believed in Twain’s vision.

They could not speak properly on the phone, and besides, such an important matter had to be discussed face to face.

Evan Doughty and Dunn arranged a time to meet alone and talk.

After all, Evan would have to listen to Dunn’s thoughts on the Nottingham Forest team and find out about Dunn’s plans to see if he could put the Forest team’s future in the hands of a young coach who had yet to achieve any outstanding results thus far.

Although he listened to Twain, he was not a fool without a brain.

If Dunn could really come up with something to his satisfaction, then signing Dunn on would be fine. As for the Notts County team… he would just give some compensation. Anyway, a manager’s compensation was not high. Nottingham Forest would still be able to afford the money.

After he agreed to meet Evan Doughty, Dunn ended the call. He began to think about how he could say goodbye to Notts County. After all, it gave him a stable platform to build the team according to his own ideas. They gave him seven years. No matter how terrible the results were initially, he was not pushed out of the manager’s position. It was impossible for him to have no feelings for Notts County.

However, he had to pursue a larger stage and a wider sky. The ceiling above his head was not his goal. Tony understood him and thus had given him such an opportunity. He could prove himself again on a bigger stage, lead the Forest team to regain its lost glory and dignity, but also to seek the dream long buried in his heart…

Notts County still ranked in the middle of the English Football League Championship this season, with no hope of promotion. Moreover, the Notts County club’s top echelon seemed to have no intention of promotion. To them, the current results were already quite good. Without the support of external funds, it could only position itself at this spot.

Since the club had no ambitions, he would go his own way.

※※※

Pierce Brosnan sat in an office that belonged to him alone. He was thinking about the game in two weeks’ time. It would be Tony Twain’s retirement game, so reporting on such a highly publicized game would be a challenge.

Many media people were currently focused on the game. If he did not have an incisive point, how could he stand out among such a fierce news competition? Moreover, print media obviously had a disadvantage as compared to television and online media.

Tony Twain was leaving, and the Nottingham Evening Post had curated a special issue. Brosnan was the editor of the topic. He needed to coordinate the staff and resources to strive to make this the best issue he could.

First, however, he needed to identify a theme and an angle. In what way could he delve deeper into the report to achieve the most desired effect?

He simply let his hand go off the keyboard, got up and walked to the bookcase. He began to flip through the materials in there – past issues of the Nottingham Evening Post. He hoped to be able to find some useful materials from them.

When he flipped open the newspaper, a familiar headline caught his eye.

“We Were Raped!”

It was only then that he realized what edition he had pulled. He looked at the date: January 4, 2003. It was the first time he and Twain first took the stage…

Tony Twain in the photograph was still young. The bossy and domineering character was already faintly visible in the position of his eyebrows. Who knew at the time that such a young rookie with shocking language could become the best manager in England’s history?

The people and the things of that year…

Brosnan had a sudden flash of inspiration.

Why should he just produce one issue?

How could a single issue be enough to describe Tony Twain’s course over the past 15 years?

Brosnan felt that no matter how skilled the reporters who wrote and described Twain’s experience were, it would not be as impressive as Twain’s own account.

All he had to do was dig out every step that Twain had taken over 15 years and present it to the readers. Then he would let them follow the topic of every issue and reminisce on the ups and downs of the past 15 years together.

It would be sufficient. The “chronicles” of Twain in every upcoming issue would certainly become valuable material worthy of collection.

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