Chapter 140: Wood’s Debut Part 1
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Even though Tang En did not spell it out, the media, the fans, and even the players themselves knew that he had given up on this match. The only reason that he didn’t spell it out was because no manager would say to his players right before a match, “Lads, I’ve given up on today’s match. You guys just do as you see fit.” On the contrary, he hoped that those players chosen for today’s match would know that, as long as they performed well, there would be more chances for them to play in the future. This would be a match for them to fight for their own benefit.
So, the players who rarely played, along with those who had just entered the team, were about to step into the spotlight.
The starting goalkeeper was the twenty-one year old Irishman Barry Roche, who usually did not get many chances to play. The center backs were also an entirely new combination: Clint Hill and Robert Huth. Both of them had either been recently transferred or loaned, and had not even undergone one week of combined practice with the team. Tang En’s choice to deploy that back combination was more than enough to reveal his intentions for the match.
In addition to using a new combination of center backs, Tang En also made some adjustments to the two full backs. Chris Doig, who had played as the center back in the previous match, was made to play as a left back this time. As for the right back, John Thompson was benched, and Matthieu Louis-Jean took his place.
The midfield still got two defensive midfielders, with Brynjar Gunnarsson remaining in the starting lineup, and Eugen Bopp being replaced by George Wood. By arranging things that way, Tang En’s was preparing for the first round of the EFL Cup semi-finals. That was because by then, Forest’s two midfielders would be Gunnarsson and Wood. Eugen Bopp would be unable to participate because of his suspension.
Tang En chose to let Chris Commons play on the left wing, and let Stephen McPhail play on the right for the first time. He instructed Commons to pass more to the center, and told McPhail to go down the middle and shoot. As for Ashley Young, Moore had just made contact, so there were no results yet. He would have to make do with this. Tang En had also completely given up on Brian Cash. If any team offered a reasonable price, Tang En would release him without hesitation.
The frontline deployed by Tang En was David Johnson and Freddy Eastwood. Johnson was unable to play in matches yet, but he was a passable substitute. As for Eastwood, Tang En hoped to make use of this match to help improve his condition, so that he could reel in goals during the EFL Cup.
The players on the substitutes’ bench were goalkeeper Darren Ward, full backs Wes Morgan and John Thompson, midfielder Serhiy Rebrov, and forward Gareth Taylor.
Seeing that formation, it was no wonder that even Nottingham’s fans would accept a loss for the match. After all, there were more important EFL Cup semi-finals after it.
Reading’s manager, Steve Coppell, was someone Tony Twain knew very well. When he had still been the manager of Brighton the previous season, he had done a pretty poor job. Tang En had managed to beat him on Brighton’s home grounds. Brighton was relegated after that season, but their manager, “good guy” Coppell, managed to find an even better job: being the manager of Reading.
Currently, Reading was ranked fourth in the league, and seemed to be in good shape. Mr. Coppell’s career as a manager also seemed to be on the right track.
Coppell had a rather unpleasant impression of Twain. This was because when (two full days after that previous season’s match) he had finally understood why Tang En had referred to him as a “good guy” during the post-match press conference, the conclusion he had come to had made him furious. He realized that had been taken for a ride by a young manager who was less qualified than him.
When the two teams had clashed in the first half of the season, his team had won a crushing victory over Nottingham Forest on their home ground, with a score of 3:0. Coppell’s only regret was that the Nottingham Forest at that time wasn’t being run by Tony Twain. This made the victory he had obtained feel rather tasteless.
This time, the match would be held at City Ground Stadium instead. Coppell hoped that his revenge against Twain could be completed with a victory. Of course, he also believed in Reading’s abilities. Faced against a Nottingham Forest which was comprised mostly of substitutes and new players, victory should not be difficult.
He was wrong.
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The time that these Nottingham Forest players had spent training together was no more than one week. So, even after twenty minutes of gameplay, Nottingham Forest still could not pose a threat to Reading’s goalpost. But Reading also soon discovered that they could not easily score on Nottingham Forest’s goalpost either.
It was predicted before the match that the two center backs who were pairing up for the first time would leave lots of gaps in Nottingham Forest’s defensive line. And although that was not too far from reality, what Coppell did not expect was for Tang En to deploy a turtling tactic on their home ground.
Apart from Eastwood, the Nottingham Forest players had to return to the penalty area and play defense whenever it was time to go on the defensive. Therefore, David Johnson frequently stayed inside the penalty area for extended periods of time.
Tang En did not care that the team was being suppressed on its home grounds, or that the team appeared to be in a precarious and tight spot. It was true that Tang En was not planning on winning this game. But still, in the words of Argentina’s famous football manager Carlos Bianchi, “Even if you can’t win a match, don’t lose it either.” Tang En did not have high hopes for the team’s ability to beat Reading, but this did not mean that he would allow them to lose on their home ground. In order to stop the other competitors from widening the gap in the scores, they must not lose this match.
SInce the two center backs were pairing up with each other for the first time, holes in their defenses were inevitable. Therefore, the role of the defensive midfielders became all the more important. Not only did they make up the first line of defense outside the penalty area, but they also had to run back into the penalty area and act as center backs, and at times even became the sweepers. There was no need for Tang En to worry about Gunnarsson; his experience ensured that he was capable enough for the role. As for Wood…
Absentmindedly, Tang En turned around and glanced at the top floor of the stands behind him.
There was a row of VIP suites, and George Wood’s mother, Sophia, was currently sitting inside of it with Evan, watching her son play.
With her around, surely nothing could happen to Wood, right?
A sharp and hurried whistle sounded, regaining Tang En’s attention. He saw a player from Reading lying on the ground. It was Reading’s top shooter, the Bermudian Shaun Goater. Last season, he had still been in Manchester City as Sun Ji Hai’s teammate. He had scored a total of eighty-six goals over seven seasons of playing for Manchester City, and was one of Manchester City’s fans’ favorite players.
Goater, who had once helped Manchester City return to the Premier League by scoring twenty-eight goals during the 01-02 season, and had scored nine goals for Reading in the first half of this season, was currently lying on the floor and hugging his leg in pain as he raised his hand and requested a stretcher.
And the person standing calmly beside him was none other than George Wood. Even when the referee issued him a yellow card, his expression did not seem to change.
Walker looked at Tang En, who thought very highly of Wood. Tang En only scratched his head. Wow, he thought. Don’t tell me he got overexcited.
After the stretcher carried Goater off the field, Tang En saw a mixed-race man being called over by Coppell. As he listened to his manager’s instructions, he took off the jacket he was wearing, revealing the number and name written on the back of his jersey: 22, Tyson.
“Nathan Tyson, forward.” Walker said beside Tang En. Tang En nodded his head. He did not expect that Wood’s yellow card would be able to switch out the opponent team’s core forward. Therefore, that foul wasn’t for nothing. It had become slightly easier for Nottingham Forest to end this match in a draw. Goater’s entrance into Reading FC had played a big role in the team’s ability to achieve the fourth position rank in the league. Coppell’s tactics were almost entirely built around him.
It was hard to tell how serious Goater’s injuries were, but judging by the way he was covering his face on the stretcher, Tang En could tell that the injury was pretty serious, and not one that would be healed by just a week or two of rest.
Wood, you brat! You really are the midfield mincer, the ace killer.
Tang En did not know what Sophia was feeling when she saw her son receive a yellow card, but he himself was thrilled. This was because Wood had succeeded in the task that Tang En had given him before the match. For a defensive player, fouls were normal. The number of fouls and the number of cards issued to a defensive midfielder was a very important statistic that was required to assess his abilities.
Not only did modern football require defensive midfielders to wrestle the ball from the opponent’s feet, but it also had to be done in a clean, sportsmanlike manner. If a defensive midfielder did not get a single yellow card throughout his entire career, then that person was like a god.
Goater’s injury gave a warning to the Reading players who had launched a joint attack against Nottingham Forest: “Listen up, you Reading lads,” it said. “Whoever dares to get carried away in front of George Wood will end up just like that old man!”
Subsequently, the Reading offenses, which had once been as fierce as raging tides, started to gradually subside. Both parties became engaged in a stalemate in the middle of the field. As a result, Wood and Gunnarsson became the two busiest and the most featured players on camera.
Tang En’s allocation of tasks for these two defensive midfielders was as such: since Wood had good stamina, fast speed, and a tendency to aggressively snatch for possession of the ball, Tang En positioned him slightly forward in order to give him the first opportunity to get the ball. Gunnarsson, on the other hand, had a wealth of experience, and was calm and collected. So, Tang En made him defend behind Wood. If an opponent broke past Wood, Gunnerson would then immediately intercept him to buy Wood time to return to his position.
From the thirty minutes of the match that had passed, the two player’s coordination was fairly good; it did not seem like they had only trained together for two weeks. Gunnarsson also liked the feeling of coordinating with Wood. It was as though they had been born with chemistry between them.
“George Wood, a young eighteen year-old player, entered Nottingham Forest’s youth team to undergo training when he was only seventeen. We don’t have any information about his football career prior to this. I don’t know if that’s because he didn’t stand out and I could not find his relevant information, or because he doesn’t even have any at all. ” Motson looked at the detailed information sheet in his hands regarding the Nottingham Forest players. All the other players had, at the very least, a few hundred words of introduction and details. Meanwhile, George Wood’s data prior to 2003 was completely blank. “This is the first match that he is playing for Nottingham Forest’s first team. Based on these first thirty minutes, he seems to be pretty good! With him and Gunnarsson running tirelessly and tackling fiercely in front of the center backs, an insurmountable wall has been formed. Even though he is representing the team for the first time, we can’t see even a hint nerves on his face. Nottingham Forest’s youth training camp has very high standards. Even with Michael Dawson and Andy Reid’s departure from the team, it seems like we won’t have to worry too much about not having successors for them.”
Perhaps Motson himself had not realized, but he had unknowingly become a supporter of Nottingham Forest. This was why he was commentating on so many of Nottingham Forest’s matches. He enjoyed seeing Tony Twain’s unrestrained display of beautiful, ready command at the side of the field. He also liked to see teams filled with such passion for victory, while looking forward to those unpredictably funny accidents which would make him burst out laughing.
Even though this match did not look interesting from the stands, he was still able to quickly find aspects of Nottingham Forest to compliment. In the past, he would have shaken his head and sighed, while criticizing the match for its lack of intensity.
There was indeed a mysterious aura surrounding Tony Twain which attracted people to him, and John Motson, the English pundit, was merely one of them.
