Chapter 150: The First Half Part 1
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Tang En knew that George Wood was a naturally outstanding football player, because he could faithfully complete all the tasks his manager gave to him. As a defensive player, what else was more important?
He had made Wood protect Rebrov, but he could not say it clearly due to the restrictions at the time. In the end, Wood was able to quickly understand his thoughts, and executed the task perfectly. It was so perfect that nobody could have asked for anything more. No one could ask him to protect Rebrov, keep an eye on Okocha, dribble the ball past five people, and pass the ball to his teammates in front of the goalpost all at once.
Wood’s position was brought forward, and he followed Rebrov everywhere. In return, Gunnarsson shouldered Wood’s original task—marking Okocha. Luckily, Bolton was still heavily focused on defense, so Okocha was not being too daring.
Kevin Nolan had already scored a goal in this match, and was in top condition. However, it was just his luck to have met George Wood. Although the Rebrov was having a hard time being marked by him, he was having an even harder time being marked by Wood!
Not to mention, Nolan was consistently unable to snatch the ball away from Rebrov. Even when he was able to snatch the ball, he was immediately faced with Wood’s attempts to steal it back. George Wood had marked him perfectly as though he was Okocha, completely crippling his ability to turn around or get past anyone. If he was any slower, the ball under his feet would be stolen away.
This kid was fast in every way, from his sprinting speed, to his reaction speed and the speed at which he could kick.
What made Nolan even more furious was that Wood had not received any new instructions from the technical area, but had taken the task up on his own. Whenever Bolton gained possession of the ball and was about to go on the offensive, he would run up and try to snatch the ball as soon as Nolan received it, stopping them from constructing any effective offense.
“Kevin Nolan is completely unable to turn around! Even though he’s being marked by George Wood alone, he must feel that there are people surrounding him on all sides!” Andy Gray commentated. He had become slightly more interested in George Wood. “Ah! Nolan passed back, and Bolton’s offense was once again stopped… Something that Bolton had required three defensive midfielders to do was single-handedly accomplished by George Wood! What an impressive young lad! Where exactly did Tony Twain find him?”
“It was said that it was Wood himself who went to find Twain. Before that, he had never touched a football before…” Ever since Wood’s spectacular performance during his first match, the media had paid an increased amount of attention to them, even gradually digging up much of his past. “What a genius…”
Upon seeing Wood’s performance, Motson, who was in the stands, once again remembered the previous match that he had commentated. This lad was no longer a newbie playing his first game, someone whom he could not say much about. Tang En, who was looking at Wood from the side of the field, must feel overjoyed. However, he was probably getting a headache as well—how was he going to handle the other clubs’ interests in George Wood?
Various big clubs were placing more emphasis on defenders, especially defensive midfielders. Chelsea was one of them. Makelele was already almost thirty, but they still bought him from Real Madrid. Why would they do that? Because they lacked a player who could stop offenses and who intercepted offenses frantically.
But now, Real Madrid has sold Makelele. Although they have the newly-joined Beckham, their results have not improved at all. Instead, they have become even worse. Without Makelele tirelessly sprinting around and intercepting in the midfield, Zidane and the others are unable to carry out their offenses without risk. Pavon and Helguera also lost the barrier in front of them. With the back defensive line directly facing off against the opponent’s firepower, it would be a wonder if they did not concede goals. In the past, when Makelele was still around, there were no criticisms of Real Madrid’s defense being not up to par. Ever since Makelele left, rumors of Real Madrid’s backline defense being amateur-level started to appear, before gradually becoming the general consensus.
This was precisely the importance of that plain-looking, inconspicuous Makelele, who did the dirty work and received a low-paying salary. By the time Real Madrid realized that the club truly could not do without him, it was already too difficult for them to find a replacement, because the entire world lacked a defensive midfielder who was that good. Graveson and Pablo Garcia proved to be a failed introduction into the team, and they were completely unable to replace Makelele’s role in Real Madrid. It was only during the 06-07 season, when Capello brought in three defensive midfielders all in one go, Diarra, Emerson and Gago, that they could begin to achieve Makelele’s effect. But it was not always effective, and the entire team of eleven players was still required for defense, as opposed to only one, as it had been during Makelele’s time.
Although Motson was worrying on Tang En’s behalf, Tang En did not care about that in the slightest. He knew that Wood would not be leaving Nottingham for at least three years. After all, Nottingham Forest was still actively searching for a way to cure his mother’s illness. Tang En was well aware of the kind of person Wood was. He believed that Wood himself also understood that the reason he could enjoy his current success was because he was in Nottingham Forest, which was willing to give young players opportunities. And, because he met Tony Twain.
Out of the players who changed football teams at a young age, only a few were able to become successful in the end. Defensive players were unlike offensive players; one mistake would be enough to end his entire professional career. If a forward missed the chance to score, he could simply wait for the next time his teammate passed the ball to him. But what about defensive players? Their margin of error was just too small.
※※※
The match continued with both teams in a stalemate for the rest of the first half. Although Nottingham Forest’s offense exerted quite a bit of pressure on Bolton in the last ten minutes, Bolton still managed to stand their ground and did not concede a goal. This upset Nottingham deeply.
Tang En was already quite satisfied with these results. The most important thing was for the team to regain their confidence and their fighting spirit. As for equalizing the score by the end of the first-half, that would have been an extra bonus.
Nolan discovered that after he had been consecutively intercepted by Wood, he had actually somewhat lost the confidence to face off against him. Now, whenever Nolan saw Wood, he would have the urge to quickly pass the ball out. This time was no exception. Campo had passed the ball to Nolan, before running forward in hopes of attracting the attention of the Nottingham Forest defenders. But to his surprise, the moment Nolan saw Wood lunging at him murderously, he panicked and passed the ball back immediately. However, Ivan Campo was no longer there.
Ashley Young easily received the ball that Nolan had unwittingly passed to him, and the only person standing before him was Simon Charlton, whom he had already broken past once before!
“A passing mistake! This is a fatal mistake!”
Upon realizing that the ball had been passed behind him, Campo, who had dashed to the front, frantically turned around and chased after the ball. However, it was already too late. Ashley Young was on the move.
Simon Charlton rushed up to defend against him, hoping to use his experience to trap Young. But, next to the agile Ashley Young, Simon Charlton seemed clumsy in comparison. The young number 18 player from Nottingham Forest had changed direction three consecutive times while running, causing Charlton to become dizzy and expose his back to Ashley Young. Afterwards, Young did not hold back as he circled around Charlton’s back, diagonally running into the penalty area.
Cheering sounds exploded from the stands.
Now, Ashley Young could shoot or pass the ball; it depended entirely upon his mood.
Bolton’s goalkeeper, Jaaskelainen, immediately moved to block Ashley Young’s shot, and Bolton’s center back Hunt’s first choice was also to block his shot. Ashley Young raised his right leg, and it appeared as though he was going to shoot for the goal.
Hunt rushed forward and did a sliding tackle in hopes of blocking the shot, but Young did not kick the ball out. Instead, he suddenly turned towards the center. His actions fooled both Jaaskelainen and Hunt.
Hunt, who was unable to stop himself in the midst of the sliding tackle, tripped Ashley Young, inside the penalty area.
The sound of the whistle rang out.
“Ashley Young falls to the ground! This is a penalty, no doubt! The first half was about to end, and Nottingham Forest has gotten a penalty kick!” Martin Taylor shouted loudly. City Ground Stadium’s stands were filled with roaring; the camera lenses were trembling from it.
Seeing this unfolding, Tang En, who was by the side of the field, suddenly jumped up, turned around, and hugged Walker tightly.
This was really an unexpected bonus!
“This is a perfect display of Ashley Young’s individual skills! Tony Twain has brought another genius kid from Watford! Five consecutive direction changes in a row…Poor Simon Charlton, poor Nichy Hunt, poor Bolton!”
Martin Taylor, who was beside Gray, added on behalf of his partner, “Poor Watford. For seven hundred thousand pounds, not only did they lose an exceptional young player, they also provided reinforcements for their competitor in the league.”
The Nottingham Forest players ran towards their newly-joined teammate, surrounding him and congratulating him for his brilliant performance. He had used his individual skills to bring the team a chance for comeback. This was the best way to integrate into the team!
The cheers gradually died down as Freddy Eastwood hugged the ball and stood in front of the penalty spot. He was the player appointed by Tang En for penalty kicks.
He carefully placed the ball on the white dot, and took a few steps back.
Everyone on the stadium’s stands—the technical area by the side of the field, the audience in front of the television, and the listeners in front of the radio—all held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
Tang En stood by the side of the field and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned pale.
Eastwood raised his head and looked at the goalpost, but his brain was replaying that scene at Wilford, when Tony Twain had said to him, “Freddy, we have to win this afternoon’s match, because this match is the starting point of that future!”
That future?
You are the legendary manager, while I am the legendary shooter?
Sounds great!
The whistle blew.
“Eastwood runs up to the ball… And he shoots! In the middle!”
Jaaskelainen predicted the wrong direction and leapt to the right side, but Eastwood had shot the ball towards where he was originally standing. The ball flew into the goalpost!
“GOOOOOOOOAL!!”
The stands went wild once again. This time, the camera lenses shook even more vigorously than they had before.
“YES! YES! Nottingham Forest has evened out the score! Their relentless offense has finally paid off! This is Freddy Eastwood’s fourth goal in three consecutive matches! What a terrifying killer! Now, who still dares to say that he is an amateur player?”
After scoring, Eastwood rushed towards the technical area. His target was Tony Twain, who was currently in the midst of celebrating with the managerial staff.
Now I believe you, Boss! We will have that future!
When he was still about three or four meters away from Tang En, Eastwood leapt into the air in Tang En’s direction. Tang En, who had just turned around, was unable to defend himself, and Eastwood collided with him. Afterwards, even more players joined in, causing Tang En and the coaching staff behind him to finally be unable to take the weight. As a result, all of them fell to the ground, and more than ten people were stacked on top of one another. It was a spectacular sight!
It was rare to see a player knocking over his manager after scoring a goal, with the rest of the team joining afterward. However, it had happened to Tony Twain twice. Seeing this, Taylor and Gray thought to themselves that it was no wonder Motson called Twain interesting. He seemed very well-liked by his players.
Motson, who was seated in the stands, was surrounded by cheering Nottingham Forest fans. Seeing the human pyramid in front of the technical area, Motson smiled.
Poor Tony…
The referee finally appeared to save Tang En. With his intervention, the fanatical Nottingham Forest players finally returned to the field. By the time Walker pulled Tang En up from the ground, his suit was already extremely wrinkled, and his white shirt had gotten dirty. One of his buttons had fallen off, his face was flushed red, and his hair was very unkempt. He looked like he had just finished doing a very different activity.
Seeing Tang En like that, even Walker could not help but burst out in laughter.
“Darn it!” Tang En panted heavily and waved his hands about. “I want to add a new rule to the team’s rules and regulations: Pushing down the manager and piling up into a pyramid as a form of celebration is strictly prohibited! My clothes!” He unfolded his hands to express his “miserable state” to Walker, but instead caused an even louder wave of laughter from the technical area and the substitutes’ bench.
Martin Taylor, who was on the commentator’s seat, had the same opinion as Tang En. He laughed and said, “I think Mr. Twain should suggest that FIFA prohibit using these kinds of celebration methods after scoring a goal, especially if the person at the bottom is the manager…”
Gray, who was beside him, did not care that it was a live broadcast. He leaned on the table and started laughing loudly.
※※※
Nottingham Forest, who had equalized the score, very much wanted to ride the momentum and score more goals, but the referee saved Bolton by blowing the whistle and signifying the end of the first half.
“1:1! Looking at the process, I would guess that neither team is too happy with the progress. But from the results, this is a very fair score. Tony Twain and Sam Allardyce will be making use of these fifteen minutes of half time to make some necessary adjustments. Let’s rest for a short while as we look forward to an even more exciting face off in the second half!
“See you in fifteen minutes time.”
As soon as Martin Taylor took off his soundproof headphones, waves of loud noises assaulted his ears, taking his breath away.
“An atmosphere like this at City Ground Stadium,” He muttered to himself. “Just how many years has it been since we last saw something like this?” Even the knowledgeable Taylor could not remember.
“Hey, Martin! I think Motson’s right; Twain is indeed a very interesting fellow. I’ve commentated football matches for many, many years, but I’ve never seen an entire team of players collectively rush to their manager and stack on top of him like that! For Tony Twain to be so popular with the players, he must have cast some magic! Just like Harry Potter!” Andy Gray, who had just taken off his earphones, continued to talk non-stop as though he was in the midst of commentating a match.
Taylor smiled and said, “If Twain knows magic, then he wouldn’t have to tie with Bolton in the first half. He could just win with a wave of his wand!” Taylor waved his hands. “Let’s go get a drink, Andy. Who knows; we might even meet Motson. He understands Twain better than both of us combined. Whether or not Tony Twain knows magic, we’ll find out when you ask him.”
