Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After eight rounds of league tournament, the Forest team had seven victories and a draw. They occupied the top spot with twenty points and an unbeaten record. The second place Arsenal had one less game than the Forest team. They had six wins and a draw with nineteen points, as well as an unbeaten record.
Ranking number one in the league tournament was worth celebrating. Their prospects appeared to boundlessly bright. However, they also had to take on the pressure of being the front-runner. To be able to enjoy the scenery at the top naturally required them to pay the price.
Nottingham Forest was now a team that the entire English football world wanted to stop. Twain felt as if every game was as challenging as playing in the Champions League final because his opponents were always inexplicably high-spirited.
In the ninth round of the league tournament, the Forest team fought hard for ninety minutes to beat Birmingham City by 3:2. However, the price they paid was Pepe would be out of commission for a month due to an injury, and Grosso was sent off with a red card.
After the game, Twain still denounced his opponent, Birmingham City for playing rough football with a stormy face despite their victory.
“I think there’s a bad habit in the Premier League right now. That is, any team will be particularly active when they play against us. I am not just referring to how good they are, but to say that these teams are very rough in their movements. I feel like it’s not a Premier League game, but a death match. Will it kill anyone when they lose the game? All opponents are used to dealing with my players with rough moves. But look at what the referee did? My player was sent off with a red card because he went to aid a teammate and all the opposing player got was a yellow card. I wonder if all these were done the behest of the Football Association…”
After Twain’s remarks were further embellished by the media, it set off a storm in the English football world. It also brought him a ticket for a fine of 15,000 pounds. The Football Association issued an official warning to him, hoping that he would mind his words and actions so as not to mislead the general public.
It could no longer be determined how many feuds there were between Twain and the Football Association. Twain did not care about the fines. It was actually worth it if he forked out some money to criticize the things he did not like.
Looking at the game schedule, it was easy to see why Twain suddenly flipped out and denounced his opponent and the Football Association after the game against Birmingham City. Having lost his main defenders, Pepe and Grosso, Tony Twain was about to face a strong opponent: Manchester United. The Red Devils were currently in the third place in the league tournament. They inadvertently rose in a series of games and now eyed the top two teams.
To be fair, Grosso’s send off was somewhat his fault for inviting trouble. Before he was sent off, he played averagely, even having been on Nottingham Forest for three months. He could not fully adapt to the pace of the Premier League games. It greatly disappointed Twain. The “great Italian left-back” he had in mind seemed to have lost his magical aura.
That was not to say that Grosso was not capable enough. His assists were sharp, but could not keep up with the pace of the Premier League wingers when it came to defense. He was repeatedly broken through. The Forest team’s defense on the left flank had become a key attack position for other teams.
The second yellow card was because he came to Pepe’s aid, only to be shown a yellow card by the referee due to his excessively agitated words. The first yellow card was because after being broken through by the opponent, when it was too late for him to intercept, he could only turn around and pull the other player down. He was penalized for the foul.
If Twain wanted a good attacking full-back, he would use Gareth Bale. The issue was that Twain needed a full-back, well balanced in defense and offense. His impression of Grosso should have been such a player. His performance was so dazzling on the Italy national team… Even if he had missed multiple games with an injury at Inter Milan, he was still awe-inspiring.
Now Twain had to admit that when he bought Grosso, he did not carefully consider the difference in the football styles. Grosso seemed unable to adapt to the high-speed competition of the Premier League.
Taking advantage of his red card suspension, Twain planned to put him on the substitutes’ bench to rest.
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Next, it was the 11th round, a focal campaign. The Forest team could not defeat Manchester United on their own home ground and lost the game by 1:2.
“Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten record of eighteen rounds and thirteen-game winning streak since the Premier League began on March 17th has been put to an end. From the March 17th away game and forcing a 0:0 draw upon Chelsea onwards, Nottingham Forest never lost in the league tournament. Fifteen consecutive victories were achieved before they were being forced into a draw by Reading on September 15th. This remarkable result was broken by Manchester United last night.” The post-match analysis summarized the game with a few simple remarks.
The actual circumstances were much more fantastic than the few sentences. Twain did not want to lose to Manchester United at home and did his best. Ferguson also did not want to lose and he also gave his best shot. To everyone’s great regret, Beckham, who was of close interest before the game, felt sore two days before the game. Out of caution, Twain did not put him on the main list, so David Beckham missed the chance to play head-on against his favorite team.
Although Beckham was not there, the game was still a thrilling match. There were only three goals, but the fans of both teams would relish every minute for a long time. The two managers exerted all their strength and gave it their all and pitted tactical arrangements against each other measure for measure.
In the end, Twain lost because he was not as shrewd and ruthless as Ferguson.
Twain was in a bad mood from the loss. During the media interview, he did not speak if he could avoid it. When he was asked about “the winning streak” and “unbeaten record,” he responded in surprise, “is that so? We actually had eighteen rounds unbeaten and fifteen consecutive victories… What a shame; it’s really a pity…” He did not mention anything else, which made the media think that the interview was dull.
However, everyone knew Twain was in a bad mood. No one liked to fail, and Twain did not like it even more.
There was another reason for Twain’s bad mood. Piqué and Ribéry were injured in the game against Manchester United. Piqué was brought off on the spot, while Ribéry insisted that he would finish playing the game. However, the result of the post-match medical examination did not look good.
In the first few seasons, thanks to divine protection, Nottingham Forest rarely experienced widespread injuries. With them taking the Champions League and Super Cup titles, their good luck seemed to have run out.
Was it due to their poor stamina or that they did not do their movements well which led to the injuries? That was not the case. Some of the injuries were due to their opponents’ rough actions and some injuries happened inexplicably. For example, in the case of Ribéry, when he did a feint, his foot did not kick the football, but kicked the ground. It was unbelievable that the core player of the France national team made such an amateur move. But it happened.
When Ribéry was injured, he fell to the ground, holding his right foot in his hands. But after a simple treatment, he returned to the field and continued to play. He seemed fine. However, from the checkup after the game, it was revealed that he had fractured his toe bone and required at least one month to recuperate before he could resume training.
By comparison, even though Piqué’s injury looked serious at first, his actual condition was much better. He only needed to take ten days off to rest before he could get back on the field.
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During this period, Nottingham Forest was exceptionally unlucky. They had lost players during the league tournament and also lost the game. They had not tasted victory in the Champions League group stage so far. In the first round, they tied with Porto in the away game, and in the second round, they lost to Olympique de Marseille with one goal on their home ground.
Many people were shocked by this result. When the draw results first came out, majority of the media were bullish on Nottingham Forest taking the first place in the group. Instead, they were currently third in the group with one draw, one defeat, and one point after the two rounds. With two rounds already played in the Champions League group stage, the defending champion still had not won a game. There had already been talk that the Forest team intended to take the UEFA Europa League title after they had won the Champions League title.
According to the rules, the third placeholder in the Champions League group stage was eligible to play in the UEFA Europa League. If Nottingham Forest could not get the top two spots in the group and obtain the third place, they could only play in the UEFA Europa League.
The team doctor said that Pepe’s injury was the residual effects from last season’s injury. If he did not take care of it, he could have a relapse. If he were to return to the field too soon, it was possible that he would go back and forth between injuries and playing for the entire season.
Pepe was the absolute mainstay of the Forest team’s rear defensive line and a core figure. His absence was a heavy blow to the Forest team’s defense. But Twain dared not let Pepe return prematurely. After all, in case he really became so fragile that he was constantly injured, Pepe would basically be destroyed.
With Piqué put on rest for ten days, Kompany and Ayala would have to assume great responsibility for the next few days. As Grosso was temporarily put on the bench, Leighton Baines and Gareth Bale rotated the job. Rafinha’s performance was stable on the right flank, but Chimbonda’s mood was a bit low due to the rotation in the Forest team’s annihilation of Portsmouth. Twain chose Sun Jihai for the right back position and not him. Furthermore, during the halftime interval, even with Twain’s blood boiling, he said he would not substitute a player. In the end, he did not even get a minute of appearance, even though his name was on the substitutes list. He was greatly disappointed.
Before they achieved an important championship title, everyone was united for the sake of the goal and fought hard together. No matter how much they suffered or how exhausted they were, they did not complain. However, once the honor was in their hands, there was no guarantee that they would not start to look out for their own interests.
They would fight for a higher weekly salary and demand more opportunities to play.
Twain was starting to get a headache.
Including the Champions League tournament, the team had now lost two games in a row. Losing two consecutive games only happened twice in the first season of the team’s ascent to the Premier League. Twain and the Forest team were inexperienced and a newly promoted rookie team.
Twain ruled this team with the foundation of “victory and constant victory.” Victory could cover and fix everything. But what happened when the team could not win?
He did not know, but it was not a good thing.
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During this period, everyone could tell that their manager, Tony Twain, was in a bad mood. There were too many reasons: the injuries of Pepe and Ribéry, the undercurrents within the team bubbling up, the decline in their results, and the disturbances from the media.
Twain no longer joked with his coaches and players during daily training. He just wore his sunglasses with a straight face. People did not dare laugh loudly, for fear of provoking the temperamental boss and have a grudge be held against them.
It was not a normal atmosphere that the Forest team should have had. The Forest team’s training had always been a blend of strictness and ease. The three coaches, Twain and Kerslake, as well as Dunn, placed great importance on the quality of training and absolutely did not allow the players to fool around and laze about during training time. But while they were seriously training, Twain would often make harmless jokes with the players and tell corny jokes to liven up the atmosphere. Coupled with the pleasant atmosphere of consecutive victories, everyone would complete their high intensity training amidst the laughter and jokes, and not feel how tired they were.
It was not the same now. Twain pretended to look cool with a straight face and did not tell jokes to lighten the atmosphere. Coupled with the continuous loss of two games, everyone looked preoccupied. This oppressive atmosphere was unbearable.
Eastwood and Ribéry had always been the two jokesters in the team. The two also had an appreciation of the other’s talent, so they usually put on a show to amuse the others together. The atmosphere was always lively with them around. Due to Ribéry’s injury, Eastwood did not have the mood to put on a show for amusement alone, and he constantly suffered from minor injuries as well.
The situation was maintained until Ribéry returned to the team.
Before regular training, Twain was little surprised when he ran into the “Blade Warrior” Ribéry on crutches on the sidelines of the training ground.
“Isn’t it another month before you resume the training? Are you able to get out of bed and walk around so soon?”
Ribéry held onto the fence next to him with one hand while his other hand raised the crutch as he smiled at Twain. “With these, I can go anywhere.”
Twain gave a dry laugh. “But you can’t train yet.”
“I came to see everybody. I just happened to use this opportunity as a pretext to take a break.”
The other people continued to arrive in succession and Ribéry greeted them one by one. Twain turned around and went inside first. Ribéry glanced at him a few times as he left.
After the team started training, Ribéry was not in a hurry to leave. He watched alone on the sidelines.
Although everyone’s face was filled with warm smiles when they said hello to each other, the atmosphere completely changed once the training started.
The people, who were smiling, now looked ferocious and glowered at each other like they were each other’s sworn enemies. Ribéry gently shook his head. The situation was not looking good.
After the training, there would normally be a few internal matches. One goal would determine the outcome of the match. There was no reward for the winner, but the losing side would be penalized with running a lap.
The purpose of the game was to develop the players’ competitiveness and also a way of entertainment and relaxation. Compared with tedious training drills, most players liked to have the ball at their feet and play freely in a game. Although the competitive atmosphere was usually quite strong, everyone still talked and laughed. Mistakes were naturally greeted with relentless heckling, but their faces would always wear relaxed smiles.
What Ribéry saw today was different.
It was explosive the moment it started.
As a result, not even five minutes into the game, Chimbonda fiercely shoved the tall Bendtner from behind during defense and caused him to overturn and roll several times. The tension that had been building before finally got the chance to explode and suddenly burst to the surface.
Pepe, Piqué, Eastwood, Beckham, Ribéry had all been injured successively. Against such a background, whether it was during a game or training, they would pay extra attention to that aspect. All of them were afraid that they would be injured and become the next person to sit in the stands. Their hard-won positions might disappear with an injury.
Bendtner, who had been suppressed by van Nistelrooy, finally had a chance to perform and put on a hat-trick in the game against Portsmouth to become the best lineup for that round of Premier League games. He saw it as an opportunity to enter the main lineup. Being shoved to ground by Chimbonda during the training infuriated him, not to mention whether or not he was injured. He should count his lucky stars if he was not injured, but what if he was?
Consequently, after Bendtner rolled a few times on the ground and found that he seemed unhurt, he immediately jumped up from the ground, rushed to Chimbonda, and punched him.
Having just gotten up, Chimbonda did not expect Bendtner to react so quickly. Bendtner’s punch struck its target accurately. Chimbonda had just gotten up and had not yet stood properly before he fell to the ground from the straight punch.
However, the French defender, Chimbonda was not be underestimated. He was black and his physical fitness was different from the ordinary people. His ability to withstand a blow was also good. He had just sat down before he turned and leaped up to kick at Bendtner. Even though the kick did not hit its target, it stopped Bendtner from closing in on him and caused him to temporarily retreat and defend himself.
It also gave their teammates time to come and try to stop the fight.
A group of people instantly rushed over to separate the two men. It was not known whether any more physical contact had occurred in the chaos.
Kerslake, who was in charge as the referee, put the whistle in his mouth and blew as a warning. The shrill whistle made the chaotic scene even messier. Everyone was getting hot-blooded. Chimbonda struggled to break free of his teammates’ intervention and wanted to go up to beat up Bendtner. The Danish tall man brandished his fists at him as well. “Come get me!” he hooted at him.
The coaches all stormed onto the field to separate the two furious parties.
Twain stood on the sidelines with his sunglasses on and coolly observed everything that was happening, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Ribéry’s instinctively turned his head to look outside the training ground. Fortunately, it was the end of the training and there was no media on the scene. Otherwise once such a scandal was revealed, it was going to cause a stir. What made Nottingham Forest proud was that they had never had a scandal involving internal conflicts. Therefore, the impression that the team gave its opponents was that it was united and daunting. But if the opponents found out that the fortress was not as indestructible as it looked, what would happen?
Ribéry heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no media around. Then he turned back to look at his teammates, who were still causing a racket, and they suddenly felt unfamiliar. This situation was f**king terrible!
He shook his head.
