Godfather Of Champions

Chapter 923: End of the Season

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

Lennon did not get much game time. As a result, Twain was not particularly impressed with the performance that he saw from him.

After the match, Twain met with Lennon.

Lennon viewed Twain as his mentor and a man whom he respected. Thus, he unreservedly told Twain about all his troubles.

He told Twain that he was a player who was brought into the club by Mourinho earlier. Mourinho was a manager who liked to play wingers and he was able to get game time under him. But, ever since Zola took over at the club, he has not been able to get much game time at all, because Zola did not think highly of him, especially since he was carrying an injury.

Since he is unable to play in games for long periods of time, he cannot guarantee that he would be able to perform well in matches when he does play. Twain would not be able to see his best performances even if he continues to spend time to observe him in Milan.

Twain told Lennon earnestly that he needed to fight for a chance to play in games if he really wishes to play football in Spain. He suggested that Lennon should consider going on loan or transferring to another club if he really cannot get any game time in Inter Milan.

If it had been any other person who had told him those words, Lennon would definitely not have listened. He would have refused to admit that his time in Italy has been a complete failure. However, the person who had said those words was his ex-boss Tony Twain. All he could do was to nod his head and accept Twain’s words.

Lennon has to think things through carefully and decide if he should continue to fritter time here in Inter Milan.

Perhaps, footballers from England are truly not suited to play football in Italy. It’s not just Italy, they do not seem to be able to perform well in other countries as well. The footballers who managed to continue playing well after leaving England are few and far between. The media might praise those footballers as being the best in the world, but their performances after leaving England have all proven that they are not good at adapting to a different environment.

The only time the England national team was crowned champions of a major international competition was back in 1966, during the World Cup that was hosted in England.

Perhaps the same goes for the England national team as well. The players become incapable to play football the moment they step out of England.

This is a curse that Twain is keen on breaking, not because he is patriotic, but because he wants to prove that he is an outstanding manager who is capable of leading an awful football team like the England national team to become champions.

※※※

Lennon might not have surprised Twain, but his ex-assistant manager definitely did.

Twain spent the Christmas on the plane with his assistant Des Walker. However, he did not feel depressed over it, because Nottingham Forest has been performing well, and that has lifted his spirits.

Nottingham Forest’s recent good form has also allowed him to find more topics to talk about with Walker.

It was not just Twain and Walker who were discussing about Nottingham Forest’s new manager. All the media outlets in England were as well.

No one thought that he would be able to stay at the helm for long when he took over as the manager of Forest. Some people had not even heard of his name before…

It couldn’t be helped, given how brightly Tony Twain shone. His ex-assistant manager was just like a star that was hidden behind the sun. It did not matter if he was a first-magnitude star. As long as he was near the sun, humans could not see him with their naked eyes.

A man like that who no one paid attention to previously was able to lead a seemingly exhausted Nottingham Forest team to three consecutive victories during the hectic and notoriously tough Christmas schedule.

The opponents that he won against were not bottom teams either. They were mid-table teams that were difficult to beat.

The man who no one paid attention to previously has pulled Forest up from the slum in which they had continued to sink deeper and deeper into. He had also cleaned up the mud from their bodies, and is now leading them to take big strides forward in a new direction.

Even Twain admitted that Kerslake’s performance had surprised him during his conversation with Walker. Among all the people who had worked with him previously, Dunn was the person whom Twain thought the most highly of. He did not expect Kerslake to have improved so drastically without him noticing.

Kerslake was a manager who could never stay still during a match. He would always blow on his whistle and gesture with his hands animatedly as he stood by the side of the pitch. His behavior during matches gave people the impression that he was a very passionate individual, but he came off as being very humble during his interviews. He told the press that the players deserve all the credit for the team’s consecutive wins, and that all he did was to reignite their desire to win.

Frankly, Forest had become a team that had lost all interest in winning after achieving the treble and going through all those struggles in the past.

To most of the Forest players, they have achieved almost every possible glory that a footballer can hope to achieve in his career. What other reason is there to continue to fight like they did back then? They were already standing at the pinnacle. Where else could they possibly go?

If Twain was still Forest’s manager, he would have told the players that they have to keep fighting if they wish to retain their spot at the top. There are countless challengers who are trying to climb to the top to take their place from them, and they would never be able to eliminate all of them because they are just like ants and they would only keep on coming. Hence, they must never stop in their fight, and they must defeat all the challengers who come their way.

However, Quique Sánchez Flores did not say any of those words to the players. All he was concerned with was getting rid of Twain’s influence over the team and leading them to further glory. In the eyes of the players, his vision for the future lacked persuasiveness. Every single one of them had already achieved almost every possible glory there is to achieve. If every Champions trophy they had achieved had turned into a ring, then all the players would have worn a ring over their every finger and their every toe… Why would they work hard to attain even more glory with you?

As an outsider, Flores was unable to truly become a central figure in the tight-knit Nottingham Forest team.

But, Kerslake was different. He was able to ignite the players’ desire for victory because he has been working at Forest for a long time, and he was able to gain their trust much more easily. In addition, he was also more familiar with the players and he knew what they were looking for.

The players might not want to attain further glory, but they have to retain the glory that they have attained so far at the very least. No one wishes to become a team that could not even qualify for the Europa League despite attaining the Treble in the previous season.

What Kerslake said during the interview was very true. The current Forest team was a team that still had its main structure in place, and their strength could not be underestimated. The reason for the team’s consecutive losses was not due to a lack of ability. It was due to psychological issues instead.

Having followed Twain for so many years, Kerslake was able to pick up a skill or two about how to manage the players’ psychological state, and his methods were able to bring about a positive change in the players almost immediately.

The reporters also asked Twain about his thoughts on Forest’s recent performances when he was watching a match in other stadiums as well.

Even though Twain hardly talks about Forest after his resignation, he could not help but praise his former assistant Kerslake now that he is the new interim manager and is performing quite well at Forest.

“He has done well, and I hope he would be able to keep doing what he does, not just as the interim manager, but as the manager instead. He has the ability to lead Forest out of their predicament… At least that’s how I see it. David is a humble man, and I think that the good results are a good way to pay him back for his efforts…”

Of course, Twain did not forget about his current identity. To prevent others from thinking that he was being too explicit with his concern towards Forest, he added another statement at the end, “I am very happy that Forest’s national goalkeeper is able to play football in a stable environment. This would be beneficial in helping him maintain his form.”

He might say that, but the media knew very well that Nottingham Forest was the team that he paid the most attention to among all the Premier League teams. They know that because he has gone to watch Forest’s matches numerous times…

Twain was clearly showing favoritism to Forest. His actions would be overlooked if they brought glory to the England national team. But, should England fail to perform in the Euro Cup, then Twain would definitely become the butt of criticism, and the various Nottingham Forest players who play in the national team would also get dragged down with him as well.

Twain’s act of showing favoritism to Forest players is puzzling. He has always given others the impression of being someone who would fiercely protect his players. He would always choose to shoulder all the pressure alone, and he would never direct it onto his players. He even suffered a heart attack because he carried all the burden upon himself. So, why is he constantly putting the Nottingham Forest players under the spotlight now that he is the manager of the England national team?

If he falls, then everyone else falls with him too?

It sounds just like the kind of rationale that a lunatic would have.

※※※

Christmas and New Year were becoming less and less significant to Twain since he has to work on both days either way. In fact, he has to work even more during those two public holidays because Shania is not around him. He would rather spend all his time working so as to dilute the loneliness that is induced as a result of him missing her.

Time passed by quickly. It was already June 2015 by the time Twain had a good understanding of everything that was happening in the Premier League.

The England national team played in three matches during this period of time. One of them was a friendly against Israel, while the other two were qualifiers for the Euro Cup.

England was able to win all the matches that they played in.

They won Israel at home 3:0.

They won Ireland away 2:0.

They won Armenia, who is the weakest team in their group, by a big margin of 4:0.

The England national team has never lost a match ever since Tony Twain took over. His titles of being a ‘Treble Winner’ and the ‘Godfather of Champions’ helped to lessen the animosity that the media held towards him due to his arrogant personality.

That is how the footballing world is. Results are everything. When you can produce results, you are treated like the God. When you are unable to produce results, you are treated like dirt.

Of course, there are also people who did not view Twain’s results favorably.

Carl Spicer, who has always been a resolute anti-Twain, casted doubt on Twain’s achievements as the manager of the England national team.

“Macedonia, Armenia, Australia, Ireland, Israel and Wales are not regarded as strong teams. They have to be classified as ‘weak teams’. Both Serbia and Denmark are teams that Twain regarded as strong teams as well, but to me, they are weak teams too. We have a very good draw in the qualifiers. We might be in the group that has to compete in the most number of matches, but all our opponents are weak. Isn’t it natural for us to win comfortably against weak teams? Why are there so many people cheering for Twain? He should only get on the headlines if he can’t win against teams like that. Personally, I think that everyone should reserve their praises for Tony Twain until the day we play against a truly strong team. Until then, people should not think that Tony Twain would definitely lead England to glory…”

Which teams are regarded as a truly strong team?

“… I would consider teams like France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina as strong teams I suppose…”

※※※

June is the time where many football clubs reap what they sowed throughout the past season. Most league competitions have entered the final stages of competition, and most of the football clubs should know their fates for the next season after working hard for the past few months. For the teams who are fighting to be crowned champions, for the teams who wish to qualify for next season’s Europa or Champions League, for the teams who are fighting to avoid relegation… June is the month where they know the answer to their respective fates.

In the past, Twain would have been under the most psychological stress during this period of time. It would also be the period of time where he is the busiest and most exhausted. However, the tides have turned and now he is able to sit at the stands with his hands before his chest and simply observe what happens without a care in the world. He no longer cared about the Premier League title that so many different football teams fought for. He did not care about who won the other competitions and neither did he care about which teams were going to be relegated… He was just there to watch it all unfold before him as a spectator.

David Kerslake has proven that he has what it takes to become a good manager of a football team. Nottingham Forest might not have been able to become champions, but they were able to successfully qualify for the Champions League under his guidance. This is a really good result considering what Forest was doing in the summer before the season started.

Coming in at fourth place would mean that last season’s Champions League winners have to play in a qualifier to get a spot in next season’s Champions League. However, no one associated with Nottingham Forest saw it as a form of humiliation. All the Nottingham media outlets were elated at how things have turned out.

Forest went through a turbulent and unforgettable season. They changed managers midway through the season, and they were also kicked out of the FA and EFL Cups early. They were even positioned outside of the top 10 in the Premier League once, and they were also eliminated from the Champions League after scraping their way into the Round of 16. Despite all those bad results, Kerslake was still able to lead the team to fourth place in the Premier League, and that was ample proof of his abilities as a manager.

It is rumored that Evan Doughty is considering giving Kerslake a long term contract as the manager of Nottingham Forest. To Twain, that would be the most correct decision that Doughty has ever made in the past season.

It is true that Kerslake is not some reputable manager who has achieved stellar results in the past. But, he is a part of Nottingham Forest, and he is able to get along with most of the players easily due to this status. In addition, he is also able to communicate well with the players as he is familiar with them and they are also familiar with him.

To Evan Doughty, Kerslake is a suitable candidate for the managerial position. He must definitely be regretting how he has failed to notice such a talented manager who was right there in front of him the whole time. He only knew to look in the distance, and that is why he has failed to see the pebble at his foot, and it is also why he has fallen on all fours afterwards.

Kerslake is not the kind of manager who has an immensely unique personality. He is also not the kind of manager who would talk back to his superior, even if his superior threw a temper and lashed at him. One would have a good idea of his temper by looking at how he served Tony Twain back then.

Kerslake, who is known as the ‘Good Guy’, would certainly not say a word about the chairperson’s interference in the club’s footballing matters either, and that is also his greatest strength. Additionally, he loves Forest more than Tony Twain, and he would never leave the job like Twain did even if he was unfairly treated.

It is even rumored that he rejected Twain’s offer to become his assistant manager for the England national team. It would be hard to find another obedient manager like Kerslake who could still lead the team to victory.

Forest’s chairperson has regained his confidence after experiencing consecutive setbacks over the past few months. He was certain that the Nottingham Forest fans would definitely forget the name ‘Tony Twain’ in a season’s time.

11 years ago, he viewed Manchester United as his role model. But now, his new role model is Florentino Pérez, who is the president of Real Madrid Football Club. Pérez is known as ‘Real Madrid’s Godfather’, and he also has the ability to deceive the masses with his words.

In Evan’s eyes, Pérez epitomizes what a successful chairperson or president of a football club should be like.

He has long forgotten about the bitterness and humiliation he received at the Bernabéu Stadium a year ago.

The reason why he looks up to Real Madrid is because they would still be one of the most influential football teams in the world even if they failed to become champions of the Champions League.

Transfer news associated with Real Madrid would always hog the headlines and seize the attention of football fans all over the world. Additionally, the players are able to stir up a storm wherever they go. They are seen and treated as idols by countless people, and they are also able to make an entire country go crazy over them.

This is exactly the kind of influence that Evan Doughty dreams of having.

When Twain left Forest, Evan Doughty reflected about why his team was less influential than Arsenal globally. In the end, he figured that the blame was on Tony Twain. It was because of Twain that they were not able to have many superstar players in the team. After all, Twain was the biggest superstar in the club. Why would he allow others to come in and steal his spotlight?

Every time Evan hoped to bring in a superstar player with lots of influence into the team, Twain would always say that his current team structure is flawless, and that he did not need those superstar players to come in and ruin the atmosphere in the locker room.

Twain’s words have really caused him to miss out on acquiring numerous superstar players for the team all these years…

Look at how Real Madrid is raking in so much money in Asia!

So what if they can’t win the Champions League? They have the money and the power!

Evan Doughty could only sigh at those thoughts.

Forest has finally found a new captain for their ship. Manchester United, on the other hand, has finally reclaimed the title of Premier League champions under the guidance of Mourinho after missing out for so many years.

Mourinho has proven through his results that he is not inferior to Tony Twain, and that he is a manager who is capable of leading his team to become champions.

The finals for the Champions League was played in Milan. Real Madrid might have lost to Nottingham Forest the previous season, but they successfully lifted the tenth Champions League trophy in their club’s history by beating Italy’s powerhouse team, Juventus, at the San Siro Stadium.

Real Madrid waited for a total of 13 years just to lift the Champions League trophy once again. They have gone through a transformation to bring the number from ‘nine’ to ‘ten’, and now, they are the unprecedented ten-time champions of the Champions League.

To Evan Doughty, Real Madrid is no longer just a team that is rich and powerful. They are now a team that is rich, powerful and that has just been crowned champions.