Godfather Of Champions

The media were full of news about Twain’s triumphant comeback, and no one could stop talking of it. There were people who liked him and people who disliked him, but nobody could ignore him.

Every flattering word that was invented since humans had started using written language was directed at Twain. Reporters loved complimenting him these days. Now that Twain was popular, saying good things about him could attract more readers and viewers.

There was another matter that added to his glory. In December, the British royal family issued an announcement stating the names of those who would receive an honor from the Queen on January 1. Tony Twain’s name was, astonishingly, on the list.

Britain issued royal honors twice a year, once on the first day of the year in January and the other time on the Queen’s birthday. The Order of the British Empire was awarded in recognition of those who had made outstanding contributions to the United Kingdom in various fields, such as culture, sports, and economy. Many people in the football world had received the honor, so it was not an extraordinary thing.

However, the controversy surrounding Twain when it came to the question of whether he should receive the honor has existed for a long time. In fact, after Twain led Nottingham Forest to win the Treble, it had been recommended that he should be given the honor for his outstanding contribution. Seeing how the Scottish manager, Ferguson, was awarded the Order of the British Empire by the Queen after leading Manchester United to win the Treble, how could Twain, the most successful of all England’s home-grown managers, not be honored the same way?

However, many people opposed the proposal at the time. The arguments against it were absurd – the opponents stated that the Treble win was not enough for Twain to receive the Order of the British Empire. In fact, it was simply an excuse. Ferguson was also awarded the Order of the British Empire after he led the team to win the Treble. In that case, why was Twain’s achievement not enough? In fact, the real reason was not that Twain’s achievements were not enough to receive the honor, but his dubious character and foul mouth. Many people thought that if the Order of the British Empire were awarded to such a figure, it would be national disgrace…

This might sound unbelievable, but it received a lot of support from many people at the time, including the sports minister and the Prime Minister himself. This went to show how terrible Tony Twain’s reputation was in the country.

Fortunately, Twain himself was not interested in the honor. He never sang the anthem when he led the national team during the games. The honor meant little to him. Therefore, even though the debate over whether he was eligible for the title of “Sir” continued, he himself had turned a deaf ear. Being awarded the Order of the British Empire and receiving the title of “Sir” would not make him more money and could not lead him to make a full recovery from his heart disease overnight. He did not care for the empty title, whether he had it or not. He was fine either way.

Later, when he led the England national team to win the first UEFA European Championship in the country’s history, the media mentioned the matter of the award again. Supporters thought the history-making championship title should qualify Twain to receive the honor. This time, the opponents did not say that his achievements were insufficient. They simply said that Twain’s words and conduct did not conform to the code of a British Knight. Didn’t Tony Twain despise authority? In that case, there was no reason to award him the Order of the British Empire…

The opposition was still strong, and Twain himself did not fight it, so the matter died down again.

However, Twain’s supporters were not happy. They even set up a group calling for Twain to receive the honor. The group was known as “Twain for Knighthood”, occasionally appeared in public, and petitioned for Twain to receive the honor.

It was not until the 2018 World Cup that things finally took a turn for the better.

“If a man had led a club to win almost all the championships that a football club can win, as well as leading the national team to win the highest honor of all, and still he is not awarded the Order of the British Empire by the Queen, it must be a scandal in the British Empire!” This was not a statement issued by a certain media outlet, but something that was said by a member of the British Parliament.

The remark called on the third appeal for Twain to receive the honor.

Three UEFA Champions League titles, three Premier League trophies, one EFL Cup, one FA Cup, two Football Association Community Shield cups, two UEFA Super Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA European Championship title, one FIFA Confederations Cup, one FIFA World Cup… Twain had gained them all.

The Nottingham Evening Post even ran a special issue featuring the photographs of all the honors Twain had received, and then it questioned the opponents, “If these honors and contributions cannot make Tony Twain a knight, how many people do you think are eligible to be honored throughout the United Kingdom?”

The Times also published an editorial pointing out that in today’s British society, peerages were becoming devalued and the intrinsic value was getting lower, leaving only the use of honors as incentives. With the numerous confers of titles, even the most basic purpose of it was becoming cheap. Someone who donated a large sum of money to the government could receive the Order of the British Empire. For such a person to receive knighthood or Order of the British Empire, it could only reduce the prestige of the British royal family and ultimately render it worthless. In such a context, it was a great irony that some people who had truly made outstanding contributions to the government and country were not awarded the title due to such reasons.

Although the editorial did not mention Twain’s name throughout, any fool could see that they were on Twain’s side. This year, Twain must be included when it came to outstanding contributions. After he led his team to win the World Cup in Australia, he not only greatly boosted the confidence of the British people, but also enhanced the reputation of the United Kingdom. This even stimulated the British economy. With such accomplishments, it was really inexplicable to people that there was still controversy around the prospect of him being given the honor.

People even wrote letters to the Queen, imploring her to honor Twain.

It was through the efforts of these people that Twain’s name appeared on the list of honorees, and it was said the Queen herself had personally decided this.

Nevertheless, Twain did not intend to accept…

※※※

Long after the first recommendation for the honor was rejected, Twain knew that many people at the top level of the country did not like him. However, he had not like the country either. As a traditional Chinese man who “lived” in a British host, he was not interested in such a thing as the award. He had not thought to fight for his rights.

The second time that the recommendation was rejected reinforced Twain’s disdain for the royal family as well as his contempt for the so-called peerage. A hundred years ago, perhaps such a peerage still held some attraction. Now that any Tom, Dick, and Harry could be honored, he had no need to shamelessly push for it. Twain was never a man who liked to get in on the action.

As for the third time… His supporters finally put him on the list of honorees, but he was disinterested in the farce.

“Do I have to call you Uncle Sir in the future?” Shania looked at the list in the newspaper and teased her husband.

Twain shrugged it off and gave her an unexpected answer, “You won’t have that opportunity, my dear.”

“Huh?” Shania did not understand what he meant.

“I intend to refuse the honor.”

“What…” Shania’s mouth was agape. She was shocked.

“It’s not that surprising, is it?” Twain was amused by Shania’s reaction. “More than three hundred people in history had refused the Queen’s award of honor. I will be just one of them.”

“I just don’t understand why,” Shania pouted.

“If I had been awarded the Order of the British Empire on the first occasion, perhaps I would have been happy to accept it in front of the Queen as an honor like a championship trophy. Now my mindset is different. The medal is currently not an honor to me, but a charity. I don’t want it,” Twain pointed to the list in Shania’s hand and sneered.

Shania smiled as she looked at Twain. She was not British and naturally did not look at it from the perspective of a British national honor. Anyway, it was just a title. Since her husband said he did not want it, then the matter was settled.

“Anyway, it’s a medal for you, so you can do as you please.” Shania tossed the newspaper aside and put her hands around Twain’s neck. She looked at him with affection in her eyes and then moved her body closer as she gently caressed Twain’s chest.

※※※

Pierce Brosnan was shocked when he received an e-mail from Twain about his so-called “open letter.” Then he immediately called Twain.

“Tony, what are you thinking?”

“Huh?” Twain was not really awake yet and made a confused sound.

“I’m referring to the matter of your rejection of the honor… What the hell are you thinking?” Brosnan was holding tightly the “open letter” he had just printed out. The paper made a loud rustling sound when he trembled as he spoke.

“What am I thinking? I’m not interested in the common and tacky knighthood. It’s as simple as that, Pierce.” Twain stretched and got up from the bed. He turned his head to look at his wife, who was still sound asleep. He pulled the blanket over her and walked out in his pajamas.

It was very cold on the early December morning. He walked to the terrace, where the cold wind that was blowing in his face completely woke him up.

“Common and tacky? Tony, Don’t you know the significance of the honor?” Brosnan thought it must be because Twain had not woken up yet and was talking nonsense.

“Perhaps it was meaningful many years ago, Pierce. Now it’s meaningless. Even the owners of a fast-food chain can be awarded the Order of the British Empire. In a few years’ time, even the parents of newborn babies could reserve a spot ahead. With two thousand names a year, how many people in the UK do you think have not been awarded? Then again… I appreciate all your efforts to get me the award of honor. However, I don’t want this type of honor that smacks of charity. Am I a man who can’t live without the Order of the British Empire and the title of ‘Sir?’ Do you think I care about an insignificant thing like knighthood now that I’ve won so many championships?”

“Er…” Brosnan was rendered speechless by Twain’s words. He knew that Twain was an unruly man. It had not changed with his increasing age. However, he did not expect Twain to act this way with the British royal family…

“Don’t you think it’s such a pity, though, Tony?” Brosnan asked timidly.

“How can it be a pity? At best, I would be called ‘Sir Anthony.’ I don’t think the people who did not respect me before will respect me just because I have a title. I don’t think the people who have always liked me before will stop liking me if I do not become a Sir. I’m still who I am, I’m Tony Twain.” Twain gazed into the distance in the east. The sun was rising, and the brilliant rays lit up the eastern skies and horizon while the white mist in the forest rose and rolled, making it look like a fairytale land.

What else could Brosnan have to say when he brought up this point? Twain was right. He was who he was. He was Tony Twain, so no one could change the decision he made. Even if he were to set himself against the world, all anyone could do was choose to stand with him or against him.

“You’re going to make the royal family feel a great humiliation,” muttered Brosnan.

“That’s the result I want, haha!” Twain put a hand on his hip and guffawed loudly. “Some people did everything they could to make sure that I didn’t get the title. Now they see this as a form of charity and peace offering to me. I’ll tell them: let your self-righteous pride go to hell!”

Putting down the phone, Brosnan looked at the open letter in his hand and gave a sigh. He remembered a past event.

Before Twain, Nottingham Forest’s equally controversial manager, Brian Clough, who led the Forest team to two Champions League titles and had impressive accomplishments, was not awarded a title by the royal family either. There were rumors that Clough himself refused the royal invitation for the honor, and some people said that the unruly old man disapproved of the government at that time. In any case, when people proposed the honor again after Clough’s death, the matter was dropped because the Order of the British Empire and a peerage was not allowed to be conferred posthumously. In this way, Clough and the highest honor available to the British civilian population narrowly missed each other.

Fifteen years later, another Nottingham Forest manager, Tony Twain, also refused the royal honor. Was it fate?

Thinking further, nearly five hundred years ago, an unruly outlaw who felt contempt authority also appeared in this land. He led his men to go against the noble masters of the time, robbed the rich to help the poor, wandering the woods in the mountains with freedom.

Maybe this country has a tendency to produce this kind of characters…

Whether it was Robin Hood, Clough, or now Twain, they were all outlaws who were unruly, dared to challenge authority, and advocated freedom.

No matter what the outside world thought of them, their legendary stories would always spread through the lush Sherwood Forest. They were the heroes here.

※※※

A day later, the open letter written by Twain himself was sent to the Nottingham Evening Post and immediately caused a stir.

In the letter, Twain thanked the British royal family and the friends who campaigned for the honor. However, he made it clear that he would reject the title. As for the reasons for the rejection, he did not say that the current intrinsic value and authority of the peerage had become increasingly lower, even though everyone knew it. His reasons were much stronger than this.

“…I know a lot of people do not want me to be honored. They think I do not deserve it, and I do not wish to comment on that. I just want to say that I never wanted to receive any Order of the British Empire from the start – have any of you seen me come out and speak up for myself during such debates? No, because I did not want it at all. Are those people who were against me disappointed now? Of course, I would like to thank my friends who have advocated for the honor on my behalf. However, I don’t want to go against my principles – I do not want to be addressed as ‘Sir Anthony’, and I do not want to make myself look like a beggar who has been given charity to satisfy others. I am who I am, I am Tony Twain. I have a better reward than an unimportant Order of the British Empire – 15 years as a manager and 16 championship trophies. I don’t need to rely on a peerage to show my worth and make everyone know my achievements. In the face of them, everyone will agree that I am Britain’s… no, the world’s best football manager.

Therefore, for all the reasons mentioned above, I refuse to accept this honor.”

Although many people had refused the honor from the British royal family for various reasons, it was the first time that someone had done it as arrogantly as Twain. His manifesto was so potent that it incited a huge response across Britain.

Once again, people experienced his recalcitrance.

The Sun later commented:

“…He did not open his mouth to strike back in the face of numerous doubting voices in the media after his comeback. He did not give a slap to those people who laughed at him after losing the first game. All this made us think that the 50-year-old Tony Twain was getting old, that he had lost his sharpest teeth and claws, and was meek like a kitten.

However, we were wrong. It was just that he did not meet an opponent worthy enough for him to make a move.

Now, as for the British royal family, the opponent’s name is impressive enough, as well as qualified enough to be his adversary. So once again we meet with the familiar Tony Twain, the guy who is used to set himself against the world.”

“A genius is always different from ordinary people.” Lineker talked about the incident with Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson on the television show and said this, “I admit that the appeal of the peerage to the public is declining every year. However, there are still a lot of people who want to receive such an award every year. 2,000 places are still not enough. Under such circumstances, it is incomprehensible that Twain should give up the honor. However, he cannot be understood using an ordinary person’s thinking. The comments I have heard the most since the matter came out were ‘Why?’, ‘Why did he say no?’, ‘Why would he write such an arrogant open letter?’, ‘Why would he employ such a high-profile method of rejection?’… Many ‘whys.’ It seems to me that it would be foolish to ask Twain why. He never needs a reason to do things. If you must find a reason, then I can only say that he was probably in a bad mood, or in too good of a mood …”

The Nottingham Evening Post even gave Twain the title of “The King Without A Crown” and wrote, “…Although I personally regret that I can’t address Twain as ‘Sir Anthony’, it is just as Twain himself said: with 15 years of coaching and 16 major championship trophies, Twain no longer needs a knighthood to honor him for his accomplishments. He is, without a doubt, ‘The King without a Crown!’”