Godfather Of Champions

Tang En had only just set foot into the UK when negotiations between Nottingham Forest Club and FC Porto regarding Pepe’s transfer began. The other relevant issues in relation to the matter proceeded as well.

Other than the negotiation between the two clubs, there was another matter that could not be ignored: Pepe’s work permit. Although Pepe has been playing football in Spain for numerous years, he held only Brazilian citizenship and was thus considered a non-EU player. As he was never fielded as a representative of the Brazilian National Team, he could not fulfill the 75% participation rate in senior international matches. If the transfer got blocked because of the work permit issue despite all three parties (the two clubs and the player himself) not having any problems with it, Tang En would be enraged. He had not had such problems when he was playing FM.

One thing that comforted him was the fact that Pepe’s application for Portuguese citizenship had been submitted.

If the application failed to go through on Portugal’s end, Tang En had one more ace up his sleeve: the Exceptional Talent Clause. The sole thing he was worried about was that no defender has been successful in applying for it since its establishment. The thought of having to make nice with the disgusting officials from the English Football Association also annoyed him deeply. The more time Tang En spend in the UK, and the more interactions he had with the FA, the more he felt that they, known as the “origins of modern football” and “world’s first professional football management,” were, in numerous repulsive aspects, remarkably like the Chinese Football Association.

Pedantic, foolish, inflexible, opinionated, bureaucratic, old-fashioned, conceited…

All of which were the “seven sins” of the English Football Association.

Unless it was truly necessary, Tang En did not want to have any dealings with that group of officials.

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As promised by Jorge Mendes, FC Porto did not impede the transfer of their fourth midfielder substitute. The price was also exactly four million Euros. Neither party needed to waste any time negotiating the transfer fee. They immediately proceeded to the step of discussing the player’s terms.

In truth, Tang En had long ago finished discussing the terms with Mendes. Pepe had authorized Mendes with full representative rights in all negotiations on his behalf. What followed was simple. Accompanied by Mendes, Pepe flew to Nottingham, England, where he received a full-body examination at Forest Club. The results of his examination took the sports medicine experts aback. Fleming’s words to Tang En were, “The boy does not appear particularly strong, but his physique is, in truth, near perfection. His body has terrifying abilities.”

Mendes had immense confidence in his player. Even then, listening to such an evaluation delighted him again.

Since he passed the body examination, both parties could officially sign the contract, after which the official website would announce the successful transfer of the player.

After signing, Tang En shook Pepe’s hand and said, “Welcome to Nottingham Forest, Pepe.”

“Mr. Twain, I am very happy to play on your team.”

“Don’t call me Mr. Twain. You can call me ‘Chief’ or ‘Boss’.” Tang En patted Pepe’s sturdy shoulders. “In England, that’s how the players address their manager. You’ll have to get used to it.”

“Okay… Chief.” A somewhat silly smile emerged on Pepe’s rounded face.

“You can continue your vacation now. The vacation period for the players has not ended yet. Additionally, if you have any requests for your future accommodations, you can let us know. The club will take them into consideration when we’re searching for a house for you,” Allan said, standing beside Tang En.

They had only just finished signing the papers. Pepe had not expected the club to already be considering those matters. He looked at Allan in surprise. Tang En said with a laugh, “The club has professionals in charge of managing your day-to-day issues. You don’t have to worry about your living situation here. All you need to do is one thing: play soccer; and play it well. I believe you will come to like this place.”

“I already like it here, Boss.”

Everyone in the room laughed.

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Evan had always seriously analyzed the differences in Forest’s competitiveness and loyalty-building of their players in comparison with other richer and more powerful teams. Trying to depend on their past glories and influence in the football scene to attract and retain players was clearly unworkable; Forest could not compete with the other powerhouses. To depend on high salaries for enticing players… Evan was not Abramovich. After much thought about it, they could probably, at their current stage, only put forth more effort in the minutest details to let their players feel that the club was truly thinking for them; to let them see it was a club worthy of their contributions.

Evan’s thoughts were inspired by Tang En’s prior request for him to fork out money in the club’s name to treat Wood’s mother and to arrange living accommodations for their family. Evan was a witness to its effects. Just spending some money for the medical treatment and an apartment allowed the club to gain a skilled midfielder who was on a rapid rise to fame within England. It was something that caused even Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and other powerhouses to be envious of them; Forest finally had something they coveted.

Although Forest’s aim was to enter the ranks of G14, they were undeniably still a small club. Evan recognized this, so he needed to put in a lot of work. Tang En’s mission was to train the team and play in matches. Allan was responsible for making money. And he, as the chairman, naturally had to think up ideas in his management of the club.

Tang En knew that Pepe was a player who prioritized his family. If he were to stay in a hotel after coming to Nottingham Forest, it would surely interfere with his performance. Giving him a fixed place to live in, even only a rental house, would stabilize Pepe’s condition. The club made sure to consider such day-to-day issues in the greatest detail and manage them to the best of their ability. In this manner, Pepe and other foreign players would be able to give their all in training, better contributing to the team.

Tang En frequently used a saying on the training grounds: the devil is in the details.

By paying attention to every little detail during training, the players would be able to do their best in every one of them during matches. Victory would then come naturally unless their luck turned out superbly bad.

That saying was also applicable to the management of the club. Evan hoped that Forest would become one of the most unique teams within the 20 clubs of the English Premier League. Other than just their results, there were many other aspects to them that were differentiated.

For proof, one only had to think about how FC Barcelona had managed to get Messi to stay with them wholeheartedly. It was not only because they were a powerhouse. It was more because the club sponsored Messi’s treatment for GHD (Growth Hormone Deficiency) and even arranged work for Messi’s father within the club to help with their financial difficulties.

Others in similar situations include Giovani dos Santos, wherein FC Barcelona had forked out funds for the education of his brothers and provided them a place to stay. Those details, while humanizing, were often neglected. When people shone a spotlight on the outstanding performances of those geniuses, very few would realize the painstaking efforts of the club behind it. And when those details accumulated, one by one, it would unleash an astounding power when needed: loyalty.

After taking over the position of the club’s chairman, Evan began a fervent investigation of the history and backstories of almost all the successful clubs within Europe. From the perspective of a businessman, the successful clubs could also be regarded as individual companies; each of the English Premier League clubs was also a type of private limited company. However, they differed slightly from a company in its ordinary meaning, as the projects managed by them and its clientele were special.

Since they were companies, they must have a corporate culture. In other words, the bearing of a club. Any successful club must have a certain something that stood apart from the others.

Unlike Real Madrid, Nottingham Forest did not have a lasting glorious history or international renown; they could not possibly set splendor or glory to be the core of their club. They were also not like Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao, who had a strong sense of regional identity. Regardless of their results, they would always have a humongous group of loyal supporters. Yet from another angle, Forest would not be able to compete with Liverpool’s tradition of a KOP spectator stand, and a past that rose and fell with both glory and dishonor.

Evan conducted a thorough investigation of Nottingham Forest’s history and made a depressing discovery. Other than having an ancient enough history, they did not have anything else that lasted throughout their time. Even the two consecutive years of glory winning the Champions League were not really the era of the club. It was more like the era of a sole person: Brian Clough’s era. From the establishment of Forest club till now, a duration of more than 140 years, it was difficult to identify Forest’s unique point.

Evan once discussed this with Allan and Tang En when they were eating together. Just as he was troubled over how Forest Team had no unique points, Tang En said something that brought him immediate clarity. “Isn’t it even better to not have any unique points? We’re like a piece of blank paper, you can draw or write anything you want. We can start from the beginning. You can build this club and brand with your personal flavor onto it. Some years down the road, when people think of Nottingham Forest, they will surely say that you were the one to pen its history. Won’t you feel an even greater sense of achievement from that rather than just carrying on the traditions of before?”

Evan became inspired. Although Nottingham Forest was only a small club now, it was nothing to be embarrassed about. In addition, being small came with its own advantages. Each time Evan saw Tony and the players joking without any regard to status or position on the training grounds, he would be sitting alone in his office equally amused. Nottingham Forest, with its 140 years of history, was doubtless a young football team. From the chairman of the club to the main manager of the team, and even to the average age of the footballers on the team, Nottingham Forest would be ranked number one within the 20 EPL teams for its youthfulness. Bound together, they were a young team filled with vigor and hope. Led by a manager who excelled at winning over people, they were running forward towards their goals. Without the backstabbing and politics within bigger clubs, everyone’s faces brimmed with brilliant smiles. Wasn’t that also remarkable?