Godfather Of Champions

The Forest team suffered two consecutive defeats in the league tournament. The most immediate effect was that their ranking fell.

When Twain used to play the Football Manager video game, there had been times when he had led the team to win in a row before. He thought since the team had a winning streak and ranked first, he would be many points ahead of the second place team. However, he checked the league table and found that the difference between him and the second place team was only three or five points. He was quite surprised and thought that the computer had an unfair system.

Twain was now deeply aware that it was not a trick by the computer, but a fact of the football tournament.

When his team had the best opening in history with a five-game winning streak plus nine rounds of being undefeated after the start of the new season, he thought that there would be a wide gap between first and second place. He did not expect to lose two consecutive games and have the Forest team fall from first to third.

Arsenal, who had been close on their heels, took the opportunity to take the top spot in the league, while Manchester United, who also had twenty-six points, came in second because their number of goals scored was fewer than Arsenal’s. Manchester City and Forest had the same number of points with twenty-five points. Manchester City was in fourth place because they had fewer scored goals than the Forest team.

Liverpool was fifth with twenty-one points after eleven rounds of games.

Chelsea, in sixth place, was led by Mourinho. The team that had been impressive and boundless for several years, had encountered a lot of trouble. The contradiction between Abramovich and Mourinho, the contradiction between Mourinho and the technical advisor, Avram Grant, and the contradiction within the locker room. In short, there were many contradictions. If Chelsea had not won big against Manchester City with 6:0 in the 11th round, the media speculated that Mourinho’s days at Stamford Bridge would have come to an end.

Chelsea’s situation made everyone think that Mourinho would be dismissed in the next round of the league tournament, but every time the next round came, people found that the person sitting in the Chelsea manager’s seat was still him.

Manchester City’s surprising breakout at the start of the season squeezed them into the top four, but Twain did not take this team seriously. An upstart team like Manchester City lacked adequate inner substance and stability. Their lack in this area was bound to lead to ups and downs within the team over the long season. One of the most important things a team needed was stability. An unstable team would be knocked out midway through the season. In Twain’s view, Manchester City was bound to fall behind in the later part of the league tournament. Their crushing 0:6 defeat by Chelsea was a sign.

The traditional strong teams in the Premier League — Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea — were what Twain cared about. Only these four teams could pose a huge threat to the Forest team’s goals this season.

Incidentally, before this season, Twain wrote in his column that the team’s focus for the season was the league tournament. He did not state he was going to win the league tournament, but everyone knew that was what he meant. After he achieved the Champions League title, it was typical to want to take the league title.

Based on last season, no one would say that it was Twain’s pipe dream. Instead, they paid more attention, so the resistance that the Forest team faced in the league became stronger.

You said that you want take the league title, but you’re so arrogant and take us lightly, so we will show you how good we are in the league!

With two consecutive defeats in the league tournament, the Forest team gave their opponents hope. They all wanted to take advantage of the situation to widen the gap. Because it was the time for the Forest team’s devil’s calendar. The “devil’s calendar” did not mean that the Forest team needed to play two or three games a week, but that the Forest team’s recent opponents were not weak. In the 10th round, they played against Manchester United at home and Liverpool in an away game. They lost both games. They would play against Tottenham Hotspur in the 12th round in an away challenge, a home game against Chelsea in the 13th round, an away game against Arsenal in the 14th round and a home ground challenge against Manchester City in the 15th round.

Many people looked from October 20th to December 1st when the calendar came out. It was back to back games between the strong Premier League teams. The fans looked forward to such a period so that they would have wonderful games to watch. The Premier League broadcast understood the feelings of the fans. So, when they arranged the competition calendar and broadcast schedule, the game times of these strong teams were staggered. That way, the fans could watch all the wonderful games without missing one.

The fans were delighted but the Forest team was miserable.

There was also a Champions League group match to play. And because they did not win the first two games, they had to play well in the next three games if they wanted to prevent the awkward situation of “the defending champion team not being able to advance” from really happening. Winning was the only way out. It was hard to say what would happen when they were under the pressure of competing in two tournaments at the same time.

※※※

In the 12th round of the league tournament, the Forest team went away to challenge Tottenham Hotspur. Compared with several other opponents in the devil’s calendar, Tottenham Hotspur was considered a weaker team. They were the Forest team’s only chance to receive a respite in the devil’s calendar — if they could beat Tottenham, they could stop the team from slipping further and find a spot to survive in the squeeze among the powerful teams.

But if they were to lose to Tottenham Hotspur, their situation would become very dangerous. Mourinho’s Chelsea would definitely not let go of the chance to beat them while they were down, not to mention his urgent need to use a victory to strengthen his position. Although given Abramovich’s character, Twain wondered even if Mourinho had brought back the Champions League trophy, he might still have been fired due to their conflicts.

Arsenal had no reason to let the Forest team off on their own home ground. The prospects of the rising Nottingham Forest team were limitless the past two seasons, shrouding the prospects of the traditional strong teams. Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea had all lost to Twain. Although their personal relationship was not bad, Wenger would not have any qualms during the game. No, Manager Wenger’s care would be to beat his “arrogant and conceited” friend on his own home ground.

With the pressure to score a victory, the Forest team went to North London. Eventually, they beautifully defeated Tottenham Hotspur with a score of 3:1 at White Hart Lane stadium.

This was a crucial win, so Twain was pretty excited when he celebrated the victory at White Hart Lane stadium in front of many home fans. It drew some criticism after the game, with some people arguing that his brash action was disrespectful to his opponent. Twain did not care. Such criticism was as commonplace for him as eating. He would hurl all the critical voices behind him, like excrement.

Some media outlets wanted to become famous by rebuking him, so he would not give them that chance.

Twain used a rotation in this game, but not all eleven players were rotated. He relied on half of his main players and half on substitutes to win against Tottenham Hotspur in the away game and warm up for the midweek Champions League game.

On November 6th, Nottingham Forest would host Beşiktaş, the team that proved to be the weakest in the group, at home. If they wanted to determine their spot in the advancement out of the group and lay a solid foundation for a smooth ride through the league’s “devil’s calendar,” they had to win the game. Therefore, despite the fact that it was a home match and the opponent’s strength was not powerful, Twain decided to deploy the main force and use the strongest lineup to welcome the opponent. After all, they were guests who traveled a long way.

※※※

Twain had not forgotten that there was one more thing to finish before this game.

After he ate a lunch meticulously prepared by Shania, the pair watched the sports news on the television: Turkey’s Beşiktaş team had arrived in Nottingham.

While the two of them watched the news, the red iPhone, placed on the coffee table after Twain turned it back on, rang out with a melodious musical sound, which was a popular pop song “God Is A Girl” from the German band Groove Coverage.

Both of their eyes were suddenly attracted by the cell phone. Twain did not immediately get up to pick up the call. Shania bit a spoon with a smirk on her face. “The beautiful creditor comes knocking at the door.”

Twain glared at her before he got up to answer the phone.

Instead of taking the cell phone upstairs, he sat on the couch. “Hello? Ah… yes. Have you arrived at Nottingham? Well… This evening? Right now?” Twain glanced at the dining table somewhat awkwardly. “But I haven’t eaten yet, madam. You want to buy me lunch? Uh…” This time Twain glanced at Shania.

To his disappointment, Shania was eating with her head down and did not notice his meaningful glance.

“Er…” He hesitated again.

Shania finally spoke. “It’s all right, Uncle Tony. You go ahead.” Then she raised her head and smiled at Twain. “But you have to leave and come back early. Watch out for the reporters.”

Twain nodded and agreed to the offer over the phone. He also confirmed the location of the meeting. Then he put on his coat, put the cell phone in his pocket, and used his own phone to call to Landy James to pick him up.

While waiting for the cab, Twain sat down again at the dining table and ate his meal.

Shania felt a little surprised. “Didn’t someone invite you to lunch? Why are you still eating? You’re not going to be able lunch later.”

“I have a big appetite. People gave me the nickname “King of Appetites.” Twain patted his stomach. Compared to when he had just transmigrated here, this body now had a small belly. So he was not lying when he said he could eat.

Shania did not smile at Twain. She reached for the remote control and switched the television channel to the news station.

“Since when do you care about the international events?” Twain asked with a laugh.

Shania rolled her eyes at him. “Since now.”

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Just then a car horn sounded outside the house. He was saved by the bell.

Twain hurriedly took his leave.

※※※

In the car, Twain remembered that he had forgotten to ask the cell phone owner’s name and about her appearance. How would he recognize her later?

He found that he worried for nothing. He had just gotten out of the car when a fashionably dressed young woman came up to him and asked, “excuse me, are you… Mr. Tony Twain?”

Twain thought it was strange that a stranger would know him, and he nodded. “Yes, I am. You are…”

“I’m the owner of that.” After she confirmed his identity, the woman’s tone of speech was not as careful. She introduced herself by pointing to the red phone in Twain’s hand.

“Ah…” Twain quickly looked at the woman in front of him. He wanted to see what a crazy fan who dared to smash him with her own phone looked like. Under the neon lights on the street, Twain found that the woman had a head of glossy, black, curly hair and regular features. Although she could not be considered an exceptional beauty, she was dignified.

He looked at her clothing as she stood on the side of the road, holding a small purse. She could be from a wealthy family.

Could anyone imagine her face covered with face paint and middle finger extended as she pouted to rain curses of “F**k you” and do something like throwing a cell phone to smash someone in the back of the head?”

It was impolite of Twain to stare for a long time, except he was shocked at the great contrast between the two images and did not realize. The other’s face had darkened, but she could not easily flare up because her beloved cell phone was still in the hands of the other man. She cleared her throat, “Mr. Twain!”

“Ah… Oh! I’m sorry.” Twain averted his gaze. Why should I apologize? Isn’t the shen going to apologize to me in person this evening? “Well, I just did not think that… a beautiful lady like yourself, who wanted to hit my head with a cell phone, is actually a fanatical fan. For a moment, I could not accept this cruel reality and was lost in my thoughts. But this… damn it.” he swore under his breath. “You know I’m Tony Twain, but I don’t know who you are. That’s not fair, is it?”

“It’s rude to rush to ask a lady’s name, swear in front of a lady, and stare at a lady without turning your eyes away, Mr. Twain,” she responded in a cold tone.

“Hey.” Twain turned around and walked toward Landy’s can parked by the road.

She did not think that Tony Twain would quickly turn hostile, and hurriedly gave chase. “Aren’t you going to return my cell phone?”

“I’m sorry, madam. I said if you apologize in good faith, I’ll return it. But you don’t even want to tell me your name, and I can’t be too bothered with you. This cell phone…” Twain raised the phone in his hands. “I’m keeping it.” With that, he opened the car door and was about to step in.

The woman reacted swiftly and tucked her hands between the door and the car. If Twain were to close it, she would surely hurt her hand.

“All right, all right, I apologize, I sincerely apologize to you, and in order to fully express my sincerity, I’ll also invite you to lunch.” She pointed to the Turkish restaurant not far behind her. “I’ve already made a reservation.”

Twain turned his head and looked at her. “Can you tell me your name now, madam?”

The woman said with some reluctance, “Shila Amzah.”

Twain put his feet out of the car and then said to Landy, who sat in front to watch the show, “sorry, Landy, it looks like you’ll have to wait a little longer.”

Landy laughed. “It’s okay. Just do what you have to do, Tony!”

Twain closed the car door and turned to look at the woman. “Madam Amzah…”

“I’m not married, yet, and I’m quite young.”

“Very well, Miss Amzah. Your appearance really made it impossible for me to reconcile you as a football hooligan…”

“I’m not a football hooligan! Only the British Empire produced and exported such things,” she mocked.

She did not expect that Twain would not mind to her ridicule of his native land and did not counter with any sarcastic comment. He merely nodded. “Well, you were just an ordinary fan who were caught up in the heat of the moment. I’m grateful that you kept your promise, so…” Twain took the cell phone from his hand and placed it into her hand. “I’m also a man of my words as well. It’s yours again, Miss Amzah.”

He opened the car door and intended to get in. This time, instead of putting her hand between the car door, she looked at him oddly and asked, “did I not make myself clear? I said I would invite you to lunch as a sign of my sincerity. The reservation had been made. Don’t you believe me? Mr. Tony Twain.”

Twain closed the car door, poked his head out, and said to the astonished-looking Shila Amzah, “I am sorry, thank you for your sincerity. Of course, I believe you, Miss Amzah, and I do not doubt at all the sincerity of such a beautiful young lady.” Twain smiled at her, which was the first time he had smiled since they met.

“Oh, I know, it’s because I’m a fan of the Beşiktaş team, and you’re Nottingham Forest’s… manager, so it’s not convenient for us to eat together, is it?” While she said that, Shila Amzah suddenly realized that he was the manager of her team’s opponent.

Twain shook his head. “No, it has nothing to do with who I am and whom I’m going to eat with.” He thought and added. “I can’t have lunch now because, um, because… someone’s waiting for me to eat at home. We were having lunch when you called.”

Amzah nodded, with a look of dawning realization. Twain knew she was going to get it wrong, and as expected… “I see, it turned out that Mr. Twain’s wife is waiting for you. I understand this very well.” Shila Amzah clapped. “Well then, I’ll… well, is it convenient to leave your cell phone number, Mr. Twain?”

“Why do you want my phone number? You’re not interested in me, are you, Miss Amzah?” Twain quipped with a grin. Since she could misunderstand him, he did not mind taking the opportunity to fight back.

“Who would like a man with a wife?” Amzah rolled her eyes at Twain. “I’m just… well, I just don’t think that Mr. Twain is like what you’re rumored to be, um…”

Twain smiled. “Hey, what’s the rumor about me?”

“You’re a demon with long horns, wings, a tail, fiery eyes, fangs for teeth, and a tongue longer than a woman’s braids.” When Amzah tilted her head to the side, her girlish expression looked somewhat lovely.

“Did the Turkish media say that, too? The media all over the world are the same, unimaginative…” Twain sighed. “If I’m a real demon, then the Forest team wouldn’t have had to play so hard in İnönü Stadium.”

“But you guys won in the end, and our disturbances did not affect you at all! I know your British media labeled the Turkish stadium as ‘Hell’s stadium.’ But you made it back alive. If you’re not a demon, then what are you?”

Sitting at the front and secretly listening in on the conversation, Landy, the driver, could not help but laugh. Twain glanced at him and turned around to say goodbye to Amzah. “It’s a pity you’re not a Forest fan, Miss Amzah. I think I kind of like you… Ah, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that kind of like. It’s just that my opinion of you has changed, just like you’ve changed your view of me. Very nice to meet you, my phone number is…” He gave her his cell phone number.

“Well, goodbye, beautiful Miss Turkey.” Twain waved to Shila Amzah, standing by the side of the road, and motioned for Landy to drive.

“Goodbye, Mr. Demon.” Amzah held her red iPhone as she waved to Twain. Will there be a chance to meet again in the future? Probably not… No, it’s actually easy to see him, if I watch sports news and read sports newspapers, I will always see him.

※※※

Sitting inside the car, Landy suddenly asked, “Tony, when she misunderstood you and Shania, why didn’t you explain?” Landy was one of the few people who knew that Shania was living in Twain’s place. He was aware of Shania’s identity and knew the relationship between the two of them, so he found it strange.

Twain leaned against the back seat, turned his head to look out of the window at the night view and muttered, “how do you explain that? It’s really hard to explain this sort of thing. It’s not something that can be explained in one or two sentences. If she’s going to misunderstand, then let her misunderstand. I don’t care what people think of me.”

Twain twisted back to see Landy open his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but did not say it.

“What do you want to say?” he asked.

“No, nothing… It’s just that I think that lady was very cute.”

“Focus on your driving. You’re going to run a red light if you keep thinking about women.”

Landy chuckled. “Believe me, Tony, I’m an experienced driver. You’re a big shot, and you’re always in my cab when you need to go somewhere. It’s not very nice for your image.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m too lazy to find my own parking space, and can’t be bothered to worry about washing and maintaining a car. When I want to go out, I just give you a call and you’re here. How nice is that?” Twain said as he looked at Landy in the rearview mirror. “I’m quite a lazy man and you’re aware of that, Landy.”

But Landy knew that Twain could not be lazy. He was taking care of his own business.

“Thank you, Tony.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for letting me see the Forest team pick up the Champions League trophy again.”

“Ha! The championship trophy? If you want, I’ll get it again! As many as you want!” Twain and Landy both laughed.

※※※

When the door to the house was opened, Shania was surprised to see Tony Twain. She turned her head and looked at the quartz clock hanging on the wall. “It’s only been half an hour… You guys ate so fast?”

Twain did not answer. Instead, he took off his coat, walked in and looked at the empty table. Then he turned around and asked, “where’s lunch?”

“I’m done eating, the rest…” Shania watched Twain walk into the kitchen and open the refrigerator. “There’s no need to look. I threw the rest away.”

“Ah…” Twain whined plaintively. “It’s not right to waste food, Shania.”

Shania stopped watching television and got up from the couch. She tilted her head and followed him into the kitchen. “Haven’t you had your fill?”

“I did not eat lunch.” Twain stubbornly rummaged through the fridge, but he could not find anything except a few bottles of beer.

When Shania did not speak, he crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side.

Twain noticed Shania’s expression. He turned to look at her. “What are you looking at?”

Shania suddenly smiled brightly and replied, “nothing. Are you hungry? I’ll make something for you! What would you like to eat? Fried eggs on toast, pasta with tomato sauce? Baked potatoes?”

Then, without waiting for Twain to answer, she busied herself with her apron, and hummed a tune that Twain did not know.

This time, it was Twain’s turn to stand beside her and look foolish.

— I got it! It turns out that Mr. Twain’s wife is waiting for you at home.

— Actually, it’s not my wife. It’s just… just a tenant who lives with me…

※※※

During the next night’s game, although a number of Turkish fans had arrived in Nottingham to cheer for Beşiktaş, Nottingham Forest, with its favorable conditions and timing, wildly flounced the leaderless Beşiktaş with a score of 8:0. They had no mercy.

The Forest team rained all their frustration from the league tournament down on Beşiktaş and set a new record of the Champions League’s widest margin with a score of 8:0. The previous record was held by Juventus in the 2003 season and Arsenal this season. They tied with AS Monaco’s record of eight goals for a single game set in 2003.

The cheers in the City Ground stadium went up a notch with every goal scored. By the end of the game, it was so loud that even the television commentator was unable to work properly. The atmosphere was not inferior to Istanbul’s İnönü stadium in any way.

The fanatical Forest fans declared to the Turkish fans with their actions that they could turn the City Ground stadium into a hell with their singing without having to throw litter onto the field or set off fireworks.

The day after the game, numerous media outlets reported on the huge score difference from the game.

The Turkish media lamented that one of the top three domestic powerhouses, Beşiktaş, was unexpectedly so vulnerable in Britain and was wiped out by the other team by eight goals. “Fresh blood flowed through the English Channel and dyed the Bosporus Strait and the Black Sea red. This is a disgraceful day for Beşiktaş!”

Pierce Brosnan, a columnist for the Nottingham Evening Post wrote an article to praise the great victory: “With the Demon Twain watching over the hell’s home ground, a bloodbath ensued.”

Amid a chorus of exclamations, only the Sun announced that they had a piece of news that was more astounding than the score of 8:0: “Twain’s second rumored girlfriend mysteriously shows up before the game!”

They had expected Twain to come to a press conference like the previous time to attack or clarify. However, Twain basically ignored them, giving them nothing. Other than a few media outlets reprinting the news, everyone was still more interested in the 8:0 game.

※※※

On a sunny morning, Shania waved a copy of The Sun, which had just been retrieved from the outside, and smiled at Twain. “Your rumored girlfriend, Uncle Tony! And it’s still the second one!”

Twain rolled his eyes at her. “When did we get a subscription of The Sun?”

Shania wrinkled her nose and snorted. “How could I possibly have known Uncle Tony’s latest exploits had it not been for the dedication of The Sun’s reporters?” She looked down again at the picture in the newspapers. “There are no pictures of you talking and laughing in the restaurant.”

“That’s because we didn’t have lunch together at all.” Twain spread both hands.

“Why not? She’s beautiful.”

“I returned her phone, said there was someone waiting for me at home to have lunch together, and came home. Only to find that you had threw away all the food!” Twain pretended to look angry.

However, Shania did not refute him, and just looked at her Uncle Tony with a grin.

※※※

Twain received a text message the night after the game ended. The caller’s ID was not displayed, and the number was unfamiliar.

“Mr. Demon, next time you have a chance to come to İnönü Stadium, be sure to have your helmet ready. The host will be very enthusiastic.”