Godfather Of Champions

“The former Chelsea manager, José Mourinho’s departure has caused a huge reaction in the football world. The inside details of his dismissal and candidates for his replacement have been the subject of the media hype these past two days. A group of Chelsea fans staged a small demonstration at the entrance of the Stamford Bridge stadium yesterday to protest the Chelsea club chairman, Abramovich’s dismissal of José Mourinho. Other teams’ managers have commented one by one, saying that Abramovich’s dismissal of José Mourinho is a step backward for football.”

Tony Twain’s face appeared on the television screen. He was standing at the gate of the Wilford training base and facing numerous reporters while he looked at the camera. “Dear Mr. Roman Abramovich, bleep-bleep”

When Sky TV broadcasted this video footage, they censored Twain’s crude language. However, everyone could guess what was silenced based on his lips —”F**k you.”

“Yesterday morning, Manager Twain’s comments caused some trouble for himself. The Nottingham Forest Football Club has already received an official letter of protest from Chelsea FC. They expressed a strong objection to the personal attack toward their club chairman by the Forest manager, Tony Twain, and stated that no one at Chelsea had reached out to Twain through any channels to send him an invitation to coach the team.”

The news that played on the television took place a day ago.

Twain’s big mouth got him into trouble again. Amid the news about José Mourinho, his crude language had secured valuable pages for himself. After he “cordially greeted” Abramovich in front of several media outlets, his remark and photographs of him were published in several major national newspapers, and television stations also reported the news in the sports news.

Twain did not just abuse Abramovich in front of the press. He vehemently slammed the Chelsea Football Club’s top echelon in his column, calling the cruel attitude a murder of the Chelsea fans — “They murdered the Chelsea fans’ joy in the pursuit of victory.”

Twain’s tough attitude and reaction came as a surprise to many people, so the incident with his foul language was newsworthy. Everyone had thought that since Twain and Mourinho were famously enemies in the league, almost to the extent of sending bullets to each other as death threats, Mourinho’s dismissal would delight Twain.

No one would have thought that Twain stood on Mourinho’s side and would abuse the Chelsea club.

Out of the nineteen managers in the English Premier League, no one anticipated that Twain’s reaction would be so intense. Ferguson and Wenger expressed regret and disappointment at Mourinho’s dismissal and praised Mourinho’s achievements at Chelsea. Only Tony Twain abused them and almost lost control.

No one could have guessed what Twain was thinking, why he did it, and what good it would do for him to do so.

Even Evan Doughty convened with Twain and made it clear to him that the club would not come forward to defend him because it was clearly a private matter for Twain and had nothing to do with the Nottingham Forest Club. The Forest club was only involved due to Twain.

Twain agreed with Evan’s handling of the matter because it was really due to his personal emotional outburst. The other reason he did not want to get the club involved was if he had to deal with it on his own, he would have more freedom and would not have to consider the club’s image.

※※※

“Did they really look for you?” During dinner back home, Shania asked about whether the Chelsea Football Club had ever looked for Twain to be its manager.

Twain shook his head. “They have not looked for me. And even if they meant to find me, they wouldn’t be able to come to me now.”

“Hmm…” Shania bit the spoon and looked up at the ceiling. “What if they did come to you?”

“I would refuse,” Twain answered. “But I’ll play them before I refuse.”

He smiled. Shania glared at him. “Are you going to get yourself into trouble again?”

“This is not a hassle. It’s just a little adjustment in life. Don’t you think it will hurt their feelings if I look grim as I reject them? So I used a different way, which also entertained the public. Don’t you like pranks the best, Shania?”

Shania’s eyes rolled. “What nasty idea have you got?”

Twain smiled. “I’ll gather the reporters and call for a personal press conference tomorrow or the day after to issue a public apology to Abramovich and the Chelsea club.”

Shania widened her eyes and looked at him unbelievably. “You’re going to concede, Uncle Tony?”

Twain smiled. “How is that possible? Since you don’t have to work during this period and dare not go out to the streets most of the time, you must be depressed at home. I will give you some fun. Anyway, you’ll know when you watch the news.”

He was being mysterious, and Shania did not continue to ask. She believed that her Uncle Tony was not going to be that easy guy. Just when someone thought that he was going to be like that, he would do just the opposite.

※※※

The next day, Pierce Brosnan got a call from Twain. He wanted Brosnan to help him contact his media friends to hold a press conference at the Wilford training base.

Twain made it a point to state that it was a personal press conference and had nothing to do with the Nottingham Forest Football Club. He also told him that it was held to apologize to Mr. Abramovich.

Without mentioning the specifics of the press conference, that piece of news was enough to get Twain’s picture in the morning newspapers on television, and online. Twain had abused the man two days ago and would actually apologize today. Swearing at people was common for Twain, but apologies were uncommon, especially if he had to issue a public apology with huge fanfare just one day after cursing the person out. It had never happened before.

Brosnan thought that the matter was probably not as simple as Twain said, so he asked, “Mr. Twain, you… Are you really going to apologize to him?”

On the other end of the line, Twain chuckled hoarsely. “Of course, it’s an apology, an open apology to fully demonstrate my sincerity. You just help me get in touch with your media friends. As you know, I have more enemies than friends in your industry. There are some words I can’t say. You’ll be more effective than me.”

Brosnan, who had agreed, was a little gloomy after he hung up the phone. Just yesterday, he only wrote his own article to rally for Twain. He did not expect the protagonist’s attitude to reverse completely today. It made it awkward for him to stop halfway.

He told his boss the news that Twain was going to apologize, and his boss was very happy. He did not care that his newspaper had always been steadfast in their support for Twain. That matter was no less sensational than Twain’s abuse of Abramovich and might be even better than Mourinho’s dismissal if it were to be handled properly. As long as it was good for the newspaper sales, the boss was willing to do everything.

After he gave his approval to contact influential media across the country to attend tomorrow’s press conference at the Wilford training base, he set aside two pages for Twain in his own newspaper so they could report and analyze the press conference in detail and from various angles. He even thought of a headline for Brosnan to use in the news article.

“‘The madman bows his head!’ What do you think of the headline, Pierce?” He asked Brosnan excitedly.

Brosnan nodded and complimented his boss, but he had another idea in mind.

He always felt that things were not so simple. He understood Twain and knew Twain’s temperament. Although Abramovich was wealthy and Chelsea could be considered a powerhouse club, Twain had no reason to apologize just because of a letter of protest or to apologize so publicly. The Tony Twain he knew was a man who might not give in even in the face of the Queen of England. He always seemed to be fearless. And the greater the pressure exerted by others, the greater his backlash was…

Backlash?

Brosnan suddenly figured something out.

He decided to rush to the scene the next day to watch a good show.

※※※

“Manager Tony Twain decided to make a public apology for his malicious talk toward the Chelsea Football Club’s chairman, Abramovich, for which he specifically invited a large number of media outlets to attend tomorrow’s press conference at the Wilford training base.” Sky TV’s evening sports news reported the latest developments.

Twain was going to give in and apologize, which was not a small story according to the media. Many media outlets had to follow up on the report.

Those who liked him were surprised, and those who hated him waited to watch his disgrace.

Some of the reporters rushed to the Chelsea club to interview them about their reaction to the incident. The Chelsea Football Club had already been bothered by the recent Mourinho’s dismissal, and they did not make any comment on the matter of Twain’s apology, but everyone believed that Chelsea would be watching the matter closely. That was almost certain. With a man like Tony Twain, one could like or dislike him very much, but no one could just ignore him.

Since the phone conversation that morning, Twain and Mourinho did not make any further contact. From the sprawling news offensive, Twain knew Mourinho had returned to Portugal.

He did not do this as a show of goodwill toward Mourinho. He did not need to show anything good at all. His sudden outburst was driven only by a sense of dismay.

He knew he and Mourinho were in the same boat. Both strong and unyielding fanatical managers, they appeared to be very different in a traditional country like England. Their predecessor, Brian Clough, was equally praised and reviled. People like them still felt a little out of place in society, even if the times changed.

Mourinho was Twain’s reference in the industry. The treatment he had received might well be his own treatment one day. Since Abramovich was also a strong character, the conflict between the two men became apparent quickly. What about himself?

Although Evan Doughty knew how to be a good leader and was tolerant in the face of Twain’s temper, he was the boss. No matter what the press said, no matter what the fans in the world thought, or how famous Tony Twain was, Evan was the real owner of the club. When the status of the Forest club changed with the rise of their performance, it was uncertain as to whether the real boss would still willing to be behind the scenes and tolerant of everything.

Twain was aware of it, but a strong personality was not something that Twain could change. It had = been branded into his life and soul and was unlikely to change. While he was aware that it might result in = bad consequences, he remained indifferent. It was his character, and a person’s character determined his fate.

Therefore, when he saw that a famous figure like Mourinho could not escape the fate of a dismissal in the end, Twain felt a kind of empathetic loneliness inside.

He had a good personal relationship with Wenger, but Wenger did not understand him. He had gone to a horse race and drank with Ferguson before, but Ferguson did not understand him either. He had not had a drink with Mourinho because Mourinho always refused to drink with the enemy, and he had not had a pleasant exchange with him. They had never said a nice word to each other and always wished each other dead when they encountered the other, but they understood each other because they were one of a kind.

When his wife exclaimed, “oh God, your feet are so cold,” Brian Clough said, “Honey, just call me ‘Brian.’”

José Mourinho said, “in addition to God, there’s me.”

Twain did not believe in God, but he thought he was the center of the world.

They were more arrogant and confident than anyone else. They were also more vulnerable than anyone else. If it had been in the Middle Ages, they might have been denounced as heretics and burned at the stake. They were undaunted by authority in a world where authority dominated everything. A lack of fear of authority was heresy, and heresy meant death. Thankfully, heretics did not have to be tied to burning stakes anymore, but they could lose their jobs, or even their reputations.

Equally the kings of the football, Pelé did better than Maradona after their retirements because he sought authority whereas Maradona did not fear authority. It was the same principle.

Never mind that Twain was doing well now, Mourinho fared just as well as Twain, if not better. He was the winner of the UEFA Europa League, the Primeira Liga, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the Treble, and the Premier League twice in a row. Now, he was fired. No matter how reluctant the fans were, he could not rely on the support of the fans to stop it from happening because he was not the real boss. He did not have authority.

The past few days made Twain lament the loss of a worthy opponent and left him with a bit of concern — would Mourinho’s present become Tony Twain’s future?

So he scolded Abramovich and Chelsea. Was he helping José Mourinho? Wrong, he was defending himself.

Madmen were different from ordinary people in the way they defended themselves.

※※※

Shania could very clearly feel that her Uncle Tony’s spirits were low the past few days and she was not in a good mood either, but he still had a smile on his face and would joke with her during dinner.

On the surface, Twain was no different than before, but she and Twain had known each other for several years and spent time together, and Shania knew that Twain was not in a good mood and she was a little vexed as a result. It was hard to explain why she had the feeling. It could only be attributed to a more mysterious reason. She and Twain had a tacit understanding and telepathy. She understood Uncle Tony’s heart and could feel his mood swings every time.

She wished she could do something to help. But what could she do to help in a man’s world?

Her friends were in the fashion industry and show business. They could not come forward and say, “We all support Tony Twain.” It would only make people laugh.

Unfortunately, Dunn was in China and could not help Twain with his problems, which only made Twain feel lonelier.

During dinner, Shania tried to find a joke to tell Twain, hoping that he would be in a better mood after he heard it. Shania really had a gift for telling corny jokes…

Twain felt a little strange. Shania’s jokes were outdated and not funny. Why did she keep talking?

“Are you worrying about something, Shania?” he finally could not help asking.

Shania shook her head hard. “No.”

“But you’re behaving abnormally today.”

“Am I?” Shania curled the corners of her lips to form a slight smile.

Twain stared at her for a moment, and Shania kept that smile the whole time.

“Well, if you don’t want to tell me, I’m not going to force you either.”

Shania was a little flustered when she heard that Twain’s tone was a little rough. She did not want to screw things up. “It’s not like that!” she said hurriedly. “I… I just think that Uncle Tony, you haven’t been in your usual mood lately. You seemed to be anxious and I just wanted to make you happy.”

Twain was a little surprised to hear that. He looked at Shania again, and this time Shania frowned and pursed her lips.

Seeing her like that, Twain suddenly smiled, and he reached out across the table to touch Shania’s head.

“Silly girl.”

Shania did not dodge him. She just let Twain touch her.

“How could I be anxious? You can rest assured that there is nothing. By the end of tomorrow’s press conference, the matter will have nothing to do with me. Why would I be so obsessed with other people’s affairs? It’s just that I scolded someone, so I should explain to that person, right? After this, however the media want to hype will all have nothing to do with me.”

Twain pulled his hand back and pointed to the dining plate in front of him to say. “Let’s eat.”

Shania did not start, but carefully asked, “Are you really OK?”

“I’m really fine. You just wait to watch a good show tomorrow.” Twain chuckled.

※※※

The next day, Twain went to Wilford early to attend his personal press conference before the team began its training.

Reporters from across the country flocked there and squeezed into the small press hall until it was a hubbub. They were waiting for the main protagonist to appear. Before Twain appeared, the reporters were talking about the official announcement from the Chelsea club that morning — Mourinho’s successor was Grant, the Israeli who served as Chelsea’s technical advisor. It came as a bit of a surprise to the media, because generally when the manager was gone, the assistant manager or the youth team manager would be asked to be the acting manager, which was an unwritten practice in the English clubs. But Grant had no previous experience in coaching a top European league team, nor was he an assistant manager. It was incomprehensible that Abramovich would allow him to coach Chelsea… Furthermore, Chelsea’s chief executive, Peter Kenyon, said that Grant was not the transitional manager. He was the official new manager.

When he became Chelsea’s technical advisor, Mourinho was furious and openly questioned, “How is this man qualified to guide me and my team?”

Now he had gone a step further and become Chelsea’s head manager. Many reporters shook their heads at the mention of the change, believing that Chelsea was finished for thw season. The league was nearly halfway over, and it ranked in sixth place. With the sudden change of managers and low morale, they would have to start from scratch.

The buzzing chatter suddenly stopped. Impeccably dressed in a suit, Twain appeared in front of everyone. As he put it: a formal press conference and a formal public apology to convey his formal sincerity…

There was nothing wrong with that in itself, but it felt like nonsense coming out of Twain’s mouth.

Nothing was rational about Tony Twain, even though he always said he was a reasonable man. Tony Twain’s standard of “reason” was not the same as the “reason” known to the general public.

Everyone noted that Twain had a piece of paper in his hand. Was it a letter of apology?

Twain walked toward the microphone and cleared his throat. “To everyone below, I’m going to read a letter of apology to Mr. Abramovich.”

There was a slight commotion. It was indeed formal. He even prepared a script. Usually, when Twain was in a press conference, he just spoke directly.

“I apologize for the crude comments I directed at Mr. Roman Abramovich two days ago.” Twain did not say any nonsense. He bowed his head to read the script and appeared to be very sincere, without the slightest sarcastic or impatient expression on his face. “The media asked me what I thought of Chelsea wanting me to be their new manager. To be honest, I felt at the time that the man was joking, and the facts proved that he was really joking. But at the time this friend insisted that what he said was true and hoped that I would answer it seriously. I was annoyed by this meaningless question because I thought it was an insult to my loyalty to Nottingham Forest. Therefore, in the heat of the moment…” He coughed once and lifted his head to look at the media below. He found that everyone was focused on listening to him.

“…In the heat of the moment, I burst out with an obscenity. After I calmed down, I was fully aware of my mistake and was deeply repentant and disturbed by the harm done to Mr. Abramovich. I hope Mr. Abramovich understands how much I respect him, that his arrival has changed the sport of football and injected a lot of life into it. It was he who changed the conditions at Chelsea FC. I have always admired such a generous person who is passionate about football. I do not doubt his passion for football and his love for the Chelsea club.”

When Brosnan heard that, he had sensed a hint of conspiracy. Twain’s attitude was too nice. It was so nice that it made people feel that it was a little fake…

“Not only have I not had any dissatisfaction against Mr. Abramovich, I would also like to thank Mr. Abramovich and the think-tank around him. I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to you.”

A low rumble of discussion voices came from below. More and more people felt this was odd. He just had to apologize. What was up with this thank you?

“Thank you for helping my team drive away a strong contender and an extremely threatening enemy in the competition for the league title.” Speaking of which, Twain suddenly looked up and smiled. His smile was radiant, and to all the reporters present, the smile could not be more familiar. They were all fooled!

They were called by Twain from all over the country just to act in his play and continue to humiliate Chelsea and Abramovich.

“Mr. Mourinho’s Chelsea would have been an important opponent in my plan, but now I am delighted to see that this opponent no longer exists, so that I will have more energy to focus on the other major competitors. Therefore, I must take this opportunity to give particular thanks to the top echelon of the Chelsea Football Club, especially Mr. Abramovich, who has made a great contribution to this matter. If my team ends up winning as expected, I will send you a bouquet and greeting card as a token of my gratitude. It is for this that I recognize how foolish my previous crude words and the slander of Mr. Abramovich were. Mr. Abramovich is a friend of Nottingham Forest and a friend of mine. Thank you very much!”

Twain’s tone was sincere, and he almost bowed.

“I thank Mr. Abramovich and I’m deeply impressed that you have made the sport of football full of competitiveness and vitality. Although… it may have sacrificed a little bit of Chelsea’s interest…” Twain smiled. “Your friend always, Tony Twain.”

After he read this baffling “letter of apology”— was there anyone who still saw it as a letter of apology? — Twain folded the paper in his hand, put it back in his pocket, and got ready to leave.

A group of reporters stood up one by one and raised their hands as they shouted at Twain. “Mr. Tony Twain!”

“Mr. Twain, please stay!”

“Do you really think this is an apology to Abramovich, and not a further provocation?” The scene was chaotic, and someone shouted loudly.

Twain kept walking. “This is really an apology and the sincerest apology and thanks. Not the slightest bit of insult was intended. If you think it’s insulting and provocative, it’s your problem, Mr. Reporter.”

“But anyone with a normal IQ will not think that those remarks were nice words…”

“Are you insulting Mr. Abramovich’s IQ? Watch out for the Chelsea club’s official letter of protest.”

“Mr. Twain! Mr. Twain… We still have questions!”

“I’m sorry. I did not say you were free to ask questions after the press conference.” Twain was almost out the door.

Someone shouted, “Mr. Twain! What do you think of Chelsea letting Avram Grant be the replacement for José Mourinho as the new manager?”

Twain stopped in his tracks. He turned back and swept his gaze across the chaotic press hall. He could not find out who had called out the question. But it did not matter.

“Who is that?” he asked.