Godfather Of Champions

The team suffered two losses in the Premier League following a series of injuries that prevented them from playing their best team. They also only managed to scrape a narrow 2-1 win over the Belarusian team FC BATE Borisov at home in the Champions League.

To Twain, the only good news was that the team’s injuries had mostly recovered after that match. There were no players suffering from major injuries, and the players who were suffering from minor injuries have all recovered as well and could be employed in their next match.

The Premier League had gone on for over a month by then, and Twain was finally able to play a match with a more complete team.

In the fifth match of the Premier League, Twain played his strongest team against Tottenham Hotspur in an away game.

Van der Sar, Pepe, Kompany, Gareth Bale, Rafinha, George Wood, Van der Vaart, Ribéry, David Beckham, Arshavin and Van Nisterooy.

Spurs came in second in the Premier League in terms of money spent during the summer to buy players, but they are currently last in the table after losing three of their past four matches and drawing one.

Juande Ramos was having a very hard time at Spurs. It was said that he would be sacked if he did not clinch a victory over Nottingham Forest at home.

Twain was certainly not in a position to feel sympathy for another person. If he were to sympathize with Ramos, then who would sympathize with him? Nottingham Forest’s team morale was low and he desperately needed a gratifying win to boost their morale. This made Tottenham, who looked to be down on their luck, the best team to help him achieve his cause.

Twain and his team of coaches were meticulous with their preparations for the match. He told his players that there was nothing that would make them and everyone else happier than being the undisputed winners of a match. They did not only need to win, they needed to win thoroughly!

The final score was 3-0. Nottingham Forest had a resounding victory over Spurs whose team morale and predicament were much worse than them.

Following the loss, Juande Ramos was sacked by Levy over the poor results, and he became the first manager in the new season of the Premier League to be shown the door.

The days of having to play two matches a week were yet to be over, however. Nottingham Forest had to keep their spirits up and face their next challenge.

On 25th September, Nottingham Forest had an away game against Ipswich in the EFL Cup. Twain employed a team that was mainly comprised of reserve players and they achieved a 4-1 win at the end of the match.

The two victories helped to reinvigorate the team and dispel the negativity that had imbued them following a rough start to the season.

Before the team travelled back home, Twain commended everyone in the dressing room for the performance.

“Oh.” On the bus back to Nottingham, Kerslake suddenly led out a low shout while examining the fixture list. He then passed the fixture list in his hand over to Twain who was seated behind him.

“Take a look at our next opponent.”

Twain brought the paper before his eyes and scanned for their sixth opponent.

Manchester City.

Dunn broke into a laugh beside him.

“The press must be ecstatic,” said Kerslake.

Twain shrugged and made no further comment.

※※※

Bendtner was already feeling the pressure from external parties. His time at Manchester City following his transfer was not that much better than his time at Nottingham Forest.

During his time at Nottingham Forest, his pressure came from his authoritarian manager Tony Twain. At Manchester City, his pressure comes from the media and the fans’ scrutiny of him.

His debut appearance for Manchester City came during the very first match of the season at home to Chelsea. Bendtner was put on the bench and was only substituted onto the pitch when the game was all but lost. Robinho scored a free kick in that match, but Manchester City went on to lose 1-3 to Chelsea.

Bendtner only played for five minutes in that match, so naturally, he was not blamed for the loss, and no one pointed the finger at him for not scoring a goal either. However, things were different in the second match.

In the fifth match of the league, Manchester City faced Portsmouth at home. That match was akin to a festival to the Manchester City fans, because the team won by six goals over Pompey. Bendtner started in that match, but the six goals had nothing to do with him at all.

He had no assists and no goals. It was as though he was alienated from Manchester City’s tactics and set-up.

Robinho scored a hat-trick in that match. He had quickly become a fan favorite by finding the back of the net repeatedly since joining Manchester City.

After the match, a reporter cornered Bendtner in the mixed zone and asked him why he acted as though he was sleepwalking on the pitch. Bendtner pushed the blame onto the fact that he had only just joined the club and had yet to develop a chemistry with his new team mates.

The reporter then pressed him to explain why Robinho was able to perform so well despite also being a new addition to the team just like him.

Bendtner could only explain to the reporter that Robinho was a midfielder and so he was able to receive the ball a lot more than he did, which provided him with more opportunities at goal as a result. Since he was a center-forward, he needed support from the midfield.

What he meant with those words was that a difference in positions would lead to a difference in results. However, the words were twisted by the reporter, and they came out as ‘Danish forward complains about the lack of support from his team mates’ instead.

The fans who did not know the truth were enraged by the report. For the past two days at training, the fans would stay outside of the training grounds and boo Bendtner whenever he received the ball. He was met with antagonistic gazes within the dressing room as well.

This was a situation that he had never encountered in Nottingham Forest before. While he was still at Forest, he had Tony Twain, who would attract the attention of the reporters who enjoyed making things difficult for people. The atmosphere within the dressing room was also always amicable. He did not need to worry about how to deal with reporters either. With Tony Twain around, no one was interested to ask him any questions.

But now…

It has been half a month since he joined Manchester City, but he had not made a single true friend other than Ashley Young, who was also an ex-player of Forest just like him. He had no interactions with his new team mates beyond greeting each other when they met and when they parted ways.

Unlike the Brazilian Robinho who was lively and cheerful, Bendtner seemed a little reclusive.

Even though he has left Nottingham Forest, he still has the habit of finding news related to Nottingham Forest whenever he browses sports news. It is a habit which he feels conflicted and annoyed over. Habits are fearsome things…

As a result, he was generally kept abreast of the current situation that Forest is in. He might be carrying an immense pressure on him, but the pressure on Twain’s shoulders was not any lighter than his.

He sat alone in the dressing room of Manchester City’s Carrington training ground. All the other players had left, but he chose to stay and practise his shooting. He had only just gone back to the dressing room and was preparing to shower and change into a new set of clothes.

This was also a habit that he picked up during him time at Forest. Tony Twain was not personally involved in the team’s training, but he was very particular about players’ attitudes towards training. A player would receive a harsh dressing down from Twain if they were caught slacking during practice.

Additional practice also became a way for young players to catch the eye of the manager and fight for a chance to play in matches following the success of George Wood.

Mark Hughes never said that additional practice would lead to a guaranteed spot in the starting team now that he is a player for Manchester City, but Bendtner continued to do as he had always done in Forest nonetheless.

Bendtner walked out of the shower room naked and was about to put on his clothes when the door to the dressing room swung open.

“Ah…” The person who just came in was a little surprised. It was the manager Mark Hughes.

“Nicklas, you have not left? Did you just do extra practice for your shooting again?”

Nicklas nodded his head. “Yes, boss.”

“Good timing. There’s something I want to speak to you about. Go on…” He gestured for Bendtner to continue wearing his clothes. The sight of his pants hanging down his thighs was certainly not very pleasant.

“It’s about that interview…”

“The reporter twisted my words, boss. All I wanted to say was that the same standards should not be applied to players playing different positions…”

Mark Hughes nodded his head as a gesture to tell him that he understood. “From what I have observed so far, you are not the kind of person to say things like that. However, the atmosphere in the dressing room right now is not beneficial for you. I think you should take the initiative and explain the situation to them instead of not saying a thing. It’s fine if you don’t care what the press says about you, but you can’t not care about how your team mates perceive you. There’s one thing that you said that is very true. You are a center-forward, and you need support from the midfield. If they don’t view you in a favorable light, then you won’t be able to get a lot of support from them… Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I get it, boss. I will apologize to them before practice tomorrow.”

Mark Hughes smiled. “Not scoring in one match isn’t the end of the world. Don’t be bothered by what the press says about you. If they don’t exaggerate their words they can’t attract readers to read their stuff. Just play as you always have and don’t let others influence you.”

Hughes’s words could be seen as his promise to Bendtner. Bendtner had been worried that he would be criticized by the manager over what he said, but Hughes’s words had made him relieved. Hughes still thought highly of him…

Frankly, it was impossible for Hughes to not think of Bendtner highly. He was the only center-forward that Manchester City brought in over the summer. He had no one else to rely on other than Bendtner. Hughes had placed his stakes on Bendtner. He believed in Bendtner’s abilities. It was just that he has yet to get used to Manchester City’s style of football, and does not have a rapport with his team mates. These two things have affected his performance on the pitch. He believed that as long as the Danish Boy regained the kind of performances he made for Nottingham Forest last season, all his critics would shut up.

“By the way. What do you think of… Tony Twain as a manager?” asked Hughes, who had originally intended to leave, but had changed his mind.

His question stumped Bendtner.

What kind of manager was Tony Twain exactly?

Good? Bad? Neither good nor bad?

Bendtner shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to describe him…”

Hughes nodded his head. That was something that perplexed him as well.

“You are starting in the next match as well.” Having said that, Hughes turned around and left the dressing room.

Bendtner did not get excited over the words that he was going to continue being a starting player. He had said it before he came to Manchester City, that he would become a valuable player for them. He definitely had to start in games.

He turned his head to look at the fixtures list that was pasted on the wall, and found a familiar name written behind ‘Match Day Six’.

Nottingham Forest!

※※※

“Bendtner finally gets a chance at revenge. But I think Tony Twain would also not give up on a chance to humiliate both Manchester City and Bendtner… I think we can already imagine how this match would lead to the creation of numerous exciting stories.”

Sky Television’s show ’90 Minutes of Football’ was doing a pre-match analysis for every match in the new season of Premier League. Nottingham Forest faced Manchester City at home. The match was the last to kick off amongst the other fixtures for Match Day Six, and was also the fixture that would be broadcasted live throughout the country.

“Our reporter had interviewed Tony Twain over at Wilford regarding the upcoming match earlier today.”

The screen switched to a shot outside Forest’s training ground, where Twain was surrounded by a horde of reporters who all had their microphones held out towards him.

“What you all have said was right. He told me that his style of football was different from mine. This was what he said to me personally. I’m very glad to be able to see for myself what is that style of football that he seeks…” Twain said as he tried to squeeze his way out.

The screen switched again, this time to Bendtner, who was pulling a long face as he spoke to the camera, “This is just a match like any other.”

Ashley Young nodded his head beside him. “Yes, a match like any other. I think you guys are just blowing it out of proportion.”

Twain pointed at the television and said to Dunn beside him, “Do you believe what these two are saying?”

“I believe in Young, but I don’t believe in Bendtner.”

“I don’t even believe in Young. I won’t believe he’s not out to use the match as a chance to take revenge against me. He didn’t succeed in our last two encounters. Now that he has Bendtner on the same team as him, I’m sure he’d be even more fired up than before. Every single player that I have chased out of the team harbors a hatred towards me. I know that much.” Twain said with a smile.

“But Bendtner was not chased out by you. He was the one who…”

“That’s what makes him all the more detestable. I won’t allow the team to lose this match!” Twain clenched his fist.

※※※

Ever since he cleared up the misunderstanding with his team mates regarding the interview in the dressing room, Bendtner had become accepted by his team mates once again. During the last training session before the team headed out to Nottingham for the match, Robinho even patted Bendtner on the back and told him that he will pass the ball to him during the match and help him score against Forest.

“Brother, we are all on the same path!” He told Bendtner in his non-native language of English.

He was right. They were both players who shared the same fate and were both not sufficiently valued at their previous clubs.

Hughes released the list of players who would be brought along for the match after the conclusion of the training session. Both Ashley Young and Bendtner made the list. If everything went as they expected, then both of them should be given a position in the starting 11. Hughes would definitely make use of the two players who were familiar with Forest to create trouble for Twain.

Ashley Young’s ability to attack the flanks and pass the ball into the middle coupled with Bendtner who was a powerful center-forward…

Surely Tony Twain would regret the decisions he made?

After returning to the dressing room, Ashley Young sat beside Bendtner and jabbed him with his arm. “You didn’t think you’d go against Forest so fast, right? You are not used to it, right? It’s okay. You’d feel good about it very soon! Actually, it’s good that we have become their rivals. I just love to see their faces when they lose the match. Humans are so ironic. In the past, it felt good to see him mock reporters and our opponents when we won matches. Now that we are his rivals, seeing him act that way makes me pissed…”

Bendtner had to cut Ashley Young off after seeing that he had more to say. “I can’t wait to face off with Forest, Young. I’m also going to make a bet with you. I’m going to score in the match!”

Ashley Young glanced at him, looking a little surprised. Then, he got to his feet and yelled excitedly, “Everyone quieten down. Everyone quieten down!”

Every single person stopped what they were doing after hearing his shouts and turned to look at him.

“You must be up to something again, Ashley.” Someone grinned as he looked at Young.

“Nicklas just bet that he would score a goal against Forest in tomorrow’s match!” Young pointed at Bendtner and announced loudly. “If he really does score tomorrow, how about we get him to treat us to beer?”

“How can someone be expected to pay if they win the bet, Ashley?” Someone objected.

“Then let’s add a number to it…” Ashley Young grinned as he looked at Bendtner who was sitting on the bench. The whole thing felt like an encouragement, but also felt like a taunt a time at the same time.

Bendtner realized that everyone in the dressing room was looking at him. Some were grinning and some looked confused. A surge of zeal shot up within him. He held out two fingers.

“At least two goals. I will definitely score at least two goals in the match against Forest! If I were to only score a goal I’d treat everyone to beer!”

A group of people started to clap for him and then started making more noise by whistling.

Bendtner felt that he had been completely accepted by his team mates after seeing their reactions. He had nothing to worry about for the match against Nottingham Forest.

I can’t wait for the match against Tony Twain…