Godfather Of Champions

24th May 2009 was a special day to the Nottingham Forest fans. They started getting excited in the days leading up to it, and the tickets to watch the final home game of the season were completely sold out. There were countless fans who were waiting for others to sell their extra tickets despite the fact that the team was destined to finish the season empty-handed.

The reason for the overwhelming response was not because the team was going to go top of the table after the match, and neither was it because they were going to get relegated.

The reason behind their excitement was simple: that man was coming back.

Even though it has been three weeks since Tony Twain returned to his managerial position at the team, this was his first time directing a home game after his comeback.

Additionally, there was also someone who was going to bid farewell to Nottingham and Nottingham Forest.

That person was David Beckham, whose contract with the club has expired.

The past few days have seen numerous Forest fans swarm up to Wilford to watch the team train, and they would surround Beckham asking for his signature and a photo. His popularity had become even higher than before.

A faint sense of sorrow over Beckham’s imminent departure pervaded the team. These feelings were actually no stranger to the team. However, due to the fact that they had performed exceptionally well during the past few seasons, every one focused their attention on celebrating the team’s successes instead, and these feelings of sorrow became diluted amidst the joyous atmosphere.

Since the team had performed poorly this season however, there was nothing for them to celebrate about, and these feelings only became even more accentuated than before.

Beckham’s departure from the club was inevitable. There were also players who continued to ponder over whether they should stay at or leave the club…

The pleasant surprise that came with their boss’s return did not last for long.

※※※

Beckham was a player who was good at maintaining friendly relationships with his team mates. He was on good terms with everyone in the team despite how he enjoyed far greater popularity than them. The light around him could cast the entire team into his shadow, but the reason why he still managed to get along with his team mates was because he knew how to treat others well.

Before the last Premier League match of the season, everyone in the Forest team received a gift from Beckham, much to their astonishment.

Twain was no exception. His gift was specially delivered to him by Beckham.

“After tomorrow’s match, this season will be officially over. This is a gift that I specially prepared to thank you, Tony.” Beckham did not address Twain as ‘boss’ in private. Instead, he would call him by his name, which showed how close the two were.

“Thank me?” Twain felt ashamed to receive a gift from him. “I gave Albertini the best possible parting gift when he left. But now that you are leaving, I don’t have anything to give you.” He opened his hands and patted his pockets. “There’s nothing that you should thank me for.”

“Ha.” Beckham laughed. “When I decided to join Nottingham Forest, all I wanted was to prove that I wasn’t a just a pretty ‘vase’ in a place that was closest to the British football fans. I never thought that I would be able to win trophies in the Champions League and the Premier League. Is that not something I should thank you for, Tony?”

Twain smiled and said nothing.

“Two years’ not a long time, but everything that I have experienced here has left a lasting impression on me. Nottingham Forest is a good club. It’s a shame I can only stay for two years.” Beckham suddenly sighed.

“It’s enough for me to hear you say that, David.” Twain felt that Beckham’s words were the highest form of recognition for all the work that he has done at Nottingham Forest.

“You are going to America?”

Beckham nodded his head. “I have lifted trophies for the UEFA Super Cup, FA Community Shield, Fifa Club World Cup, Champions League and Premier League under you…There’s nothing more that I ask for in my footballing career. I have already signed a contract with LA Galaxy, and I will play for two more years with them. But going over there means I’m not going to play football, I’m just going to put on a show.” He shrugged.

The media were all bragging about how his trip to America would have a profound impact on American football, how it would bring life to America’s ‘barren’ state of football, how he would be a pivotal character in bringing about change in America’s footballing scene and how he would let more Americans fall in love with football… Everything was just a bunch of nonsense.

Beckham knew in his heart that he did not have that much influence as a person to bring about all those changes that they said he would. Even a legend like Pelé was not able to change the footballing scene in America by much. How could he change a country’s interest in something all by himself? The truth is he is merely going over to America to accompany his wife…

Speaking of Beckham’s wife, Twain has to thank Victoria for not giving him any trouble during these past two seasons that Beckham played for Nottingham Forest. She was well-known to be a woman who would get into disputes with managers in the past, but it looks like Beckham must have spent a considerable amount of effort to convince her before he signed for them. Beckham leaving to play in America for two years is also likely to be something that the couple agreed upon back then as well.

Another possible reason as to why she did not get in his face could be because of her relationship with Shania. She does help Shania with her work quite often, and probably did not want to make things awkward for everyone.

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed Twain’s mind. He asked, “Are you going to sell your villa in Nottingham?”

Beckham nodded. “I won’t be coming back to England much after this. I already have houses in Manchester and London as well. Victoria doesn’t think we should keep our house in Nottingham.”

Twain clapped his hands. “Just nice, sell it to me!”

Beckham smiled. “Have you come to dislike your current house, Tony?”

Twain touched his nose. “Heh. Actually, if I was just living by myself, then anywhere is fine. But from now on, there’d be someone else living with me, so I need a better house to live in. Now’s not the time to say goodbye yet, David. During the holidays after the season has ended, make a trip to Brazil!”

Beckham was taken aback. “Brazil?”

“Huh? You don’t know about it?” Twain found it odd.

“Know about what?”

“I’m getting married to Shania. Our wedding will be held during the summer holidays…”

Beckham widened his eyes, almost as if he could not believe what he just heard.

“Hey, you don’t need to look that surprised.” Twain pouted.

“This is really the first time I’ve heard anything about you getting married this summer…” Beckham felt a little crestfallen. His good friend was getting married soon, but this was the very first time he heard about it. Can he still prepare a gift in time?

“Huh? Shania didn’t tell Victoria?”

Beckham shook his head.

“The paparazzi didn’t publish anything about it?”

Beckham continued to shake his head.

Twain laughed happily. “That little girl’s pretty good at keeping it a secret!”

He reckons that the reason why Shania is being so secretive about their marriage is so that she can give the media a big surprise. She wants to see their reactions when they learn of this shocking news, because, as she once said before, ‘it would be very fun’ to do that.

“All right, David. You should be feeling happy right now. You are the only person in this world, besides Shania and I and her parents to know about this news. I was thinking of handing out invitations to all the players after we finished playing tomorrow’s match.”

Beckham smiled. “I have to congratulate you, Tony. You and Shania are a great match for each other. Victoria and I have discussed about the relationship between the two of you numerous times before. It must have been very tough for you to get to where you are now… What was it that propelled you to reach this decision?”

Twain recalled the image of someone mixing a bowl of black sesame soup for him in the hospital ward. “David, if there came a day when you thought you were going to die, and then after a struggle, you opened your eyes to see a person taking care of you attentively… How would you feel?”

Beckham did not answer the question. He knew that Twain was not even asking him a question.

“I have to thank my heart disease for that. It caused the team’s results to slip, but we can still start over next season. I have to thank my heart disease simply because it helped me find the person that I truly love.” Twain shrugged. He has no qualms about saying such mushy words now.

He also has to thank a female reporter named Lisa Aria for her words. It was just like she said, it was not embarrassing to admit that they were in love.

Beckham saw the happiness written all over his manager’s face. He felt his chin and said, “Oh no, what should I get you for your wedding, Tony?”

“You can stop thinking about it. Just lower the price for your house a little and sell it to me.”

“No problem, Tony. It’s a deal!”

The two shook hands.

Before he left, Twain told Beckham about his arrangement for tomorrow’s match. “David, you are in the starting team. This is your farewell match in the Forest team… You have nothing else you need to prove. Just enjoy the cheers from the fans as we play on our home grounds.”

Beckham nodded his head, then turned and left.

Twain’s eyes trailed behind Beckham as he made his way out of the office. He then led out a soft sigh.

There are more and more people close to him who were leaving his side.

There would come a day when he is standing before the manager’s seat in the City Ground stadium, and every single person in his line of sight would be people who could only give him 30 years’ worth of memories.

Can he still be friends with those players like he did with Beckham?

※※※

All the news in Nottingham for the past few days had revolved around two people and two things.

Tony Twain’s return and David Beckham’s departure.

Nottingham Evening Post did a feature on David Beckham, and it recounted Beckham’s two seasons in Forest, such as that glorious moment when he stopped Manchester United from becoming champions in the Premier League. It also mentioned his disappointment as the team went into a slump due to numerous injuries to their players.

However, none of those things mattered anymore. He was about to leave. The ‘heartthrob’ would never belong to Nottingham Forest again from now on.

It is said that Manchester United has been making plans to get Beckham to take over the role as global ambassador from Bobby Charlton after he has retired. In the end, he will always be a part of Manchester United.

There have also been numerous outstanding football stars who played for Nottingham Forest in the past. However, the club itself has failed to leave behind a legacy over the years, and this makes it difficult to foster a sense of lasting loyalty towards the club in the players. They are not able to get any of those star players to become their ‘global ambassadors’ after they have retired, and this is something regretful for the club.

Alessandro Del Piero might have been a player for Forest before, but he only feels attached to Real Madrid. Similarly, Albertini used to be the captain of the team, but after he retired, he had insisted on returning to Italy and to Milan. Now, it was David Beckham’s turn to leave. Twain could foresee several other players who would do the same in the near future, such as van Nistelrooy and van der Sar.

When will we be able to have legendary players that belong only to our club? Many of the players who used to play under the previous boss Brian Clough have all gone on to become reputable managers, but they are all scattered across the world, and do not come into contact with Nottingham Forest much.

Will Nottingham Forest still be able to produce their own Albertini, Del Piero or Beckham in a world where commercialization and money have made footballers increasingly fickle?

This problem could be associated with Tony Twain. The Forest fans firmly believe that as long as Tony Twain is around, Forest will not go down.

But now that there are problems with Tony Twain’s heart, who can guarantee how much longer he can stay as the manager of the team?

One year? Two years? Three years? Or five? Can he emulate the team’s previous boss Brian Clough, and stay in the position for 18 years?

If praying was all that was needed to ensure that a person can stay healthy, then every single Nottingham Forest fan would have prayed before their every meal for Tony Twain to be healthy, for his heart to be rid of problems, and for him to live for a 100 years.

※※※

On the day of the match, the weather was good and there were clear skies.

Hordes of fans began swarming into the stadium since the early afternoon, and all of them were seated before the match kicked off. The City Ground stadium that had a seating capacity of 30,000 was fully occupied, and there were no empty seats in the stadium.

This match was especially significant to the Forest fans because they had to welcome the return of their King, Tony Twain, and also send off Beckham.

Twain gave his players his last team talk for the season in the locker room.

“Our first match for this season was played against Portsmouth in the FA Community Shield. Our last opponent for this Premier League season is also Portsmouth. What a coincidence, isn’t it? This is great. This terrible season needs a good finish. We beat Portsmouth in the FA Community Shield game, and I hope all of you can beat Portsmouth again as our way of bidding farewell to this season and to send David off. All of you should have received a small gift from him. He did not give you all gifts for nothing!”

All the players burst out laughing.

The team’s final position in the Premier League table might not be good, but ever since their boss has returned, the team has regained its life, and all the problems did not feel like problems anymore, because their boss is able to handle even the biggest of problems.

“Right now, we are in a situation whereby we have nothing to gain or lose. However, Portsmouth is fighting to get a Europa League spot for next season. What a good chance this is…” Twain grinned. “Ruining other people’s chances have almost become our team’s tradition. We are not doing it deliberately, but the chance to do it is right before us… Last time it was Liverpool, and this time it’s Portsmouth. Nottingham Forest has never been a team that would sacrifice itself to help another team! Those people who think they can step over our dead bodies and climb to the top have to pay a steep price for looking down on us! Liverpool’s not the first, and Portsmouth will not be the last either! Let’s use action to tell Portsmouth how stupid it is for them to think that they can gain anything off of us! They think that we are tigers who are on the brink of dying from starvation, but we have to let them know that tigers are the most dangerous when they are in that state! Who do those Portsmouth bastards think we are? We are Nottingham Forest! We are the Nottingham Forest that is big enough to blot out the sun!” [1]

※※※

Ear-splitting cheers went off in the stadium when Tony Twain walked out onto the pitch towards the tactical area with his colleagues and substitutes, and they gave him a shock.

It took him a while to realize that everyone was yelling his name.

“Tony! Tony! Tony!”

“Let us welcome His Majesty!” The commentator roared at the top of his voice amidst the thundering cheers that was present in the stadium.

“Welcome back, Tony!” Fat John and his companions hollered.

“His Majesty! His Majesty! His Majesty!”

“Tony! Take care of your health!”

“We love you! Tony!” This was from a group of beautiful female fans who had gone crazy. They were wearing bikini-like clothing, and they each had one word ‘We’, ‘Love’ and ‘Tony’ painted over their chests.

All the voices in the stadium blended into one, and it was so deafening that the Gods above might be able to pick up on the sound.

Dunn and Kerslake walked past him as though they did not notice what was going on. The substitutes had their hands over their mouths to hide their smiles as they walked towards their seats.

Twain was the only one standing by the pitch. He raised his head and looked at the packed stands before him.

Everyone at the stands stood to their feet. They raised both their hands and began to act as though they were worshipping him. He was receiving the same treatment as the one that was given to him after the conclusion of the previous season.

This is an honor that belonged only to him.

This is the life that he wanted.

He raised his arm and punched the air.

The roars got even louder.

Shania pouted as she watched the scenes before her in her private room. “I’m going to get jealous…”

※※※

As players from both teams waited in the tunnel for the referee to lead them out onto the pitch, they suddenly heard deafening roars. Everyone was startled initially, but when the Nottingham Forest players finally made out what the roars were about, they started to laugh. On the other hand, the Portsmouth players’ faces were ashen.

The Portsmouth manager, Alain Perrin, who had taken his seat in the technical area, was also shocked by the crazy atmosphere in the City Ground stadium.

Last season, when Twain won the Double, there was an extravagant celebration party held here in this stadium. Twain was crowned as the King that night. He dressed in a robe and held a crown high up into the air. Those scenes were ridiculed by numerous media outlets and other football managers, who thought that his ego had become so big that it had reached a level of perversion.

But now, he was seeing and hearing how the fans are reacting to Tony Twain before him. Right here, in this City Ground stadium, in every Nottingham Forest fans’ hearts, Tony Twain was truly their king…

Perrin, who had initially hoped to win all 3 points from this game and secure a spot in the Europa League, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

The atmosphere in the stadium also influenced John Motson, the commentator for the match. “Look at this scene before us! It’s not hard to understand why Nottingham Forest plays with shocking power every time Tony Twain is in charge. He truly is the King over here! I think Portsmouth’s in for a hard time!”

※※※

Portsmouth was indeed in for a hard time.

Just like Twain, Beckham received a thundering ovation from the spectators when he made his way onto the pitch. However, the cheers for him did feel a little softer when compared to what Twain received earlier.

Every single time Twain stepped out of the technical area and stood by the side of the pitch to give directions to his players during the match, the stands would erupt into cheers, regardless of how the team was playing at that point in the match.

Twain had suppressed his feelings for football for five months. Similarly, the fans have also held back their enthusiasm for five months.

When the team had hit a brick wall and were losing to almost every single team they faced, how the fans wished that the person standing by the side of the pitch was the animated Tony Twain. Even if he ended doing nothing other than to stand there, his presence alone was enough to give everyone the belief that everything will be fine, and that he will find a way.

If he scolds someone by the side of the pitch, we will scold with him!

If he is overjoyed, we will dance in glee!

If he faints once again… We will support him from behind!

Tony, as long as you are around, we have nothing to fear! Not winning anything in a season is nothing! We will start all over again next season, and seize everything that we lost back!

We do not need to be nice to our opponents! Nottingham is the home of Robin Hood, which makes us all descendants of a thief. Seizing things from others is what we are good at!

Seize them all! Seize them all! Seize the fortunes and the women of the rich and drive them out from their castles!

Seize them all! Seize them all! Let us seize the whole world!

※※※

“This match was supposed to be David Beckham’s last match in Britain, but somehow the main character became Tony Twain.” John Motson said with a smile. “But I don’t think David will feel jealous at that.”

On the 88th minute, Twain finally took Beckham off the pitch, and that was also when Beckham finally reclaimed the role as the main character from Twain. He hugged the team mates who stood nearest to him, and slowly made his way to the side. He held up both his hands into the air and applauded the fans as he walked.

There were no Portsmouth players who were complaining about how he was deliberately dragging the game on. That was because it did not matter either way to them. They were not just trailing by a goal or two…

The Nottingham Forest fans all stood to their feet to send Beckham off. Unlike the wild feelings that they felt for Twain earlier, the feelings that they had for the ex-Manchester United player were very different and were more of gratitude.

Beckham’s heart might not be with Nottingham Forest, but the Forest fans are not ingrates. They are thankful for every assist and every goal that Beckham had contributed to the team over the past two seasons. Without this ‘heartthrob’, the game that decided the Premier League champions last season could very well have been anybody’s game.

Motson was a little moved by what he saw as well. “When David Beckham was still a kid, I was there at the scene to witness his goal from the halfway line. When he became a ‘heartthrob’, I was commentating the games he played in as a Manchester United player. Now, he’s already 34 years old, and he has decided to leave Britain and head to the opposite end of the Atlantic Ocean. I am still commentating Premier League matches. All I can do is to wish him all the best, and I hope he would have the best of luck in that country.”

“He has two assists in this game and it is the perfect way to end off his time here in Nottingham Forest. Forest’s slump in this season has nothing to do with him. He can leave without any regrets and he can accept all the applause that has been given to him without shame. Goodbye, David!”

Beckham finally made his way off the pitch. He then hugged Twain, who had been waiting by the side.

“Goodbye, David. I wish you all the best in America.”

“Goodbye, Tony. I also wish you all the best.”

Twain suddenly felt tears well up in his eyes. He quickly snapped himself out of it. “That’s not right! Now’s not the time to say goodbye. Don’t forget to fly over to Brazil during your holidays. I’d be waiting for you at my wedding. You have to come!”

Beckham smiled. “Of course. I’d be there, Tony. Both you and Shania are my good friends. How can I not go?”

The two separated themselves from each other. Beckham walked over to the other managers and substitutes behind Twain and gave each of them a farewell hug.

The match ended a while later.

The final score was 4:1. Nottingham Forest was able to end their chaotic season with a victory at home. It was also the perfect way to send Beckham off and welcome the King, Tony Twain’s return.

Portsmouth lost the match and also lost their chances of clinching a spot in the Europa League next season.

But, they were in the City Ground stadium and in Nottingham Forest’s territory. Who would care about what their opponents would feel?

The 2008-09 season went by just like that.

How many people would still reminisce it many years later?