Godfather Of Champions

Following the previous match where they defeated Stoke City, successfully held down Chelsea and became the final team participating in the Champions League, Tony Twain became person the media was most concerned with. His delightful smile appeared on several media platforms, his line “tell the buddies in Europe that your old friend is coming back” had even become a quotation that several Nottingham Forest fans loved to mimic.

Some were happy, but others were disappointed.

On the second day after the league, Chelsea had officially announced that Scolari had lost his job as the head coach. On paper they had thanked Scolari for his contributions to the team and acknowledged his results, not that there was much to acknowledged. During the two league seasons that Scolari led the team, they did not win any championships at all. Despite that, Chelsea had to maintain a courteous facade. On paper, they did not state their reason for dismissing Scolari, and Scolari, did not accept any interviews after he left the club, turning down any means of him expressing his opinion.

But everyone knew. They were stuck at fourth place in the current league season, and they even lost the right to qualify for the Champions League. Losing their rights to the Champions League next season was the main reason why Scolari was dismissed. The focus should not be on Abramovich, who was wealthy enough to purchase several players for Chelsea, but on Chelsea’s head coach who was arguably under more stress than their Manchester United and Arsenal counterparts.

Man City’s previous general Mark Hughes faced the same plight as Scolari. Hughes definitely understood what Scolari was feeling at the moment. He had been dismissed by the boss of Man City who could not tolerate any more because Man City did not achieve any glorious results despite the heavy investments; participating in Europa League had been the height of their achievements. Mark Hughes’ final words before his dismissal garnered much pity. He said, “I can finally get a good sleep.”

As for his successor Kevin Keegan, he was still tormented in that position, and Keegan’s main reason for not resigning because he hoped they would terminate their contract with him so he could receive a hefty compensation fee. Today, the position of the Man City’s head coach has become a hot potato.

In comparison, Chelsea’s situation was slightly better. After Hoddle’s start, they moved on to Gullit, Viali, Ranieri, and then up till the current Mourinho., Chelsea had already become a strong team in the Premier League, so they became more attractive to elite players and coaches.

Hence, after dismissing Scolari, Chelsea then announced his successor.

“… We have already agreed with Mr Frank Rijkaard. He is very willing to take on the head coach position for Chelsea. Mr Abramovich looks forward to Mr Rijikaard bringing delightful soccer for the Chelsea’s fans…”

People who knew Abramovich would not be surprised at this. Rijkaard, who had been idling at home, was indeed the most suitable candidate to suit Abramovich’s wants. Bearing in mind the beauty of the soccer he played back in Barcelona, Rijkaard would be the best candidate at the moment if you wanted to watch a beautiful soccer.

And Rijkaard responded quickly. He accepted Chelsea’s invite Chelsea and made it a whole new challenge for himself.

The rumours stating Rijkaard replacing Ancelotti as AC Milan’s head coach collapsed by itself.

On the second day of the news announcement, Rijkaard then appeared in London to take on the role officially. The media, while interviewing Twain, had mentioned this matter, hoping to hear his thoughts on Chelsea’s new head coach.

Twain thought it was strange. “Why would you all ask for my thoughts for Chelsea’s switches in manpower? I’m not their head of human resource…”

The reporter chuckled, “But didn’t you incite this change in their manpower, Mr Twain?”

Twain was stunned by this question. He thought carefully — that was true. Had he not pushed Chelsea down a slot to the fifth position, maybe Scolari might not have been dismissed. A premature termination of a contract like this required a huge withdrawal for the dismissed head coach, which meant it was a loss for Chelsea as well. Had the results not been too much for Abramovich to bear, would he have dismissed Scolari so easily?

“Alright…” Twain sighed. “I really admire Rijkaard for his achievements back in Barcelona. However…” He thought of his personal grudges with that head coach back in Barcelona. “You must know such things for it to be another hot topic for you all to talk about in the Premier League season. For me, there isn’t much change. My aim is championships and victory. I am only concerned with both of these things so I don’t really care about other matters.”

※※※

Although he gave such a magnificent response to the reporter, but Twain’s haters thought he was talking too big. For the current conditions of Nottingham Forest, to be able to guarantee the top four positions in the league every league was impressive enough. Twain actually had the audacity to think about winning the championships altogether…

To fulfil the lofty ambitions in the new league seasons, it was definitely not sufficient to rely on these people. Nottingham Forest definitely needed to search for players on the transfer market to enhance the capabilities of the team.

But this required money.

Twain knew the team would not be able to fork out enough money for him to spend. Even then, he still stubbornly went to find Evan, hoping that he could give Twain a little more money.

He initially thought this matter would be difficult, but the results made him gasp.

“I have decided that before the financial situation takes a turn for the better, we would postpone the repairing of the new stadium indefinitely.” Evan Doughty smiled upon facing the shocked Twain in the club main office. “Thus there are funds for you to buy players now.”

“Does Allan… know about this?” Twain’s first reaction was not to happy but to ask what Allan would think about this.

“This was his suggestion.” Evan beamed. “Also, our plans for that humongous stadium also needs some tweaking. Anyway, we’ll leave that matter to him. Tony, you just need to lead the team to achieve results. I watched the interviews that included you; I hope you aren’t just making empty talk.” He walked forward to pat Twain’s shoulders.

“Yes, championships… I don’t make empty promises, they do nothing to help me win championships. How much are you setting aside for me to spend in the new league season, Evan?” He asked the most crucial question.

“How much do you need, Tony?”

Tony thought for a while.

Every summer, other teams would be interested in his players, but it had always been the same people that he would never consider selling, such as George Wood, Gareth Bale and Pepe.

If Tony wanted to replenish his capabilities, then he should not sell the main columns in the team. But Twain knew that the players he was willing to sell would not fetch much money, so relying on selling players to get transfer fees was not realistic. Currently the team’s weakest points were the forwards and midfielders. Van Nistelrooy had returned to the team with a new 2-year contract and a salary much lower than was stipulated in his previous contract. This was some kind of price to pay, huh.

His body was recovering adequately well, allowing him to represent the team in the new league season. But his condition was still unpredictable.

Nicolás Millán and Victor Moses were still young and needed more training. The team required a two-line operation in the new league season hence requiring a practical rotation. Their chances in competing were not worrying. The only worry was whether their abilities could meet what the European matches would demand from them. Currently, there were not many issues with Millán but Moses still needed more polishing.

Žigić playing as a center forward would allow Nottingham Forest to secure a place. Though his performance was not outstanding, he was very practical.

Agbonlahor’s speed was Twain’s new weapon; his presence allowed the team more unique and ever-changing tactics.

There is nothing much to say about Eastwood. The previous season was his best season thus far. If he did not get injured, he would definitely be the prime shooter in the team. Also, Nistelrooy and him had the most experience playing for the Champion League on the front line.

But this type of front line potential was not sufficient. They still needed strikers to raise their standards.

For the midfielders… George Wood and Lennon were dependable players, but Lennon only had himself in the right lane. In the previous league they only had to focus on the league games within the country, so this was not an issue. But now that they required a two-line operation, a player going solo was definitely not sustainable through the season.

Şahin’s performance was actually decent, having improved after a league’s worth of breaking in and training. Perhaps being recalled to Turkey’s national team was proof of that. Tiago Mendes was another player on rotation. As for John Bostock, Twain wanted to loan him out for a year because he still needed more training. Likewise Adriano Moke also needed to be loaned out.

Chris Cohen’s performance was average, a great supplement to the midfielder. He definitely should stay since he would have plenty of opportunities to play in the two-line operation.

Twain decided to sell Petrov. One reason was that the Bulgarian was getting older. He was not as fast as he used to be, and his condition had been on the decline as well. Another factor was to take advantage of people who still wanted to get him. It was said that the black horse two leagues ago, Hoffenheim, had been interested in him, wanting him to go to France to showcase his skills. Petrov was considering this as well as he did get famous back in Brigade, hence it was not foreign for him to return.

Counting these people, the two lanes in the midfield required strong players to supplement.

There were not many worries on the final defensive line. Leighton Baines and Gareth Bale performed steadily. In the past league season Baines had few chances to appear, but his chances would only increase following the new season.

The right full back Rafinha had already fully grown. He had efficient attacks and persistent fell back to defend, securing his right full back position in the team. There were several teams which are interested in him outside, but Twain would not consider selling him at all.

Chimbonda was a special case. He had already turned 31 so Twain wanted to find someone suitable to replace him easily, but up till now he still stayed on the team with a steady performance. Whenever he entered the field, he would go all out. He did not even complain when he was benched. His contributions were relevant to them being able to obtain the rights to Champions League last season. He might be a lot more outstanding than Rafinha in the right full back position. When Twain needed the team to defend, Chimbonda was a lot more reliable than the Brazlilian. Twain also rediscovered the value of this French — he was not a soccer superstar but he was undeniable a key player essential in any team. All of them had their own role and responsibilities, the base of a team. Twain needed such players. This summer, the club was discussing a new contract with his manager which would last four years. Signing this would almost mean a life-long contract. Chimbonda would turn 35 in four years, after which he could basically consider retirement.

And for the plans for repairing the new stadium and the activity to go China to search for sponsor, both were unsuccessful. As such, Twain decided to place Sun Jihai on the transfer market. Whether it was a Chinese club or one in the English league, he would sell Sun Jihai for a suitable price. Although selling him now would not fetch a high price and there would be a huge difference between the transfer fee obtaining him and selling him, waiting another year would cost them the profit since Sun Jihai would transfer out on his own.

For the center backs, Pepe was the unmovable main force. Unless he gots injured, he would definitely play well. Kompany and Woodgate would then belong to the rotational center backs in the new season. Woodgate’s body would not be as strong as Kompany’s, where he would be filled with minor injuries and diseases. Wes Morgan would be a great replacement. But for the contest in Europe, Morgan was not reliable.

Five center backs would be sufficient. Any more would be a waste.

The young left full back Joe Mattock has been working hard to adapt to his new position as a center full back since last season. In the new season he would be loaned out to accept the test of the practical grinding.

“I’m thinking… around fifty million pounds.” Twain quickly did a mental calculation, then reported an estimate.

Evan frowned, “This isn’t a small amount, but I’ll think of something” Evan frowned, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. “Go and have a happy vacation with Shania and don’t think of anything else. Once the money issue is settled, I’ll notify you, Tony. Where are you two thinking of going to play?”

“China.” Twain shrugged. “To visit Dunn’s parents, who are also my parents.” Besides, I have an endorsement contract to discuss there as well.”

Twain mentioning China made Evan recall his trip to China in the summer of 2008. During that time, Nottingham Forest won the Champions League, getting the dual championships in that season. It was delightful and wonderful in that moment. There were celebrations everywhere. Seeing the East Asian fans and companies pay homage to himself was a pleasant feeling, but it was a pity that all of that was gone now. Allan Adams ran around China for almost half a year. Those enterprises, upon hearing that they need to invest money in the stadium, would shake their heads and complain about the economical crisis, limited time and funds. Those wealthy overlords were state-owned enterprises, so even if there were people wanting to invest in the Briitsh’s property market, it would hinder their identities to not dare to act rashly.

But then for United Arab Emirates people suggested it was possible to invest in them, not into the construction of the stadium but into the club, which was tantamount to a disguised acquisition. Evan rejected them consistently — even if they were to sell Nottingham Forest, now was not the time. The other party would unscrupulously lower the price; only a fool would sell.

Evan Doughty zoned out for a while, then discovered Twain was still in front of him. He chuckled, “Hope you enjoy yourself, Tony. If possible, bring back some Chinese souvenirs for Allan and I…”

Twain nodded. “Then I should really spend some effort to think of what presents to bring back to satisfy you two.”

“Haha, don’t think much of it! Anything is fine. We are not kids who still wait till Christmas to find presents in our stockings.”