Godfather Of Champions

Since the promotion of his team into the English Premier League, Mr. Steve Coppell had been looking forward to this day.

After two years, he could finally go up against Tang En again.

In the summer of 2004, Tang En’s Nottingham Forest had slashed a bloody path out of the cruel First Division (now EFL Championship) and returned to the English Premier League they had been away from for the longest time. From that moment, they stepped onto a peaceful and smooth path forward; Tony Twain and Nottingham Forest became famous across the world.

What was Coppell doing then? He was enduring tough times as he reformed his football team with the goal of charging into the Premier League. Two seasons passed by. Coppell had reformed Reading F.C. into a tougher team with a rowdy and unyielding style of football. Such a team was more suitable to battle within the EFL Championship. The team united to strive towards their goal. Finally, their dreams came true in the summer of 2006. Reading F.C successfully battled their way into the English Premier League!

The players of Reading F.C. were all big and tall, and Coppell exploited such an advantage of theirs to its greatest. His team’s attitude in facing every match was to play as if they were fighting a war. Perhaps Coppell would not admit it, but his transformation was undeniably influenced by Tony Twain.

While Tang En feared the overly rowdy play of today’s Reading FC, had he ever considered that this might have been his own creation? Based on his actions, the influence he brought to this world after his transfer was like the accumulation of fine strands of threads that eventually end up entangled with each other, becoming more and more firmly entrenched.

※※※

Dunn noticed that Tang En had been frowning since he boarded the coach at the hotel.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked.

Tang En looked at his partner. He was indeed troubled over something, but it was something he could not tell anyone about. “I’m thinking about the match with Arsenal.” Tang En gave a forced smile.

“Maybe you should think about your current opponents? Reading F.C. is not easy to deal with.”

His words seemingly touched on the matter troubling Tang En, and he momentarily fell quiet.

“Aren’t you taking your opponents a bit too lightly, Tony?”

The starting lineup for the team was not yet made public, but the managers themselves already knew. In this match, Tang En rotated the players in several positions. The main goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, played as a reserve, while Paul Gerrard was a starter. Ribéry was a reserve with Petrov taking his spot. Bendtner took over for Ruud van Nistelrooy. Even Anelka who had few chances to be fielded was being put in as a starter player.

“Rotating players is something very normal to Forest Team now.” Tang En shrugged.

“Then why did you let Paul be a starter when you don’t ever rotate the goalie?”

He’s got sharp eyes. Tang En sighed as he thought this in his head. Outwardly, he said, “Don’t you all always complain about the lack of opportunities to field the reserve goalkeeper? That his conditions were hard to maintain, and that his standards could not be raised? The chance is here now.”

His reply was perfect. Dunn could not find any fault with it, but he still felt a little strange in his heart. He kept silent.

“Don’t worry, Dunn,” Tang En comforted. “I have gone up against Coppell many times in the First Division. I understand him and his football team. This match…”

The image of Čech and Cudicini in a coma abruptly flashed through Tang En’s mind. His words paused for a beat.

“…won’t be a problem.”

※※※

“I am very delighted we are able to return to this stadium again to face with this opponent. During the EPL Championships, we have fought each other several times, but I have never once won. Today, the situation is different. This is our chance.”

Before his players, Coppell did not try to hide his special interest in their opponents, Nottingham Forest. As a result, everyone in his team knew how much their main manager anticipated the coming of the match.

“Nottingham is now a strong team. Before the season started, that guy Tang En even said that their aim this season was to become the champions of the Champions League. They have lofty ambitions and have become disdainful of mucking around in the mud with teams like us. So, in this match, we want them to relive old dreams! Fulham showed a very good example, but I don’t think they did it thoroughly enough. In this match, we’re sticking to our usual style!”

He did not elaborate any further, but everyone knew what he meant. In Reading FC’s playstyle, they did not care about technical statistics, such as fouling. So long as they could mess with their opponents, it was worth paying any price. Victory was the only law in this world.

※※※

At the same time, Tang En was in the locker room. Again and again, he reminded his team to be wary of rough fouling by their opponents and told them to avoid taking risks if it was not absolutely necessary to fight for the ball.

His words prompted a round of laughter from the locker room.

“Head, did you hit your head?” Ribéry asked with a laugh.

“Ah?” Tang En did not understand.

“Usually you scold us, calling us ‘girls this, girls that.’ Why do I feel that you’re much more of a ‘girl’ today?”

Everyone laughed as Ribéry spoke.

If it had been a usual day, Tang En would have smiled at the joke and let it pass. Today, however, Tang En found it impossible to smile at it. He stared at Ribéry for a long time until everyone stopped laughing. But he did not say anything. He only dropped his head to continue analyzing Reading FC’s strategy for them.

The relaxed atmosphere in the changing room suddenly became awkward.

Dunn, sitting by the side, looked quietly at Tang En. By the end, Tang En stopped reminding everyone to be careful of the opponent’s rough fouling, sneaky actions, or anything of the sort. He seemed to have taken Ribéry’s opinion into consideration.

With the time of the match nearing, Tang En ended the pre-match preparations. Then, without making any speech to drum up their morale, he only waved his hand and let everyone out.

The substitute goalkeeper, Paul Gerrard, seemed extremely excited to be a starter for the match. He made sure to slap the top of the doorframe on his way out.

Tang En watched him from behind and did not know how to feel. He hoped that everything he was worried about was just a false alarm, that everything was only because of his own wild imagination.

※※※

“Nottingham Forest and Reading FC, Tony Twain and Steve Coppell. They’re old acquaintances.” The commentator introduced the situation of both parties to the audience. “This match will have many highlights, surely!”

Tang En sat in the manager’s seat, waiting silently for the match to begin. It was very rare for him to be so quiet.

The match had only been going for five minutes when Tang En sprang up from his seat. He was finally revived. Nottingham Forest had scored.

Just like the media’s analysis before the match, Tang En’s decision of a major rotation in this match was not entirely because he was taking his opponents lightly. Rather, it was that Nottingham Forest and Reading FC’s abilities were that far apart. Before going up against their old opponents, Arsenal, arranging for a rotation was the best method to prevent players from being overly fatigued or getting injured.

“Nicolas Anelka!” The live broadcast loudly announced the scorer of the goal. To Forest’s fans on the home field, it had been quite a while since they heard his name. Since the new season began, Anelka was iced on the bench. He could not even get to play in a game, let alone score a goal. Unexpectedly, his first time as a starter, he had already gotten a goal for the team within the first five minutes.

Tang En jumped up and clapped before sitting down again. He was no longer as excited as before. At this point, however, it was not the rowdy Reading FC he was worried about. He did not want Anelka to get too smug.

“Anelka.” Assistant manager David Kerslake shook his head by the side, sighing. “What a pity.”

Tang En harrumphed, and Kerslake fell silent. He cast his gaze back onto the field. Anelka was still celebrating the goal to his heart’s content. He seemed a little over-excited. It looked like he had vented some of his frustrations by scoring a goal in front of Tang En.

The situation is no longer the same, Anelka. No matter how well you perform in front of me now, don’t dream of getting any more chances.

※※※

Coppell’s face instantly changed when Forest Team scored a goal. He had been looking forward greatly to this match, but he had been given a smack to the head only five minutes into the match.

Before the match, he had told them to mark any of their opponents down. They could foul whenever they need to and did not have to be polite. But they had just lost that ball. After Anelka used his speed to forcibly break through, no one on their side fouled! They only watched with wide eyes as he barged into the penalty zone and scored a goal!

The bunch of b*stards!

He stood up from his seat.

“Sonko!” He yelled the name of the team’s center back. In truth, his words were shouted at every player in Reading FC. “What are you guys doing? Why did you let the opponent get a point so easily? Have you already forgotten what I’ve said before the match? Do you all still want to win?!”

※※※

After Coppell’s yelling, it was as if Reading FC woke up from a dream. Nottingham Forest’s players quickly found it more difficult to gain possession of the ball. Whenever their feet was close to kicking the football, their opponents would rush up ferociously, making use of both their hands and feet to intercept the ball. What made Forest players even more unhappy was that the main referee on duty, Riley, seemed to turn a blind eye to the methods of Reading FC. Even those that involved pushing Forest’s players down from the back and then successfully stealing the ball were all quietly allowed by the main referee.

This especially angered Forest’s members. Jeers aimed at referee Riley also rang out from the spectators’ stand.

Tang En sat in the manager’s seat. The match could still be considered rather normal. After all, kicking at legs was completely different from kicking at heads.

However, his face clearly bore a cold smile specifically directed to the main referee on duty, Riley.

“The UEFA isn’t troubling us, but our own people are setting us up?” He mumbled to himself.

Following this, the match officially entered a “fighting stage.” With the loss of the ball, Reading FC’s temper spiked. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest was also enraged by their rough fouls, and the actions of both parties became bigger and bigger.

They pushed back and forth at each other. In the current match, it all seemed to be considered normal bodily contact.

Riley’s dismissal of the fouls caused Reading FC’s actions to get worse. Suddenly, the Forest team remembered that their Head had warned them to be wary of the opponent’s rough fouling. Thinking a little further ahead, their next League match was the highlight match with Arsenal. No one was willing to lose an opportunity to appear in such an important match. They began to play with more restraint.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Reading FC attacked into the middle of Forest’s backfield, hoping to equalize the scores before the end of the first half.

In Reading FC’s midfield, member of England’s national Under-21 football team, Steve Sidwell decided to take the middle path after receiving a pass from his teammate. After all, this was the route that could threaten the opponent’s goal the most. It was also the most straightforward and effective one.

If Sidwell’s memory had been good, he would not have chosen a forceful breakthrough from the middle.

Sidwell intended to barge his way through the middle but had forgotten about one person. His forgetfulness annoyed that person quite a bit.

Steve Sidwell was certain that the route breaking through the middle had no Forest players on it. However, just as he was about to shoot the ball, a streak of red shadow suddenly flashed before him, swiftly turning and cutting in.

When the red shadow turned their back on him, he finally got a clear sight of it—13, WOOD.

Sidwell who had just accelerated could not pull on the brakes quickly enough, slamming straight into Wood. Wood did not even shake. In this manner, he was separated from the football.

In that instance, Sidwell abruptly recovered his memories. He remembered that there was a lad who had cost him dearly in the match against Forest Team two years ago. But at that time, the boy was still wearing number 33.

Wood. George Wood. Currently England’s hottest defensive midfielder. How could I have forgotten about him?

It was too late for Sidwell’s regret. The ball was already lost.

“George Wood! A beautiful box-out! Forcibly breaking through the middle when facing George Wood? Sidwell’s brain must be muddled…”

The spectators’ stands finally stopped ringing with jeers against the referee. The home team fans dedicated all their enthusiastic applause to their captain.

In a crucial moment, their captain was always the most trustworthy.

※※※

Wood depended on his own performance to resolve a single moment of danger for Forest Team. But he was not the whole team. Forest Team had not gotten out of the difficult situation they had fallen into.

With Forest’s members having greater considerations, Reading F.C. bullied Forest Team, their plays turning rowdier and rowdier even as they became more open with it.

Tang En was not wrong in his worries, and Coppell was also right in his assumptions.

The Nottingham Forest of today no longer dared to go all-out against the stylistically rowdy Reading FC. They needed to consider many more things: their next League round against Arsenal, the Champions League Group Stage matches, the long journey through the entire season, their aim of becoming champions, etc. All these were reasons that made them play in a restrained manner.

With the people in front playing so restrictedly, goalie Paul Gerrard became extraordinarily busy. He was receiving shots high and blocking low, all in the effort of preventing the opponents from breaking through his gates. Of course, he did not dream that he would be able to snatch the main goalkeeping position from Edwin van der Sar. He did not know why the Head suddenly decided to rotate the goalkeeping position for this match, but he was clear about one thing – since the Head had let him on the field, he had to do his best within the 90 minutes.

“Reading FC’s direct pass has… gone wide! But Hunt is chasing it!”

Korean midfielder, Kim Do-heon, sent out a surprising pass down the middle, tearing apart Forest Team’s defensive line. Originally, the fullbacks of Forest Team were not bothered with it. Just as the commentator had mentioned, the pass went much too wide.

But at the moment they relaxed, they noticed that Reading FC’s forward, Hunt, had not given up and was chasing the ball!

Upon looking back, Piqué got momentarily nervous when he saw Hunt’s shadow hurtling forward at high speed. However, he noticed Paul Gerrard already running forward and getting ready to drop to the ground to receive the ball. His heart calmed again.

Although Hunt was still chasing after it, he would surely be unable to get it.

Paul Gerrard slid on the ground towards the ball, grasping both hands around it tightly. Reading’s attack ended.

Hunt was still sprinting forward. At such moments, wouldn’t forwards, in general, jump up to avoid the incoming goal-keeper? Stephen Hunt did not. He directly rushed up, his knee smashing right into Paul Gerrard’s head…

Everyone – regardless of whether it was the audience before the television or the live audience – saw it very clearly. Hugging the ball, Paul Gerrard’s head suddenly whipped back, his body flipping over. He went from crouching on the ground to being on his back, staring at the sky. He was still tightly hugging the football, but the situation seemed abnormal.

Hunt did not notice all this. After running past Paul Gerrard’s head, he ran out of the end line to notice the ball still in the goalkeeper’s hand. He stopped, opened his hands and smiled nonchalantly at the camera.

Just as he finished smiling and turned around, a gigantic fist suddenly appeared before his eyes. Following that, he had no time to react before feeling like he had been slammed into by a heavy-duty truck driven at high speed. He flew backwards and fell onto the advertisement board near the end line.

This time, the whistle of the main referee, Riley, finally sounded.