Godfather Of Champions

Twain’s swift decision to sign Vedad Ibišević shocked the British media.

The media was well aware that Twain intended to buy a ‘quality’ forward from before, and they had linked numerous players to Nottingham Forest all this while. Nobody would have guessed that Twain would end up buying Ibišević, who was an ordinary player that no one thought highly of!

Some media outlets commented that if Twain’s signing of Ibišević was not to go against the media, then there must be something wrong with his brain. Other outlets expressed a different opinion, they believed that if Twain’s sole intention behind the signing was to go against the media, then his brain was definitely out of whack.

“Twain has actually placed his hopes on a player who so far has only played well for one season. Ibišević has spent 90% of his footballing career playing against lower-ranked leagues, and even then, his performance has been terrible. What did Twain say a while back? ‘Our goal is to win the Champions League’. Now, would you allow me to laugh for three minutes…”

Carl Spicer was very excited on a TV show, because he had just found a reason to attack Twain. He smiled gleefully in the show ‘Football Matters’.

Ever since Twain had really led his team to fourth place in the Premier League and successfully earned the spot to play in next season’s Champions League, Carl Spicer has been in for a rough time. Twain chastised Spicer in his own column, and Spicer was not able to do a single rebuttal against his words.

Before the Premier League started, Spicer had gone on and on about how he did not think highly of Forest. He was confident that they would not perform well in the league, but who knew, at the end of the league, Twain’s team had really accomplished what he thought was impossible for them. His ‘juvenile footballers’ had won. Carl Spicer got slapped in the face and he could do nothing but swallow the pain. After all, he could not be a ‘crazy dog’ like Twain and scold everything regardless of the reason. If he wants to criticize Twain, then he could not become just like the person he criticized. He had always asserted that he was ‘impartial’ and he needed to maintain that image of him before the masses.

This was the chance he has been waiting for after feeling aggrieved for the past few months. He finally has a reason to admonish Twain openly. He definitely had to scorn and ridicule Twain to his heart’s content in the show.

“I don’t deny the miracle that Hoffenheim had created in the 2008-09 season. I also felt excited to see them achieve the things that they did. But clearly, Tony Twain is merely acting based on his emotions this time. He must also really like Hoffenheim just like me, because their performance probably reminds him of Nottingham Forest when they first made their return to the Premier League. However, you can’t buy a player based on your emotions alone. If he had cooled his head and analyzed Ibišević’s abilities as a player, then even a fool would have been able to tell that Ibišević is not a player who can attain success. I think the German media was spot on with one of their descriptions of Ibišević. He is a player who has scored his entire career’s worth of goals in that one season where he performed well! Look at his stats for the 2009-10 season! It’s beyond terrible…” Carl Spicer covered his face with his hand. “It is a waste to even spend 1.5 pounds on a player like him, let alone 10 million pounds and Petrov as a part of the deal. Rumor has it that Tony Twain personally made a trip over to Hoffenheim, and he had a secret meeting with Rotthaus. No one knows if there was some kind of secret deal made between them…”

Spicer claimed that ‘no one knows’ anything about Twain’s secret meeting with Rotthaus, but he deliberately kept trying to direct everyone’s attention towards it.

“I don’t think we need to wait till the arrival of September the 1st. I can already award Ibišević with the titles of ‘worst summer signing’ and ‘the biggest flop of the new Premier League season’. He is more than deserving of those awards! I’ve already prepared my popcorn and drinks and I’m ready to watch Tony Twain and Ibišević make a fool of themselves after the new season starts. Twain thinks Ibišević is going to end up becoming a superstar? He should thank the gods if Ibišević doesn’t end up becoming a ‘super big joke’!”

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Carl Spicer has never been alone and unsupported in his every criticism of Twain, because there were quite a few people in the media who questioned and disliked Twain.

It is also why he was able to land a job as a host for a new Sky TV show just by lambasting Twain.

The reason why he was seen as the leading figure for ‘anti-Twain’ sentiments was because he was always the first to criticize Twain, and has always used sharp expressions and words to attack him. Out of all the critics of Twain, he was the most famous and resolute one. Others might change their opinions towards Twain on certain issues, but not Carl Spicer.

With this information as the context, it is not difficult to understand why the press conference where Twain introduced Ibišević to the media and the fans became yet another battlefield.

Carl Spicer personally made a trip to Nottingham as a reporter for Sky TV, and looked set for a showdown with Twain.

The press conference was scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. in the afternoon at City Ground stadium’s press room.

A total of 30 reporters turned up for the press conference. Carl Spicer sat amongst them and had a pleasant chat with these individuals who were all of the same profession as him.

He never concealed his hostility towards Twain in the slightest during his conversations. He treated it as his trademark and went around bragging about it to others. He mentioned more than once during his chats with the other reporters that there was likely to be some inside story behind the transfer.

When Twain walked into the press room alongside Ibišević and the press officer, the entire room instantly quietened down. The reporters returned to their seats and silently waited for the segment where they could raise their hands and ask questions.

The moment Twain sat down, he saw a beaming Carl Spicer who was seated at the front rows. He was well aware of what Carl Spicer has been saying for the past two days, but he remained unaffected and began his introduction of Ibišević.

The introduction was nothing special. All the reporters present at the scene already knew Ibišević very well. What they wanted was to raise their hands and ask questions.

Ibišević also did a self-introduction after Twain finished speaking. He did not boast about his remarkable performance in the 2008-09 season, and neither did he mention his terrible performance last season. All he did was to praise the glorious past that Nottingham Forest possessed as a football club, and then humbly commented that he hoped to be able to contribute a little to the club.

When they had both finished talking, the press officer signaled that the floor was open and the reporters could ask questions freely.

Carl Spicer was the first to raise his hand. His arm shot straight up towards the ceiling. It was as though he was afraid that Tony Twain could not see him even though he was seated right in front of Twain.

The press officer, Sandy Albert, who has already established a good rapport with Twain, deliberately ignored Carl Spicer and directed his gaze towards a reporter at the back.

However, the reporter asked a question that was similar in nature to Carp Spicer’s. “I am a reporter who works for The Times. I’d like to ask Mr. Twain this, Ibišević has not proven he possesses the abilities to play for a top team in a top football league besides his good performance in 2008-09 season. Do you think this transfer carries too much risk?”

“Every signing has its risks. I am not a clairvoyant. I only buy players whom I deem fit for my football team.”

The second reporter who stood up works for England’s ‘FourFourTwo’ football magazine. He was also concerned about whether Ibišević would be able to adapt to the Premier League and live up to the team’s expectations.

Twain’s reply was, “I believe he can adapt to the Premier League and can also live up to the team’s expectations.”

The reporter followed up with a question asking for a reason.

“He is physically strong and is an all-rounded striker. He is able to score goals on his own, and is also able to create chances for his team mates. He is able to put pressure on the defenders in the penalty box, and can also control the ball well. He also plays in a composed manner during games. These are all points that I can see from him through his past games. I cannot find any flaws to him.”

“But he does not score goals consistently.” The third reporter to ask questions was Carl Spicer. He kept his hand high throughout, and kept waving it before the press officer. Twain signaled to the press officer that it was all right to pick him.

Carl Spicer stood up and did not even bother doing a self-introduction. His very first comment was, “He only scored a lot of goals in that one season alone. His performance in the other seasons have proved that he is nothing more than a European player on the decline!”

Twain sneered. “You don’t have the right to decide if a player is on a decline or not, Mr. Spicer.”

He then glanced at Ibišević, who looked awkward but was trying his best to maintain his smile.

“How about this, Mr. Spicer. Why don’t the two of us make a wager? If Ibišević scores a total of at least 20 goals in all the various competitions this season, then you’d have to shave your head. If he is unable to do that, then I’d shave my head. What do you think?”

Commotion broke out in the press room. Even Ibišević turned around to look at his manager in shock.

Twain just smiled confidently as he looked at Spicer.

Carl Spicer smiled as well. “Very well. I will make a wager. If I lose, I will shave my head in my show. If you lose, you have to specially hold a press conference and let everyone watch as you shave your head.”

“Deal!”

This was a situation that nobody had expected to see. Both parties looked glad to see how things would unfold in the future.

The small commotion that arose as a result of the wager gradually vanished following Spicer’s silence.

Everyone focused their attention back on Ibišević.

All the questions they directed at the Bosnian were still ones of skepticism.

Ibišević forced a smile as he dealt with the England media’s acrimonious words.

In the end, Twain signaled for the press officer to end the press conference, and he brought Ibišević towards the stadium to meet with approximately three hundred fans.

The previous fan meeting involved both David Bentley and Matías Fernández. At that time, around 1500 fans had turned up. Majority of them had turned up to see England’s starting right back David Bentley.

However, this time round, there were only around 300 fans who turned up for Ibišević’s fan meeting. Most of them were related to Fat John, and they had all turned up for Twain.

There are numerous Nottingham Forest fans who did not think favorably of Ibišević’s future at Nottingham Forest. They liked Twain, but they simply could not harbor high hopes for this new signing of his.

He was a player who has scored 37 goals in one season and had no particularly notable performances in the other seasons. His total number of goals scored in all those seasons combined might not even exceed 37…

A player like this was going to be a part of the Nottingham Forest during a time when their goal is to climb back to the top.

Such a player and such a situation seemed like something that will only appear in one of Hollywood’s motivational movies.

They would not openly oppose to the club signing Ibišević, but this deserted stadium was a way of making their feelings known.

The good thing was that Ibišević has a good mentality. He never thought of himself to be a superstar, and never thought that he had to receive the cheers of tens of thousands of people.

Even if only 300 fans had turned up for him, or even if 99% of the 30 reporters were there to question him, he would still earnestly wear a smile on his face and show his skills in front of everyone. He would still hold up the club’s jersey and scarf for the reporters to take photos, and he would still kick his signed football into the stands.

Truth be told, this was the biggest turnout he had seen in his career having joined numerous other football clubs before. What’s more, all these people have all turned up just for him. He knew that most of them have turned up because he once scored 37 goals in a single season and nearly broke Gerd Müller’s record, and also because he was lucky enough to get awarded the Golden Boot back then as well.

He could not ask for too much.

After the relatively quiet and unenthusiastic fan meeting ended, the staff carried the board that had Nottingham Forest’s name and sponsors printed on it. The reporters and fans also left the stadium.

Before long, there were only two people left in the empty stadium.

Tony Twain and Ibišević.

The two of them stood at the spot where he tossed the signed football towards the fans.

Tony Twain was explaining how England’s media is typically like to Ibišević.

“They are always like this. Every single one of them only follows where the wind blows, and they have no mind of their own. When you are good they will praise you, and when you are bad they will scold you. You don’t need to take their words to heart. For me, I am always on loggerheads with them. It doesn’t matter whether they praise or scold me. My opinion towards them never changes. As humans, we all ought to have things that we never waver on and persist with. The reporters are always changing their minds about something, but we don’t need to be like them.”

“The media’s the same wherever you go, manager…”

“Call me ‘boss’.”

“All right, boss.”

Ibišević was a down-to-earth man. His experiences from before have forced him to be so. Any unrealistic fantasies of his have long been sent to Mars. Knowing how to keep a low profile was something he picked up when he left his home country at 15 years of age.

“Do you have anything to say about how I had a bet with that reporter without your consent?”

“Me? I will try my best to help you win your bet…” Ibišević was still being low-key as usual.

“No no.” Twain shook his head like a rattle-drum. “That’s not what you are supposed to say at a time like this. You have to say ‘No problem, boss! I will personally shave that bastard’s head!’.’

Twain laughed after seeing Ibišević’s puzzled expression. “This is how we do things at Nottingham Forest. And also… This is not just to help me, it’s to help you, Ibi. The one who has it worse when you don’t perform is not me, it’s you. I will put you on the bench or in the reserve team when you don’t perform well, and I won’t show you any mercy. It doesn’t matter how much money I spent to acquire you. I might be smiling to you today, but my face might go dark tomorrow and I might chase you out of the team. I’m sure you have experienced many of such situations in the past. You don’t need me to elaborate further right?”

Ibišević nodded his solemnly.

Twain slapped his broad back hard.

“You can lose games but never your face. You must never let others get you down. You must go against them when they question you. You must never admit defeat. I don’t care what you think in your heart. You must keep your lips sealed till the end.”

“But… If I really lost…”

“I never think about things that have not happened. I’d only say it when I’ve already lost the bet and have to shave my head.”

Twain called for Ibišević to leave.

“I promise you, you will fall in love with this place. This place has the best fans, the best team mates, and the best manager.” Twain broke into a radiant smile.

The two walked side by side and disappeared down the tunnel.