Godfather Of Champions

11th May, sunny, the highest temperature after noon was 31 degrees Celsius. The final round of the English Premier League would all start at three-thirty in the afternoon.

Tony Twain got out of bed at seven in the morning. His wife was even earlier than him and she was already busy making breakfast for him in the kitchen.

He was not anxious to wash up and change, instead, he sat on the bed and dazed for a while. Was this day just like any other day? No, this was a special day. Not because the champion would be decided on this day, but because of the complexity regarding how the title is decided.

He remained dazed on the bed, as if he was still not fully awake yet.

After he stayed silent for a period of time, he rubbed his face and got off the bed.

A new day had begun. How would he feel when this day ended?

Shania went forward for a morning kiss after she saw Twain coming down. Twain pouted and said, “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

Shania kept reminding Twain not to be too agitated over the course of breakfast, it was not a big issue if he was not able to win the league title.

Twain thought that Shania was being inauspicious by saying that and he said with a black face, “Can’t you say something nicer?”

Shania rolled her eyes and replied, “You’re being so nervous so early in the morning. What will you do during the match?”

“Me? Nervous?” Twain could not help but laugh. However, he would find it difficult to laugh very soon as he felt his heart beat much faster than usual.

Shania looked at him as she realized that Twain had fell silent again.

Twain laughed awkwardly, “Seems like I’m really a little nervous…”

Shania placed her forehead on Twain’s head, smiled and said, “I know you love to be the champion, but don’t make me too worried too.”

Twain nodded softly.

※※※

His teammates staying in the same room as him was still sound asleep when Bendtner sat up on his bed. It looked like they had a crazy night last night. The smell of alcohol in the room was proof of that.

Ashley Young’s concern might very possibly be a reality this afternoon —— This Manchester City team was totally incapable of stopping Arsenal. Even if Nottingham Forest demolishes Sunderland by a score of 90:0 at the City Ground, it would be pointless.

He turned and look at Robinho who was not always in line. The Brazilian’s nightlife was really rich… The fact that he was still sleeping here and not at the side of some other woman should have shocked him.

Bendtner jumped out of bed wearing only his underwear and drew the curtains. Bright sunlight gushed into the dark room immediately and fell straight on Robinho’s face.

Robinho blinked as he was woken by such a radiant beam of sunlight.

“Who turned on the lights?” He asked groggily as he covered his face with one hand and squinted his eyes.

“Robbie, it’s morning,” Bendtner replied loudly with gusto.

The confused Brazilian finally became a little bit more awake.

“It’s morning?” He blinked hard and saw that the light that woke him up did not come from the lights, but from the sun instead. He mumbled, “What the…what time is it?”

“7.30,” Bendtner smiled at him.

“Oh, for god’s sake…” Robinho flopped back down on the bed, “It’s so early! Let me sleep a little longer…”

“It’s time for breakfast Robbie,” Bendtner said as he acted dumb.

“You can go…” Robinho covered half his body with the blanket and waved weakly, muttering, “Don’t care about me…”

“What time are you planning to sleep until?”

“Until I wake up naturally…” Robinho fell asleep after saying that.

Bendtner opened his arms and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

He believed that Robinho was definitely not a special case. Many of the Manchester City players were like this last night and McClaren could not care less. To him, the team had already completed their task ahead of time. The final league match was not important, and it was natural for him to let the players relax. As long as they did not go sleep around, why should he stop them from drinking? In the English footballing world, one could not say one was a professional footballer unless one could drink!

Robinho was going to start in this game…

After 11 years of arrogance, Tony Twain was finally going to receive his karma. The team facing Arsenal was a Manchester City team who had surrendered even before the match.

Logically speaking, he should be happy about it, but he did not feel any joy in his heart at all.

After washing up and changing, he saw Ashley Young yawning as he walked out of the room next to his when he exit.

“Good morning…Yawn——”

There was a drop of tear.

“Didn’t you sleep very early? Why are you not awake yet?” Bendtner asked, puzzled.

“Don’t even talk about it…” Ashley Young looked to be in pain, “Shaun was exceptionally excited last night and forced me to play poker with him. He’s the leader of the team and I couldn’t say no…” He yawned again as he recounted his tale.

“Who won?”

“I did…” But there was no traces of the joy of winning on Young’s face, “That bastard Shaun said that I can forget about sleeping until he won… But his card skills are really damn lousy! In the end, I tried very hard to finally let him win one game but it was already 3…”

Ashley Young’s pain made Bendtner sympathize with him. Good thing Robinho’s interest in alcohol and women outweighs his interest in gambling with his roommate.

Even the captain Shaun Wright-Phillips was behaving like this, one could just imagine the strength of the team.

Bendtner walked towards the elevator with Ashley Young, who was still half asleep, as they prepared to go for breakfast.

“Wake me up later on if I fall asleep on the dining table.”

“I think you’ll not fall asleep, you’ll stab yourself in the nostrils with the fork, ha!” Bendtner laughed, “You’ll be the first professional footballer in history to injure yourself with a fork during a meal!”

“So what… I’m not playing anyway, this might be better. If I injure myself, I don’t even have to go as a substitute…” Ashley Young mumbled as he entered the elevator.

They were alone in the massive elevator and it felt very empty.

“Yawn——,” Ashley Young stretched, “One more game and I’ll be free. Goodbye Manchester City, I won’t miss you at all! Hey, Nicklas, aren’t you going to plan about your future?”

Bendtner was silent.

Ashley Young was not expecting an answer from Bendtner as he leaned on the wall of the elevator. The icy cold feeling dissipated a little bit of his sleepiness.

He suddenly fell into a state of reminiscence as he thought about his days playing in a red jersey. His salary then was way lower than what he was getting now, but he was happier…

He wondered if Bendtner was thinking the same?

※※※

Wenger was enjoying his coffee slowly in the restaurant of the hotel he was staying at, taking a break with his assistants. The players just had an early lunch and were resting in the room.

His assistant manager, Pat Rice, brought him a piece of good news, “Someone told me that he witnessed the Manchester City players partying in the bar until way past midnight. We’re facing an opponent who has no desire to win. We’re definitely going to win this game!”

Wenger smiled and refuted him, “You cannot say something like this until the last second, Pat.” However, this refutation lacked conviction. Even he felt that Manchester City was so slack that they were not a threat.

Pat did not pay much attention to this warning as he said happily, “I’m now sympathizing with Tony Twain. His team is trying so hard to win their game, but they will never expect that our opponent will be a team like this. Even I think that we’re a little too lucky, maybe it’s really fated that we’ll be champions this year!”

After hearing what he said, Wenger thought for a moment and instructed, “Don’t tell the players about the opponent’s situation, and don’t let the reporters have any contact with them, these reporters will only mess things up. Let our players think that Manchester City is still as before, an opponent that requires us to give our best. Pride and underestimating the opponent, I don’t wish these to happen in this match.”

Pat Rice nodded. He knew about Wenger’s temperament. Arsene was not one to be highly conceited.

※※※

When Wenger and his assistants were resting in the hotel, talking about their opponent that afternoon, Twain received a call from Pierce Brosnan.

“Um, Tony… There’s something that I don’t know whether I should tell you…” Brosnan was being very hesitant on the phone.

Twain felt that everything was not normal today and he felt a little impatient.

“Just speak your mind, Mr. Reporter.”

“I heard that the whole Manchester City team was partying all night in the bar last night…”

Twain chuckled silently, “That’s not surprising, Mr. Reporter. The impact of your news is getting worse.”

“Aren’t you worried about the fate of you and the Forest team?”

Twain laughed out loud this time, “Am I supposed to fly to London, grab McClaren by the neck and force him to show some sportsmanship by doing his best?”

Brosnan had no answer to that.

“Mr. Reporter, I don’t care where you got this piece of news from, but I hope that you will not disturb my players with it. ”

Brosnan promised.

“Good, thank you for calling me specially to tell me this,” Twain hung up the phone after thanking Brosnan.

“Who was it, Tony?” Kerslake asked when Twain returned.

“An old friend concerned about the prospect of our title challenge,” Twain dodged the question. He pointed at the hotel lobby, “Tell security to help me chase all these reporters away. My team requires ample rest and I do not want to see any form of disturbance.”

Both Kerslake and the hotel security were not surprised by this sudden decision from Twain. They knew what kind of manager Tony Twain was. Fighting against the media was part and parcel of his life, as normal as eating or sleeping.

In the eyes of the media, Twain’s reason for doing this was obvious —— He was nervous. This manager who never showed any weakness in front of others finally had a moment of nervousness… This was something worth writing about.

Twain did not care about how the others perceived him. He had to ensure that his players were not disturbed by all this nonsense before they entered the pitch. No matter what happened on the other side, my team’s resolve to win the title must not be affected. Even if there is only a 0.00000000001% chance, we have to do our best.

※※※

The last round of the 13-14 English Premier League season would start together at 3.30 pm in the afternoon. 45 minutes before the start of the matches, four buses set off from four different hotels, going towards their destinations.

Two of them were headed to the Emirates Stadium while there other two were headed to the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest’s bus was a little quiet, unlike the atmosphere in the past when they were headed for a home game. Maybe this peculiar last round made everyone lose interest in conversation.

Twain also sat alone in the front seat, turning his head to look out of the window silently. Even him, the soul of the team, was acting this way, what more those under him.

The oppressive atmosphere in the bus finally got broken by Kerslake’s booming voice when they reached the stadium, “Get off quickly, get changed and prepare to warm up!”

Twain got off last. He took one look at the media and fans gathering around and entered the tunnel without waving at them nor accepting any interviews from the reporters.

※※※

When Bendtner got off the bus, all he saw around were Arsenal fans in their red and white jerseys. The Manchester City fans in blue were few and far between, whether in terms of numbers or strength, they were completely defeated.

The Arsenal fans were shouting at the Manchester City players, waving their fists, the slogans in their hands, their scarfs, in an attempt to create more pressure for them.

Bendtner wanted to laugh when he saw this.

There’s no need to work so hard, we’ve already surrendered…

Go cheer your team on, congratulations on winning the league title.

Bendtner walked forward and there was a reporter who attempted to rush in to interview him. He was blocked off by security and he shouted, “Bendtner! You almost joined Arsenal before. Do you have any special feelings facing Arsenal in the final round of the league now?”

This question made Bendtner stop, but very soon, he continued to walk forward, shaking his head.

How many years ago was that? That’s right, Arsenal wanted to sign him then, but he chose Nottingham Forest in the end. If he had chosen Arsenal…where will he be now?

This question was pointless, he could not be bothered with it.

※※※

Wenger looked serious and solemn as he told his players returning from their warmup, “We’re leading by one point, but I want you to forget about this one point. Manchester City is not a weak team, if you underestimate them, you’ll suffer a heavy loss. I’m not trying to scare you; this is a fact.”

“I don’t wish to see the English Premier League trophy flying to Nottingham after 90 minutes. The trophy that was brought to the Emirates Stadium is the real deal, keep it here!”

The cultured and elegant French manager, Wenger, was a little agitated. A rare sight.

※※※

On the other side, McClaren allowed the Manchester City players in the changing room to listen to music, do whatever they wanted. Bendtner sat silently on his seat after changing into his kit, resting with his eyes closed. Manager’s team talk? McClaren had never managed to say anything meaningful. He might as well rest instead of listening to him talk.

Robinho, who only woke up at nine, looked full of energy now as he juggled with the ball wearing only an underwear. His technique was indeed good, and he would often do moves that would cause his teammates to exclaim in shock. He could still move freely in the small changing room. The only question was how much of his form now could be brought onto the field later.

“Hey Robbie! It’s not time for a Nike commercial now, don’t be so excited!” Someone from the team shouted teasingly.

What he got in return was a nutmeg by Robinho after a stepover. The surrounding team members all laughed at this maneuver as they started to get noisy, booing their teammate who got nutmegged.

Ashley Young was among them. He was very relaxed as he did not have to start this game and he would be joining Liverpool next season. Nobody would work too hard for the game later. To them, the summer break had already started!

※※※

Sunderland’s manager, Roland Nielsen, was boosting the morale of his team loudly. The team seemed a little downhearted. Facing a Nottingham Forest team who had to win to ensure they had a chance of winning the title away was really the greatest misfortune that this team could have…

“Don’t give up! As long as we defeat Nottingham Forest, we’ll be able to escape relegation! Think about it, my friends! We’re way luckier than our opponents —— They might not even win the title even if they beat us! At the very least, fate is still controlled in our hands now. Don’t throw this chance away easily! Sunderland must not be relegated!”

“Don’t think that Nottingham Forest is undefeatable just because they are in second place now. In fact, as long as we take our chances, victory could be ours too… They have to defeat us at home to have any hopes of winning the title. This is immense psychological pressure for them. At the same time, even if they can defeat us, it’s up to the results of the match between Arsenal and Manchester City to decide if they can be the champions, their players are well aware of that… So, in reality, on one hand, Nottingham Forest is facing immense pressure, on the other hand, they have insufficient drive. This is our chance, grab it, defeat them! Let us stay in the Premier League!”

※※※

Tony Twain entered the changing room and closed the door behind him. The noise from outside lessened a lot. Everyone lifted their head to look at their leader, their captain.

“There’s something that you guys know a lot about, and I don’t want to repeat it here. What I want to say is…” Twain scratched his head out of habit. Because of this habit, his hair was always in a mess, “Don’t care about the situation on the other side, you have to play this game properly. Do you remember what I told you during halftime of the Arsenal match? If we can’t even win our own game, what rights do we have to fight for the title? This is still applicable now. If we lose to a team like Sunderland, then Arsenal doesn’t even need to play Manchester City to win the title.”

“This is not what I want to see. Us Nottingham Forest has always been a team that never gives up. We didn’t give up in the two Champions League finals, that’s why we’re the champions. It’s the same this time. Ignore what the others are doing, finish our job. Sunderland thinks that we can be bullied easily, then let’s show them what a big mistake that is.”

Fortune favors the bold. When the chance comes, I want everyone to be prepared for it,” Twain’s tone was not impassioned, but everyone could feel the strength within what he said.

“I’m ready, what about you guys?”

He asked the players in front of him calmly.