Godfather Of Champions

When Dunn and Tang Jing in faraway China learned that Twain had resigned from the Nottingham Forest Football Club, just a day after the Forest Club announced the news, the advanced internet had already allowed them to know what happened on the other side of the globe, even in the remote town of South Sichuan.

And in within the day, the entire world’s sports media would treat this matter as a piece of sensational news to report.

In Italy, Sky TV’s newscaster had a strange look on his face as he announced the news. It was clear that even he could not believe that he spoke about how the “Godfather of Nottingham” had ended actually ended his glory in the Forest team in this way.

In Spain, the Spanish media, which were still complaining that Nottingham Forest had “stolen” the Champions League title through improper means, had collectively lost their voices – they did not know what to say in the face of such news.

A manager who just won the Treble for the team had suddenly resigned. Perhaps the term “individualistic” could no longer describe him simply. It was only during this time that the usually self-proclaimed sharp-witted reporters realized how poor their vocabulary was.

In China, there was even a web portal dedicated to Tony Twain as a special topic. It was immediately very popular with people posting messages. China’s CCTV Sports Channel also produced a forty-five-minute-long feature program that comprehensively reviewed Tony Twain’s eleven years of ups and downs at Nottingham Forest.

On the internet, the Nottingham Forest fans had long been stunned and left head-scratching. Some people wept in pain about Twain’s departure in the forum, indignantly denounced the club’s top brass for being ungrateful after getting what they wanted from him and getting rid of him now that he had served his purpose… And the other portion of the people expressed that they did not like the Forest team just because they were catching with the times and like Tony Twain. They chose to stand with the club’s senior management and thought that it was okay for Twain to be gone and it was not like the world revolved around him. Furthermore, there were a number of rumors that Twain was very dissatisfied with the annual salary and package that the club had offered, that he was fighting with Evan Doughty for the same woman, and Twain’s real character was not that great.

The most commonly expressed emotion from the fans of the other teams was one of gleefulness. To them, the most troublesome foe had finally come to an end, and the teams which they supported had regained hopes of winning the title. In addition, they were also delighted to see the usually arrogant Forest fans who walked with their noses up in the air were currently in a state of infighting.

In England, the news of Twain’s resignation even overshadowed the England national team’s preparations for the World Cup. As for the Treble winner, Nottingham Forest,… it was even more pathetic. The accolades that the media gave them a few days ago, were not to be seen now.

Carl Spicer apparently did not expect Twain to choose to leave at the team’s most glorious period. It suddenly left him with a sense of loss in his focus – he would not be able to find someone to scold in the future. How would his show stand out among so many football television shows without criticizing people?

Later in his special edition of BBC’s program, Lineker helplessly half-joked and said, “I really don’t know if this is good news or bad news. But I’m sure that’s good news for the other nineteen managers in the Premier League. Because their strong enemy finally left. For the others, this must be bad news, because the Premier League has since lost one of its most special features…”

Many reporters and friends wanted to find the leading man in the event and hear what he had to say. But whenever they made a call, the message always prompted that the phone was turned off. This time, even Pierce Brosnan, who had been considered a reporter exclusively used by Twain, also did not receive any first-hand information, resulting in him being given a dressing down by the newspaper editor. He experienced the feeling of when he first came to the newspaper as an intern reporter. In this way, the storm of all kinds of rumors intensified.

Until the end of the year, when the Associated Press selected the top ten sports news of the year, the news of Tony Twain’s departure from Nottingham Forest was ranked fourth, showing how much influence he had at the time.

There was another example. Capello joked in an interview with the reporters and said, “I should thank Tony Twain. Because of him, you guys bother my team a lot less.”

…

When the storm had swayed everyone from side to side till they were dizzy and helpless, Tony Twain and his wife were enjoying themselves all over Brazil. This time he really did not go near football anymore. Children could be seen performing or playing street football everywhere in Brazil, but as long as Shania was by his side, Twain was fully concentrated on her – he just stared at his wife, as if his wife was the only person in the whole world.

Shania enjoyed this kind of treatment very much. She did not wonder whether Twain’s sweet nothings of “from now on, I’ll only be with you till the end of time” which he repeatedly confessed to her, were true or not. She did not care whether those words were true or false words to just to make her happy. She just wanted to enjoy the time together.

If it had been for the World Cup, Shania would have wanted to have fun longer and crazier. She had never been so happy in the eleven years since she met Uncle Tony. Because she no longer had to worry about waking up one morning to Uncle Tony gone. Then only to find him lying in the hospital’s intensive care unit with marks from the insertions of tubes, nurses coming in and out to unhook the apparatus, and the doctor standing at the side almost having the “I am sorry” written across the face.

She often had such nightmares, especially when she was alone in the United States. They were particularly intense. She woke up terrified every time. Then she would gasp for air in the dim light of the lamp and her entire body would be soaked in sweat. Before, Shania would sleep without the lights on. Later, after Twain had his heart attack, she developed the habit of sleeping with the lights on, even when she was held in the arms of Uncle Tony in Nottingham.

This woman’s heart finally felt safe for the first time, which made her feel contented.

※※※

Good times were always short-lived. Although this World Cup was held in Brazil, Twain could not always stick to Shania’s side. If there was a game in Rio de Janeiro, Twain would be able to stay with Shania every night. It could not be helped if he went to the other cities. Unfortunately, only one of England’s three games in the group stage was played in Rio de Janeiro. If they wanted to continue to come back and enjoy the sunshine and beauties in bikinis at Copacabana Beach, then they must advance into the semifinals in one go.

During the run-up to the World Cup, the English media finally remembered that they still had a team playing in the World Cup. So, they were predicting the team’s future in the World Cup one by one. It was no different from any previous tournaments – “This is the best team in England’s history. It’s the favorite to win the title.”

Twain first met his short-term colleague at the BBC, John Motson in the lobby of the hotel he was staying in. This was also the first time since the matter that he had appeared in front of the media.

Motson looked at Twain with interest. Looking at him, he was unable to hold back and said with a chuckle, “It looks like nothing has changed. Just like the Tony Twain from before.”

“Nonsense.” Twain did not hold back either with a face of disdain. He said, “You only came to this conclusion after looking at me for half a day?”

Motson laughed even harder, “Ah Tony, Tony, you’re the number one sinner in the world of English sport…” He shook his head and patted Twain on the shoulder as he said, “The whole world is going crazy about you leaving the Forest team, and yet you’re on a scenic tour in Brazil with your wife. What am I supposed to say about you?”

“Then don’t say anything, John.” Twain shrugged. He had expected the media’s reaction. He was also satisfied with the kind of madness that happened because of him – even when I had left the position, I can still let the world tremble!

“Maybe I should exercise the power of my position and get an exclusive interview with you…” Motson mused as he stroked his chin.

“Don’t even think about it. The World Cup has started, and no one cares about what I’m doing now. It’s a shame, I’m already old news.” Twain smiled and spread his hands. But there was no trace of regret in his voice at all.

Motson snorted, “The paparazzi’s noses are relentless. They can smell what attracts them from your body. You wait and see. At that time, you’ll face reporters all day.” He glanced to the side.

It was the World Cup news center here. The media from around the world would gather here to manager the latest news from various games and training venues in Brazil, which they would then transmit back to their home countries to present to those television viewers, newspaper readers and Internet users.

Therefore, it was also the paparazzi’s home base here as well. Twain was really “deep in the tiger’s lair” this time.

He also noticed this point. There were already some reporters here next to him whose eyes lighted up when they saw him. The light was like the glint that radiated from a vicious gangster’s eyes when he set his sight on a large box of gold.

Twain looked at these people and also gave a snort. He harped on in Mandarin, “What’s there to be afraid! Different situations call for different action!”

Hearing him popped out with something he did not understand but knew which country’s language it was, Motson suddenly had an interest in Twain’s talent in the language. He said, “You speak Mandarin so well. I heard you even have a column in China’s sports newspaper. Why did a Chinese TV station not come to you to do commentary on the World Cup? You’re very eloquent.”

When Twain heard him say so, he suddenly shook his head like a rattle-drum and said, “No way. Be a commentator for them? They will replace me at halftime interval.”

Motson stared as if he had heard something of interest, “Is it the lack of freedom of speech?”

Twain continued to shake his head and said, “It’s culturally different. Some remarks are acceptable to the British, but it does not mean that the whole world can accept them. It’s as if the Europeans don’t ask ‘have you eaten’ when they meet, but the Chinese always used this in greeting.”

Motson gave a clap to signal that he understood him. He said, “It’s like how we always start with the weather.”

Twain did not shake his head this time. He gave a smile and then came up with a Chinese saying, “The young man is promising and still worthy to be taught.”

Motson did not ask what that meant. He smiled and patted Twain on the shoulder, signaling that they have to go. Their work was about to begin.

The World Cup was also about to start.

※※※

Brazil was a country brimming with passion, like the babes in bikinis who went shopping in the streets like no one was around. People from various countries came here to cover the World Cup, would choose to use this kind of local conditions and customs to open with. Twain was not interested in these. He and Shania had already covered all these things.

He seemed more dedicated than any of his colleagues. Completely leaving football for less than a month, his life was full of football. And he discovered a very important question – when he faced football again, his nuclear-powered heart was moving vigorously in his chest. Whenever he faced football again in the middle of the night, when all was dark and quiet, he could hear his heartbeat clearly as he laid in bed.

That heart seemed to have gone quiet while he was frolicking by his wife’s side. Twain could not feel its existence. And now, it seemed to be alive again.

The discovery surprised him as much as Columbus’s first discovery of America, while there was a fear deep down at the same time. Because he had just said not long ago that he would accompany Shania for the rest of her life. But now he could not resist the temptation his former lover, football. His heart was wavering, and a crack appeared.

When he was doing the commentary on a game, he would be distracted as he listened to the thunderous cheers and songs coming from the stands. His point by point commentary were not so sharp and nimble. Sometimes it would attract the puzzled glances of his partner, Motson.

In a trance, Twain seemed to be back on the small City Ground stadium, standing on the sidelines and clenching his fists as he cheered the team’s goal.

He thought of the big picture that had been hanging on the bedroom wall. He stood in front of the sea of people in red with his arms wide open, as if he was embracing that sea of rage. He had been in Brazil for so long that he did not know how much dust had gathered on the picture.

Maybe… There was something in his bones that was not so easy to quit…

Twain sighed in his heart and felt that he was too useless. Only a few World Cup games and the original resolute thought in his heart was already a little shaky.

Perhaps it was due to Brazil, a country filled with all kinds of passions customs. Their football had impassioned Twain.

The Brazilian women looked good, but the Brazilian football was even better to look…

In the end, England lost once again to the Brazilians four years later. This time their results were worse than the previous time. The last time they were in the top four, but this time they did not even make it to the top eight.

In the round of 16, England was unlucky enough to encounter the host, Brazil. After the game, the English media complained that Brazil had taken full advantage of the “home field advantage”, which was a covert way of stating that there was something wrong with the referee. But the Brazilians did not care so much. Why would a winner bicker about a loser’s complaints?

But in Twain’s view, the reason England did not go any further in this World Cup to reach the finals was not because they encountered the host ahead of time, and the unspoken words that implied Capello was old. It was simple, but also unimaginable – George Wood was not in good form.

After coaching Wood for ten years, this was the second Twain had seen him in poor form. The first time was when Eastwood had retired.

Motson wondered why Wood’s condition was bad. Twain was also puzzled. The media all over England wondered too. Twain even wondered if something was wrong with Sophia.

Capello liked and trusted Wood. It appeared he had the intention to let him succeed Gerrard. But unexpectedly, George Wood’s performance in Capello’s last World Cup was a disappointment, completely without the aggressiveness and ferocity that he displayed in his club’s squad. Up against Brazil’s Kaka, he was played with till he was confused and disoriented. Kaka was also bewildered as to why the constantly ferocious Wood played as if he was a hypnotized sheep in the game. He followed and ran after him several times but did nothing and let him get away. If it had been before, perhaps he would have already shoveled him from behind. Even though he might have gotten a yellow card, he could still make the opponent feel fear and shock. Then it would be much easier to defend. If he was met with a tough character, he would fight to death with the opponent and compete who was tougher in the end.

Used to such a George Wood, Kaka was really not used to George Wood being soft. As a result, for more than twenty minutes into the game, the Brazilian core player’s performance was not good either. In the beginning, the English reporters even thought it was to George Wood’s credit. Then they discovered that something was wrong. England was done once Kaka and Brazil realized it.

Wood was England’s first line of defense, like the body’s immune system. Now that the first line of defense had collapsed, even if England was a two-hundred-pound strong man, he had collapsed like a house of cards when the wind blew.

At the end of the ninety-minute game, there were tears in the eyes of his teammates around him. George Wood’s eyes were a little confused. On the big screen behind him, the score for the match was displayed as 0:3.

Boasted by the English media as the strongest ever England team, they were wiped out and completely defeated when they faced the last World Cup’s second runner-up team.

Twain did not care about England’s defeat. But there were some people among his colleagues next him who had wiped tears in their eyes. For them, the quadrennial dream was over again. Twain watched with a detached point of view. But in his mind, he thought these people could be intoxicated with the dream once every four years, but how many more years before the Chinese fans could dream just once? Would it really be like 2002 when they could try confidently for the first time forty years?

When he thought of it, his cold eyes turned into a sneer.

You sons of bitches do not know how lucky you are.

He was not sad or concerned that England was out of the game. What worried him was George Wood’s condition. Although he was no longer the manager of Nottingham Forest, he would still subconsciously think of himself as a member of the Forest team. Therefore, he did not feel proud that the performance of the Nottingham Forest team captain as well as the talent that he had personally groomed, was so bad.

He was also not in form for his commentary work in this World Cup commentary. The frequency of the usually popular wonderful and clever remarks was also not high, which was in some way related to Wood’s poor form.

But it was not clear why Wood was not in top form. He did not know, and he did not inquire either, because he was not anyone to Wood anymore, so there was no need to care everything about this person. He just wished that the terrible form had nothing to do with Sophia.

Even though England was knocked out, Twain’s job was not over. He was still in charge of working with Motson until the final.

After England’s elimination, the English media put the blame for the loss on two men. One of them was George Wood and the other person was Capello. So, the combative Twain dedicated to protecting these two men in his column. In fact, he mainly did it to defend Wood, but he did not want to be blatant about this kind of thing. So, he defended Capello as well and admonished those media in his article. He did not make much sense, nor did he analyze the data. Anyway, everyone in the industry knew that even if Tony Twain was reasonable, his reasons and arguments were preposterous. Rational people would not quarrel with him. People who quarreled with him were not fools and had other agendas of their own.

Amid the clamor, the pressure on George Wood gradually lessened – Twain was still fiercely protective of his young till now. And he did not care about Capello. What storms had the old fox not weathered? He did not need his help to relieve the pressure.

Twain’s only regret was that, because of his poor performance at the World Cup, George Wood was destined to miss out on this year’s awards for the European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year even though he had won the Treble.

As a defensive midfielder, the opportunity to be able to earn these personal honors was so precious…

At the thought of this, Twain gnashed his teeth, feeling somewhat resentful towards George Wood for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement in him.

F**king George why are you in such bad form?!

When Dunn and Tang Jing in faraway China learned that Twain had resigned from the Nottingham Forest Football Club, just a day after the Forest Club announced the news, the advanced internet had already allowed them to know what happened on the other side of the globe, even in the remote town of South Sichuan.

And in within the day, the entire world’s sports media would treat this matter as a piece of sensational news to report.

In Italy, Sky TV’s newscaster had a strange look on his face as he announced the news. It was clear that even he could not believe that he spoke about how the “Godfather of Nottingham” had ended actually ended his glory in the Forest team in this way.

In Spain, the Spanish media, which were still complaining that Nottingham Forest had “stolen” the Champions League title through improper means, had collectively lost their voices – they did not know what to say in the face of such news.

A manager who just won the Treble for the team had suddenly resigned. Perhaps the term “individualistic” could no longer describe him simply. It was only during this time that the usually self-proclaimed sharp-witted reporters realized how poor their vocabulary was.

In China, there was even a web portal dedicated to Tony Twain as a special topic. It was immediately very popular with people posting messages. China’s CCTV Sports Channel also produced a forty-five-minute-long feature program that comprehensively reviewed Tony Twain’s eleven years of ups and downs at Nottingham Forest.

On the internet, the Nottingham Forest fans had long been stunned and left head-scratching. Some people wept in pain about Twain’s departure in the forum, indignantly denounced the club’s top brass for being ungrateful after getting what they wanted from him and getting rid of him now that he had served his purpose… And the other portion of the people expressed that they did not like the Forest team just because they were catching with the times and like Tony Twain. They chose to stand with the club’s senior management and thought that it was okay for Twain to be gone and it was not like the world revolved around him. Furthermore, there were a number of rumors that Twain was very dissatisfied with the annual salary and package that the club had offered, that he was fighting with Evan Doughty for the same woman, and Twain’s real character was not that great.

The most commonly expressed emotion from the fans of the other teams was one of gleefulness. To them, the most troublesome foe had finally come to an end, and the teams which they supported had regained hopes of winning the title. In addition, they were also delighted to see the usually arrogant Forest fans who walked with their noses up in the air were currently in a state of infighting.

In England, the news of Twain’s resignation even overshadowed the England national team’s preparations for the World Cup. As for the Treble winner, Nottingham Forest,… it was even more pathetic. The accolades that the media gave them a few days ago, were not to be seen now.

Carl Spicer apparently did not expect Twain to choose to leave at the team’s most glorious period. It suddenly left him with a sense of loss in his focus – he would not be able to find someone to scold in the future. How would his show stand out among so many football television shows without criticizing people?

Later in his special edition of BBC’s program, Lineker helplessly half-joked and said, “I really don’t know if this is good news or bad news. But I’m sure that’s good news for the other nineteen managers in the Premier League. Because their strong enemy finally left. For the others, this must be bad news, because the Premier League has since lost one of its most special features…”

Many reporters and friends wanted to find the leading man in the event and hear what he had to say. But whenever they made a call, the message always prompted that the phone was turned off. This time, even Pierce Brosnan, who had been considered a reporter exclusively used by Twain, also did not receive any first-hand information, resulting in him being given a dressing down by the newspaper editor. He experienced the feeling of when he first came to the newspaper as an intern reporter. In this way, the storm of all kinds of rumors intensified.

Until the end of the year, when the Associated Press selected the top ten sports news of the year, the news of Tony Twain’s departure from Nottingham Forest was ranked fourth, showing how much influence he had at the time.

There was another example. Capello joked in an interview with the reporters and said, “I should thank Tony Twain. Because of him, you guys bother my team a lot less.”

…

When the storm had swayed everyone from side to side till they were dizzy and helpless, Tony Twain and his wife were enjoying themselves all over Brazil. This time he really did not go near football anymore. Children could be seen performing or playing street football everywhere in Brazil, but as long as Shania was by his side, Twain was fully concentrated on her – he just stared at his wife, as if his wife was the only person in the whole world.

Shania enjoyed this kind of treatment very much. She did not wonder whether Twain’s sweet nothings of “from now on, I’ll only be with you till the end of time” which he repeatedly confessed to her, were true or not. She did not care whether those words were true or false words to just to make her happy. She just wanted to enjoy the time together.

If it had been for the World Cup, Shania would have wanted to have fun longer and crazier. She had never been so happy in the eleven years since she met Uncle Tony. Because she no longer had to worry about waking up one morning to Uncle Tony gone. Then only to find him lying in the hospital’s intensive care unit with marks from the insertions of tubes, nurses coming in and out to unhook the apparatus, and the doctor standing at the side almost having the “I am sorry” written across the face.

She often had such nightmares, especially when she was alone in the United States. They were particularly intense. She woke up terrified every time. Then she would gasp for air in the dim light of the lamp and her entire body would be soaked in sweat. Before, Shania would sleep without the lights on. Later, after Twain had his heart attack, she developed the habit of sleeping with the lights on, even when she was held in the arms of Uncle Tony in Nottingham.

This woman’s heart finally felt safe for the first time, which made her feel contented.

※※※

Good times were always short-lived. Although this World Cup was held in Brazil, Twain could not always stick to Shania’s side. If there was a game in Rio de Janeiro, Twain would be able to stay with Shania every night. It could not be helped if he went to the other cities. Unfortunately, only one of England’s three games in the group stage was played in Rio de Janeiro. If they wanted to continue to come back and enjoy the sunshine and beauties in bikinis at Copacabana Beach, then they must advance into the semifinals in one go.

During the run-up to the World Cup, the English media finally remembered that they still had a team playing in the World Cup. So, they were predicting the team’s future in the World Cup one by one. It was no different from any previous tournaments – “This is the best team in England’s history. It’s the favorite to win the title.”

Twain first met his short-term colleague at the BBC, John Motson in the lobby of the hotel he was staying in. This was also the first time since the matter that he had appeared in front of the media.

Motson looked at Twain with interest. Looking at him, he was unable to hold back and said with a chuckle, “It looks like nothing has changed. Just like the Tony Twain from before.”

“Nonsense.” Twain did not hold back either with a face of disdain. He said, “You only came to this conclusion after looking at me for half a day?”

Motson laughed even harder, “Ah Tony, Tony, you’re the number one sinner in the world of English sport…” He shook his head and patted Twain on the shoulder as he said, “The whole world is going crazy about you leaving the Forest team, and yet you’re on a scenic tour in Brazil with your wife. What am I supposed to say about you?”

“Then don’t say anything, John.” Twain shrugged. He had expected the media’s reaction. He was also satisfied with the kind of madness that happened because of him – even when I had left the position, I can still let the world tremble!

“Maybe I should exercise the power of my position and get an exclusive interview with you…” Motson mused as he stroked his chin.

“Don’t even think about it. The World Cup has started, and no one cares about what I’m doing now. It’s a shame, I’m already old news.” Twain smiled and spread his hands. But there was no trace of regret in his voice at all.

Motson snorted, “The paparazzi’s noses are relentless. They can smell what attracts them from your body. You wait and see. At that time, you’ll face reporters all day.” He glanced to the side.

It was the World Cup news center here. The media from around the world would gather here to manager the latest news from various games and training venues in Brazil, which they would then transmit back to their home countries to present to those television viewers, newspaper readers and Internet users.

Therefore, it was also the paparazzi’s home base here as well. Twain was really “deep in the tiger’s lair” this time.

He also noticed this point. There were already some reporters here next to him whose eyes lighted up when they saw him. The light was like the glint that radiated from a vicious gangster’s eyes when he set his sight on a large box of gold.

Twain looked at these people and also gave a snort. He harped on in Mandarin, “What’s there to be afraid! Different situations call for different action!”

Hearing him popped out with something he did not understand but knew which country’s language it was, Motson suddenly had an interest in Twain’s talent in the language. He said, “You speak Mandarin so well. I heard you even have a column in China’s sports newspaper. Why did a Chinese TV station not come to you to do commentary on the World Cup? You’re very eloquent.”

When Twain heard him say so, he suddenly shook his head like a rattle-drum and said, “No way. Be a commentator for them? They will replace me at halftime interval.”

Motson stared as if he had heard something of interest, “Is it the lack of freedom of speech?”

Twain continued to shake his head and said, “It’s culturally different. Some remarks are acceptable to the British, but it does not mean that the whole world can accept them. It’s as if the Europeans don’t ask ‘have you eaten’ when they meet, but the Chinese always used this in greeting.”

Motson gave a clap to signal that he understood him. He said, “It’s like how we always start with the weather.”

Twain did not shake his head this time. He gave a smile and then came up with a Chinese saying, “The young man is promising and still worthy to be taught.”

Motson did not ask what that meant. He smiled and patted Twain on the shoulder, signaling that they have to go. Their work was about to begin.

The World Cup was also about to start.

※※※

Brazil was a country brimming with passion, like the babes in bikinis who went shopping in the streets like no one was around. People from various countries came here to cover the World Cup, would choose to use this kind of local conditions and customs to open with. Twain was not interested in these. He and Shania had already covered all these things.

He seemed more dedicated than any of his colleagues. Completely leaving football for less than a month, his life was full of football. And he discovered a very important question – when he faced football again, his nuclear-powered heart was moving vigorously in his chest. Whenever he faced football again in the middle of the night, when all was dark and quiet, he could hear his heartbeat clearly as he laid in bed.

That heart seemed to have gone quiet while he was frolicking by his wife’s side. Twain could not feel its existence. And now, it seemed to be alive again.

The discovery surprised him as much as Columbus’s first discovery of America, while there was a fear deep down at the same time. Because he had just said not long ago that he would accompany Shania for the rest of her life. But now he could not resist the temptation his former lover, football. His heart was wavering, and a crack appeared.

When he was doing the commentary on a game, he would be distracted as he listened to the thunderous cheers and songs coming from the stands. His point by point commentary were not so sharp and nimble. Sometimes it would attract the puzzled glances of his partner, Motson.

In a trance, Twain seemed to be back on the small City Ground stadium, standing on the sidelines and clenching his fists as he cheered the team’s goal.

He thought of the big picture that had been hanging on the bedroom wall. He stood in front of the sea of people in red with his arms wide open, as if he was embracing that sea of rage. He had been in Brazil for so long that he did not know how much dust had gathered on the picture.

Maybe… There was something in his bones that was not so easy to quit…

Twain sighed in his heart and felt that he was too useless. Only a few World Cup games and the original resolute thought in his heart was already a little shaky.

Perhaps it was due to Brazil, a country filled with all kinds of passions customs. Their football had impassioned Twain.

The Brazilian women looked good, but the Brazilian football was even better to look…

In the end, England lost once again to the Brazilians four years later. This time their results were worse than the previous time. The last time they were in the top four, but this time they did not even make it to the top eight.

In the round of 16, England was unlucky enough to encounter the host, Brazil. After the game, the English media complained that Brazil had taken full advantage of the “home field advantage”, which was a covert way of stating that there was something wrong with the referee. But the Brazilians did not care so much. Why would a winner bicker about a loser’s complaints?

But in Twain’s view, the reason England did not go any further in this World Cup to reach the finals was not because they encountered the host ahead of time, and the unspoken words that implied Capello was old. It was simple, but also unimaginable – George Wood was not in good form.

After coaching Wood for ten years, this was the second Twain had seen him in poor form. The first time was when Eastwood had retired.

Motson wondered why Wood’s condition was bad. Twain was also puzzled. The media all over England wondered too. Twain even wondered if something was wrong with Sophia.

Capello liked and trusted Wood. It appeared he had the intention to let him succeed Gerrard. But unexpectedly, George Wood’s performance in Capello’s last World Cup was a disappointment, completely without the aggressiveness and ferocity that he displayed in his club’s squad. Up against Brazil’s Kaka, he was played with till he was confused and disoriented. Kaka was also bewildered as to why the constantly ferocious Wood played as if he was a hypnotized sheep in the game. He followed and ran after him several times but did nothing and let him get away. If it had been before, perhaps he would have already shoveled him from behind. Even though he might have gotten a yellow card, he could still make the opponent feel fear and shock. Then it would be much easier to defend. If he was met with a tough character, he would fight to death with the opponent and compete who was tougher in the end.

Used to such a George Wood, Kaka was really not used to George Wood being soft. As a result, for more than twenty minutes into the game, the Brazilian core player’s performance was not good either. In the beginning, the English reporters even thought it was to George Wood’s credit. Then they discovered that something was wrong. England was done once Kaka and Brazil realized it.

Wood was England’s first line of defense, like the body’s immune system. Now that the first line of defense had collapsed, even if England was a two-hundred-pound strong man, he had collapsed like a house of cards when the wind blew.

At the end of the ninety-minute game, there were tears in the eyes of his teammates around him. George Wood’s eyes were a little confused. On the big screen behind him, the score for the match was displayed as 0:3.

Boasted by the English media as the strongest ever England team, they were wiped out and completely defeated when they faced the last World Cup’s second runner-up team.

Twain did not care about England’s defeat. But there were some people among his colleagues next him who had wiped tears in their eyes. For them, the quadrennial dream was over again. Twain watched with a detached point of view. But in his mind, he thought these people could be intoxicated with the dream once every four years, but how many more years before the Chinese fans could dream just once? Would it really be like 2002 when they could try confidently for the first time forty years?

When he thought of it, his cold eyes turned into a sneer.

You sons of bitches do not know how lucky you are.

He was not sad or concerned that England was out of the game. What worried him was George Wood’s condition. Although he was no longer the manager of Nottingham Forest, he would still subconsciously think of himself as a member of the Forest team. Therefore, he did not feel proud that the performance of the Nottingham Forest team captain as well as the talent that he had personally groomed, was so bad.

He was also not in form for his commentary work in this World Cup commentary. The frequency of the usually popular wonderful and clever remarks was also not high, which was in some way related to Wood’s poor form.

But it was not clear why Wood was not in top form. He did not know, and he did not inquire either, because he was not anyone to Wood anymore, so there was no need to care everything about this person. He just wished that the terrible form had nothing to do with Sophia.

Even though England was knocked out, Twain’s job was not over. He was still in charge of working with Motson until the final.

After England’s elimination, the English media put the blame for the loss on two men. One of them was George Wood and the other person was Capello. So, the combative Twain dedicated to protecting these two men in his column. In fact, he mainly did it to defend Wood, but he did not want to be blatant about this kind of thing. So, he defended Capello as well and admonished those media in his article. He did not make much sense, nor did he analyze the data. Anyway, everyone in the industry knew that even if Tony Twain was reasonable, his reasons and arguments were preposterous. Rational people would not quarrel with him. People who quarreled with him were not fools and had other agendas of their own.

Amid the clamor, the pressure on George Wood gradually lessened – Twain was still fiercely protective of his young till now. And he did not care about Capello. What storms had the old fox not weathered? He did not need his help to relieve the pressure.

Twain’s only regret was that, because of his poor performance at the World Cup, George Wood was destined to miss out on this year’s awards for the European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player of the Year even though he had won the Treble.

As a defensive midfielder, the opportunity to be able to earn these personal honors was so precious…

At the thought of this, Twain gnashed his teeth, feeling somewhat resentful towards George Wood for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement in him.

F**king George why are you in such bad form?!