Godfather Of Champions

The University of Nottingham’s Royal College of Physicians was situated in the southeast corner of the campus, and a lake separated the college, which also served as a hospital, from the rest of the school. One would be able to admire the beauty of the lake as it glinted in the sunlight through the windows of the hospital. Not only that, but one would also be able to see the iconic Trent Building in the distance. The Trent Building was white and resembled the White House.

Twain and Wood did not admire the lake from the hospital. Instead, they chose to take a stroll next to the lake itself. It was approaching noon and there were very few people around the lake. The patients who had been standing by the windows at the hospital earlier all retreated into their wards after experiencing the blazing heat from the sun. Twain and Wood did not mind the heat. They continued strolling along the side of the lake.

“I don’t think you need to do a press conference to announce your decision.” Twain passed the newspapers in his hands over to Wood. “Someone has pretty much done one for you.”

Wood lowered his head to look at the newspaper. There was an article about his retirement, and the journalist who had published the article sounded convinced that everything he had written was the truth. Wood did not know how the journalist was able to gain access to this information, but he did not particularly care.

“My mum is in a bad condition now. I want to be by her side as her life comes to an end,” Wood said in a low voice.

Twain jerked after hearing Wood’s words. He then stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Wood. Did he know that his mother’s days were numbered?

Wood paid no heed to Twain’s gaze. He turned around and looked at the building behind him. He appeared to be searching for his mother’s ward.

“I can’t bring myself to play football given these circumstances. I would definitely affect the team as a whole.”

“And so you decided to put your cards on the table and retire so that the club does not need to worry about you from here on out?” Twain asked.

Wood nodded.

Clearly, Wood did not act on impulse. It was just like he said. His decision to retire was made after careful consideration. However, if that was truly the case, Twain had an even bigger problem on his hands now.

There was a row of benches before them where patients could sit at and rest. Twain pointed at the benches and said, “Let’s go over there and rest for a moment.”

The pair sat down on one of the benches that faced the lake. The clear surface of the lake was painted in blue as it reflected the azure sky and white clouds above.

“Do you really think that announcing your decision to retire in the middle of the season would not affect the club in any negative way? Do you have any idea just what kind of status and influence you have as a player right now, George?” Twain said as he stared at the lake’s surface. “Do you remember how we first met?”

Wood froze. The images of what happened over a decade ago were hazy now.

Twain noticed that Wood did not respond, so he continued to speak, “You were covered in dirt when you suddenly appeared before my house and returned my wallet. You then told me that I should sign the best player in England.” Twain paused to glance at Wood, before going on to say, “The best player in England has suddenly announced his decision to retire. Do you really think that your decision would not impact others?”

Wood still did not respond. However, the fact that he did not refute Twain at once was a good sign.

“The team has already been impacted while you went into hiding in the hospital. Do you think Nottingham Forest can win against Liverpool tomorrow?”

Wood finally broke his silence and said, “It’d be difficult to win even if I were in the team.” He lifted his head to look at Twain before going on to say, “The Nottingham Forest of now is nothing like the Nottingham Forest of the time you were in charge…”

Twain was rendered speechless by Wood’s words. Wood was right. With the way Nottingham Forest wasnow, it would be very difficult for them to defeat Liverpool at Anfield even with Wood on the team. He reminisced about how his Nottingham Forest team had conquered the whole of Europe back then. They slaughtered every single foe who stood before them. Twain’s heart began to beat faster as those images from the past surfaced in his mind. Those were the times…

Twain raised his head and reclined against the backrest of the bench. He then squinted as he gazed at the skies.

Nottingham Forest has won! They were the champions! The champions of Europe! Tony Twain and his team have defeated AC Milan!

Absolutely unbelievable! Tony Twain’s team becomes the first-ever team to defend its title after the Champions League changed its format! Nottingham Forest has made history!

They won the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League! The 2013-14 season belongs to Nottingham Forest! They are a treble-winning team!

What would things be like now if he had chosen not to leave and had forced himself to stay at Forest for a few more years? Nottingham Forest would most probably have had a few more years of glory. It would be nearly impossible to win another treble, but winning a few more trophies should have been possible.

“George, do you still despise me?”

Wood turned his head to look at Twain.

“It’s partially my fault that Nottingham Forest has become the way that it is now, right?”

“Of course I despise you,” Wood was honest with his answer. “How’s life after retirement?” He suddenly changed the topic of the conversation.

“Er…” Twain did not expect Wood to ask this question all of a sudden. He thought about it for a moment but quickly realized that there was nothing much for him to say. “Nothing special. I stay at home every day to take care of my kid, and I also spend some time with Shania. What kind of life do you think a retired old man can possibly have?”

Wood smiled when he heard Twain say the words ‘retired old man’. This was the first time in two days that Twain saw Wood smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m imagining the kind of life that a retired old man would have.”

“Did you think I’d be in the garden watering plants and planting tomatoes or potatoes every day? Nuh-uh. No way. I won’t ever do those things. I am still very interested in football. There might be a chance that I’d become a commentator in the future, and I might even provide a commentary on your matches, George.” Twain seemed to have forgotten that Wood was intent on retiring as a football player. “You have been performing poorly for the past few matches. Why are you positioned at the front and playing as an attacking midfielder? How can you play as an attacking midfielder when you can’t even receive the ball? Have you forgotten that offense is derived from the defense? Do you know why I insisted on playing you as a defensive midfielder back then and not at any other position? The defensive midfielder is the pivot of both the team’s offense and its defense. You are able to get the ball a lot more when you play in the defensive midfielder’s position. You would also be able to get a better view of the entire pitch, and the opponents would not harass you as much either. All these factors are beneficial to you performing well on the pitch. But look at your position in the past few matches. You were almost playing as a second striker!”

Twain sounded sterner and sterner as he spoke. It was as though the two were having this conversation while seated in the locker room rather than on a bench behind a hospital.

“I am not to be blamed for that. It was the manager’s decision,” Wood defended himself. “McAllister thinks that the team’s offense is a huge problem, and so he decided to move my position further upfront. He wanted me to organize the team’s attacks, and he told me to shoot from the distance whenever a chance to do so arose.”

Twain frowned after hearing Wood’s words. “I don’t understand how Evan Doughty picks his managers…”

“There was only one managerial appointment that he got right all these years,” Wood replied.

“Ha!” Twain started laughing. “That’s right, he only got it right once.”

The pair was not able to find any other conversation topic to talk about afterward, and silence settled between the two.

Twain gazed at the lake’s surface absentmindedly, whereas Wood did not know where he should look. Quite a bit of time had passed before Wood finally opened his mouth to break the silence. “You are here to persuade me to not retire, right?”

Twain grunted his assent.

This whole situation was something that made Twain feel immensely vexed. He would rather be the manager of the China national football team as they competed in the qualifiers of the World Cup than sit here and face an obstinate Wood.

“I have an idea.”

Twain turned his head sharply to the side and stared at Wood. He was afraid that he had misheard him.

Wood did not mind Twain’s blazing gaze and went on to say, “I will not retire if you return to Forest.”

Twain’s mouth hung agape. He never expected to hear Wood say those words.

Wood continued speaking as Twain looked on in astonishment. “I’m not joking. I only said those words after thinking it through carefully.”

“I’ve already retired, George…” Twain did not know what he should say. This was not an outcome that he saw coming.

“You took a plane back from Los Angeles just to persuade me not to retire. However, it’s just like you said earlier. You’ve already retired. You are not the manager of the England national football team, and neither are you the manager of Nottingham Forest. Then what does my retirement have to do with you?” Wood stared at Twain, almost like he was trying to read his mind.

Twain was at a loss. He never knew that Wood was this eloquent.

“Do you really want me to stay?” Wood asked again.

“Er… Yeah, of course, I do…”

“Why? You are not my manager any longer. Why do you care if I retire or not?”

“Why?” Twain thought about Wood’s question. “All right… I watched you grow up. You were just some hooligan on the streets at first, and I was the one who made you into a football superstar. I feel emotionally attached to you. I don’t wish to see you leave this stage that belongs to you just yet. It’s too early for that.”

“What else can I possibly gain by continuing my career as a footballer? Why did you choose to retire? It’s because you have achieved everything that a manager wants to achieve. You achieved success as the manager of a football club, and you also achieved success as the manager of the national football team. There’s no motivation and drive left in you to achieve anything else since you’ve done it all, and it’s the same thing for me,” Wood responded to Twain calmly.

“No…” Twain shook his head. “Don’t you think that playing football makes you happy? Don’t think about fame, reputation or money. Just your joy in playing football…”

Wood laughed. “Who was it that said we would only be able to feel happy when we win in football? Who was it that said we only have the right to say that we enjoy football when we are the champions? Do you think there’s any joy left for me as a player when I have achieved everything? Do you really think I’d still be able to enjoy playing football?”

Twain felt as though Wood had transformed into him, and that he had become the George Wood who needed to be persuaded.

“I’ve lifted the trophy for almost every competition. There’s no joy left for me. So, tell me. Why shouldn’t I retire?”

Twain realized that everything Wood had said was right. It only made sense for a player like him to retire. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that. But why was he so reluctant to see Wood retire?

He suddenly remembered something. It was an incident that had happened in the past, before he had not transmigrated, when he was just an ordinary Chinese man who liked football and playing Football Manager. There was a demonic-looking player in the Football Manager game whom he had groomed for over 10 in-game years, and the player announced that he was going to retire by the end of the season. How did he feel when he saw that scene back then? He told the player, who was nothing more than an NPC, that he should reconsider his decision to retire.

Honestly, what was there left to enjoy in playing Football Manager when you have pretty much cleared the game? He could lead even the worst of teams to become champions of Europe. It was as easy as ABC to win all the domestic competitions, and he also won the Champions League countless times. He never could finish spending the in-game money that could be used to bring in players, because all the players in his team were the top ones from back then. It was just as George had said. He had won everything in the game, and he would never feel that same kind of joy as when he lifted his first domestic cup trophy ever again. He would never feel that same sense of accomplishment as when his team got promoted to the highest division of the football league for the very first time. What was the point in continuing the game when he no longer felt anything when he made yet another accomplishment? The only thing that kept him in the game was his desire not to see the players, whom he had grown familiar with, leave before him.

A total of 10 seasons had gone by in the game, and the NPCs who had nothing more than a name and data at the start were not just cold, emotionless NPCs to him any longer at the end. They felt real and alive. They would thank the manager for his guidance during an interview after they won something, and they would also tell how the manager had admonished them in the locker room after they lost a match. ‘All of us felt his anger’ were the words that the players would say. They would feel happy when he praised them about their recent performances, and they would react differently when he criticized them for performing poorly… To others, Football Manager was just a game. Everything in the game had been pre-programmed. But the true fans become emotionally invested in the game.

Indeed, that was exactly what was happening to Twain now. He was emotionally invested in Wood.

Hence, Twain did not wish to see Wood retire early. He was just like one of those true fans of the Football Manager game, and he would advise his most favorite player to reconsider his decision to retire even if he was well aware that his advice could lead to conflict between them.

“I can’t help but feel a little lonely when there are fewer and fewer people on the pitch whom I’m familiar with,” Twain sighed. “And that’s why I don’t wish to see you retire. You are one of the few people on the team who I am still familiar with.”

Wood opened his mouth, but no words came out. He continued to stare at the surface of the lake, and silence settled among them once again.

A long time had elapsed before Twain heard a soft voice coming from Wood’s side, “You are one of the few people left in football who I’m familiar with, too…”

※※※

BBC made the decision to broadcast the blockbuster match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool throughout the whole of England. Thus, millions of spectators watched as Liverpool thrashed Nottingham Forest by scoring five goals against them. The Nottingham Forest team had no fight in them. They played like a team who wanted to leave the pitch as quickly as possible the moment they stepped onto it. When the team went one goal behind, McAllister blew his top at the side of the pitch and was visibly upset with the team’s performance. However, when the team went three goals down by the 15th minute, McAllister displayed indifference and simply remained in his seat quietly.

Motson, who was the commentator for the match, said that Nottingham Forest’s performance had clearly been affected by George Wood’s absence from the team. Twain and Wood were watching the live broadcast of the match on the television in the guest room. Upon hearing those words from Motson, Twain turned his head to glance at Wood, and he found Wood’s face to be bereft of emotion.

In the end, the team suffered a humiliating 0:5 defeat to Liverpool, and the Nottingham Forest’s fans’ nightmare came true.

The next day, Wood was forced to end his ‘break’ early and return to team practice due to Sophia’s insistence. Before he left, he told Twain that he still had not changed his mind about wanting to retire and that the only way he would not retire was if Twain returned to the team.

Twain did not make any form of response to his words.

That same day, Nottingham Forest Football Club held a press conference to announce that their manager, McAllister, had turned in his resignation and that the club had agreed to his request after careful consideration. The youth team manager, Greenwood, was appointed as the caretaker manager for the time being.

In the eyes of the outsiders, the change in personnel at the club signified that the once almighty Nottingham Forest was spiraling down into an abyss of nothingness, and its descent was gaining pace…