champion godfather

Chapter 516 Volume [-] The Role of the Storm Veteran

In the training session the next afternoon, the teammates curiously asked some details about Albertini's farewell match.They all play football, and I am still very interested in those legendary stars.

Albertini did not refuse to answer everyone's continuous questions. For many active players in the Forest team, Baresi, Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard, Stoichkov... ... and others can be regarded as legends.

He would also be happy to tell the stories of these people.

Of course, on the premise of not affecting the training, he said this during the training interval.

Tang En didn't stop them, he felt that the stories of legendary stars could inspire young players' determination to strive upward.

After the training, Albertini approached Dunn, thanked him for his support yesterday, and mentioned the text message.

"Thank you boss, but I think I have had a very good farewell game. To be able to complete the final contract with the Forest team is my biggest wish now." Albertini is such a real and direct person. , he put forward his own ideas very straightforwardly.

Tang En, who was used to Albertini's way of doing things, was not angry. He looked at Albertini with a smile: "Are you satisfied? But I am not satisfied, Demi. My captain, how could there be only one How about an innocuous farewell game? The best player in the world needs a special stage to take his finale, an exhibition game? I don't think it's for you."

"But……"

"Yesterday's game was just you saying goodbye to AC Milan, you don't object to me saying that?"

Albertini shook his head, thinking so too.

"You see, now we have no differences. It was you saying goodbye to AC Milan yesterday, but not Nottingham Forest and the football stadium. So it is necessary for Nottingham Forest to prepare another farewell match for you. Don't refuse her captain's farewell ceremony." Tang En pointed to Albertini, who closed his mouth just now. "There has never been such a rule. The captain of a team has retired, and the team he belongs to has nothing to say."

Tang En looked at the silent Albertini, and continued, "Could it be because you can't hold other teams in your heart besides AC Milan, Demi?"

This time Albertini hastened to explain: "No, boss. It's not like that... It's just that I think it's just for me..."

"It's a piece of cake, Demi. Do you think we'll go all over the world looking for someone to play an exhibition game that doesn't care about the result?"

Albertini acquiesced.

Dunn smiled.

"Didn't I say that? That kind of farewell game is not what I want to give you. Don't worry, your farewell game will never make us all feel troublesome or difficult. Don't think about it , just train and compete well. The testimonial match...everything will be ready until that day. That is the most suitable stage for you..."

Albertini had nothing to say. Seeing Tang En's confident smile, he nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you, boss."

Tang En smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Go back, Demi. It's fine for me to think about this kind of thing. Just enjoy the last half of the season."

Always left Albertini, Tang En talked about this matter with Tang En on the way home together.Tang En was also very interested in what kind of farewell game Tang En was going to send Albertini. Unexpectedly, Tang En was surprised when he asked this question.

"Don't you know, Don? I thought you knew."

Tang thought about it and understood. "Now I know. But you're so confident... Now you're giving gifts everywhere, Albertini, Beckham, Kenny Burns, club presidents... you don't have to worry about the end result What should I do?"

"I have confidence in my team." Tang En put away the smile on his face and said seriously, "I think it's time to win the championship."

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On January 20th, a one-week truce reignited the league. In the No.3 three rounds, Nottingham Forest played against Portsmouth at home.The opponent's strength is not strong, and the Forest team at home also won easily-0:[-].

Manchester United is still strong in the league, and because they won this game, the Forest team even has a chance to return to the second place in the league. Now they are only one point away from Chelsea: Chelsea 51 points, Nottingham Forest [-] points.

This is great news.Many people in the club are talking about which round they will catch up with Chelsea and pull this old enemy down.

But Tang En calmed down.He feels that this good news is a trap for the team if it is not handled properly.If the Forest team really aims to catch up with Chelsea, then it is likely to spend too much energy before the Champions League knockout round.He needs to stabilize the rhythm of the team.

So after the end of this round of the league, Tang En held an internal meeting of the coaching staff, reiterating that the team's goal this season is the Champions Cup, the league is not in the plan, and there is no need to fight every game just to surpass Chelsea. What if several important players are injured in a fight?The team now has only so few first-team players, and one less would be a disaster.

With the current strength of the team, it is impossible to advance at full speed on several fronts at the same time and compete for the championship.

Even the FA Cup, which has a long history, has been played by the reserve team and youth teams.

After unifying the opinions within the coaching staff, Tang En emphasized it again among the players.

Due to the good cooperative relationship between the club and the Royal College of Medicine of the University of Nottingham, the team's current injuries have been greatly controlled, and such large-scale injuries rarely occur.Even so, the problem Tang En had been worried about appeared in the next round of the league.

Brazil - now naturalized and part of the Portuguese national team - defender Pepe has been dealing with minor injuries since he was tackled against Reading.

Hit stop, hit stop.

Coincidentally, in the No.20 four rounds of the league, Nottingham Forest's opponent happened to be Reading again.

But this time the Forest team played away.

The Football Association of England attached great importance to this game and sent several game supervisors to the scene to closely monitor several "dangerous people" - such as George Wood and Hunter.

Because of the heavy penalty ahead, the players on both sides in this game were much more honest.But the FA can manage the players, but not the fans.The Forest team was on the road and was almost overwhelmed by the boos and spitting stars of the Reading team.No matter who it is, as long as the players of the Forest team get the ball, they will be greeted with overwhelming boos.Even the head coach Tony Twain was not immune. Every time he stepped out of the coach's bench and stood on the sidelines, he would boo and curse in the stands behind the visiting team's coach's bench.

Tang En was unmoved, and stood proudly amidst the stormy boos, how cool it must have been.Even the game commentary repeatedly mentioned that Tang En's psychological quality is very good.

But only the people on the Forest team's coaching bench would know what was going on - Tang En carried an Apple IPOD with him, and then wore earplugs, listening to the music of "German Tank" with the volume turned up to the maximum.He couldn't hear what he was scolding outside...Of course, he couldn't hear what he said at all, he could only yell loudly, but in this environment, if he didn't yell loudly, others couldn't hear him say what.

The result of this is that every time he sees Tang En posing on the sideline with a serious face, and listens to the insults coming from behind the coach's bench, Chris Lack wants to laugh.
Tang En had the conditions to plug earphones in his ears and listen to the loudest music.The players on the field did not have this condition. Under the huge away pressure, the players of the Forest team did not play very well.

In the second half, when Pepe was playing one-on-one with the opposing forward, he sprained his knee due to turning too fast and had to be replaced early.

At that time, Tang En didn't take it seriously.After all, as I said before, Pepe has been suffering from minor injuries. He replaced Pepe with Kompany, and continued to stand on the sidelines as a target for Reading fans, distributing the pressure on the players.

During the half-time break, Tang En yelled at the team, telling them that if they can't win Reading away, they will be sorry for Paul Gerrard who is currently recuperating at home, and everyone in Nottingham Forest will be defeated by Reading. People laughed.So no matter how much pressure they are facing now, they must win this game.

With the support of this spirit, Nottingham Forest finally won the away game 2:1 with difficulty and ended the away trip amid long boos.

But on the way back to Nottingham, Dunn finally received bad news.

Team doctor Fleming told Dunn very clearly that Pepe needs to rest for at least three months.If you don't want it to become a stubborn disease and recur in the future, you need to perform surgery immediately.

Tang En, who was still smiling because he won the ball, suddenly darkened.

Pepe is now a defensive player. He and Piqué are very skilled in cooperating, especially Pepe has matured and experienced beyond his actual age.His one-on-one ability has made many Premier League strikers suffer. His excellent explosive power and accurate judgment of the landing point have allowed him to frequently take the lead when competing for headers. Defender, there is almost nothing wrong with it.Tang En said in front of the media more than once that Pepe has all the qualifications to become a world-class central defender. All he needs now is the accumulation of game experience and one or two enough championships.

Unexpectedly, after the battle with Reading, Pepe became a "quasi glass man".This time it was completely off food.

As the head coach, how could Twain not be annoyed?

"Damn Redding..." He cursed in a low voice, "Is there no other way but surgery?" After scolding Redding, Tang En asked Fleming again.

"Without surgery, it may take longer to slowly recover, and there will be frequent relapses in the future...by then he may not be able to play ten games in a season."

"Well, surgery is surgery ... I need him back by May."

"If everything goes well - if the surgery and post-op recovery goes well, I think there's no problem."

After finishing the conversation with Fleming, Dunn began to sit alone in the chair and think about how to use the winter transfer period to supplement the team's defenders.

At this time, there are not many central defenders who can be bought and are not weak... Tang En searched carefully in his mind for a while, and finally decided on a candidate.

Argentine veteran Roberto Ayala (Roberto_Ayala) is currently unhappy in Valencia.

Although he is almost 34 years old, as an experienced central defender, his strength is beyond doubt.In the most recent season, he has been exiled due to conflicts with Valencia team leader Caboni.Ayala has long wanted to leave Valencia and change his environment.

At this time, whether it is a transfer or a loan, it is easy to say.

Tang En decided to return to Nottingham, so he asked the club to contact the Valencia club, and if the price was right, he would buy it directly.If the price cannot be negotiated, it will be rented for half a season.Anyway, Ayala basically couldn't play any games in Valencia.

With the current influence of the Forest team, Ayala will not refuse this opportunity.

The only regret is that Ayala cannot represent the Forest team in the European Champions Cup, because he has already played for Valencia in the Champions Cup this season.

It seems that the Champions League can only be watched by young people holding on...

Speaking of the Champions Cup, Twain is about to attend the draw ceremony.He is very much looking forward to this lottery...

※ ※ ※

Back in Nottingham, Tang En checked the information and found that things were different from what he imagined, but the problem was not serious.

The contract between Ayala and Valencia will expire at the end of this season. Ayala proposed to the club a year ago that he hopes to renew his contract with Valencia and end his career at this club.But after the World Cup, the news he waited for was that Valencia did not intend to renew his contract with the 33-year-old, which made him very disappointed, which also triggered a conflict with Caboni.

There are not many teams interested in Ayala at present, after all, his age is there.His agent had contacted Villarreal in June last year. At that time, Valencia rejected the deal. They didn't want Ayala to stay in Spain. Go abroad for development.All Spanish domestic clubs want to pursue Ayala, which will make Valencia very dissatisfied.

This is not good news for Ayala, but it is indeed great news for Tony Twain.

Foreign club?Nottingham Forest is!
Now after the New Year, Valencia finally can't continue to obstruct. Ayala's agent is in contact with Real Zaragoza, hoping that Ayala can only transfer to join this team.If nothing unexpected happens, I believe Ayala belongs to this club.

But now, the unexpected came.

After getting the mobile phone number of Ayala's manager Muscati, Tang En couldn't wait to dial the number.First of all, he needs to know what the player thinks about the transfer to an English team. If he has no opinion, he will immediately talk to Valencia-of course, not about the transfer, but the loan.Tang En didn't want to spend millions of transfer fees for a player who was destined to be free.

The conversation with Muscati is confidential, and the Valencia Club cannot be known, otherwise it will be difficult to handle.

On the phone, he fully expressed Nottingham Forest's need for Ayala and his personal appreciation for the former Argentine national team captain to Muscati, hoping that Muscati can convey this transfer invitation to Ayala .

There is no suspense in the matter.Valencia does not want Ayala to stay in Spain. Several big domestic teams have no interest in Ayala who is old and frail. The clubs that Muscati has no choice but to choose are not strong enough. , there is no choice, who wants to go to a downstream team like Zaragoza that can't even win the UEFA Cup?
Under such circumstances, there is a team that is not only foreign, but also not weak, expressing its appreciation for Ayala. What is there to hesitate?
Muscati flew to Nottingham the next day to discuss Ayala's personal contract with Nottingham Forest Club.

Ayala hopes to end his career at the last club, so Muscati gave the Forest team the condition that he must sign a three-year contract, so the annual salary requirement can be lowered appropriately.

Ayala will be 37 years old in three years, which is also the age to retire.Even though Alan Adams did not agree to pay a 36-year-old man another year's salary, Twain still agreed.Tang En was the general manager of the athletics department, and Alan couldn't do anything except dissatisfaction.

The contract period is the biggest problem. Once this is done, everything else is easy.

After the personal contract was negotiated, the Forest team began to request Valencia to loan Ayala.

As long as it is not a domestic club that wants Ayala, Valencia is very happy.The forest team's loan request was quickly answered positively, and Valencia agreed to loan Ayala to the forest team, but they needed to pay 50.00% of the salary.

This is definitely not possible. Allen negotiated with Valencia and finally succeeded in persuading them to change 50.00% to 20.00%.

Twain also knew very well that the current defense line of the Forest team was too young, and problems would definitely arise in the long run.After Hierro, he needed an experienced veteran to take over the field while passing on his valuable experience to the young defenders.Ayala fits his requirements very well: he is old, has rich experience, and his level is still there. At the same time, due to the decline in physical strength due to age, he cannot play a full Premier League season-the Premier League is known for its intensive competitions-it can give young people more More opportunities to play, and after retiring in a few years, the young people he once taught have also grown up.It's a perfect transition.

Whether it's Hierro, or Albertini, or Ruud van Nistelrooy, or Beckham, or Ayala.Tang En bought them with full consideration of these.When he took over, the Forest had nothing.Without veterans who are qualified, qualified and influential, what should we do with young players?I can only rely on my advanced memory to take advantage of the loopholes to buy these veterans, and help lead the young people in the team one by one, just like a relay race.

After Hierro retired, there was still Albertini. After Albertini, there was Ruud van Nistelrooy, Beckham, and now there is another Ayala.

Fully "squeeze" their surplus value, this is the little tail hidden behind Tang En's ass.

Three days later, Nottingham Forest's official website announced that the Forest team will loan Ayala for half a season.The press release did not say a word about their intention to buy the Argentine defender.

After securing Ayala's loan + free transfer, Twain took Tang to Nyon, Switzerland, preparing to participate in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw ceremony held there. (Note 1)

Who is waiting in the beautiful Switzerland?
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Remarks: Regarding the date of the Champions League draw ceremony, it should be mid-December, but for the sake of priority, I arbitrarily changed the tradition set by UEFA to January of the following year.I hope everyone understands, and don't care about the date or anything...just read the story.

(End of this chapter)