Chapter 53: Premier League Part 3
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Although Tang En had five wins and one loss in March"s league matches, he still lost to Harry Redknapp who was the manager of Portsmouth F.C. and had won the best coach award six times. Losing to him did not affect Tang En"s mood at all, as Harry Redknapp was a famous figure in English football.
In order to celebrate the commendable achievements by Forest during that period, Burns threw a casual get together at his bar. He invited all who wanted to come, but, of course, the players could not come. Even if they wanted to come and drink, they still needed Tang En"s permission. Tang En was a cla.s.sic drinker, but he did not allow his players to drink. They could drink as much as they wanted after the season, but not during it.
Michael brought his son, and the smart Bernard soon became the center of attention. Tang En approached little Bernard with a gla.s.s filled with beer, and the gla.s.s was almost bigger than the kid"s head.
"Come, uncle feed you to drink…" Tang En"s tongue felt bigger when he talked. No one knew how much alcohol he had drank.
Just as he handed the gla.s.s over to Bernard, Michael s.n.a.t.c.hed it away and immediately drank it down in one shot.
Tang En saw Michael"s throat moving and heard the sound of the beer going into his stomach. The entire gla.s.s of beer was in someone else"s stomach! Tang En looked him straight in the eyes and yelled, "That was mine!"
"I know." Michael wiped away the foam on his mouth, burped, and then said with satisfaction, "Thanks for the treat."
"You are such a…" Tang En opened his mouth and was about to let him him have it, but was stopped by Michael"s warning.
"B*stard! Don"t you use bad language in front of my son!"
Tang En was completely speechless.
There was loud laughter all around. Out of all the rough and husky voices of the old men, little Bernard"s crisp voice rang out especially clear, "Boss, give Mr. Twain a cup of fresh juice on me!"
Everyone exploded into laughter again.
Tang En raised his arms up to show he surrendered.
Big John held his gla.s.s up and shouted happily, "Who beat Tony?"
Walker stretched his voice just like the sound-system at the stadium and shouted, "Gaaaaaavin!"
The rest immediately added on as if they were watching matches in the stadium, "Bernard!"
The atmosphere in the bar reached a climax, and people were holding their gla.s.ses and chatting energetically. Michael brought his son to sit at Tang En"s table, and everyone sitting at the table welcomed little Bernard and ignored his father.
"The son is way cuter than the father," Tang En judged.
"You"re not cute, either," Michael tried to rebuke.
Tang En giggled, "This means we have something in common."
"Who would have anything in common with someone like you?" Michael put his gla.s.s up and shook it in front of Tang En. Tang En knew what he meant and put his cup up as well. They cheered.
"Tony."
"Yes?"
"Will our team be in the Premier League at next season?"
"Is there any point to asking such a question?"
"Great. If you don"t make it, I will sit behind your seat and heckle you at every home match."
"Daydreaming! I will not give you any chance to do that!"
The two men finished their beers, and then looked at each other and started laughing.
The heavy door of the bar was pushed open, and a man who wore a cap came in. Though he tried to keep a low profile, there were still people who recognized him.
The noisy bar soon turned completely silent.
Even Tang En and Michael, who sat the farthest in, felt the vibe change.
Michael, curious, turned around and saw the visitor who stood beside the door searching for someone.
After that, Tang En noticed the smile on Michael"s face had disappeared. He stood up and looked at the middle-aged man in the cap.
Michael and the party-crasher met eyes at the same time.
"Michael," he said and wanted to go on, but Michael stopped him.
"I know what you want to do. I do not care about them, and you should not come and look for me anymore. I have already made it clear that I want no a.s.sociation with you! The same goes for John."
Michael had just finished what he wanted to say, when John, nearer to the door, stood in front of the guy in the cap and glared at him from unfriendly eyes and an unwelcoming stance.
"John, listen to me…"
Big John spoke indifferently. "I do not know you."
While he said this, others surrounded them.
The uninvited guest looked at all the people and was exasperated. He pointed to John and Michael and scolded, "You are renegades who betrayed your brothers!"
This caught Tang En"s interest. Betrayed? Brothers? Renegades? Were they in an action movie? He tiptoed up behind big John and hoped to catch a glimpse of the guy"s face to see if it had any scars.
"The b*stards of Millwall want to challenge us! This is about our honor! And yet you guys are here drinking and enjoying yourselves as if there was nothing going on."
Burns" cold voice came from the staircase, "I remember I said we do not welcome people like you here."
The man seemed to be scared of Burns, and his anger was suddenly gone. Tang En wondered why this man changed his manner so quickly. It seemed like something strange was going on.
"Kenny…"
"Leave the place!"
Burns abruptly asked him to leave, and everyone in the bar stared at him with hate in their eyes for ruining the party. The uninvited guest stared at John who blocked his way angrily and then walked away.
As the door of the bar closed, the people inside began to drink and chat again as if nothing had happened. The vibe was soon back to what it had previously been.
However, Michael seemed to be in a bad mood, and he suddenly drank all his beer in one shot. Then he murmured something. Despite the noisy surroundings, Tang En still heard it.
"What f*cking honor…"
After drinking the rest of his beer, Michael stood up and said to Twain and Walker, "I have to go home now, as Gavin is about to fall asleep."
Walker nodded to show that he understood. Michael looked at Tang En who was still confused. "Remember what you promised, Tony. If Forest is still trapped inside League One, I will do something about it!"
After that, he took his son out of the crowd.
From the moment of the uninvited guest"s arrival, to when Michael left the bar, Tang En was completely out of the loop. What was all that about? Turning back and seeing Walker drinking alone, Tang En felt that he had to know what had just happened. "Des, do you know who that guy in the cap was. It seemed everybody knew him, but why did they talk to each other that way?"
Walker glanced at Tang En. "It was Mark Hodge, the leader of Naughty Forty."
"What is that?"
This time Walker downed his beer, waited a minute, and then answered Tony. He sounded the words out syllable by syllable, "Foot-ball Hoo-li-gans!"