"Congratulations to Nottingham Forest, they now qualify for the 05-06 season UEFA Champions League final! This is a remarkable achievement and an inspiring result for a team that was still in the EFL Champions.h.i.+p a year and a half ago. Congratulations to them!"
A fireworks display began in the night sky, and even the players celebrating in the stadium could not help but look up and admire the beautiful scene.
The game was over, but the fans did not leave the stadium. They were still in the stands, celebrating the victory of their team.
On the other side, the a.r.s.enal players looked desolate. They stared distractedly at the over-the-moon Forest players.
They had tried their best in this game and managed to equalize the total score in an unfavorable situation. Then they had threatened the Forest team"s goal several times before finally entering the penalty shootout. They had already used all their means and methods. Luck was just not on their side this time.
Wenger walked onto the field to comfort his men one by one. Not far from him was Tony Twain, who celebrated this victory with his arms held high.
That man, who had talked to him in the rain at that time, drenched and pathetic like a drowned rat, was now the victor in this battle against him.
Twain reveled in the joy of victory. He was surrounded by many excited and smiling faces. Eastwood, Anelka, Ribéry, Ashley Young, and the rest. Wait a minute, everybody was laughing and shouting. Twain laughed with them too, until he saw George Wood and the smile on his face froze.
The team had won and gotten a ticket to the final. But one man was turned away at the door, and that man was the one who had worked the hardest and contributed the most to their victory.
Gareth Bale, who had missed the penalty kick, still had s.h.i.+ny tears on his face. But he laughed in the end; he did not become a sinner because the team had managed to advance to the final.
In front of him, George Wood"s smile was somewhat forced. It was apparent that he had tried hard to squeeze one out.
Twain put down his raised arms. Suddenly, he was not in the mood to celebrate.
Just as he was about to go over and comfort Wood, Albertini trotted out from the side. Twain saw Albertini put his arm around Wood"s shoulder and then reach out to stroke his head.
The other teammates were still celebrating, singing, and jumping around the field.
Only that corner had a sense of loss.
Twain turned and walked off the field. When he saw Wenger, he took the initiative to walk over and shake hands.
However, he did not know what to say.
"This was… a great game, wasn"t it?"
Wenger smiled reluctantly. "Yes."
Twain intended to console the other man. "You could have won if Wood had not fouled."
"He can"t take part in the final, can he?"
Twain shook his head.
"That"s a shame. Your opponent must be glad to hear that news. Well, I wish you all the best. You all really could use some good luck."
"Thank you." Twain smiled.
"I have to go comfort my men." Wenger pointed to the disappointed a.r.s.enal players.
"Goodbye, then." Twain waved goodbye to him, then turned to walk towards the tunnel.
※※※
During the post-match press conference, a reporter mentioned the matter about George Wood"s third yellow card and absence in the final. He asked if Wood"s absence would be a heavy blow to the Forest team.
Twain admitted that Wood"s absence would affect the team, but he did not admit that it was a heavy blow. He stated that regardless of who the Forest team"s opponent was, he would not give up the game because of Wood"s absence. Without Wood, they also had Albertini and ten other teammates who had performed well. The Forest team was a whole, not an individual"s team.
Despite the fact that what Twain said was reasonable and Nottingham Forest"s image to the outside world had been of a united team, looking at the expression on his face at that moment, the reporters sitting below thought he was reluctant to admit it and concede.
Whether it was Barcelona or AC Milan, the opponents were strong in offense. If there was no George Wood aggressively sprinting, intercepting, tackling, and fouling in the midfield, it would be difficult for the Forest team to stop the opponent"s attacks.
It was not a heavy blow, but a deadly strike.
The Forest team had advanced to the final but paid a heavy price. The person who was the team"s on-field captain, defensive core, and in a sense, the source of their strength would not be able to compete. Not only was Twain not used to it, but his players would also find it tough.
As the revelers outside gradually calmed down from the excitement and delight, it was believed that many people would feel s.h.i.+vers down their spines at the thought of Wood being unable to play in the finals.
Wood consequently became the focal point of the press conference. Although he was not there, almost all of the questions thrown at Twain were about Wood, and there was little mention of the Forest team"s final call.
Twain felt sorry about Wood. However, if everyone only asked about Wood and did not care about the team"s results or anyone else, including him, then he would be very angry.
"If you want to know anything about Wood, you can ask him on your own, or I can hold a special press conference to be attended by Wood for you to ask questions. However, I cannot guarantee if he will be willing to answer those questions. Right now, it"s about the Forest team going to the final. I will acknowledge that George Wood has contributed a great deal of strength and made a great sacrifice. But don"t tell me that our being able to be able to get to the final has nothing to do with the other ten players. George Wood chose to get a card to send the team to the final, but all you care about is the impact of his absence in the finals. Are you going to criticize George Wood in tomorrow"s articles? That he was hot-headed and only cared about himself and not the team?" Twain asked the noisy reporters with a dark expression, "Are you here to take part in this post-match press conference, or are you specifically here to create trouble? I repeat, I will refuse to answer any more questions about George Wood"s absence in the final!"
Twain played the big shot card once again, which was something he did well. He was not afraid to offend the media because he knew he was not one to beg the media to interview him, but the other way around. He was the most impressive figure now, so he was not afraid to offend anyone.
The press conference became awkward for a while. It was Pierce Brosnan who came to the rescue. He stood up and asked a few questions about the evaluation of this game, and Twain eventually spoke again.
※※※
While Twain lost his temper over the endless questions about Wood at the press conference, the Nottingham Forest players had returned to the locker room from the field.
And this time, after everyone gradually calmed down, they realized the problem.
"George, the yellow card you received during overtime was your third one, right?" Once Ribéry asked, the lively locker room suddenly quieted down. Everyone turned their heads to look at Wood.
"Yes." Wood nodded.
"Then… the final…"
This question hardly needed a reply. Everyone knew what it meant to get three yellow cards in the Champions League.
Silence quickly spread through the entire locker room.
Albertini gave a clap to break up the embarra.s.sing atmosphere. "Why are you looking so dejected? Didn"t we make it to the final? George paid the price. Do you think he did that just so that he can see you all looking like this? What do we usually look like after we win?"
In the past, after the Forest team won, the locker room would be rowdy, as if there was a small party with nonstop music. Everyone would be naked and play around from the shower to the locker room. They would only stop when they had enough, or when Manager Twain reminded them aloud.
"Today we did not just win an ordinary game. It"s the Champions League semi-final! Do you know how important this is? How amazing this is? We"re going to the Champions League final. Countless people want to go but can"t! And look at you now. You all looked like you don"t want to go. Don"t waste George"s efforts. Don"t let George have gotten a yellow card for nothing!"
Ribéry stood up with his arms held high. He had started this topic, so it was up to him to finish it. "OK, it"s a shame that George can"t compete, but I don"t think that means that we don"t have a chance in the final. I don"t care who our opponent is, Barcelona or AC Milan. I want to show them what I"m capable of! I want to surprise them until they don"t know what hit—"
Ashley Young whistled, "Be careful not to let them surprise you till you don"t know what hit you."
Ribéry glared. "How can that be? I"m the French national team"s—"
Without waiting for him to finish, Eastwood mimicked Twain"s voice at the side and interrupted, "Subst.i.tute player."
When he heard Twain"s voice, Ribéry was startled, "Chief! You"re back so soon?" With his back facing the door, he could not see clearly. He did not hear Twain"s reply, but loud laughter rang out in the locker room.
"Freddy!" Ribéry flew into a rage out of humiliation and pounced on Eastwood. "I knew it was you. You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
Once again the atmosphere livened up because of those two men.
Albertini turned his head to look at Wood. The kid was acting cool, with an expressionless face.
Just as those two men were messing around, the locker room door was pushed open and Twain appeared at the door with a grim expression.
"Ribéry, what are you doing?" Twain asked when he saw the Frenchman chasing Eastwood, jumping up and down.
"Don"t you dare try to fool me, Romani!" Ribéry did not turn his head back. There was another burst of laughter in the locker room, and Gareth Bale doubled over with laughter.
"What are you shouting about?" Twain frowned.
At this point, standing in front of Ribéry, Eastwood shrugged at him and made a gesture to shut him up. That was when he realized that it was not Eastwood who had just spoken, but the real Tony Twain.
"Chief..." He stopped and turned his head around to look with an awkward expression at Twain who was standing at the door.
"I thought the one-hundred-and-twenty-minute game was enough to wear you down. I didn"t think you would have any energy left. Would you like to run back to the hotel from here?" Twain sneered.
"Uh, no. No need to." Ribéry sheepishly went back to his seat. Ribéry only had respect for the manager, who had personally dug him up from a low-level league in France and groomed him into a member of the French national team.
"Guys, we"re in the final, which is amazing, and I want to congratulate you all on your performance. Have fun tonight, but don"t be out too late. We return to training tomorrow afternoon. The season is not over. Now is not the time to celebrate. Remember, we still have two league games and one Champions League final! This is not the time to relax!"
Although what Twain said was very reasonable, in the eyes of the other people in the locker room, they felt that there was something wrong with their boss.
What could be wrong? Perhaps it was because of that yellow card?
"All right let"s get out. I bet you don"t want to spend this meaningful night in the locker room, do you?"
The players left the locker room in succession and walked towards the bus parked outside the stadium. They could still hear the fans singing nearby. To the Forest players and fans, the wonderful evening had just started.
When Wood walked past Twain, Twain stopped him.
"Come have a drink with me."
Wood was taken aback for a moment. He had not expected Twain to make such a request. "Professional players aren"t allowed to drink..."
"You"ll drink juice, and I"ll have a proper drink. That settles it. After we get back to the hotel, you"ll come with me."
Wood did not object.
On the bus, on the way back to the hotel, Twain announced a jubilant piece of news to his players. "You have free time tonight to do whatever you want to do. If you want to go back to the hotel, you can. But come tomorrow"s training in the afternoon, I want to see every one of you present in Wilford. Don"t be late!"
※※※
Back at the hotel, the players put their stuff back in their respective rooms and dispersed in groups of three or four. Ribéry wanted Wood to go out with him and relax his mood but was rejected by Wood.
Then, when Ribéry saw Wood and Twain walk out of the hotel together, he whistled.
"I thought you had a date with a pretty girl and I was going to follow you. I didn"t expect your date was with the boss. That"s no fun."
Wood had thought they were going to just drink in the hotel bar downstairs. He had not expected Twain to pull him straight into a cab.
"Where to, Tony?" Landy James, the driver in the front, asked without turning his head.
"The usual bar."
"Got it."
"Can"t we just drink anywhere?" Wood thought it was strange.
"I"m not used to drinking in unfamiliar places." Twain glanced at him.
※※※
Kenny Burns" Forest Bar was brightly lit inside and out. The Forest team emblem on the exterior wall was especially striking that night and could be seen from afar. The game was long over, but more and more people had come. The door opened and closed repeatedly, and people came streaming in from outside.
Those people came to the pub to have a drink and chat with their friends after watching the game at home. The game that had just ended was so exciting that if they did not come out for a few drinks and a chat, they might not fall asleep that night.
Burns was busy behind the bar and had to help out because his waiters had their hands full. But he was happily busy. Just now, after he had watched the Forest team eliminate a.r.s.enal with the penalty kicks on the television, he was so excited that he shouted and toasted the others.
Luckily, he did not impulsively say, "Drinks on me tonight!" Or else, he would lose a lot of money.
"It"s so crowded!" Fat John wriggled his body to squeeze to the front of the bar and reached out to Burns for more beer. "Unbelievable!"
"Just came from the stadium?" asked Burns as he poured him the beer.
"Mhm. I rushed back with Bill as soon as the game was over. I didn"t expect it to still be so crowded here. Hey, Kenny, did you hit a new record for the number of people in your bar tonight?"
"Who has time to count?" Burns poured the beer and handed it to John. "But… It"s really bustling. Thanks to Tony, business is good today."
"In that case, you can let me drink for free!" Twain"s loud voice could be heard close by.
Burns and John were both surprised.
Twain stood in the crowd, and George Wood was behind him. Next to them, the fans patted Twain on the shoulder to congratulate or thanked him. Twain was used to their familiarity. He smiled and greeted the people around him.
"Tony!" John was somewhat surprised. "You haven"t been here in a long time!"
"Been busy, but it finally paid off." Twain pulled Wood and came over. He did not need to squeeze like John did. The crowd immediately parted to create a path everywhere he went.
"Look, it"s George Wood!"
"Hi, George, nice to see you! What you did tonight was awesome!"
"Welcome, Captain!"
Wood reacted somewhat uncomfortably to the voices of the surrounding fans, who were flushed and whose breaths smelt of alcohol. He looked as if he was hiding from those people as he followed closely behind Twain.
Burns saw the embarra.s.sed-looking kid behind Twain and guffawed, "Guys, why are you doing this? Don"t scare our hero!" Then he smiled at Wood, "Relax a little, George. Would you like a drink?"
Wood shook his head. "Players don"t drink."
Twain interrupted him. "Give him juice. And give me a gla.s.s of whiskey with ice."
Seeing John next to him, Twain gave him a punch in the stomach. "Did you watch the game in the stadium?"
John rubbed his stomach and chuckled, "Of course, it"s more interesting to watch that kind of game live!"
Twain smiled and said to Burns, "A round of drinks for everyone here, my treat."
As soon as he said it, everyone in the bar cheered.
Twain twisted around and raised his gla.s.s to all of those people."A toast."
John raised his gla.s.s high, and at the same time he raised his hands and roared, "For the Champions League final, for Tony, for our new captain! For Nottingham Forest! Cheers!!"
"Cheers!!"
Holding his juice, Wood looked at the fervent fans, who were crazier here than they were in the stadium stands.