Chapter 104: Walker’s Farewell Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
FM was a football manager game that was based on reality, and possessed a vast, detailed database about players. If a certain player was considered a genius or a wonderkid in the game, then he would not be too far off in reality. Many players who had been determined as wonderkids in the game previously, were now famous football stars, such as AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaká, who had just been bought over from São Paulo FC this summer.
It was said that in 2007, there were even managers in England who looked for players with decent potential or abilities based on FM.
The historical record of the person whom Tang En saw in FM, was that he left Westham United in this season. The game would not tell its players why a player left. As for the team which he later joined, Tang En could not remember it clearly. At that time, he did not have such a great memory as he currently did for English words.
"How is he?" Moore asked.
Tang En scratched his head. How should he answer this question? Obviously, he could not say something like he looked pretty good in the game. "I think, perhaps, not bad."
"Have you seen him play before?"
"Yes," Tang En lied. "Striker, and rather good with scoring and long passes. I have quite a bit of an impression of him, so I hope you can help me look for him."
Moore stared at the name written on the piece of paper for a while, before nodding his head. "Alright, I promise to help you Mr. Twain. But I cannot guarantee that I will be able to find him in the end."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Moore!" Tang En agitatedly shook Storey-Moore's hands again forcefully.
After sending off Storey-Moore, Tang En did not leave immediately. Instead, he stood by the side of the field and chatted with Walker, cracked a few jokes, and asked about the team's current situation in the changing room. Tang En was someone who was about to return, and therefore understanding more about the team's current situation would be beneficial for him to assimilate back into the team.
"Des, how's the team currently?"
Walker smiled bitterly. "The whole world knows about it. Is there still a need to ask me?"
"What I meant was, how's the team's situation in the changing room?"
"Very, very terrible. Completely no fighting spirit, blaming each other, panicky. Just multiply the most horrible situation you can think of by 10, and it should be about right."
"It sounds like a completely dark hell." Tang En pinched his chin and pouted. It appeared to be much worse than he had expected. "Don't worry, Des. The situation will improve."
"Perhaps so. But in any case, I won't be there to witness it." Walker shrugged his shoulders.
Tang En deciphered another message from this complaint. Staring at Walker, Tang En asked, "Why?"
"Tony, I heard that Dawson and Reid are leaving."
Tang En was shocked. "Who did you hear it from?"
"Everyone is talking about who will be leaving, and some things are just so easy to guess. Dawson and Reid are the only two people in the team who are able to perform on the field, and it isn't just a one- or two-day thing that the Premier League teams have been eyeing them. The team is scattered."
Hearing Walker say this, Tang En recalled a line from a movie, "It is difficult to lead the team with the people's hearts scattered."
"I'm leaving as well, Tony."
This sentence was the one which dealt the heaviest blow to Tang En. He jumped up abruptly. "What did you say?"
"Bowyer is doing rather well at Hereford, and he invited me over to help him. I've already agreed to it." Walker had not even finished his sentence, before Tang En grabbed him by his collar.
"B*stard! You can't do this!" He shouted at Walker, his voice was mixed with rage, disappointment, and sadness. "We are the best partners! You train the team, I direct the match. We will go to the Premier League, and we will also win trophies one after another, until City Ground Stadium is unable to fit them all!"
"Tony, I…"
Tang En could not care less about his promise to Edward about keeping it a secret. He shouted loudly, "I will come back soon! Doughty has already promised me. I will return! This darned winter!"
Walker's shock at that moment was in no way inferior to Tang En's. He looked at Tang En, and asked stuttering, "To, Tony… What did you just say? You will be coming back, this winter?"
"Yes." Tang En stood with his back against Walker, as he took a deep breath to calm himself down. When he heard that Walker was leaving, he really felt a tinge of fear—this was the person on the team he was on friendliest terms with. He was not only just an assistant. He helped Tang En with far more than training the team. Walker was the one who guided Tang En into this profession, helped him, reminded him, and took care of him in his life. Was their relationship as simple as one between a manager and assistant manager?
"I was not supposed to tell anyone. Doughty promised me that I will be returning back to City Ground Stadium's manager seat within a fixed period of time." Tang En turned around and saw the shocked Walker. "I was originally looking forward to leading the team together with you, Des."
Hearing this, Walker was like a deflated ball. His shoulders dropped and his head lowered as he said feebly, "If… if only you had looked for me one day earlier. I've already signed a contract with Hereford. My contract with Nottingham Forest will end in June next year, and then I will go to Hereford… At that time, I thought that Nottingham Forest was about to be relegated to League two, and the darkest for the team was finally coming. I don't wish to see the team fall so low! But I am only a goddamned assistant manager. Aside from arranging the trainings daily, I can't do anything else. There are times when I even wished I could personally go onto the field! Darned professional football players."
Walker suddenly erupted like a volcano, shouting at Tang En and venting the accumulated rage and frustration over the past season.
Tang En did not persuade him, did not console him, and did not stop him. He merely stood in his original spot and looked at him quietly.
Ten months ago in Coventry's home ground Highfield Road Stadium's changing room, Ian Bowyer left and returned, telling Tang En that he wanted to leave Nottingham Forest to pursue his own future. Tang En tried to persuade him to stay but to no avail. Furthermore, at that time, he did not even know where his future lay. What could he use to persuade Bowyer to stay?
Now that Tang En had already gotten chairman Doughty's promise and guarantee, he suddenly did not feel like persuading Walker to stay. Walker's reason for leaving were much ample than Bowyer. He had already supported this team on his own for too long. His heart was battered and his body was worn out. What reason did Tang En have to ask him to continue to stay behind under such unknown circumstances?
Everyone has their own life, and everyone will choose their own paths. Whether it turns out to be bitter or sweet, blissful or failure, whether it is thorny and bumpy or a smooth sailing bright future. All of those paths are walked alone. When Tang En was fired from his post, he was undecided for a while before ultimately deciding to stay behind and wait for an opportunity to prove his worth once again. Under such circumstances where Walker was unable to see his future, it was also his freedom to choose to leave.
"Alright." Upon thinking about it, Tang En sighed lightly. "At least we could perhaps still work together for half a season. But it's just a pity. What can we still do with the remaining half of the season? Prevent the relegation of the pre-season favorites?"
Both of them became silent. This goal of theirs sounded really depressing.
"No, Tony! I've thought of it! Perhaps we still have another method to end this season!" Walker suddenly said loudly in an excited manner.
"Hmm?"
"We just defeated Portsmouth in the third round of the EFL cup with a score of 4:2 during the penalty shootout, and the FA Cup has not started yet as well!"
Tang En's eyes were once again lit up.
"Thank you, Des. I promise you that when the time comes, you will have a glorious departure!"