Chapter 113: Tang En’s Return Part 3
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The excited players jumped up from their seats and shouted with their necks and faces red. Even those who were not on the team in the previous season could not help but clench their fists and feel the boiling blood gush up. The atmosphere in the changing room, which had been sorely missed in the first half of the year, was returning gradually.
Walker stood at the side and looked at Tony Twain, who was shouting together with the players. Even a simple phone call could be used by him to serve his intended purpose… Tony, Paul Hart was not wrong about you; Ian Bowyer also was not wrong about you; "Chief" was even more so not wrong about you. And as for me, I'm really lucky to be able to work with you. But it's a pity… only until the end of this season.
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Tang En's adjustments during the halftime period were completely beyond Crystal Palace manager's expectations. Rebrov was still on the field, but his position had been changed from a forward at the front to a midfielder! Steven Kember tilted his head and looked at his assistant manager, Bullivant, and asked, "Terry?"
Bullivant's responded with a shake of his head, indicating that he was not sure, as well.
Rebrov, who was standing in the middle of the circle and waiting to kick off the ball, suddenly discovered that the field in front of his eyes was extremely wide, and the gaps in between the opponent defenders were that big. A mere change from a forward to a midfielder allowed him to see an extremely different world from before.
He looked at Manager Tony Twain, who was standing at the side of the field and shouting at him while waving his hands non-stop. However, he could not hear clearly Tang En's English which had a heavy accent. It doesn't matter, I know what I should do.
I have very good techniques, I am fast, I am good at dribbling. I won't have any problem breaking past their defensive line! When I was partnering with Shevchenko in Kyiv Dynamo, I was also not a pure forward in the matches where we blasted AC Milan and Barcelona's goalposts. Andriy was at the forefront while I would be at the back. I'd pass him the ball and he'd score the goal.
I am an organizing midfielder! I cannot score goals, but I can assist!
He looked at those tall but clumsy English defenders and laughed. The moment when all of you let me face the goalpost, that will be your doomsday… I guarantee you that.
Walker, who was seated on the manager's seat, saw Twain turn around. He had been shouting loudly at Rebrov to pass more and intercept more, but nobody knew if the Ukrainian guy heard him.
"Tony, why did you suddenly think of letting a forward who has never played as a midfielder during training, play such a position?" Walker asked as he pointed toward Rebrov.
"Rebrov's problem doesn't lie with the fact that he is not good enough, but that he is not accustomed to the style of English football, as well as the defenders' ferocious snatching. As time passed, he lost his confidence to shoot. After that, he will continue to lose his confidence in his other skills as well. His skills are still there, just not being utilized at the suitable position. The reason why I pulled him back, is so that he would be further away from the defenders whom he's so afraid of. This way, he will have more space to maneuver and assist in offense. His techniques and awareness made him an extremely valuable player in League One. Furthermore..." Tang En looked at the away team manager's seats beside them and giggled, "Crystal Palace's current manager is an idiot. He is worse than his assistant manager. This kind of change will cause him to scratch his head and to make a wrong assessment. We will definitely win this match. Des, you know what? I've suddenly changed my mind."
"About what?" Walker was puzzled.
"Not only do we have to achieve breakthrough in the Cup, I am also thinking of being directly promoted to the Premier League by the end of the season!"
Walker stared with his eyes widened at Twain, whose grin almost touched his ears.
"You don't believe me, Des? Even if we are currently last in the season, becoming the champions of the league by the end of the season is not something unattainable."
Looking at Twain who was brimming with confidence, Walker muttered to himself, "What a crazy plan…"
The match had already started, and Tang En stood up from his seat, getting ready to direct the match from the side of the field. Before he left, he shot Walker a look and gave him an even more shocking goal: "League One Champions, promotion to Premier League, EFL Cup or FA Cup championships, qualifying for UEFA Europa League… This time, I will not fail!"
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John and gang continued watching the match, each of them holding a plastic cup filled with beer.
"Why is that Ukrainian still on the field? Why did Tony not substitute him out? Even I can tell that he is completely useless!" Someone complained.
John shot him a stare and said, "If you're so good, then you go be the manager! Just watch the match. You still don't believe him after all this time? Tony has never disappointed us before!"
Crystal Palace's manager, Steve Kembler, was originally in charge of their physical fitness and not a manager. Led by his level of ability, the end result was that Crystal Palace had come in third place from the bottom after playing 21 rounds in the league.
As for Tang En's arrangements, Steve could not tell what purpose it served.
If the forward can't score, then make him play as a midfielder? Manager Tony Twain, the changes in your tactics are based too much on assumptions!
Playing a 4-5-1 formation with two defensive midfielders, are you trying to concede less goals on your home ground? Stop dreaming, my Andrew is in tip-top condition!
Just as he finished chanting in his heart, Nottingham Forest managed to steal Andrew Johnson's ball in the backfield. Gunnarsson passed the ball to Rebrov, who was waiting in front—Tang En had specifically instructed previously, to hand over the task of organizing Nottingham Forest's offenses to Rebrov, place sufficient trust in him, and hope that they could see a completely different, super player.
Rebrov, who received the ball, discovered that for the first time, there were actually no defenders from the opponent's team rushing up to him, kicking and shoving to steal the ball from him. He calmly adjusted the ball, before dribbling the ball over toward Crystal Palace's defensive line.
"Serhiy Rebrov, he dribbles past one… The second one! It's really hard to believe that this is the Rebrov we saw in the past! He got past the third Crystal Palace defender, breaking into the penalty area—"
Rebrov suddenly discovered that the defenders who had once made him extremely scared, were no more than wooden stakes. Yes, with a change in perspectives, he saw the world in an entirely different light!
Crystal Palace's defender, Darren Powell, rushed forward, but Rebrov agilely avoided him. Right as Rebrov was about to continue his advance, he was tripped by Powell.
"Darren Powell… Penalty! Penalty!" The television commentators shouted.
Not waiting for the referee's whistle to blow, City Ground Stadium erupted into an uproar.
"Penalty—!"
Tang En, who saw this scene unfold, jumped up in joy. Damn, I placed my bet correctly!
The referee ran toward the spot where the foul occurred, and at the same time, pointed his finger at that white spot in the middle of the penalty area—that's right, penalty!
"This is undoubtedly a penalty! Rebrov managed to single-handedly break past the entire defensive line of Crystal Palace and won the team a chance to even the score. His performance is as though he is another person! What did Tony Twain, the magician say during the halftime break? Just from letting Rebrov change his position, this Ukrainian managed to be reborn!"
Rebrov, who fell inside the penalty area, got up on his feet. He saw the Crystal Palace players surrounding the referee and begging for mercy, while his Nottingham Forest teammates ran toward him with their arms open, after which, he once again fell on the field.
Penalty? I was the one who made it happen?
This feeling is really good!
When Andy Reid scored the penalty chance which was created by Rebrov, the viewing platform once again burst out into cheers. They were cheering for Reid, who was about to leave the team during the winter break period. Of course, Rebrov's name also appeared amongst their cheering noises this time.
Nottingham Forest brought the score to a tie, stunning the players and managers of Crystal Palace. After 15 minutes, Rebrov finally scored a goal!
When all of the defenders were trying to prevent Rebrov from breaking through, he chose to shoot from outside the penalty area. The football ball was like a cannonball, directly blasting into Crystal Palace's goalpost!
"Serhiy—Rebrov!" The viewing platform erupted into loud cheers.
"This is the real Rebrov! This is the person who partnered with Shevchenko and made AC Milan and Barcelona experience fear, Rebrov!"
Rebrov was once again pressed against the floor by his teammates, while Tang En was once again hugged by the excited Walker beside him.
"I believe you, Tony! We can, we really can!"
At the same time, Doughty who was in the VIP lounge stood up from his seat and extended his hand toward the depressed Crystal Palace chairman, Simon Jordan. Although he was happy, he did not do something rude like dance and shake his butt in front of Simon Jordan.
"What a pity, Mr. Jordan," he smiled and said. "Although you share the same name with one of the NBA gods, but it's a pity that this is a football match."
Simon Jordan's facial expression became even more awkward. His hand was extended in midair, unsure of whether he should shake or not…
Outside the lounge, the shouting of Nottingham fans could be heard. "Victory!" Crystal Palace's chairman's pale face was just like a streak of lightning in the night sky.
Pierce Brosnan, who was at the news reporters' seats, looked around the excited viewing platform and looked again at Tony Twain, who was celebrating the goal with the players who were running back. He suddenly thought of that sentence, that sentence which he heard when he was brought to Forest Bar.
That man just stood there amongst a group of worshippers and opened his arms, as if he wanted to hug the entire world. Amidst the "Tony! Tony!" shouting, he was just like a lion, the king of the jungle, leading the pack in their roaring.
"One day, I will return one day! When that time comes, you will hear an even louder cheer!"
Louder cheer… The viewing platform beneath his feet shook amidst this "even louder cheer." His eardrums started to hurt, and he could not hear anything clearly, but he knew that the shouting was that which welcomed that man back.