With three consecutive goals in three games, Anelka’s performance attracted the attention of the media. Although the media might have little affection for Anelka’s two agent brothers, they could not ignore Anelka’s performance. The return of a prodigal son was the best topic for the recent Premier League.
As a result, the Forest team’s training ground had another increase of reporters. The buzzing flies had returned.
Looking at the reporters pestering Anelka, Twain suddenly felt that Anelka’s two brothers did a good job. The price of forty thousand pounds per interview could really scare away a lot of people. He rubbed his chin and wondered if he should give himself a price of one hundred thousand pounds to make his life quieter. With the success of the Forest team, there were more and more people who wanted to get in touch with and interview Twain.
Twain would not reject media interviews, but he could not accept it if they went to his house and blocked his doorstep.
That was what happened to Anelka, and Twain did not plan to worry too much about it. The French striker was someone who had been in professional football for years. Some things were clear in his mind.
Anyway, he had made his stance pretty clear——Since you’re on my team now, you will have to do a good job. When you do well, there will be lots of money up for grabs. But if you’re not willing to do well and want to leave, I won’t make you stay.
What he had actually said to Anelka said that day was, Whether you stay or go, I don’t care.
Anelka was different from his other players. Twain did not need Anelka to be loyal to him because he was never part of his plan. He did not need Anelka to like him. He only needed Anelka to score for him.
What concerned him more was another person.
※※※
George Wood had encountered the most important problem in his nineteen years of life.
He thought that he should be a little different now from what he used to be, in training, in the locker room, and in the game….He should do some things that he had never done or paid attention to before.
But he did not know how to go about it.
Because he was the team captain. Although he was only a proxy, he was still the captain.
He needed to behave differently from the past because he wore the captain’s armband.
To be honest, asking him to do this was a little difficult for him.
When Albertini was around, he was able to make his teammates feel his presence as a captain, whether during training, in the locker room, or on the field.
George Wood did not have that ability. More often than not, everyone did not feel like they had a captain at their side during training, in the locker room, or in games.
Even though no one complained openly about it, Twain could see some signs of it; he believed that Wood could see it too. He was not an idiot.
He felt that he had to intervene to help with the matter. Since he had handed the captain’s armband over to Wood, he was obliged to pull him up when he encountered difficulties, or else he could hand the armband to Edwin van der Sar, or anyone else.
While the team was in training, Twain slipped back to his office and used the landline to call George Wood’s home.
The person who received the call was Wood’s mother, Sophia, who was pleasantly surprised to hear Twain’s voice. “Mr. Twain!”
Twain was not sure how to face the increasingly enthusiastic Sophia, so he rarely contacted her now. Nevertheless, it might be better for Wood’s mother to deal with the matter.
“Hello, Madam. Are you feeling better?”
“I’m much better.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“What’s the matter, Mr. Twain?” Sophia could sense that Twain was beating around the bush, so she asked first.
“Uh, Madam. Did Wood talk to you about his situation in the team recently at home?”
“Yes, he did. He said he was made team captain.” Sophia smiled. She was proud of her son.
“The thing is the new captain has met with some trouble lately.” Twain recounted the situation, “Wood listens to his mother the most. So, I need your help with this matter.”
Sophia kept quiet for a while over the phone, and then nodded, “Okay, I got it. Don’t worry, Mr. Twain. I know my son, I understand what I have to do.”
“Thank you very much, Madam.”
“I’m the one who needs to say thank you, Mr. Twain. If you had not allowed him to go to the Forest team for training, where would George be today?”
Twain laughed as he recalled his first season of coaching the Forest team. He had met George Wood in that cold season and the kid had said to him, “I think you should sign the best player in England,” as if he was reciting a line. Wood himself had had no idea what the best player in England was at that time but now he was getting closer to that goal.
After she thanked him again, Twain ended the call with Sophia and returned to the training ground. He stood on the sidelines and quietly observed.
Wood worked diligently, harder than before. He looked like he wanted to complete enough training for two people. But his simple and crude approach did not have any effect on his teammates, because he always worked hard. Everyone had long been accustomed to him working so hard.
The kid failed to grasp the point of it. Twain secretly shook his head.
He waited to see what Sophia could do to help.
※※※
A day’s training was over again, and Wood broodily head back to the locker room to change his clothes. He then walked away by himself.
He felt that today was as bad as any day in the past. He had not accomplished anything and had failed as a captain. He even began to doubt Twain’s decision to make him the team captain. He felt totally unfit to be a captain. Although he admired Demetrio and had learned some things from him, he did not think he could be a captain like Demetrio.
It was too difficult for George Wood to have a smile on his face all day long and treat everyone familiarly like old friends of many years.
Wood only smiled when he went home to face his mother’s smile. His mother always smiled at him and watched him smile. It was hard to keep a straight face. Furthermore, his mother’s smile was warm with no other meaning. It was a genuine smile, completely different from all the smiles he had encountered outside. That kind of smile completely put him at ease.
Both mother and son made dinner in the kitchen together. As if she suddenly remembered something, Sophia asked casually as she busied herself with her work at hand. “That’s right, George. When you return from Spain, I would like to invite someone to dinner.”
Wood was a little surprised. His mother was poor in health. Except for Twain and his agent, Woox, who occasionally came to update Wood on work, they did not receive any guests at home. With his mother offering to invite people to dinner out of the blue, he could not help but be surprised. He turned to look at his mother.
His mother pointed to the pot. “Give it a stir.”
Wood obediently picked up a ladle to stir in the soup.
“Well, didn’t you become the captain?” His mother said with a smile. “I think we should thank a few people, so I would like to invite your mentors to have dinner at home.”
“Demetrio?” Wood did not think that his mother would have thought to invite him.
Sophia nodded. “He’s been a great help to you. I want to thank him in person.”
Although he was surprised, what his mother had suggested was appropriate. Wood did not object.
“Other than that, I would also like to invite Mr. Twain too.”
Wood turned to look at his mother again. Sophia bowed her head to busy herself with her chore as if she had not said anything.
“Oh, okay. I’ll talk to him.” Wood nodded.