Chapter 84: Accidental Success Part 1
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The young reporter, Pierce Brosnan, was assigned to City Ground by the newspaper, where a high-profile press conference was about to be held. All the Nottingham Forest supporters were excited about this press conference for the summer's transfer market. Almost all the local media in Nottingham had come, and the London media had also sent people to attend.
Sitting at the table filled with microphones from the various media companies, the newly appointed Forest manager, Stan Collymore, was pleased as punch. The new chairman of the club, Edward Doughty, sat on his right and looked equally pleased. Sitting in between the two men, was a Ukrainian of small stature and the main reason for this press conference. He was the former Tottenham Hotspur striker no one had expected to come to play for a League One team, Serhiy Rebrov.
He was by far the most important big-name player in the League One transfer market! Maybe the new manager, Collymore, who had missed the training sessions, was really out looking for players everywhere.
Two million pounds was the Ukrainian's current price, even though he was worth up to £11,000,000 in 2000 when he transferred from FC Kyiv Dynamo to the North London team, Tottenham Hotspur FC. However, after three years, the former partner of Shevchenko had long become a huge burden that Tottenham had hoped to get rid of the most.
He had 29 appearances in his first season, but only scored nine goals, which was severely inconsistent with his value. Then the Ukrainian striker, who was often mired in a state of injury and illness, had only scored 12 goals for the team in two and a half years. Such a performance was obviously dissatisfactory to the team and the fans. Rebrov was a player who was signed when George Graham was coaching the Spurs. But when Glenn Hoddle became the Spurs manager, he began to gradually be reduced to a substitute.
The Spurs were eager to sell this ineffectual, overpaid Ukrainian striker. And it just so happened that Nottingham Forest needed to bring in a talented, high-profile player who had the power to rally the supporters. The two teams managed to strike a deal. Although the £2,000,000-transfer fee was somewhat low, this "measly" sum was still acceptable compared to letting this player stay on the team and continuing to pay him his salary until he was free to leave when his contract expired, leaving the Spurs without a single cent in return on their investment.
The Forest team was also grateful to the Spurs for their generosity. After Abramovich had become the Chelsea owner, almost all the players had doubled their transfer fees. They were lucky to buy a player from the Spurs "on the cheap."
After serious consideration, Rebrov felt he would rather directly transfer to Nottingham Forest than to be on loan to Turkey.
Collymore had assured him that the team would return to the Premier League at the end of the season. He had also promised him the position of main striker and had shown him his grand plan for the team. All these things touched Rebrov, who decided to "condescend" to join the second-highest division of the English Football League and prove himself again.
Of course, his salary was the highest on the team.
Collymore faced the microphones and said with a smile, "I have assured you that we will be in the Premier League in the coming season. Do you believe me now?"
Rebrov also smiled, took over the press subject and said to everyone, "Nottingham Forest is a great team and once had a glorious history. I hope my arrival will help the team return to the top once again." His words made a favorable impression on many Nottingham local journalists. The Foresters liked others to mention the former glorious years to them. But this period of history was too long ago and not everyone knew about it. Even the professional players often did not know that this team, which was in the second division league, had acquired such impressive achievements.
Therefore, Rebrov, who had taken the initiative to bring up the past, immediately changed the local media's attitudes. They originally had not been favorably impressed by this "Premier League parallel import." And now they believed that the Ukrainian could really contribute to the team. But, had no one ever thought that the Ukrainian was just regurgitating information he had memorized?
Pierce Brosnan was in deep contemplation when he looked at the three people. The Ukrainian striker had not proved himself in the Premier League. Could he prove his ability in League One, which was of a lower skill level? In his opinion, the failure of Rebrov's Spurs career was not a question of strength, but a result of the incompatibility of his personal style and the English style of football.
Collymore, in Brosnan's eyes, was inferior to Twain. What Tony Twain could not do, could Stan Collymore do it?
Although he had been ridiculed by Twain, that person was capable, and he would not negate a person due to his personal preferences. Like Tang En, he could not understand the appointment by the new manager of the Forest team. In his view, the failure of the playoffs was not solely Twain's responsibility, even though he took on all the blame after the defeat. Suddenly he raised his hand, and Collymore nodded at him to indicate that he could stand and ask his question.
Pierce Brosnan was no longer that intern reporter who had stuttered when he was ridiculed by Twain. He looked intently at Collymore and clearly stated his question. "Mr. Manager, the pre-season training has already been underway for 10 days, and you've only signed a striker. What kind of lineup do you intend to use to charge into the Premier League?"
When this question was asked, there was a minor commotion at the conference. Some people turned to look at Brosnan, who was standing in the back row with a microphone, and some people looked at Collymore with smirks and wanted to see how he was going to handle it. Others were whispering to each other, discussing the question. The English media had always been widely known for being tough, tricky, and ruthless. It was not their style to gather around one person to sing his praises. It was the fine tradition of the media to stand up and sing a different tune like Pierce Brosnan.
The smile on Collymore's face froze, and then slowly disappeared. And sitting beside him, Rebrov also looked a little awkward, because the person who signed him was Collymore, and questioning Collymore's ability was tantamount to questioning his ability. Only Doughty sat on the side with his arms around his chest and wore an inexplicable smile on his face. As if he were a spectator who had nothing to do with the matter.
Brosnan glanced at him and turned his attention back on Collymore. If this rookie—yes, although Brosnan had only just been confirmed as a regular reporter, to the face of this first-time manager he would be blunt enough to call him a rookie—did not give himself a satisfactory statement, he would not give up.
"This…" Collymore slowly opened his mouth, his eyes scurrying around, and he was still wondering how to answer the reporter's question. "Just as you said, the pre-season training has only been going for 10 days. We still have more time to perfect the team. I think what you will see next is that there will be more high-level players appearing on City Ground, and the team transfer process is far from over." After he spoke, he looked at Doughty, hoping that he would come out and say something on his behalf.
"Yes, the transfer process of the Forest team is not over yet. We believe in Mr. Collymore's ability," Edward Doughty corroborated.
Brosnan apparently did not intend to let them off, so he followed up and asked, "Mr. Chairman. Last season, the team that manager, Tony Twain, was defeated in the playoffs and was stripped of his position. So, I would like to ask, if we were to still remain in League One at the end of the season," as he said this, Brosnan turned to Collymore, "will Mr. Stan Collymore still be sitting here for interviews?"
These words felt quite combative, and the press conference was immediately filled with the presence of gunpowder.
Collymore's bad temper seemed to rise again, and he wanted to open his mouth to censor this overconfident reporter, but Doughty interjected. "Sorry, I never assess something that has not happened yet. If you're asking if Mr. Collymore will be dismissed, you will have to wait until that day when I am able to answer you. All right, everybody," Edward stood up and clapped his hands, "let's go to the stadium where hundreds of loyal Forest fans are waiting."
The reporters got up and crowded around Collymore and Rebrov as they walked to the stadium behind the press conference room.
Pierce Brosnan did not squeeze to the front. He waited for everyone to leave before he followed at a distance. But he discovered that another man had also deliberately fallen behind.
Edward Doughty looked back at Brosnan and saw that he was looking at him, too. The two men stared intensely at each other. Both knew what the other meant, but they did not say anything in the end, and just headed toward the stadium.
When Brosnan was putting Collymore on the spot at the press conference, and Rebrov's arrival attracted half of Nottingham's attention, Tang En was not at the youth training ground. In fact, he was not even in the city.
Collymore disregarded and threw aside the team training. He said he had to search all over the world for the players needed for the team. Tang En was doing the same thing as him. The difference between the two men was that Tang En was not just talking.
The sea breeze caressed his hair and jacket lapel, and the air carried a hint of salty taste. These were the characteristics of a port city.
Tang En breathed in the damp seaside air and continued to focus on the field in front of him. There were many people around. Some were just ordinary fans, and some were like him. They stood there, each with a different reason for watching a fourteen and under youth team training game.