Chapter 3: Tony Twain's Past
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As it had not opened yet, the lights inside the bar were still off. The windows were half-covered by the curtains outside. That was where the ray of light came from, slightly brightening up the dimly-lit room.
This kind of environment was not optimized for reading books or newspapers, but in reality, the two people in the bar did not need to read them. One was behind the bar counter, while the other was seated on the bar stool on the other side. In front of them, there were two thick glasses, and inside was filled with a golden yellow liquor.
This kind of quiet and dimly-lit environment was, however, optimal for chatting.
"Tony, do you know? Your performance last night was really an eye-opener, and shocked me," Burns said as he refilled the glass that was already empty.
"Oh?" After drinking five glasses of strong whisky consecutively, even an experienced drinker like Tang En was slightly drunk.
"You've been here for seven years already, and I saw you when you first entered. You were still very young at that time. I have never seen you quarrel with anyone, and your temper was not bad, despite being slightly eccentric. Despite that, you always greeted others with a smile. That bunch of guys yesterday was all drunk. If they were sober, they would not have said such things to you. But I didn't expect you to react so strongly...your moves were unlike those of a football manager."
Tang En laughed bitterly, as he did not expect that the previous him was still regarded as a nice guy by other people. "Perhaps you're not wrong... but I don't really remember..." Tang En pretended as he touched the back of his head, revealing a pained expression. "I... forgot many things." He discovered that he really did have a knack for acting. "I don't remember how I used to train the team, so I feel very unfamiliar with Team Nottingham Forest. The match is only the day after tomorrow, but I don't know how I should lead them..."
Tang En painfully buried his head in between his arms. He discovered that he was already very immersed in his role. It not only applied to the current pretense before him, but also as the substitute manager of Team Nottingham.
Looking at Twain's painful expression as he lay on the table, Burns also felt that things were more serious than he expected. "Do you mean to say... you have pletely forgotten how to be a manager?"
"You can put it that way," Tang En said with his head lowered.
"That is really terrible. Does old man Doughty know about your situation?"
"I didn't tell him," Tang En shook his head.
Burns lightly tapped his fingers on the bar counter, as if he was thinking about a countermeasure.
Twain raised his head and looked at him. "Kenny, could you tell me how I carried out my duties as a manager in the past?"
Burns clapped his hands and said, "This is a great idea. Perhaps you could recall some of these things from knowing the past you. Hmm, let me think, you came to Team Nottingham Forest seven years ago..."
football fans tended to use football as a measurement of time, and they carved unique marks in it. Afterwards, when they recalled a certain year, they would not say what they were doing at that time, perhaps because they didn't even remember. However, they would be able to clearly and confidently tell you what happened in the football industry which year, which important petition was held, which players shocked the world with their performances, which players left the scene quietly, which players rose to fame, and even tell you some additional interesting gossip.
Tang En was such a person as well. In 2003, he had only been 23 years old, and freshly graduated from university. Tracing back seven years ago from there, Tang En was still a junior high school student in 1996. He did not remember what Tony Twain had done in that year, but he still remembered that summer. That was because the ninth UEFA Champions League was held in a grandiose manner during that summer in 1996, and the organizing country was England. Secretly staying up at night to watch football matches, Tang En spent his pocket money on sports newspapers the next day and flipped through multiple times to check for various information regarding the match from the day before.
During a time when the internet was still unmon, and Chinese live telecast was still new, the ways in which he could obtain information were very limited. However, this did not stop him from pletely falling in love with football from that time on. He knew about Gascoigne, even though he was already famous. He even knew about Bierhoff, who was regarded as a "new talent
Reviews
All reviews (0)