816 A Crimson New Beginning

While Twain and Shania indulged in sensual activities every night in Los Angeles, Allan's negotiations with Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Holdings Limited entered their final stages. After a year of repeated arbitration, the two sides had basically reached an agreement. Cheung Kong Holdings Limited obtained the development and management rights to the land around Clifton's new Nottingham Forest stadium at the lowest price, and Nottingham Forest did not have to pay out of its own pocket for the development and the other miscellaneous expenses of the new stadium. After thirty years of Chinese operation, the right to operate those facilities would gradually be returned to the Nottingham Forest Football Club.

The previous deadline proposed by Cheung Kong Holdings Limited had been fifty years, which Allan considered too greedy and unreasonable. The negotiations between the two sides had been deadlocked. After a "Cold War" period, Allan took the initiative to call on them again with a thick skin, hoping to reopen negotiations. Only the Chinese appeared to still have money during the global financial crisis...

The world's economic environment was gradually improving, and the Clifton area development plan had restarted. It also created a lot of jobs in the Nottingham area. The Nottingham city council had given the utmost support to the project.

One had to know that Nottingham was not a very safe city. Its crime rate had been ranked one of the highest in the United Kingdom the whole year long. The financial crisis had increased the number of unemployed people, and they became a destabilizing factor in the community. It was thus a good thing that the Nottingham Forest Football Club and Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Holdings Limited would finally reach an agreement to provide nearly ten thousand jobs in the area, and it allowed the mayor to breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, he would support the deal.

Finally, the day before Twain decided to return to Nottingham, the representatives of both parties formally signed a contract in Hong Kong. The next day, the first batch of staff from Cheung Kong Holdings Limited set out for Britain and began their overseas expansion plans.

It was expected to take eight years for the preliminary plans to take shape for the whole Clifton development. Just the stadium alone was anticipated to be under construction for two to three years. If all went well, Nottingham Forest would officially move to the new stadium for the 2014-2015 season.

In order to show its sincerity in the cooperation, the Nottingham Forest Football Club originally intended to give the naming rights of the new stadium to Cheung Kong Holdings Limited, which had invested in the construction of the project. It was to be called the "Cheung Kong Holdings Limited Stadium."

But Victor Li, now the chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings Limited's board of directors, rejected the name. He had given the new stadium a name that would please the locals while still being in keeping with the Chinese background of the investors:

"The Red Stadium."

Red was, naturally, the main color of Nottingham Forest, and was also the color that traditionally represented China.

When the Arsenal club's new stadium was dubbed the "Emirates Stadium", many fans protested that the name was unrelated to Arsenal, but the voices of the fans clearly could not stand up to the Sheikhs' oil money. But Victor Li was much smarter, and the name was cleverly placating. Both the Nottingham people and the Chinese audience would love it.

Judging from the renderings of the new stadium provided by Cheung Kong Holdings Limited, its main color of the stadium would be the same as the Nottingham Forest jersey, a slightly darker shade of red—namely, crimson. Following the rectangular design of most English pitches, it could accommodate sixty thousand spectators attending the game simultaneously. The 60,000 seats would have backs. At the same time, thanks to the expanded space, it could be extended to a capacity of up to 68,000 people. There would be a luxury box above the stands on both the east and west sides. This time, it would really be an authentic, stand-alone box—unlike the small, shabby "box" in the City Ground stadium, which looked like a corridor. They estimated that there would be 220 luxury boxes, which could accommodate more than 440 V.I.P.s watching the game.

The north grandstand would still be home to the home team's most hardcore pool of fans, and the name "Robin Hood" would be engraved above that grandstand to inspire the team and the fans to fight ceaselessly like the brave medieval hero.

The stadium would have a retractable roof, so that even the worst weather conditions would not affect the games held there. Good geothermal and drainage systems would ensure that the site was always in peak condition. Here on out, there would never be another repeat of the predicament that arose in Nottingham Forest's home game against Barcelona in last season's Champions League quarterfinal.

Guardiola was surely in tears at that moment...

There would also be a wide tunnel for both the home and visiting teams to enter the stadium at the same time, as well as spacious, bright, clean, and tidy modern locker rooms. The City Ground stadium's locker rooms, with their obvious 1980's style, were practically like public toilets...

There would also be four huge LCD television displays on four sides of the grandstand, which could display the latest melees, scores, goal replays, and so on in real-time.

Up to a dozen gateways and links to the stadium's all-encompassing transport network would ensure that 60,000 people could leave within ten minutes after the end of the game. Even under exceptional circumstances, the busy and tense flow of traffic could remain orderly and calm.

Once the project was finished, one such stadium would be completely designed and built in accordance with the standards set by the UEFA for five-star stadiums. The UEFA would officially award it the honorary title of "five-star stadium" after an inspection.

At that time, the Nottingham Forest Football Club would be able to formally apply to host the finals of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

With a brilliant history and past results, as well as a brand-new, five-star stadium, Nottingham Forest was making big strides towards its goal of becoming a "powerhouse club."

Twain had spent two wonderful weeks in Los Angeles with Shania, and he reluctantly bade farewell to the Los Angeles sunshine and his beautiful wife to return to Nottingham. New work was about to start.

When the team regrouped, Twain first explained to the players the reason that Dunn left. There had been no conflict as some of the media had reported. Then, he set out to rearrange their work and to take over the job that Dunn had left behind.

When Dunn was still with the team, Twain simply had not had to worry about daily training and miscellaneous matters. Dunn was someone who had a deep tacit understanding with Twain. He had known what to do without Twain having to open his mouth, and he did it well.

It had, indeed, been Twain's greatest stroke of fortune to have such an assistant.

Unfortunately, that fortuity was gone now. He now had to do everything himself. Fortunately, he had been on the team for a long time. He was able to handle these things, as he had become familiarized with them.

He certainly felt more tired than he had before, but Twain also slowly realized how correct Dunn's words had been at the time. He was improving.

Before, he used to make little headway on these things—but, when his ability to rely on Dunn was taken away, he found that he could actually do a lot more.

First of all, he had to determine the new season's lineup and handle matters like signings and transfers.

In the 07-08 season, the Forest team had signed a contract with the young Mexican player Martín Galván. He had finally reached the age of eighteen and could play abroad. He ended his career at Cruz Azul, packed up his bags, and came to the unfamiliar country of England with his family. Living in an apartment provided for them by the club, Galván still had to adapt and figure things out from scratch with regards to the language, diet, weather, and style of football. For him, everything about Nottingham Forest was fresh and in contrast with the past.

Twain did not expect him to be able to play in games for the team when he came. Galván still had to adapt and learn on the youth team and reserves for a while. This also made it easier for the Forest team's coaching staff to closely observe him. They did not do so expecting that he would be famous and would be able to do whatever he wanted when he came to England. No—on the contrary, if he did not perform well and was slow to adapt to Nottingham Forest's football, Twain would likely sell him again. The manager had a lot of affection for the old players, but he did not invest too much emotion in these young players. It was a cruel line of work. Nobody knew whether they could make it.

Another person returning to the team was Adriano Moke, who had been on loan to the Blackburn Rovers and had played outstandingly that season. He had twenty-three appearances in the league tournament, scored two goals, and assisted five times. He had five appearances in the EFL Cup, with one goal and six assists. In total, he had made three goals and eleven assists. As a winger, he gave satisfactory results. After Moke's period of transfer, the Blackburn Rovers had wanted to continue the loan, but Twain refused. In one regard, putting Moke on loan was meant to give him the opportunity to train. In another, Twain had done so in hopes that this talented player's overly ambitious nature could be worn down, so that he could keep his two feet on the ground. In this way, the loan could help him develop.

Judging from what had happened in the past few seasons, he had clearly met Twain's expectations. Moke's arrogant and opinionated character had become much more moderate. He was more pragmatic and down-to-earth. So, Twain thought it was time to reward him by bringing him back to the First Team. It would also be convenient for Twain to observe his performance up close, which would, in turn, be conducive to his growth. After all, Moke was a Forest player. If everything went as planned, he would play for the Forest team in the future. Wandering around on other teams all the time would not help him develop a sense of belonging in Forest or familiarize him with the team's style of play.

Moke's return would not cause the midfield to be crowded. Lennon could play on both left and right wings, and Fernández could also sometimes play as the defensive midfielder in the middle. Considering that the Forest team would definitely compete in multiple tournaments next season, this staffing of the midfield was actually reasonable. Only John Bostock needed to remain on loan, because he was unable to occupy a spot in Nottingham Forest's midfield at his current level of ability.

There were no changes to the rear defensive line. Gareth Bale was back on the team after recovering from his injury. The competition for the left back position was fiercer than ever, but their strength had also greatly improved. Beyond that, Twain had no plans to bring in a fullback during the summer. The past few seasons had proved that Nottingham Forest's defensive system was perfect, and he did not need to bring in any new players and disrupt the already-tight and coordinated defense. Although Pepe and the others still received a number of transfer applications, Twain refused them all without exception.

The stability of the rear defensive line outweighed everything else. He would not break it up unless under special circumstances.

In the forward line, Van Nistelrooy, who had retired at the end of last season, left Nottingham and returned to his hometown in the Netherlands to enjoy his days, free of professional football. He was living a comfortable and idyllic life.

Nicolás Millán and Victor Moses remained on loan. Although Moses was already twenty years old, the competition on the Forest team's forward line was just too fierce. He would not get to play even if he didn't go out on loan. Then there were the current Forest team's strikers: Freddy "Romani Rooney" Eastwood, who was Twain's favorite in the club and would always save the team at crucial moments; "Super Ibi" Ibišević, who was in excellent form, and who had scored twenty-seven goals in the Premier League last season and won the Premier League Golden Boot; and the talented giant and the second Ibrahimović, Aaron Mitchell, who had come of the blue in the second leg against Barcelona. Although Gabriel Agbonlahor often played as a right back, he was still considered a striker as well, and moved with a surprisingly fast speed that could make him the most lethal dagger during a counterattack. Adding to their numbers were Nicolás Millán, who might appear in the future, and Victor Moses—making six strikers in total. If Twain was going to stick to his 4-5-1 formation for most of the season, there would be fierce and cruel competition among the six strikers vying for a spot on the field.

Twain had been looking for ways to reduce their number, such as not bringing in new strikers from the transfer market and allowing some strikers to try to play other positions. Agbonlahor himself could play multiple positions, which was obviously the best scenario. Moreover, Nicolás Millán could also play in the wing, and so would have a place when he returned to the team. Eastwood was no longer a pure striker after a number of injuries. His passes and awareness could help connect the team's strikers and midfielders. He was more like a False 9. Sometimes, he could even take Şahin's position; but, then, he was not being tested for his skills as a playmaker. The work would be left to Wood and Tiago behind him. Although he would still have his shooting skills and awareness, he would be further away from the penalty area. He was still not the best candidate for the "1" in the 4-5-1 formation.

Ibišević, who was in his peak playing years, was the striker on whom Twain would need to rely in the coming years. Mitchell, on the other hand, was young. Despite his great talent, he needed to accumulate experience, step by step. Twain did not want to spoil things through too much enthusiasm. At times, he had to deliberately put the kid on the bench. Fortunately, Mitchell's personality was completely different from Bendtner's. He listened to Twain, who did not have to worry about being too harsh and driving him away.

Although Evan had promised Twain that he would have more funds to invest in the transfer market this summer, the manager had no plans to be extravagant. He did not like those stingy owners like Grant, who never wanted to give a little more money for the team to go into the transfer market. Similarly, Twain also did not like those owners who liked to throw money around, sign a bunch of players they did not need, and stuff them in the team.

Changes mainly happened in the midfield.

In the 4-5-1 formation, the two midfielders at the back were very important. In Nottingham Forest's current squad, George Wood and Tiago mainly played in those positions. He did not have to worry about Wood, as he posed no big problems. The key here was Tiago.

The Portuguese midfielder had just celebrated his thirtieth birthday. Although he was still in the golden age of his competitive form, it was an indisputable fact that his performance curve was about to decline. As he got older, problems would arise. Twain could not wait until the problem emerged to find a solution. He had to plan ahead.

In any case, the position required at least three players to facilitate the rotation. The football world in those days had a few good midfielders who played in the midfield, such as Mascherano, Veloso, and Lassana Diarra... However, none of those three players could come. The first of them was on the Reds, Liverpool's indisputable main force, and was someone whom even AC Milan could not take away from Anfield. The second was the new darling of San Siro. The third was "the second Makelele" whom Real Madrid had been lacking for years.

Twain was interested in the Argentine midfielder Gago, who seemed unhappy on Real Madrid.

With the presence of van der Vaart and Ribéry, as well as Diarra, Gago's room to survive at Real Madrid was getting smaller and smaller. Originally, when he was playing in Club Atlético River Plate, he played with confidence and ease, and was famous for his sense of the big picture of the game. But, on Real Madrid, in order to fight for a chance to play, he had been forced to change his style and become a midfielder like Gattuso. Although he was hard-working and not bad, the situation changed when Lassana Diarra came.

In terms of his defensive capabilities, such as interception, tackling, and marking, Gago was not as good as Diarra. His ability to pass the ball and to organize the offense with long shots to attack was not as good as those of van der Vaart and Ribéry. He came off as a little mediocre. His defensive ability was stronger than van der Vaart's, and his offensive ability seemed to be slightly better than Diarra's. But he did not have any one skill that gave him a prominent advantage, leaving him on the bench with the star-studded Real Madrid.

He worked very hard the pitch, but he had played as a foot soldier for so many years that he seemed to have forgotten how to attack. He often made mistakes when passing the ball forward on the pitch. And, as a defensive midfielder, once he made an error in a pass, the other side could directly counterattack and cause a mess in Real Madrid's rear defensive line.

Although he occasionally had some flashes of brilliance, they were too insignificant compared to those of his teammates around him.

Gago's chances to play with Real Madrid had been woeful these past two seasons, while his Argentine teammate, Higuaín, did very well instead.

Although he was not doing so well, Twain saw what he needed: on his team, he would not need Gago to be a foot soldier and to run around tirelessly tackling and fouling in the midfield as he was doing with Real Madrid. George Wood could handle such tasks. What he needed was Gago's special features, such as his strong sense of the big picture in the game, his excellent passes, and his creativity. In addition, Gago had good endurance and a serious attitude, which Twain quite liked. He preferred dedicated players, even if they were not geniuses.

Based on these circumstances, Twain reached out to Gago's agent.

One party wanted the player, and the other party wanted to leave his current place. Both sides hit it off. Next came the Forest club's offer to Real Madrid.

Real Madrid also believed that Gago's had an unclear role on their current team. Rather than keeping him, it was better to sell him. After all, he was already 25 years old, and, in any case, could not be counted as a "young promising player." There was basically no hope to lean on if he had not succeeded by 25. Playing for a powerhouse club was prestigious, but the demands were much higher and more stringent.

Negotiations between the two sides went well, and Real Madrid accepted Nottingham Forest's offer of ten million pounds. Although it cost them sixteen and a half million pounds to buy him at the time, Real Madrid always did this same thing: they bought a player at a high price and then sold him at a low price or gave him away for free. Anyway, the super-wealthy Real Madrid did not care about small amounts of money. Moreover, Nottingham Forest had sold a lot of players to Real Madrid, and the relationship between the top brass of the two teams appeared to be good.

In this way, Fernando Gago, the Argentine midfielder, who had played four and a half seasons at Real Madrid and was once known as "the second Redondo", donned Nottingham Forest's red number-16 jersey.

He hoped to usher in a new chapter in his career in England. And Tony Twain hoped that, under his hands, Gago could restore his elegant style of playing like "the second Redondo" and inject limitless momentum into the team's offense.

However, Gago did not seem to be adapting to the style of his new team. Whether in training or friendly games, he always played according to what he had done on Real Madrid, participating too much in the midfield defense and contribute little to offense.

In response, Twain specifically found him and talked to him about it.

In fact, the conversation was very simple and lasted less than a minute. Twain only made one remark, and, all at once, everything suddenly became clear for Gago.

At the time, Twain said: "You only need to care about passing the ball forward. Don't be afraid of mistakes. Don't worry about errors in passing and dribbling. George is around you, isn't he? Trust him, and just boldly attack with confidence!"

A few years later, when Gago looked back on his career, he continued to think that Tony Twain's words had given him the greatest help and encouragement.