828 Do Not Touch the Tiger’s Ass

In public, December 12 was perhaps a memorable day for Tony Twain because it was the day he returned to the Forest manager's position and led the team continuously for a full decade, but Tony Twain had two identities. So, in actual fact, January 1 was the day that had left a more indelible mark on him.

It was eleven years since his transmigration on January 1, 2014… Perhaps this day couldn't be considered an "anniversary?"

Regardless of the outcome, a thing like transmigration was not worthy of remembrance, because while it meant that he had obtained a lot of things, he had also lost some things forever. The gains might feel precious, but the losses were irretrievable.

Therefore, on January 1, Twain was still busy working and preparing for the FA Cup in three days' time. It was the first FA Cup game of the premier league this season.

In Twain's mind, he had won almost all of the titles he could, but he had one regret—as England's oldest and most important tournament, as a championship manager, his record was blank in terms of the FA cup. It was out of step with his current status. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

Hence, he made himself a fresh New Year's wish on January 1st. One of them was that, regardless of the results of the other tournaments this season, he must win the FA Cup!

The other was—I want to have a baby in the new year.

Having been married to Shania for four and a half years, the most important thing they had to do was "make a baby" whenever they had the chance to be together, although pregnancy would certainly affect Shania's career. Shania herself said this didn't bother her, but in the last year, she had rarely mentioned the word "baby" and had focused on her work.

Twain knew, though, that Shania's desire for a child hadn't really diminished. She just didn't want the added pressure on herself. If she, his wife, were to be infertile… In most cases, the responsibility lay with the man. On more than one occasion, Twain had the impulse to go to the hospital for a checkup, but he balked when it came down to it. It was better for him to still have the delusion that everything was fine. The problem must not lie with him. It must be that he just had a little bad luck. It's not as if I've never missed the mark. During the military training in high school, I didn't hit any of the targets during target practice in the shooting range. The guys next to me shot ten rounds and scored 101 points. I did score ten points with one shot, but it hit the target next to mine…

At times Twain wanted to call Dunn, who lived in the same city, and use an indirect approach to ask if he had any of these conditions before or a family genetic history. But in the end, those thoughts were just in his head. He could only delude himself now—The problem must not lie with me. It must be just some bad luck…

If he won the FA Cup as he wished, he wondered if his wish of having a baby would come true.

Twain did something that would look strange to outsiders. He found a piece of paper and wrote on it, "I want a baby. It can be a boy or a girl, as long as he or she is healthy. Regardless of which higher being is listening, please help if you see this request!"

Then he folded the note carefully and put it in a small glass bottle. He buried it under a tree in his garden. When he was burying it, he even muttered the words, "I plant a seed in the spring, and come autumn, I'll have a child…"

Fortunately, Shania was not around, otherwise she would have been infuriated by Twain's actions—if you had time to "plant a child," you should have used that time to "sow your seeds" in me.

He must have been really desperate to try anything…

Twain only occasionally thought of having a baby. He wouldn't be able to bear it if he thought about it every day. The matter could not be rushed. Having a baby and winning a championship title were two completely different things. Once winning the championship title was set as a goal, then the whole team could just work toward achieving it, but the goal of having a baby was different. It would not necessarily be achieved just because they worked hard. Countless couples hit the mark accidentally because they didn't wear a condom, while those husbands and wives who were eager to have children might not necessarily produce results even after years of putting in the effort…

The opponent of Nottingham Forest's FA Cup first round was the English Football League Championship team, Leeds United. The original "youth guards" team was not as good as before. Currently in a financial mess and with a fluctuating record, it was almost relegated back to League One in last season's EFL Championship. In the eyes of outsiders, it was their misfortune to have encountered Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, but in fact, it was one of the opponents that Leeds United most wanted to meet. The match would be held at Leeds United's home ground, and the ticket revenue would go to Leeds United. Nottingham Forest was now a team with star players. Just Tony Twain alone was attractive enough to lure people in, not to mention the famous star players. They were guaranteed to sell tickets. For Bates, who was not a wealthy man, every pound mattered. He would never refuse money.

Their opponent for the game wasn't strong; Twain deployed half of the First Team and half of the youth team. The result was a 3:0 easy win over Leeds United.

Adriano Moke was named best player on the spot after the game. He had contributed a goal and two assists. The Forest team's three goals were all connected to him. His sharp breakthroughs on the flank and dazzling skills made it impossible for the opponent to defend effectively, and it also made the spectators cheer in delight.

Although Lennon's departure had made Twain a little unhappy, Moke had lived up to expectations and had grown quickly. It seemed that the years of wandering outside had helped him a lot. Twain believed the saying that trials and tribulations make people grow, so he deliberately made Moke's career rough sailing. Now it looked like his efforts had paid off, and it was time to reap the rewards. He just hoped that Lennon was having a good time at AC Milan.

The FA Cup was the first game the Forest team played in the new year. Twain placed a lot of importance on the opener. The score of 3:0—complete victory—and the other team's failure to score even one goal seemed to bode well for the new year.

The following month also confirmed his hunch. The former enmity between Eastwood and George Wood had dissolved, and the team's atmosphere returned to its former happy, harmonious state. Morale was high, and everyone was united.

Nottingham Forest had a proud record of four consecutive victories out of the four games played in the league tournament in January. Twain was therefore named manager of the month, Nottingham Forest team of the month, and George Wood best player of the month. The Forest team was also back in the top tier of the league table in fourth place.

As time moved into February, another important tournament began. The UEFA Champions League started, with Nottingham Forest as one of the top sixteen teams. They would face Eindhoven in round sixteen. Eindhoven was the weakest opponent the Forest team had faced in the first round of the Champions League knockout stages in recent years.

Was the UEFA giving preferential treatment? Eindhoven played first, at home. They held on tenaciously for a draw against Nottingham Forest and managed to keep the Forest team from scoring. The failure of Aaron Mitchell, Ibišević, and the other strikers who had dominated at the Premier League to break Eindhoven's goal made Twain angry. He roared for five minutes at the group of players in the locker room, admonishing everyone until they dared not raise their heads.

At the end of it, he even said viciously, "You'd better pray that it's not going to be another draw at our home ground—especially a tie with no goals scored!"

This frustrating game of 0:0 made many people gleeful. Some people thought that Tony Twain was too arrogant in European football and wanted to see him fall. To be forced into a draw in the away game against the "weak" Eindhoven and not score the most important away goal was a failure. The Dutch people and media had issued optimistic predictions that it wasn't impossible for Eindhoven to eliminate the Forest team to advance to the top eight. The football world was full of upsets and surprises. The powerful teams weren't necessarily guaranteed to win. Hadn't Nottingham Forest started as the dark horse in the beginning? Not to mention that, strictly speaking, Eindhoven was a powerhouse, not a dark horse.

Before Eindhoven had set off for Nottingham, the local media in the Netherlands posted this striking headline: "Our goal: The top eight!"

Twain responded in Nottingham. "Their goal is only top eight? Good-for-nothing…" Even though he talked tough, Twain knew he couldn't be sloppy with the behind-the-scenes preparation. Twain gave up the previous league game for this match, which broke his team's winning streak. Those people who were anti-Twain would certainly say, "Nottingham Forest has recently had a poor run. After the defeat in the Champions League, they also broke their winning streak in the league tournament. It looks like they're not doing very well these days…"

Twain ignored it. They would only find out whether the recent situation was bad or not after they tried the next game.

Before the game, Twain instilled in his players the idea that they must win. "If you're eliminated by Eindhoven at your home ground, you can imagine for yourselves what the consequences will be."

This remark was more effective than yelling at them a thousand times over "we will win because the other side is sh*t!"

An unseen fear is the true fear. No one wanted to be scolded in the locker room for more than five minutes, and no one wanted to be jeered at after a loss to Eindhoven. Even more so, no one wanted to lose a game or a championship title. This Nottingham Forest team was one with a tradition of victory and championship titles. They had long been used to winning and to the glories that came with it. Losing? They hated failure.

Eindhoven's manager, Huub Stevens, was just as clearheaded as Twain. He wasn't stirred by the media and still used the defensive counter attacking lineup used at home. He expected Twain to be eager to attack because he wanted to advance to the next level, so he only needed a defensive counterattack to unexpectedly score one goal, and that would meet his target. He had that kind of confidence because his team had managed to hold on for ninety minutes at home.

As expected, Twain displayed the aggressive offensive at home. With Mitchell, Ibišević, Bentley, Fernández, and Şahin, Twain's 4-4-2 formation only had one defensive midfielder. Gago and Tiago did not play in this game. Wood alone led the midfield against Eindhoven's counterattack.

Stevens smirked when he saw the starting lineup, but his smirk disappeared within ten minutes.

Nottingham Forest already had two shots that hit the goalpost. The Eindhoven defenders, who had excelled in the first leg, could not withstand the attacks from the Nottingham Forest attacking players.

Amid the home fans' non-stop singing, Nottingham Forest finally cracked open Eindhoven's goal in the twenty-seventh minute. The goal scorer was Ibišević, who scored with a powerful header that knocked aside the Swedish goalkeeper, Isaksson.

It was as if a moment of carelessness had led to a calamity, following which, Eindhoven fell like a house of cards and was destroyed by Nottingham Forest's surge of offensive.

Nottingham Forest's lineup was the same as the first leg, but, unwilling to lose to Eindhoven, those same players broke out with unexpected energy like a nuclear bomb explosion, burying Eindhoven under the shock waves. No one in the opposing team survived…

In the fortieth minute, Mitchell's header yielded a goal. 2:0! The Forest team's high aerial bombing tactics were quite successful in this game. Eindhoven's defenders were at a loss between facing Ibišević, who stood at 1.88 meters tall, and Mitchell, who stood at 2.02 meters.

Stevens was restless and anxious on the sidelines. Two goals behind, it wouldn't be easy to come back and win the game. Eindhoven needed two goals, but looking at the Forest team's momentum, if they rushed to attack, they could still score goals. So what was the point if they had to concede a lot of goals?

The Forest team continued their ferocious offensive from the first half and didn't intend for Eindhoven to catch a break. It appeared that Twain had obviously been provoked by the comments of those outside media. He was determined to let everyone see whether this tiger's a** of his could be touched.

In the fifty-first minute, Nottingham Forest scored again. This time the goal was scored by Bale, who relied on a direct free kick to score.

The goal completely crushed Eindhoven's fighting spirit. It looked like the tiger's a** really could not be touched…

Eindhoven then lost the initiative completely on the pitch. They tried to counterattack, only to give the Forest team more chances to fight back.

In the final moments, the Forest team entered the penalty area with a set piece, and the defender's header error gave the ball to Mitchell, who unceremoniously grabbed the gift, extended his leg and kicked the ball into the goal to seal the win at 4:0.

"Look at the performance of the Eindhoven players. Perhaps there's only one thing in their minds right now, and that's to get out of this noisy stadium as soon as possible!"

Despite the big score, the Forest fans in the stands at the City Ground Stadium did not ignore the Eindhoven players. A burst of hissing waited for any visiting player whenever they took the ball. They couldn't catch a break unless the football was on the Forest team's side.

When the referee considerately ended the three minute injury stoppage time at one and a half minutes, the entire Eindhoven team was relieved. After such a game, perhaps their disgust at Tony Twain and his team was even greater…

In the post-match interview, Twain was very cool. He did not waste his breath. When someone asked what he thought of their victory, he just said, "I'm sorry to disappoint some people!"

Who were the "some people?" Those people with the guilty conscience would know.