"Des, I don't wish for this kind of thing to interrupt my match."
"Hmm?"
"I want to mount a comeback in the rest of the match! I want to let those fans that mocked and humiliated us, as well as that idiotic manager, realize their consequences for doing this!" Tang En lowered his head and looked at his watch, before walking toward the fourth official whose forehead was full of perspiration.
"I suggest we proceed for the halftime break early." Tang En pointed at the field, and said to the fourth official, "We are currently one minute away from the end of the first half. I won't allow my players to continue to wait on the field like that. Who knows what those crazy fans will do? If they break past the police barrier and assault my players, will you be able to take responsibility for it? Enter half-ime, and we'll return to the changing room. Leave everything here to the police to handle!" The questions posed caused the perspiration on the fourth official's forehead to become even more concentrated…
McLeary, the manager of Millwall, also happened to approach the fourth official at the same time to express the same opinion.
Tang En did not have any intentions of being on the same side as McLeary and turned around to leave as soon as he saw McLeary approaching. Because of the incident just now, Tang En did not view this person in a positive light.
Since the managers of both teams requested for an early halftime break, the fourth official called the referee over and briefly discussed it with him. After that, the referee blew the whistle on the side of the field, signaling the end of the first half. Players from both teams began running toward the changing room, and it was apparent that they also felt that staying on the field was a very dangerous thing. The fans' rioting should be left to the police to deal with. Even if they had remained on the field, there was nothing that they could do.
Tang En saw the scene that he had hoped for and returned to the changing room as well.
Just like that, the first half of the EFL Cup quarter finals ended in a kind of chaos and riot.
※※※
All of the players entered the changing room. Even the substitute players, who should have been warming up on the field during halftime, were called over by Walker. It would be crazy if they were to proceed with their warm-ups under such circumstances.
Tang En stood at the door of the changing room and watched as the players ran into the room with their heads lowered.
Compared to the depressed Nottingham Forest players, the Millwall players who were leading were very excited. Even though there was a riot going on, their mood was hardly affected. There were even people who intentionally laughed loudly while discussing about Cahill's goal as they walked past Nottingham Forest's changing room, such as their Australian center-back, Kevin Muscat.
Hearing that unpleasant laughter which sounded like a male duck, Tang En shot him a glare. The other party, upon seeing that he had successfully gotten Twain's attention, even shrugged his shoulders smugly before leaving with his laughing teammates.
Tang En turned his head around and closed the door after entering the changing room. As a result, the laughter and noise from the outside immediately ceased to be heard.
Looking at the room full of dejected players, Tang En felt as if he had gone back in time. This was exactly the scene which he had seen when he first arrived here in January.
Of course there were some aspects which were different, such as Tang En being at a loss and not knowing what his own future was. At that time, it was as though he was a drowning person struggling in water. He wanted to grasp at anything that could save his life, even if it was a straw.
And now? He had a goal to strive hard toward, and he knew what he was currently doing, as well as what he should be doing. He was no longer at a loss, no longer hesitating, and no longer in doubt… His heart was firm, and his feet were on solid ground. Every step he took on it left behind his footprints, and these footprints accumulated from here and extended into the far distance.
This was his road to glory, his road to being a champion.
Everyone's head was lowered, and nobody uttered a single word. The atmosphere in the changing room was exceptionally suffocating. It was several hundred times more suffocating than that on the train.
Walker very much wanted to say something, but upon seeing the long faces of Tang En and the players, he seemed to have no idea of what he should say. Say something like "We will definitely win"? But who would believe these words, which were not convincing at all? Say something like "Everyone get your spirits up"? But what was the use of such a superficial encouragement?
How he wished that Twain would say something at that moment. Regardless of what he said, even if he would just casually make some noise, it would be much better than letting the silence in the room continue! The morale of the team… The morale of the team was about to suffocate and die under this unbearable silence!
Tony!
Walker turned his head and looked at Twain, but discovered that he had his eyes fixated on the walls of the changing room, as though there was something that was very attractive.
Finally, someone could no longer bear the awkward atmosphere and broke the silence with a cough. After that, even more players raised their heads, and looked weirdly at their manager.
This kind of movements finally pulled back Tang En's attention. He looked at the curious faces of the players and laughed. "So sorry, I just recalled some things." Currently on the team, there were a few players who had not been under him in the previous season. They were Rebrov, Gareth Taylor, Gunnarsson, and Danny Sonner. Tang En wanted to let them know of the similar situation in the previous season.
"Hmm, I recalled some things in the previous season when I first took over this team." Tang En was not in a hurry to arrange the tactics and, instead, began narrating a story. "At that time, the team's situation was even worse than it is now. Yes, how bad was it… Financial crisis, no funds for transfer fees, and even all of the money gotten from player transactions had to be used to repay debts. The team was ranked in the middle, and everyone on the team wanted to escape City Ground Stadium. We lost quite a few matches consecutively, and we lost 0:3 on our home ground in the first match that I led. I was even knocked onto the ground by David, making a fool out of myself." Tang En stopped here and pointed at Johnson, causing that black lad to lower his head in embarrassment.
"The situation was terrible, and those who were on the team in the previous season must remember it very clearly as well. What was worse was that we were about to face off Premier League team Westham United in the match after. Even though they were already a League One team like us, but they were still very formidable at that time. That match…" Tang En raised his head. That match was really unforgettable for him. "By the end of the first half, we had been dunked three goals by them. Terrible right? It was simply awful!"
Although that was what he said, Tony Twain began giggling.
Those veteran players in the changing room also followed suit and started laughing, leaving the few new players bewildered and confused. They looked at the people around them, baffled. Was trailing by three goals something to laugh at?
"At that time, we were left with no means of retreat, completely no means! If we did not come up with something in the second half, then we would continue to concede even more goals! But the end result was? We turned the tables and scored four goals back at them!" Tang En shouted as he felt the fervor and excitement from that day at City Ground Stadium returning to him. "Four goals! Before the match, nobody had any hopes for us. We made the Premier League team Westham United completely lose face! In the end, they could only rely on the referee to escape! That darned referee blew off two of our goals. Although we lost in terms of the rules, but I have never once viewed that match as a failure," Tang En stood at the door of the changing room as he said to the players listening attentively to him.
"And now? The team is ranked fourth from the bottom in the league, and has an extremely low morale after switching managers. Before this match, we were met with a lot of troubles as well. In addition, we are trailing by one ball in the match, provoked by those b*stards on the viewing platforms with their singing, and the fans' rioting… etc., etc. Is our defeat for certain? Quit joking!" Tang En waved his hands. "We are only trailing by one ball! We were able to mount a comeback even when we were three balls down, much less one ball!"
"Michael! Andy! Everyone else too, have you all heard those singing from the viewing platform?" Tang En asked loudly.
"I heard them, boss." Andy replied softly.
"What do you guys think?"
"I.. I can't wait to kill those b*stards!" Dawson said as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The other Nottingham Forest players were equally furious. These people had all experienced the pain of failing to promote in the previous season.
"Me too," Tang En nodded his head and said. "But we cannot do that. We can use another way to teach them a lesson."
The players all raised their heads and looked at Twain. Actually, they knew very well what he was referring to, but they looked forward to hearing those words directly from the boss's mouth.
"They dare sprinkle salt on our wounds in hopes of angering us, so that we will lose our calm, be at a loss, lose our fighting spirits, and surrender on our own accord! They think that they've succeeded in doing so! We are currently down by one goal and left the field dejected…Those Millwall idiots, from the fans to the team, are all waiting to laugh at us! I dare to bet that their changing room is now filled with laughter, just like all of you imagined!"
Tang En punched the door forcefully, causing a loud bang to be heard.
"We were insulted by them!" Tang En poked at his chest and said, "Our fans were insulted by them!" He pointed toward the ceiling and continued, "Even a dead person had to be insulted by those sons of a gun!"
Bam! Yet another fist hit the door.
"Yes! They've succeeded! They've angered us!"
Bam!
"But they will soon regret doing so! We will make it clear to them, what lies in wait for them when they anger us!"
Bam!
Apart from the banging noises from Tang En's fists hitting the door, no other noise could be heard in the small changing room. Everyone looked at the manager which was almost crazy, and every banging sound that was heard, was as though their hearts had been punched. They were being told again and again: This is what humiliation means!
"In the second half… In the second half, use your goals to defeat them! We'll score a goal each time these b*stards sing! Every time they sing, we'll score one goal. Every time they sing, we'll score one goal! Until those b*stards won't even dare to open their mouths! Until they are not even allowed to speak—at—all!"
Bam—Bam—Bam—!
Tony Twain's roaring resounded throughout the room. His left fist appeared as though it was an iron ingot that had been burnt red, while the metal door of the changing room trembled and made lamenting noises after being continuously pounded by Twain's fists.
Everyone present was shocked by his murderous intent…
"Des, I don't wish for this kind of thing to interrupt my match."
"Hmm?"
"I want to mount a comeback in the rest of the match! I want to let those fans that mocked and humiliated us, as well as that idiotic manager, realize their consequences for doing this!" Tang En lowered his head and looked at his watch, before walking toward the fourth official whose forehead was full of perspiration.
"I suggest we proceed for the halftime break early." Tang En pointed at the field, and said to the fourth official, "We are currently one minute away from the end of the first half. I won't allow my players to continue to wait on the field like that. Who knows what those crazy fans will do? If they break past the police barrier and assault my players, will you be able to take responsibility for it? Enter half-ime, and we'll return to the changing room. Leave everything here to the police to handle!" The questions posed caused the perspiration on the fourth official's forehead to become even more concentrated…
McLeary, the manager of Millwall, also happened to approach the fourth official at the same time to express the same opinion.
Tang En did not have any intentions of being on the same side as McLeary and turned around to leave as soon as he saw McLeary approaching. Because of the incident just now, Tang En did not view this person in a positive light.
Since the managers of both teams requested for an early halftime break, the fourth official called the referee over and briefly discussed it with him. After that, the referee blew the whistle on the side of the field, signaling the end of the first half. Players from both teams began running toward the changing room, and it was apparent that they also felt that staying on the field was a very dangerous thing. The fans' rioting should be left to the police to deal with. Even if they had remained on the field, there was nothing that they could do.
Tang En saw the scene that he had hoped for and returned to the changing room as well.
Just like that, the first half of the EFL Cup quarter finals ended in a kind of chaos and riot.
※※※
All of the players entered the changing room. Even the substitute players, who should have been warming up on the field during halftime, were called over by Walker. It would be crazy if they were to proceed with their warm-ups under such circumstances.
Tang En stood at the door of the changing room and watched as the players ran into the room with their heads lowered.
Compared to the depressed Nottingham Forest players, the Millwall players who were leading were very excited. Even though there was a riot going on, their mood was hardly affected. There were even people who intentionally laughed loudly while discussing about Cahill's goal as they walked past Nottingham Forest's changing room, such as their Australian center-back, Kevin Muscat.
Hearing that unpleasant laughter which sounded like a male duck, Tang En shot him a glare. The other party, upon seeing that he had successfully gotten Twain's attention, even shrugged his shoulders smugly before leaving with his laughing teammates.
Tang En turned his head around and closed the door after entering the changing room. As a result, the laughter and noise from the outside immediately ceased to be heard.
Looking at the room full of dejected players, Tang En felt as if he had gone back in time. This was exactly the scene which he had seen when he first arrived here in January.
Of course there were some aspects which were different, such as Tang En being at a loss and not knowing what his own future was. At that time, it was as though he was a drowning person struggling in water. He wanted to grasp at anything that could save his life, even if it was a straw.
And now? He had a goal to strive hard toward, and he knew what he was currently doing, as well as what he should be doing. He was no longer at a loss, no longer hesitating, and no longer in doubt… His heart was firm, and his feet were on solid ground. Every step he took on it left behind his footprints, and these footprints accumulated from here and extended into the far distance.
This was his road to glory, his road to being a champion.
Everyone's head was lowered, and nobody uttered a single word. The atmosphere in the changing room was exceptionally suffocating. It was several hundred times more suffocating than that on the train.
Walker very much wanted to say something, but upon seeing the long faces of Tang En and the players, he seemed to have no idea of what he should say. Say something like "We will definitely win"? But who would believe these words, which were not convincing at all? Say something like "Everyone get your spirits up"? But what was the use of such a superficial encouragement?
How he wished that Twain would say something at that moment. Regardless of what he said, even if he would just casually make some noise, it would be much better than letting the silence in the room continue! The morale of the team… The morale of the team was about to suffocate and die under this unbearable silence!
Tony!
Walker turned his head and looked at Twain, but discovered that he had his eyes fixated on the walls of the changing room, as though there was something that was very attractive.
Finally, someone could no longer bear the awkward atmosphere and broke the silence with a cough. After that, even more players raised their heads, and looked weirdly at their manager.
This kind of movements finally pulled back Tang En's attention. He looked at the curious faces of the players and laughed. "So sorry, I just recalled some things." Currently on the team, there were a few players who had not been under him in the previous season. They were Rebrov, Gareth Taylor, Gunnarsson, and Danny Sonner. Tang En wanted to let them know of the similar situation in the previous season.
"Hmm, I recalled some things in the previous season when I first took over this team." Tang En was not in a hurry to arrange the tactics and, instead, began narrating a story. "At that time, the team's situation was even worse than it is now. Yes, how bad was it… Financial crisis, no funds for transfer fees, and even all of the money gotten from player transactions had to be used to repay debts. The team was ranked in the middle, and everyone on the team wanted to escape City Ground Stadium. We lost quite a few matches consecutively, and we lost 0:3 on our home ground in the first match that I led. I was even knocked onto the ground by David, making a fool out of myself." Tang En stopped here and pointed at Johnson, causing that black lad to lower his head in embarrassment.
"The situation was terrible, and those who were on the team in the previous season must remember it very clearly as well. What was worse was that we were about to face off Premier League team Westham United in the match after. Even though they were already a League One team like us, but they were still very formidable at that time. That match…" Tang En raised his head. That match was really unforgettable for him. "By the end of the first half, we had been dunked three goals by them. Terrible right? It was simply awful!"
Although that was what he said, Tony Twain began giggling.
Those veteran players in the changing room also followed suit and started laughing, leaving the few new players bewildered and confused. They looked at the people around them, baffled. Was trailing by three goals something to laugh at?
"At that time, we were left with no means of retreat, completely no means! If we did not come up with something in the second half, then we would continue to concede even more goals! But the end result was? We turned the tables and scored four goals back at them!" Tang En shouted as he felt the fervor and excitement from that day at City Ground Stadium returning to him. "Four goals! Before the match, nobody had any hopes for us. We made the Premier League team Westham United completely lose face! In the end, they could only rely on the referee to escape! That darned referee blew off two of our goals. Although we lost in terms of the rules, but I have never once viewed that match as a failure," Tang En stood at the door of the changing room as he said to the players listening attentively to him.
"And now? The team is ranked fourth from the bottom in the league, and has an extremely low morale after switching managers. Before this match, we were met with a lot of troubles as well. In addition, we are trailing by one ball in the match, provoked by those b*stards on the viewing platforms with their singing, and the fans' rioting… etc., etc. Is our defeat for certain? Quit joking!" Tang En waved his hands. "We are only trailing by one ball! We were able to mount a comeback even when we were three balls down, much less one ball!"
"Michael! Andy! Everyone else too, have you all heard those singing from the viewing platform?" Tang En asked loudly.
"I heard them, boss." Andy replied softly.
"What do you guys think?"
"I.. I can't wait to kill those b*stards!" Dawson said as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The other Nottingham Forest players were equally furious. These people had all experienced the pain of failing to promote in the previous season.
"Me too," Tang En nodded his head and said. "But we cannot do that. We can use another way to teach them a lesson."
The players all raised their heads and looked at Twain. Actually, they knew very well what he was referring to, but they looked forward to hearing those words directly from the boss's mouth.
"They dare sprinkle salt on our wounds in hopes of angering us, so that we will lose our calm, be at a loss, lose our fighting spirits, and surrender on our own accord! They think that they've succeeded in doing so! We are currently down by one goal and left the field dejected…Those Millwall idiots, from the fans to the team, are all waiting to laugh at us! I dare to bet that their changing room is now filled with laughter, just like all of you imagined!"
Tang En punched the door forcefully, causing a loud bang to be heard.
"We were insulted by them!" Tang En poked at his chest and said, "Our fans were insulted by them!" He pointed toward the ceiling and continued, "Even a dead person had to be insulted by those sons of a gun!"
Bam! Yet another fist hit the door.
"Yes! They've succeeded! They've angered us!"
Bam!
"But they will soon regret doing so! We will make it clear to them, what lies in wait for them when they anger us!"
Bam!
Apart from the banging noises from Tang En's fists hitting the door, no other noise could be heard in the small changing room. Everyone looked at the manager which was almost crazy, and every banging sound that was heard, was as though their hearts had been punched. They were being told again and again: This is what humiliation means!
"In the second half… In the second half, use your goals to defeat them! We'll score a goal each time these b*stards sing! Every time they sing, we'll score one goal. Every time they sing, we'll score one goal! Until those b*stards won't even dare to open their mouths! Until they are not even allowed to speak—at—all!"
Bam—Bam—Bam—!
Tony Twain's roaring resounded throughout the room. His left fist appeared as though it was an iron ingot that had been burnt red, while the metal door of the changing room trembled and made lamenting noises after being continuously pounded by Twain's fists.
Everyone present was shocked by his murderous intent…
