In the eyes of the media, Twain not being sarcastic when he opened his mouth was

“loss of control” and forgetting himself. In fact, his recent good mood was a form of

expression.

Having eliminated AC Milan in the Champions League game and advanced to the

top eight, they also had endless success in the domestic league tournament. In the

27th round of the league tournament, Nottingham Forest already had the same

number of points as the top-ranked Arsenal. They only ranked second because they

had fewer scored goals than Arsenal.

After the 28th round of the league tournament, Twain's team jumped to number one.

Arsenal currently had 64 points after they tied for two consecutive games and

Manchester United caught up to them. While the Forest team topped the table with

66 points.

Nottingham Forest rushed to first place in the league this season. Even though they

had not managed to keep the spot from start to finish, it was enough for the Forest

fans to be filled with hope. Because Nottingham Forest did not rush into the number

one spot at all for the first two seasons, it was a boost to their confidence. The UEFA

Champions League title had allowed the Forest team to discover the confidence of a

winner.

As a result, their performance this season also seemed reasonable. One had to

know that it took Twain four years of preparation to get to this day.

There were ten rounds left in the league tournament. As long as the Forest team was

able to maintain this result, they would be able to achieve the goal he set at the

beginning of the season with ten more rounds to go.

How could he not be happy in the face of such a wonderful situation?

Of course, this happiness would not last long. Twain was still clear about this. He

was aware that to be a manager, there were far more troubles than happy

occasions…

※※※

With the recommencement of the Champions League games and the national team

competition included during this period, the Forest team would need to face many

games in the final phase. He would need to carefully manage during that period. One

careless move and the entire game could be lost. Rotation was the best way to make

use of different lineup combinations to let the players rest, stay in shape, and avoid

injury.

Fortunately, the Forest team gave up the English FA Cup in early January.

Otherwise there would be an additional FA Cup for them to play. Toward the end, the

stronger the opponents and the more determination to fight, the more intense the

games would be and the less regard for injury. It was unnecessary for use up their

energy for this kind of competition.

The Twain that transmigrated from China was not a true Englishman. He was far

less interested in the English FA Cup than the Premier League and Champions

League. Perhaps the FA Cup still had its important status, but in Twain's heart, the

FA Cup and the EFL Cup belonged to the same category: used to train and cultivate

new players.

The Forest team’s current rotation was different from the rotation in the first half of

the season. The earlier half of the season allowed more players to play and maintain

their form while placating the hearts of his players. Twain often employed large-scale

rotations, but that situation changed after February.

The current rotation was not about satisfying the substitutes’ desire to play, but for

the main players to get better rest and avoid injury. Therefore, the rotation was small

scale. Twain was determined not to rotate some key positions, such as the defensive

midfielder.

Poor Sidwell discovered that the future was not as wonderful as he first imagined

when he came to the Forest team — no human could be George Wood's

replacement. Perhaps the only thing in the world that could probably do it was the

chair in the substitutes’ bench.

Unless Twain did not want Wood to play, Sidwell did not have a chance to play. They

were eliminated in both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup a while ago, so his chances

plummeted. Now as the competition schedule entered an intense period, he thought

his chances of playing would increase. He did not expect Twain to rotate the strikers,

midfielders, full-backs, and even the attacking midfielders, but not the defensive

midfielder.

George Wood was young and strong and in a stable form. He was the mainstay core

force. What did he have to compete with that monster? When he was on the

Reading team, he was occasionally selected to appear for the England team. Since

coming to Nottingham Forest, the door to the national team had been largely closed

to him. No coach would recruit a substitute player with a handful of appearances to

play in a club, not to mention England’s midfield was bloated. Even George Wood

had been abandoned by McClaren.

Among the young players, Lennon and Bendtner had the best treatment. Since van

Nistelrooy and Beckham were veterans, Twain paid more consideration to their

protection during the rotation. As their substitutes, Bendtner and Lennon were able

to have plenty of time to play.

Similarly, the rotation system was good news for the Chinese player, Sun Jihai.

Since he could play multiple positions, he still had a place in the team even though

his form had declined due to age. Twain liked Sun Jihai's professional attitude, so he

did not really have to worry about the future. He could stay on the Forest team until

his contract expired before considering other places.

Sidwell's agent was already considering a change of club for his player next season.

Nottingham Forest paid a good salary, but for a professional player, still in his prime

competition years, sitting on the bench and counting money were not ideal pursuits.

After nearly a season of sitting on the bench with the Forest team, Sidwell also

repositioned himself. He was not the kind of player who was suited to play for a

powerhouse team. Maybe he could be in the future, but not now. The best fit for him

to play to his full ability was a mid to lower stream team like Reading. He might not

be paid as well as being a substitute on the Forest team, but he would be able to get

constant opportunities for appearances and even become the core of the team, as

he did in Reading in the previous two seasons.

While he could still play, he did not want to spend his career on the bench of a

powerhouse team and slowly be forgotten.

Perhaps he could win a lot of championship trophies if he stayed on the Forest team,

but what did those shiny silver trophies have to do with him as a substitute? He could

do without such an honor.

He decided to have a showdown with Manager Tony Twain at the end of the season.

His agent would help him reach out privately to teams interested in him. They were

not as famous as Nottingham Forest, but they would give him a stable position.

※※※

Chimbonda had the same troubles as Sidwell.

He had realized a fact that made him feel hopeless. The Forest team's manager, Mr.

Tony Twain had some things in common with the Arsenal manager, Mr. Wenger: if

two players were compared, and Player B was more capable than Player A, but

Player A was younger than Player B, then they would not hesitate to choose Player

A, and not Player B.

The reality upset him a little. Chimbonda was no longer young. He just had his 29th

birthday on the 21st last month. His contract would expire next summer, when he

would be 30 years old.

For manages who valued youth, thirty years old was enough for them to find a better

replacement. For example, the Brazilian mainstay, Rafinha who sat firmly on the

team.

In Chimbonda’s view, Rafinha, the full back from Brazil, was terrible. If the team

needed to defend, he still frequently needed the right midfielder and defensive

midfielder to come over and help fill in the gaps.

But in Tony Twain’s eyes, Rafinha was young and had good physical strength. He

could run back when he went up to assist, an ability that had declined for the older

Chimbonda.

He was once selected for the French national team during the most brilliant two

years of the Forest team, but he soon became a transient player. Sagna, from

Arsenal, had become the main player in the French national team, and he was also

younger than Chimbonda.

Youth… youth, I hate youth!

That fight with Bendtner during training caused his position in the team to plummet

further and he was ranked below Sun Jihai. He knew Manager Twain did not like

him. He was getting older, and he was the first person to fight in the First Team since

Twain took over.

Twain was very concerned about the unity and stability within the team, the area he

was most proud of. He mentioned it countless times in front of the media and was

slightly smug when he said that it was the reason that the Forest team could

continue to improve and win. That was why he joked with the players and carefully

maintained the atmosphere inside the locker room, which no one was allowed to

destroy.

Chimbonda was well aware of it because he was the second batch of players to

follow the man. The first group of Forest players, such as George Wood and

Leighton Baines, had followed Twain since League One. He had also followed Tony

Twain for a long time, so he knew the manager's character and likes. He also knew

what he hated.

He hated everything that undermined unity within the team. He had forgotten. Did his

future in the Forest team expire with the punch that he had thrown?

Was he going to find a different way out at the end of the season, or was he going to

stay until his contract expired and see how the team's attitude towards him changed

before he decided on his future?

Chimbonda had a heavy load on his mind.

On the whole, looking back on the Forest team over the past few years, it was rather

good. The mood within the team was harmonious and there was none of the fights

like certain powerhouse clubs. The team results were also good. Everyone's salaries

and bonuses were satisfactory. No matter where they went, they enjoyed the various

benefits that glory brought.

He did not want to leave this club. To be a European champion was something he

did not even think of when he played in France. It was Nottingham Forest that gave

him everything and he hoped to continue to play there for a few more years. It would

be the best if he could play until he retired. Anyway, I have nothing to hope for. Join

the French national team to win the World Cup? Stop kidding. To be able to play in a

club that can still achieve honors and to play until retirement is the highest ideal for a

professional player.

Chimbonda was a realistic man. He had no illusions.

That was the difference between the troubles that he and Sidwell faced.

He was 29 years old and getting older. A full-back’s physical fitness requirements

were higher than a center back. Stamina and speed were inversely correlated to the

increase in age. Ambitious people would still be unyielding in the hope of achieving

bigger challenges while more realistic people would start to consider life after

retirement and make money the priority in the final period of their career. A stable

and good income was what they wanted most. It made no difference whether they

sat on the bench or were the main force.

Sidwell was now 25 years old. He would only be 26 years old at the end of the year.

His physical fitness and competitive level could be maintained at a relatively high

level for the next few years. He was in his “golden age” or “prime playing years.” The

bench was not the career that he wanted.

※※※

A team that brought players from all over the world with different personalities and

diverse ideas together was bound to have a current of tension underneath the

seemingly calm surface. In fact, everyone would have a set of different troubles

exclusive to them.

Tony Twain’s control over this team could not be denied. He was the well-deserved

king of this team and the highest leader of the team, and everyone listened to him.

However, even a powerful manager could not control the hearts of everyone in his

hands.

Chimbonda and Sidwell each had their own troubles, but others within the team

might also have their own troubles.

For example, another new worry struck recently. The target was Ribéry, and Tony

Twain also met with trouble.

“According to our Spanish counterparts, the La Liga powerhouse club, Real Madrid

is brewing a plan to poach Nottingham Forest’s core player, Franck Ribéry. It is

rumored that the Real Madrid president, Calderón, is very interested in Franck

Ribéry, who recently won the Ballon d'Or. Of course, the Real Madrid Football Club

has formally clarified this rumor, denying that the club’s sporting director, Mijatović,

was in private contact with Ribéry agent…”

The latest transfer rumor that popped up on sports news was reprinted by major print

media within two days. Because he won the Ballon d'Or and the “Player of the Year”

award from World Soccer, Franck Ribéry had become a hot commodity in the

football world. Any news about him was enough for the sports media to hype up, not

to mention that that piece of news was linked with Real Madrid, the best football club

of the twentieth century, the forever restive club, the club that liked to poach all kinds

of “players of the year,” the club that had just received a huge amount of television

broadcast funds and commercial sponsorship funds.

At the same time, they were Nottingham Forest's rivals in the quarterfinals of the

Champions League.

It was enough to let people’s imagination roam.