102 One-Time Handshake Part 2 (1/2)
Chapter 102: One-Time Handshake Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
”It sounds really exciting. In that case, I don't have to worry about the club not being able to pay the wages of the players and don't have to worry about the chairman telling me before the transfer window, 'Tony, so sorry we are currently in a very poor financial state, so you can only scout for cheap players on the transfer market,' right?” Tang En said as he tried to emulate Old Doughty's tone.
”Of course not,” Edward laughed.
”That's great. Don't touch that £8,000,000. Wait for me to use it.” Tang En rubbed his hands, as excited as a young kid who had all gotten all of his desired presents during Christmas. The club had been poor for an entire year! He had been watching others feast on meat the whole time, and yet he could not even get a sip of the soup. Now, things were going to be different, and better!
”Oh, that's right. How long will the contract between us be?” Tang En thought of the most crucial question. Collymore only signed a one-year contract with the club. If he was the same as well, then it would not be possible to fulfil and actualize everything he had envisioned previously. Managers are unlike players who can go to different teams every year. The manager is the core of the team, and a manager that wants to be successful must have a plan to build the team. He must also know how he wants the team to play, and buy or sell players according to the tactics that he has in mind. He also has to think about the construction of the youth team, the results of the reserve team, and how to improve on the weaknesses of the team, etc. All of these require time to complete, and although a temporary manager can perhaps obtain success in the short-term based on his own abilities, if the club does not offer him a long-term promise, the club can forget about any good performance from the team in the future. Tang En's experience in the first half of the year was a live example of this.
In most cases, managers of English football teams were much more blessed than managers from other countries. That was because the chances of managers from English football teams being fired were the lowest. On top of that, there were many managers who even offered their meritorious service to the same club for 10, 20-plus years.
Of course, this was also partially related to the differences in football cultures between England and the European continent. In England, the managers mostly assumed the role of managing the team, and they held greater authority. On the other hand, in the equivalent role in European countries, the head coach, merely assumed the role of the coach. He would only be in charge of training the team and bringing them to matches, and did not hold much authority himself. They could even become the chairman's scapegoat at any moment, or become implicated by the power struggle among the upper echelons of the club. They were also usually the loser who leaves should they engage in a quarrel with the players.
Tang En, of course, knew about those sorts of good traditions in English football. However, Nottingham Forest had already changed their managers eight times in the past eight years. This statistic was rather unfavorable to him.
”How many years do you want, Tony?” Doughty chuckled when Tang En asked.
”Erm…” Tang En wanted to say, ”the longer, the better.” However, upon giving it serious thought, who knew what the future would be like? Under uncertain circumstances, one should never give an absolute promise and leave some leeway for himself. As such, he rolled his eyes before saying, ”Let's go with three years. It's beneficial for both of us.”
Edward nodded his head.
”Oh right, I have a condition,” Tang En supplemented. ”And this condition must be written in the contract.”
”What condition?”
”Edward, you are the chairman of the club, while I am the manager of the football team. You are in charge of operating the club, while I am in charge of training the team and bringing them for matches. I will definitely not make any comments regarding the operating state of the club, but you also must not interfere in any and all matters of the team. I will have full say over the purchase and sale of players, and also the continuation of players' and coaches' contracts. Your only role is to give me the money required. You must promise me this. You will not interfere in the matters of the team as the operator of the club. If you can't do it, then I will not sign that contract,” Tang En said resolutely and decisively.
This was a matter of principle for him, and there was no room for negotiation. If a manager could not control his own team and was merely an obedient puppet and the loud-hailer of the chairman, then why did he continue to stay in this position?
Regardless of whether he was a football fan watching the matches, or he was a manager of the team, Tang En always disliked a chairman which interfered in the matters of the team. This was completely unrelated to how much the chairman knew about football. If the chairman always liked to flaunt his own knowledge about football, then why did he not come down from the VIP lounge and direct the match himself?
Since you chose to make me the manager of the team, you have to trust and respect my work. Otherwise, you might as well not approach me. That was Tang En's train of thought.
As such, Tang En felt that many of the European football clubs' chairmen could not be considered as good chairmen. Some of these included AC Milan's Berlusconi, Inter Milan's Moratti, Real Madrid's current chairman, Florentino, as well as his future successor Calderon. In comparison, the chairmen of most English football clubs met the selection criteria of the ”most outstanding club chairman” award in Tang En's heart. Of course, the chairman who he felt was the closest to that title was Manchester United's chairman—Edwards.
This Englishman, whose name sounded rather unfamiliar, never interfered with Ferguson's actions, even if he threw a flying shoe in the changing room at the team captain and a top football star like Beckham. This person almost never appeared in front of the public. Even though he supported Manchester United for more than 20 years, with the team receiving countless glories and becoming the most profitable football club in the world, the fans widely believed that all of these were completely unrelated to Chairman Edwards. There were even many fans who hated this businessman who wanted to sell off the club at anytime.
However, Tang En liked him because he never interfered in the affairs of the team. But why was Tang En's evaluation of him only at ”the chairman closest to that title”? That was because this businessman chairman was too stingy. If he were more generous, then he would be perfect.
Ferguson had even mentioned before, ”Conversations with Edwards are always very joyous, until you ask him for money.”
Tang En believed that Doughty must have also made Manchester United his goal, and Edwards his role model, when he promised his father to take over a club that he did not love. It had to be known that Edwards had earned more than £100,000,000 from Manchester United over the years.