104 Walker’s Farewell Part 2 (2/2)

”I'm leaving as well, Tony.”

This sentence was the one which dealt the heaviest blow to Tang En. He jumped up abruptly. ”What did you say?”

”Bowyer is doing rather well at Hereford, and he invited me over to help him. I've already agreed to it.” Walker had not even finished his sentence, before Tang En grabbed him by his collar.

”B*stard! You can't do this!” He shouted at Walker, his voice was mixed with rage, disappointment, and sadness. ”We are the best partners! You train the team, I direct the match. We will go to the Premier League, and we will also win trophies one after another, until City Ground Stadium is unable to fit them all!”

”Tony, I…”

Tang En could not care less about his promise to Edward about keeping it a secret. He shouted loudly, ”I will come back soon! Doughty has already promised me. I will return! This darned winter!”

Walker's shock at that moment was in no way inferior to Tang En's. He looked at Tang En, and asked stuttering, ”To, Tony… What did you just say? You will be coming back, this winter?”

”Yes.” Tang En stood with his back against Walker, as he took a deep breath to calm himself down. When he heard that Walker was leaving, he really felt a tinge of fear—this was the person on the team he was on friendliest terms with. He was not only just an assistant. He helped Tang En with far more than training the team. Walker was the one who guided Tang En into this profession, helped him, reminded him, and took care of him in his life. Was their relationship as simple as one between a manager and assistant manager?

”I was not supposed to tell anyone. Doughty promised me that I will be returning back to City Ground Stadium's manager seat within a fixed period of time.” Tang En turned around and saw the shocked Walker. ”I was originally looking forward to leading the team together with you, Des.”

Hearing this, Walker was like a deflated ball. His shoulders dropped and his head lowered as he said feebly, ”If… if only you had looked for me one day earlier. I've already signed a contract with Hereford. My contract with Nottingham Forest will end in June next year, and then I will go to Hereford… At that time, I thought that Nottingham Forest was about to be relegated to League two, and the darkest for the team was finally coming. I don't wish to see the team fall so low! But I am only a goddamned assistant manager. Aside from arranging the trainings daily, I can't do anything else. There are times when I even wished I could personally go onto the field! Darned professional football players.”

Walker suddenly erupted like a volcano, shouting at Tang En and venting the accumulated rage and frustration over the past season.

Tang En did not persuade him, did not console him, and did not stop him. He merely stood in his original spot and looked at him quietly.

Ten months ago in Coventry's home ground Highfield Road Stadium's changing room, Ian Bowyer left and returned, telling Tang En that he wanted to leave Nottingham Forest to pursue his own future. Tang En tried to persuade him to stay but to no avail. Furthermore, at that time, he did not even know where his future lay. What could he use to persuade Bowyer to stay?

Now that Tang En had already gotten chairman Doughty's promise and guarantee, he suddenly did not feel like persuading Walker to stay. Walker's reason for leaving were much ample than Bowyer. He had already supported this team on his own for too long. His heart was battered and his body was worn out. What reason did Tang En have to ask him to continue to stay behind under such unknown circumstances?

Everyone has their own life, and everyone will choose their own paths. Whether it turns out to be bitter or sweet, blissful or failure, whether it is thorny and bumpy or a smooth sailing bright future. All of those paths are walked alone. When Tang En was fired from his post, he was undecided for a while before ultimately deciding to stay behind and wait for an opportunity to prove his worth once again. Under such circumstances where Walker was unable to see his future, it was also his freedom to choose to leave.

”Alright.” Upon thinking about it, Tang En sighed lightly. ”At least we could perhaps still work together for half a season. But it's just a pity. What can we still do with the remaining half of the season? Prevent the relegation of the pre-season favorites?”

Both of them became silent. This goal of theirs sounded really depressing.

”No, Tony! I've thought of it! Perhaps we still have another method to end this season!” Walker suddenly said loudly in an excited manner.

”Hmm?”

”We just defeated Portsmouth in the third round of the EFL cup with a score of 4:2 during the penalty shootout, and the FA Cup has not started yet as well!”

Tang En's eyes were once again lit up.

”Thank you, Des. I promise you that when the time comes, you will have a glorious departure!”