170 Want To Make A Bet? Part 2 (1/2)

Chapter 170: Want To Make A Bet? Part 2

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Nottingham Forest winning the EFL Championships was a big deal in Nottingham. Even though their archenemy was still in the same city, the Nottingham Forest fans escorted the Nottingham Forest coach bus all the way from Cardiff back to Nottingham.

This was considered a very grand welcome ceremony. It had to be known that in the past, this scene had happened only when Nottingham Forest had won the UEFA Europa League; the fans had spontaneously assembled outside of Derby County's airport, and later drove their cars behind the team's coach bus.

Now, the weakened Nottingham Forest had long forgotten the feeling of attaining a championship title, and even the past glory of being the UEFA Europa League champions had been gradually forgotten. Right then, Tang En was making them relive that classic moment. How could the fans not go wild? Therefore, although it was the most lightweight championship title among the three English championship titles, the Nottinghamians still showed ample enthusiasm.

Championship titles! No matter what they are, we only want championship titles! The Nottinghamians have had enough not having any championship titles!

On that same afternoon, Pearce Bruce had published a passionate article on the extra edition of Nottingham Evening Post. In the article, this was what he wrote: ”...Only championship titles could make us remember once again that we were once the king of Europe! We were once glorious! But the only difference is that the current us no longer needs to indulge ourselves in past glories. We have a new symbol of pride: Tony Twain and his Nottingham Forest!”

Almost all of the local Nottingham media (except for the ones which supported Derby County) reported Nottingham Forest's spectacular feat on their front pages. For Nottingham Forest, which had been on the brink of relegation during the first half of the match season, the fans could be said to have gotten on an exciting roller coaster ride. They had had their ups and downs, experiencing both agony and joy, the two extremes of the spectrum.

Because Nottingham Forest had clinched the first championship title in England this season, other media, not limited to Nottingham's local media, also gave significant coverage on their victory. Miss Barbara was so busy that she could not maintain that professional smile of hers. Nottingham Forest Football Club had received requests from a total of fifty-six different media companies within a span of two days, and there were a few overseas ones among them.

If these media companies were to line up for their interviews one by one, they might have to wait all the way until the current season ended. Moreover, if the time allocated for such celebratory activities was too long, it would severely affect the team's preparation. After Tang En discussed it with Allan Adams, they decided to hold a press conference instead to satisfy all the requests in one go.

The press conference had a very positive effect, and Nottingham Forest's image was improved. The young and capable manager and the American-styled boss were focal points, not to mention the legendary feats of Nottingham Forest this season. For a period of time in England, ”The rising Nottingham Forest” became the conversation topic of many people during their free time.

Of course, not everything that Tang En and Evan heard was nice.

The football commentator who posted a review article on the ESPN official website, Mr. Jon Carter, was an example. In his post-match review, he complained about the unfairness of the match towards Middlesbrough. He felt that Nottingham Forest won the championships using a very ugly method. They had not shown any signs of initiative during the match, and played very conservative, slow-paced football. In spite of this, they actually won the championships. That was the blot of the EFL Cup finals. At the end, he ridiculed Nottingham Forest's ranking in League One:

”Can anyone imagine a team not in their home country's top league representing that country in the UEFA Europa League? If we let Nottingham Forest participate in the UEFA Europa League, how will the people from other countries see us? They will laugh at England for being unable to produce a more competent team! Don't believe me? Just wait and see!”

In addition, Mark Lawrenson, who was not optimistic about Tang En from the previous season, once again spoke about Nottingham Forest's prospects on the Match Of The Day program. He still did not think that the team would be able to be successfully promoted to the Premier League by the end of the season. The reason appeared to be ample and convincing: because Nottingham Forest spent too much effort in the EFL Cup, a smart manager would definitely give up the league. After all, they had already gotten the qualifications to participate in next season's UEFA Europa Cup. The UEFA had never said that a team belonging to the country's second division league could not participate in the Europa Cup.