206 The List For First Team (1/2)

Chapter 206: The List For First Team

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

Goal keeper: Darren Ward (1), Barry Roche (12), Paul Gerrard (25).

Full Back: Davy Oyen (2), John Thompson (3), Clint Hill (16), Wes Morgan (5), Leighton Baines (22), Pascal Chimbonda (23), Gerard Piqué (24), Matthew Upson (33), and Fernando Hierro (6).

Midfielder – George Wood (13), Demetrio Albertini (4), Brynjar Gunnarsson (8), Eugen Bopp (31), Kris Commons (20), Ashley Young (18), Aaron Lennon (17), and Franck Ribéry (7).

Forward: Freddy Eastwood (11), Nicklas Bendtner (21), Peter Crouch (9), Mark Viduka (10), and David Johnson (30).

Above is the final list for Nottingham Forest this season, with their jersey numbers inside the parentheses. When the list was announced, everyone was focused on Franck Ribéry. This youth, who had not even managed to play in the Championnat National and had been at risk of losing his career, was actually wearing jersey number seven for Nottingham Forest!

Everyone knows that that the lower the player number in a team, the more likely they are considered for main positions. What did it mean for Tang En to give Ribéry number 7? It meant he valued scarface. Tony Twain never disappointed when it came to his judgment. Was there indeed something amazing about Ribéry?

Outsiders were sceptical of Ribéry because they did not understand his ability. However, internally, the team had no objections to the number arrangement. Since the first day he had come to the team for training, Ribéry showed immense ability in the wings. His dribbling and speed were weapons he could use to dominate the wings. Beyond that, his shooting was good as well. After a week of training with him, even his direct competitor, Kris Commons, had to admit that the French guy was better than him.

”Do all players at the Championnat National play this well?” he asked.

Tang En smiled. ”No, Franck is an exception.”

When Scarface had first entered the team, he was always quiet and did not like talking. He seemed worried that his teammates would mock his appearance. But the truth was that although they were surprised by the scars on his face, the team did not mock or shame him at all. That was not something that would happen on Tony Twain's team.

In the locker room, after Tang En intentionally got Ribéry to talk about how his scars came about, everyone became sympathetic for him.

Upon realising that his teammates did not look down on him because of his scars, Ribéry finally let go of his anxiety. He gradually started talking more, quickly returning to his lively self. Although he still could not speak English, he worked hard at learning in the hopes of assimilating as quickly as possible to the team.

Ribéry knew how difficult it was to get this job. Not everyone had the experience of living with an allowance of only 150 Euros and being unable to afford rent. Precisely because he knew how hard his life had been, he developed a special attitude towards money. Now, his weekly salary was 6500 pounds. This wasn't a particularly high salary within the team. At most, it was mid-range. But to Ribéry, who had had enough of being poor, it was much more than what he gotten from any other club he had played for. He also knew that if he performed well, even greater rewards awaited him. The better he played on the field, the faster that day would come.

He was valued by the manager, was treated well, and had good relationships with his teammates. A new environment, a new league… What was there to worry about? Right now, he only wished for the Premier League to start quickly, and for him to prove to everyone that though he, Franck, from the Championnat National, was worth every penny he was paid, and was worth the trust of his manager!

Although Tang En did not know Ribéry's thoughts, he could tell that the Frenchman always worked hard during trainings. He remembered seeing such zeal before in George Woods. Those who had been through poverty would especially cherish any opportunity to earn money. They had no right to any slack.

There are many successful people, but there is only one quality that is shared by all of them: a successful person is always a thousand times more diligent than someone who fails. This is regardless of where that diligence stems from; whether it is from their own willingness or from forced circumstances in life.

George Woods had succeeded, and his debut had scorched the people with a deep impression. Tang En believed that Ribéry could be the same.

He's no joke. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, France's national team manager Domenech will definitely try to recruit him from us!

With the advancement of England's media, Ribéry would certainly become famous even earlier than when he had played in France. Now, Tang En could only hope that Ribéry would still remember where his heart was even after becoming famous.

After confirming the First Team's formation, Tang En cleared some of the members who were not needed on the team. They could choose to join the Reserve Team or be either loaned or sold to other interested clubs.

This was different from the achievement he felt from buying players. Tang En still harboured great affection for the team that he had led for half a year. Faced with the departure of players who had fought with him for the championship and promotion rights, he still had no choice. The team had to improve, so those who could not keep up had to be eliminated. The original formation for Forest had many players with limited skills who were already unsuitable for the Premier League. Forest could not afford to let them goof around on the team and pay them for nothing.

Although there is kindness within professional football, most of it remains cruel. When you are unable to satisfy demands, no one pities you. Only your own lack of ability is to blame.

The good thing as that everyone knows about this; no one had unrealistic expectations about staying on the team. After seeing Forest's signings over the summer, everyone knew their situation; Forest had no place for some of them. Rather than staying with the team and only playing in Reserve Team Competitions, scrapping up whatever status or fame they had left, they might as well take this time to look for another road out while they still had worth.

Rebrov, Eoin Jess, Gareth Taylor, Chris Doig, Matthew Lewis Rang, and George Robertson were all gone. Danny Sonner was loaned out, and Gareth Williams left too. The team was no longer the same one that Tang En had taken over.

The people who should be there had come, and the people who should have left were gone. With their team stabilised, Tang En and David Kerslake could finally dive into tactical training. He had realised his ideas from the UEFA European Championship.

The success of the Greek National Team had stirred him up. Even though Nottingham looked like a high-profile team on the transfer market, Tang En knew that defense was the key to getting a firm footing in the Premier League. If there were no surprises, Nottingham should be retaining the same configuration for the midfield, with two defending midfielders and two side midfielders with outstanding abilities. The main mission of the defending midfielders was defense: to build a wall in front of the Defensive Line, and pay little heed to attacking. Meanwhile, Tang En expected more from the two side midfielders. Not only did they have to actively defend, they also had to be able to switch to offense at any point. In addition, they also had to go one-on-one with opponents; in these moments, their technical ability would become exceedingly important. They were not merely side midfielders who passed the ball to support the offense; they were also wingers who had the ability to score and create a decisive win.