289 Wood and Eastwood Part 1 (2/2)

Was Freddy Eastwood nursing a grudge against George Wood because he once broke his leg?

Was George Wood saddled with guilt because he had broken Eastwood's leg in a tackle? Or was he like Roy Keane, who was gleeful about having seriously injured Haaland's leg? Weren't there many who kept saying how George Wood was, in recent years, the player most like Roy Keane?

Did no one think that having the two of them co-exist peacefully in the team for a whole year was something incredulous?

Within a team, it was impossible for everyone's relationship to be fantastic. It was just common sense. There would always be some who did not get along so well with the others. In that case, between George Wood and Eastwood, who was it?

No matter how one looked at it, Eastwood's relationships seemed better. But currently, it was obvious that George Wood was more favored by the club and manager, Tony Twain. Was there still a need to point out which was more beneficial? Having good relationships with other players or the upper echelons?

As a result, three months after the ”locker room scandal” that occurred before their match with Manchester United, another so-called scandal erupted on Forest team. Some media purportedly claimed having received internal tips from such-and-such Forest player. They reported on George Wood and Freddy Eastwood's apparent mutual dislike for each other in the locker room: they never talked, never joked, and minimized contact with each other during training… Evidently, the relationship between the two was dreadful. They were just a step away from being complete strangers.

In truth, the media was not entirely making up falsehoods this time around. The matter had some basis in fact and was obvious to anyone who was meticulous and observant enough. Every team had a player or two who rubbed each other the wrong way, so nobody was initially bothered by the issue. However, now that the media had exposed the backstory of George Wood having broken Eastwood's leg during a tackle, everyone made the connection and began to realize the matter was not as simple as they had thought it to be.

To them, the matter was as incredulous as having Roy Keane and Haaland play together on the same team. Haaland had once mocked Roy Keane for faking an injury during a Manchester Derby and called him a liar through-and-through. As a result, Keane held a grudge against him and finally found an opportunity for revenge during another Manchester Derby: whilst Haaland was receiving a pass, Roy Keane gave a vicious stomp to Haaland's knee from the side. The kick was so vicious it whipped Haaland into a spin in the air before he fell to the ground. Following the serious injury he inflicted, Haaland directly announced his retirement.

Their enmity was well-known across the UK.

Eastwood was also nearly forced into retirement because of George Wood's tackle. Even though Wood himself had never claimed that it was on purpose, no one could rule out the possibility of George Wood writing some autobiography years later after becoming famous and gleefully admitting that it was on purpose. After all, Roy Keane had already paved that path before him. The power of role models was boundless.

From this, it was clear that the media was not simply blindly firing this time. However, Tang En could still feel no shred of good feelings for the English paparazzi; their timing in stirring up this news was impeccably bad.

Right before facing the challenge from Sporting CP, the media just had to be so keen on stirring up conflict within Forest's locker room. Weren't they trying to cause trouble for Tony?

This was the same as when the England National Football Team was getting ready for the World Cup Qualifiers. During that crucial period, England's tabloids were making a big fuss over Sven-Göran Eriksson's ”sheik” incident. This group within the media was without any writing ethics or quality to speak of. In pursuit of their own benefits, they were willing to go to any lengths.

In certain aspects, Tang En felt that the media in England and China were rather like each other. To attract the attention of their readers, they spared no effort to exaggerate, sensationalize, completely make up stories, and even skirt boundaries with attempts at sexualization… Tang En recalled King Kong from Sina Sports. That was really a god to bow down to. Even after two years in the UK, he had not seen an editor, reporter, or column writer who had as much talent as him.

He digressed. Anyhow, Tang En was immensely displeased that the media had spread news of ”George Wood and Eastwood's soured relationship” just before the UEFA Europa's 16th round. However, in consideration of the stability of the team, he had been suppressing his temper. He did not want to negatively influence the mood of the preparing players.

At the end of their scheduled press conference, Tang En had said in a surly manner to the reporters clamoring for sensational insider news, ”I am terribly disappointed that you have not shown me anything new. Three months ago, you were stirring up news of George Wood's tense relations with his teammates. Now, you're still doing the same thing. I hope that you can bring out something a little fresher after another three months. It gets boring otherwise. We all have got to learn to improve, haven't we?”

Although Tang En managed to give the reporters a verbal lashing, the problem remained unsolved. Tang En also knew of the strained relations between Eastwood and George. He had expected this when Eastwood had first entered the team. The media had gotten at least one part right: if this was not well-handled, it would indeed become a peril to Forest's stability.