670 Money Versus No Money (1/2)

After the Nottingham Forest team had Beckham, the best money-making place to go was not China, a vast country with a large number of people and seemingly limitless market, but rather the small and narrow country Japan.

The Japanese's love and worship of Beckham reached the point of no reason. They would crazily pursue anything related to Beckham, and their pursuits were measured by real money. Although China's market was vast, not many people would pay for authentic goods due to the piracy industry. There was no such problem in Japan. If they liked Beckham, they would go to a regular store to buy authentic goods. The economic benefits that Nottingham Forest wanted to see were generated.

Saying it might the Chinese people uncomfortable, but Japan was an important money-making destination that many European clubs valued. There was so much money to be made that many people rushed to get there.

Nottingham Forest's trip to Japan was no different from in China, with the players as tired as ever. They were only a little more relaxed when they went shopping in Ginza at night. But to Twain's delight, there was no silly organization like the Chinese Football Association. He did not have to worry about how to play.

From their arrival in Tokyo to their departure, Nottingham Forest set off a red Forest craze in Japan. Fans could be seen wearing red Nottingham Forest jerseys on the streets everywhere.

Evan saw the scene and had to exclaim, ”I'm afraid even if Chelsea were here, it would not be able to have that effect.”

”It's all David Beckham.” Allan was aware who the key figure was. He said, ”His influence in Japan can only be described as 'frightening.'”

Allan was right. In Tokyo, wherever Beckham appeared, the traffic would jam. Giant billboards with his headshots were erected at the top of tall buildings, and the goods associated with him were certain to be popular. Businesses did not need to advertise at all. The name ”Beckham” was the best publicity.

In China, George Wood's popularity could match Beckham's. However, even if the entire Nottingham Forest team was combined, they were not as popular as Beckham in Japan. Allan was well aware, so it was Beckham's one-man show most of the time in Japan, while Nottingham Forest served as his background.

Here, Tony Twain became a completely unknown staff member.

Twain would take the situation and joke with George Wood. ”Go back and complain to your agent. He has made too little effort in Japan. Look at David!”

George Wood declined to comment on Twain's joke.

On the last night, Nottingham Forest played against the local J1 League team, FC Tokyo, at the Tokyo National Stadium. With two sets of lineups deployed, Nottingham Forest scored two goals in the first and second halves to win 4:1 against FC Tokyo, which was ranked eighth in the J1 League.

After the game, the players did not get a good night's sleep at the hotel. They had to rush to Narita International Airport to fly to Hong Kong that night. Time was so tight that even an extra night of rest could not be squeezed out. They could only nap on the flight to make up for it.

Nottingham Forest was warmly welcomed upon arrival in Hong Kong. As it was once a British colony, the English Premier League had a very solid base in Hong Kong. Influenced by Hong Kong, all of Guangdong was a loyal fan base of the Premier League. The Guangdong fans who could not get to Ningbo due to the distance, flocked to Hong Kong to catch a glimpse of the Double Winner.

For three days, not only did they play, Nottingham Forest also had a party with the stars of Hong Kong's entertainment industry. The stars Twain could only see on television were now Beckham or Forest fans. The sense of accomplishment made him feel very good.

At the party, he even played a prank on Andy Lau as he held his hand. ”I like to listen to your songs. I can even sing Forget Love Potion!”

Then he laughed happily inside as he looked at Andy Lau's intermingled stunned look and happy expression.

At the end of the party, the Hong Kong stars wore Nottingham Forest's red jerseys and posed for photos with the players. The event appeared in the sports media and was widely watched by the entertainment media. Allan Adams' global outreach program was perfectly executed in Hong Kong.

The Nottingham Forest team was known to everyone overnight in Hong Kong.

A game was not forgotten. Nottingham Forest and Hong Kong Football Club played a friendly match in Hong Kong. Two sets of lineups were deployed to satisfy the audience and to allow as many players as possible to get the opportunity to exercise. The only regret was that the Forest team's performance in this game was clearly not as good as the first two games. The main lineup looked a little tired and out of form. The two sides ended up with a 3:3 draw, which the media promoted as a happy result.

But was that true?

On the flight to Thailand, Twain's eyebrows were knitted. The adverse effects of commercial competitions and frequent commercial activities finally emerged. The fitness of the players had reached its limits. Whatever the parties Thailand and Malaysia had in mind, he had made up his mind to play the next two games with the reserves team and substitutes. His players had to be fully rested. Originally, the team's training time was reduced due to UEFA European Championship. However, they had to travel to East Asia to make money now and the whole team together did not have systematic physical training. Their performance was maintained from last season, which was just a continued state. At the end of the day, the Nottingham Forest team's condition continued from last season and was not in the new season yet.

It worried him a little.

The history and lessons of the predecessors told himself that such commercial games would inevitably affect the team's performance in the new season. How could he minimize the effect? Twain had a severe headache.

Nottingham Forest was still warmly sought after in Southeast Asia, but there was less commercial activity there and the team could finally train systematically. However the whole summer had been disrupted by the European Championship, commercial games, and Olympic Games. What was the use of the small amount of systematic training?

After their narrow victories against the local teams in Thailand and Malaysia, the team finally got on a flight back to the United Kingdom, ending the busy and arduous trip to Asia.