1005 The King without a Crown (2/2)
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Pierce Brosnan was shocked when he received an e-mail from Twain about his so-called ”open letter.” Then he immediately called Twain.
”Tony, what are you thinking?”
”Huh?” Twain was not really awake yet and made a confused sound.
”I'm referring to the matter of your rejection of the honor... What the hell are you thinking?” Brosnan was holding tightly the ”open letter” he had just printed out. The paper made a loud rustling sound when he trembled as he spoke.
”What am I thinking? I'm not interested in the common and tacky knighthood. It's as simple as that, Pierce.” Twain stretched and got up from the bed. He turned his head to look at his wife, who was still sound asleep. He pulled the blanket over her and walked out in his pajamas.
It was very cold on the early December morning. He walked to the terrace, where the cold wind that was blowing in his face completely woke him up.
”Common and tacky? Tony, Don't you know the significance of the honor?” Brosnan thought it must be because Twain had not woken up yet and was talking nonsense.
”Perhaps it was meaningful many years ago, Pierce. Now it's meaningless. Even the owners of a fast-food chain can be awarded the Order of the British Empire. In a few years' time, even the parents of newborn babies could reserve a spot ahead. With two thousand names a year, how many people in the UK do you think have not been awarded? Then again... I appreciate all your efforts to get me the award of honor. However, I don't want this type of honor that smacks of charity. Am I a man who can't live without the Order of the British Empire and the title of 'Sir?' Do you think I care about an insignificant thing like knighthood now that I've won so many championships?”
”Er...” Brosnan was rendered speechless by Twain's words. He knew that Twain was an unruly man. It had not changed with his increasing age. However, he did not expect Twain to act this way with the British royal family...
”Don't you think it's such a pity, though, Tony?” Brosnan asked timidly.
”How can it be a pity? At best, I would be called 'Sir Anthony.' I don't think the people who did not respect me before will respect me just because I have a title. I don't think the people who have always liked me before will stop liking me if I do not become a Sir. I'm still who I am, I'm Tony Twain.” Twain gazed into the distance in the east. The sun was rising, and the brilliant rays lit up the eastern skies and horizon while the white mist in the forest rose and rolled, making it look like a fairytale land.
What else could Brosnan have to say when he brought up this point? Twain was right. He was who he was. He was Tony Twain, so no one could change the decision he made. Even if he were to set himself against the world, all anyone could do was choose to stand with him or against him.
”You're going to make the royal family feel a great humiliation,” muttered Brosnan.
”That's the result I want, haha!” Twain put a hand on his hip and guffawed loudly. ”Some people did everything they could to make sure that I didn't get the title. Now they see this as a form of charity and peace offering to me. I'll tell them: let your self-righteous pride go to hell!”
Putting down the phone, Brosnan looked at the open letter in his hand and gave a sigh. He remembered a past event.
Before Twain, Nottingham Forest's equally controversial manager, Brian Clough, who led the Forest team to two Champions League titles and had impressive accomplishments, was not awarded a title by the royal family either. There were rumors that Clough himself refused the royal invitation for the honor, and some people said that the unruly old man disapproved of the government at that time. In any case, when people proposed the honor again after Clough's death, the matter was dropped because the Order of the British Empire and a peerage was not allowed to be conferred posthumously. In this way, Clough and the highest honor available to the British civilian population narrowly missed each other.
Fifteen years later, another Nottingham Forest manager, Tony Twain, also refused the royal honor. Was it fate?
Thinking further, nearly five hundred years ago, an unruly outlaw who felt contempt authority also appeared in this land. He led his men to go against the noble masters of the time, robbed the rich to help the poor, wandering the woods in the mountains with freedom.
Maybe this country has a tendency to produce this kind of characters...
Whether it was Robin Hood, Clough, or now Twain, they were all outlaws who were unruly, dared to challenge authority, and advocated freedom.
No matter what the outside world thought of them, their legendary stories would always spread through the lush Sherwood Forest. They were the heroes here.
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A day later, the open letter written by Twain himself was sent to the Nottingham Evening Post and immediately caused a stir.
In the letter, Twain thanked the British royal family and the friends who campaigned for the honor. However, he made it clear that he would reject the title. As for the reasons for the rejection, he did not say that the current intrinsic value and authority of the peerage had become increasingly lower, even though everyone knew it. His reasons were much stronger than this.
”...I know a lot of people do not want me to be honored. They think I do not deserve it, and I do not wish to comment on that. I just want to say that I never wanted to receive any Order of the British Empire from the start - have any of you seen me come out and speak up for myself during such debates? No, because I did not want it at all. Are those people who were against me disappointed now? Of course, I would like to thank my friends who have advocated for the honor on my behalf. However, I don't want to go against my principles - I do not want to be addressed as 'Sir Anthony', and I do not want to make myself look like a beggar who has been given charity to satisfy others. I am who I am, I am Tony Twain. I have a better reward than an unimportant Order of the British Empire - 15 years as a manager and 16 championship trophies. I don't need to rely on a peerage to show my worth and make everyone know my achievements. In the face of them, everyone will agree that I am Britain's... no, the world's best football manager.
Therefore, for all the reasons mentioned above, I refuse to accept this honor.”
Although many people had refused the honor from the British royal family for various reasons, it was the first time that someone had done it as arrogantly as Twain. His manifesto was so potent that it incited a huge response across Britain.
Once again, people experienced his recalcitrance.
The Sun later commented:
”...He did not open his mouth to strike back in the face of numerous doubting voices in the media after his comeback. He did not give a slap to those people who laughed at him after losing the first game. All this made us think that the 50-year-old Tony Twain was getting old, that he had lost his sharpest teeth and claws, and was meek like a kitten.
However, we were wrong. It was just that he did not meet an opponent worthy enough for him to make a move.
Now, as for the British royal family, the opponent's name is impressive enough, as well as qualified enough to be his adversary. So once again we meet with the familiar Tony Twain, the guy who is used to set himself against the world.”
”A genius is always different from ordinary people.” Lineker talked about the incident with Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson on the television show and said this, ”I admit that the appeal of the peerage to the public is declining every year. However, there are still a lot of people who want to receive such an award every year. 2,000 places are still not enough. Under such circumstances, it is incomprehensible that Twain should give up the honor. However, he cannot be understood using an ordinary person's thinking. The comments I have heard the most since the matter came out were 'Why?', 'Why did he say no?', 'Why would he write such an arrogant open letter?', 'Why would he employ such a high-profile method of rejection?'... Many 'whys.' It seems to me that it would be foolish to ask Twain why. He never needs a reason to do things. If you must find a reason, then I can only say that he was probably in a bad mood, or in too good of a mood ...”
The Nottingham Evening Post even gave Twain the title of ”The King Without A Crown” and wrote, ”...Although I personally regret that I can't address Twain as 'Sir Anthony', it is just as Twain himself said: with 15 years of coaching and 16 major championship trophies, Twain no longer needs a knighthood to honor him for his accomplishments. He is, without a doubt, 'The King without a Crown!'”