1018 A Successor (1/2)

Shania had also taken notice of the recent media reports. She was not blind or deaf. She was aware of the things that the fans did in the stands and at the training ground. If she were about her thoughts, she would certainly be selfish and want Twain to stay by her side and quit. However, after more than a decade with her husband, she also knew that only he could make the final decision. Therefore, she cleverly chose to remain silent.

At such times, she could only choose to trust her husband.

”I'll have to hold a press conference in a few days to announce whether I'm staying or leaving,” Twain suddenly said during dinner, which surprised Shania a little. While the media was abuzz with speculation a few days ago, Twain kept mum at home.

She was keenly aware of something.

”It's time to resolve all this,” Twain said.

Her guess was right.

However, Shania did not ”What's your decision?” but just nodded and did not say anything.

Twain was not surprised by Shania's reaction, so he did not offer to explain what he would say at the press conference.

There was a mutual understanding between the two of them.

※※※

The question of whether Twain would stay or leave obviously affected the team's performance. Nottingham Forest came close to losing against Fulham in an away game during the weekend. Fortunately, Balotelli broke through Fulham's goal with a beautiful free-kick at the last minute to equalize the score at 1:1 and save the team a point. However, because of the tie in the game, their ranking did not continue to rise but remained in seventh place.

For the Forest team to end up with a tie against Fulham was still lucky. In terms of both overall skills and actual situation, Nottingham Forest was at a complete disadvantage. If the Fulham striker had not been too wasteful with opportunities, they would have been defeated even if Balotelli had scored a goal.

Perhaps Fulham did not expect Nottingham Forest to play so poorly. They were overly excited.

For example, there were a few occasions when the goal was almost empty, and it was easier to score in such situations, but the Fulham striker excitedly shot too hard and pumped the ball straight into the stands behind the goal...

After the game, Twain admitted in an interview that he and his team had been ”very, very, very lucky” today, which were his original words. He had used ”very” thrice.

However, he did not criticize the team's performance.

He knew that the team's erratic performance had something to do with himself. If the crew of a ship did not know whether their most beloved captain would be able to stay after this adventure and continue to lead them to take on the world, they would grow doubtful and be swayed. It would naturally affect their combat effectiveness in battle.

Twain had thought that by staying silent, he could minimize the impact. It turned out that he was wrong. He must give his crew a decision to let them know what the future would hold.

A reporter asked, ”I'd heard you promised to give a reply to the fans who want you to stay?”

Twain did not deny it. Instead, he nodded and replied, ”Yes. When I get back to Nottingham, I'll announce the matter at a press conference.”

The reporter did not expect Twain to answer so readily. He thought he heard wrong and hurriedly asked again, ”Are you saying that you will announce whether you will be staying after the end of the season when you return to Nottingham?”

Twain nodded and did not say anything anymore. However, it was enough. The media and fans were excited by Twain's answer. As for the game... Who cared?

※※※

On the way back to Nottingham from London on the bus, Twain found that Evan Doughty was around, and he came to him on his own initiative.

”David...” He looked at Kerslake, the assistant manager who sat with Doughty.

Kerslake was a smart man. He knew Evan must have something to discuss with Twain from the looks of it and that it had something to do with Twain's going or staying. Therefore, he got up and gave his seat to the chairman while he saw in the seat behind, next to Eastwood.

While Kerslake gave up his seat, Twain did not say a word but looked up at the two men who exchanged seats.

When Evan sat down, he did not beat about the bush, got right to the point, and asked, ”Have you made up your mind, Tony?”

Twain nodded.

”I guess it's not a good decision for me. Can I persuade you to change your mind?”

Twain shook his head and said, ”If you still want my friendship, Evan, you won't do that.”

Evan Doughty turned his eyes away and looked ahead with some disappointment.

Seeing how disappointed Evan Doughty was, Twain could not bear to stay indifferent, so he consoled him: ”There is a saying in China that states, 'If the old doesn't go, the new will not come.' The same holds true for the Forest team and you. If I, the old guy, don't leave, how can you have a fresh new wind?”

Evan Doughty did not care about any Eastern proverbs. He only cared about one thing and said, ”But I can't think of any new manager that would be as good as you. I've been looking for more than four years, but I still haven't found him.”

Twain smiled. It looked like it was going to be easy for Evan to accept his departure. He just had to find him a suitable successor.

”Of course, I have a good candidate for the new Nottingham Forest manager. I think very, very highly of him. He can definitely bring the Forest team back on track.”

Evan Doughty was stunned by Twain's comments because the unruly Twain seldom used such blatant flattering words to describe a man, so he searched through world-class managers in his mind.

”Don't tell me it is Mourinho?”

It was the only answer he could think of because the two had similar temperaments and he was the only person whom Twain could think so highly of.

He did not expect Twain to shake his head.