815 Goodbye, My Friend

A week after the Champions League final, the television stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, the Internet—all the major media outlets were talking about Ferguson's retirement. It was, indeed, the most sensational thing to happen the football world in a while. Although Ferguson had announced his retirement in advance, when the day finally arrived, people still felt unwilling to let go.

Even Wenger, who had been his arch-rival for years, sent well-wishes congratulating Ferguson's retirement. He said, "He has defined an era. This is probably the only time that I've praised him. He's done really well in his twenty-five years at Manchester United. As for the league championship title? You know, life needs to have this sort of regret for it to be beautiful, isn't it?" Wenger laughed slyly.

Even Klinsmann, whom Ferguson had defeated in the Champions League final, did not have any bad comments to make about Manchester United snatching away his title: "He is a role model for me to learn from, and a target to catch up to. I'm happy that he was able to win another UEFA Champions League championship before he retired. Manchester United performed better, and they deserve the title."

In a television interview, Ferguson again spoke of his concerns about his successor.

"There are many great coaches in the world, and I'm sure the board will pick the most suitable manager for Manchester United. Take note that I said 'the most suitable,' instead of 'the best.' I won't comment on how the club handles the personnel work anymore. Right now, I just want to go home and enjoy a relaxing time with my wife. You know—for the first time in so many years, I don't have to think about tomorrow's training plan or the weekend's lineup schedule. It's actually a very pleasant thing."

He did not name a specific candidate, as he apparently did not want to cause trouble for the club's selection process. Because, if he had to state someone, it would be "Tony Twain"—but Tony Twain was adamant that he would not come to Manchester United. It was not a good idea to say something that would cause embarrassment to everyone. He called Twain in private and sighed with some regret after he confirmed, once again, that Twain had no desire to join Old Trafford.

Just when Twain had gotten tired of the media's extensive coverage of Ferguson, he finally heard some different news.

After the league tournament ended, the Forest team was dismissed, and their vacation began.

Twain, moreover, planned to take advantage of this holiday to fly to the United States and spend many wonderful nights with his wife, so as to continue their great "baby-making project."

Meanwhile, Dunn would bring Tang Jing back to his hometown to, hopefully, meet his parents this time...

Before leaving, he suddenly gave Twain a call and asked to meet him alone.

Twain thought that this was strange. If Dunn had something to discuss with him, he could talk about it over the phone while they were apart. Even if it was a major matter, there was no need to specially arrange for a face-to-face meeting alone.

Feeling odd, Twain still made it to the appointment. He even remembered to joke on the phone, "Are we going on a date?"

The location that Dunn had set could not really be for anything like the "date" mentioned by Twain. They met right at the Wilford training base.

As Twain drove there, the exceptionally busy gate of the training base, which was always crowded with a lot of reporters and people coming and going, was so quiet that, at that time, he could hear the distant sound of birds in the woods.

The guards were surprised when the manager suddenly showed up. Twain smiled and greeted them before being let in.

Twain parked in the lot and saw Dunn waiting at the door of the building when he got out of the car.

He raised his hand to say hello; he did not hurry over, but rather strolled across the parking lot under the sun.

"It's nice out today. Breezy and sunny." He spoke of things for which only Dunn and himself knew the punchline.

But, this time, Dunn was not amused by Twain. He stood within the shadow of the building, his face expressionless.

Twain waved at him and said, "It's so sunny and beautiful today, and yet you're standing there. Don't you feel the chilly wind about you? If you have something to say, we can talk as we walk. How about taking a lap around the training ground?"

Dunn nodded in agreement.

However, they did not talk at first, and just walked along until they inadvertently came to the number three training ground. Twain smiled when he saw the field, which was still like a vegetable patch. He said, "If Guardiola saw this training ground, I wonder if he would give Barcelona a similar field in their training base?"

Dunn did not answer, so Twain turned his head and asked, "Do you have something on your mind, Dunn? Is Tang Jing pressuring you to marry her?"

Dunn rolled his eyes and said, "I do have something I want to talk to you about, but I don't know where to begin."

"Hey, it's us! We're sworn brothers from our hometown in Sichuan. If you have something to say, just say it. You don't have to worry about wedding gifts."

Dunn cleared his throat and said, "It has nothing to do with marriage. Tony... Well." He started to talk and stopped again.

Twain frowned. He rarely saw Dunn being overly careful with his words. "Do you have bad news?"

"No... I don't know." Dunn shook his head and said, "I... I intend to end my contract with the club early."

Twain was taken aback. He thought that he had heard him wrong. Was the birdsong in the woods so loud that it was affecting his hearing?

Dunn's contract with the club as the assistant manager expired in two years. Twain had planned to offer Dunn a new contract at the start of next season, with a longer extension. Maybe it would even work for him to sign an eight-year contract like Twain himself had.

Seeing Twain looking incredulously at him, Dunn explained: "I've been thinking about this issue for a long time. I... Uh..." He wrung his hands, not knowing where to put them. "I don't want to be an assistant manager anymore."

"Why?" Twain asked. He did not want to make any comments just then. He wanted to hear Dunn's explanation.

"Tony. You probably don't know... Initially, we... Before all this, I really never thought about wanting to be a manager. Then you found me, and I thought it would be okay if I was just an assistant manager. But, after following you all these years, I suddenly feel... I feel like I'd like to try to be a full manager."

Twain looked at him and said, "Go on."

"Well..." Dunn mulled it over for a bit and thought about where to start. He rarely said so much in one breath, but, this time, it was something that had to do with his future life choices, so he had to say more.

"Honestly, Tony—during the time when you left the team due to your heart attack, I was the acting manager. When you were banned, it also fell to me... But this is your team, not mine. What I want is no longer just to be the 'acting' manager. I want to be a real manager. But I don't have a chance at Nottingham Forest."

"I'm not complaining about anything, Tony. But this team is now your Nottingham Forest team—you have left a deep impression on it. I can't change the mark you've made, so I struggled a lot as the acting manager. You know what, Tony? Sometimes, when I need to instruct the players, I have to borrow your name to be effective."

Twain only raised his eyebrows and did not say anything.

"I would say to them, "Tony thinks," and so on, and so forth. "Tony says..." such and such. Then they would listen. Calling it "the king's name" is no exaggeration. You're really powerful, Tony."

"Are you complimenting me?" Twain did not laugh. "Simply put, you want to be a manager, but at Nottingham Forest, where you can only be an assistant manager. That's right, isn't it?"

Dunn nodded.

Twain fell silent for a moment and then said, "It looks like I really... did not consider your feelings. I only thought about how you could help me a lot if I kept you by my side as an assistant manager... At this time, I should probably say to you, generously: 'Go on. Go pursue your life goals.' But I still don't want you to go. I'm a selfish person. I can't help it. If you leave, it will be hard for me in my job."

Dunn shook his head and said, "You are giving yourself an excuse to be lazy."

"Okay. I'm trying to be lazy." Twain nodded, admitting to what Dunn alleged. He added, "But regardless of the reason, don't you think we're a golden duo? We're invincible when we're together! I want you to stay, Dunn."

When Twain had asked Dunn to do something in the past, he had always agreed, whether he was willing or not. But, this time, Twain's move did not work. It looked like Dunn had made up his mind. He said, "It's no use, Tony. I have thought about it for a long time and feel I should leave the Forest team to try a different path."

"Is there perhaps a club that has invited you?"

Dunn did not deny it. He nodded and replied, "There is a club."

"Ha!" Twain gave a dry laugh.

"An EFL League Two team."

Twain really laughed this time. He felt like he had heard a funny joke. Dunn did not stop him and watched quietly by his side as Twain crouched on the ground and laughed.

"Ha... Let's be honest, Dunn. Do you really think that leaving Nottingham Forest for such a team will do you any good for your future? EFL League Two, huh? A fourth-tier team would be equivalent to the previous Football League Third Division! Do you really want to go?"

Dunn said, very seriously, "I really want to go."

"Are you sure?" Squatting on the ground, Twain did not laugh, and just looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sure."

"Is this really good for you?" Twain stood up and asked angrily. He simply could not understand Dunn's choice, and so would rather believe that the man was making an excuse deliberately to get away from him.

"I don't know, Tony. I don't know if it's good for me. But I want to try... Maybe I'm so terrible that I can't even lead a League Two team well and will be fired in the end. Who knows?" He spoke calmly about such a terrible future. "But the idea has been going through my head every day. I just want to try... Even if I don't succeed, at least I will have tried."

"Go and try to lead a team, leaving your mark on it?"

"Yes. I envy you, Tony. I hope that, one day, I can achieve accomplishments like yours."

Twain did not express any joy at Dunn's praise. He still had a serious look and was in a very bad mood.

"I have decided to start from scratch. I'm confident I've learned a lot from you, which should help me. But I don't have to be the same type of manager that you are. I'm still not good at fighting a war of words with people."

"That kind of team... No name, and no profit..." Twain still wanted to persuade Dunn to give up this delusional idea.

"I don't care much about fame and profit, Tony. I just want to see if I have the ability to be a manager."

Twain was still frowning and looked unhappy.

Dunn sighed when he saw him looking like this. "Do you still remember Chen Jian, Tony?"

Twain stared blankly for a moment. He did not understand why Dunn would suddenly mention the Chinese kid. "I remember. What about him? He's still training in the youth team and reserves. I haven't gone to see him in a long time..."

"Do you still recall what you spoke to him about on the phone at the time, when you asked him to come to England to play? Do you still remember how excited you were after that phone call with him? Do you remember when you decided to train him using Wood's program, and how you answered my questions?"

Twain was rendered speechless by Dunn's three consecutive queries.

"You asked me if I had any dreams. You asked me if I had the initiative to do certain things. You also told me, 'Men will definitely have one thing in life that they want to achieve, no matter what.' Thank you, Tony. Now that I have a dream and the urge to complete it, I've found the one thing in my life that I want to finish, no matter what."

Twain was checkmated by Dunn using the very words he had spoken previously. He completely let go of his anger.

He looked at Dunn for a long time, and then smiled. "You're getting more and more slick with your words."

Dunn felt relieved when he saw him grin. "Really?"

"If you are really determined to leave, I can't stop you. After all, you're not my personal belonging. I have no right to interfere in your life. The kind of road you take, and where you end up, have nothing to do with me." Twain waved his hands in defeat. He was really tough, but he was not unreasonable.

When Dunn heard him say this, he suddenly smiled. "Your words are really callous."

"You've hurt me. Of course, I'm going to be a little heartless." Twain glared at him and continued, "But ... I said if—if. If you really can't make it, then come back. The door at Wilford is always open to you."

"Like Queiroz?"

Twain chuckled, "I think it's wrong to say that one should not go back to one's past experiences. If you want to come back, give me a call. I'll free up the assistant manager's position for you."

Dunn did not say anything. He felt more relaxed after telling Twain what he was thinking. From now on, he could pursue his own vision. He was being a bit cruel to Twain—after all, they had worked alongside each other for a long time and had a tacit understanding in their work; The manager would, of course, be caught unprepared by his sudden departure. But, in fact, if he had not been considerate and tried to minimize his move's impact, he would have left the same season that Twain returned. The Forest team had been on track this season, with a new group of young players such as Mitchell revealing outstanding talent, and this made him think that it was time. He could leave with confidence.

"Tony. Since I'm leaving, there's something I want to say to you... In fact, my departure is a good thing for you."

"How is it a good thing? I will be short my right-hand man."

"You had always used the fact that you're not familiar with training the team as an excuse to let me arrange everything. But, you've been on the team for eight years now. You should have observed enough to learn how to do it by now, shouldn't you? But I've always been here, so you were able to leave everything to me. Now that I'm leaving and you might not find anyone else, you'll have to do it yourself. I think it will further raise your level of ability. Don't underestimate yourself, Tony. You have potential that you have not developed. It's a waste, and it's a shame to waste it."

Twain continued to laugh. "Are these the heartfelt words of a man on his deathbed?"

Dunn did not continue to let himself get tangled with Twain on this subject. He believed that Twain had listened to him. "I have made everything clear to you, so I have nothing else to say." He was going to say goodbye.

"Oh, right. Can you tell me which team asked you to be the manager?"

Dunn was unable to suppress a tiny smile on his face when he heard Twain's question.

Twain was even more curious, asking, "Which one?" If you need help at a certain point, I can loan you the Forest youth team players. You can pick the ones you want. I won't charge you any fees for the loan—"

Dunn could not bear it any longer and laughed, "Notts County."

Twain's eyes widened, and he stopped mid-sentence. His mouth was hanging open as if he was looking at an alien.

"I didn't hear you wrong, did I?"

"I thought you'd be happy that I don't have to move out of Nottingham."

"What? How can I be happy?" Twain felt like he'd been fooled. "Nottingham Forest's arch-enemy! I take back every word I said before! Want to borrow my players from me? No way! Keep dreaming! The next time we meet, we will fight for real!"

"Ha! Are you finally interested in the city's derby?" Dunn laughed happily.

Twain gritted his teeth and stared at him, "Are you still laughing? You did this on purpose, didn't you? Of all the teams to pick from, you chose Notts County!"

Dunn spread his hands open and said, "The other teams are not keen on me. They were the only ones to approach me. They don't think there's anything wrong with me having been the assistant manager of the Forest team. I certainly will not turn them down just because they're from Notts County."

"You really... You really will do whatever it takes to be a manager, won't you?" Twain felt helpless.

"The conditions they offered are also very attractive. Although the club has not been in good shape recently, they promised that I could make all the decisions for the team and also gave me control of the youth camp. I can build my team from the ground up and according to my own philosophy. To my mind, this is the best condition."

Twain nodded forcefully. "Very well! I wish you all the best and hope you lead the team to move up three levels and appear in the Premier League. That way, I will have two chances to crush your b*stard face to face every season!"

"I'm looking forward to that day," Dunn replied with a smile.

Even though he had reproached him, Twain still reached his hand out and said, "If you find that you can't make it with Notts County and want to come back, I'll still welcome you. You don't have to worry about the pressure from the fans. I'm sure my words still carry some weight."

Dunn also put his hand out and said, "Thank you, Tony."

Two days later, their statement to the media thanked him for all his contributions to the team and wished him all the best elsewhere.

Three days later, the Notts County officials announced the official signing of the former Nottingham Forest assistant manager, Dunn, for a four-year contract as the team's new manager.

However, both pieces of news were drowned out in the flood of reports about Ferguson, and did not even make a tiny splash.

The Nottingham Forest and Notts County fans had taken note of the two news items. They were divided on the issue. Some people understood, and some people rebuked Dunn. But, in any case, they could not interfere with the path that he wanted to take.

Brosnan was going to interview Twain. He wanted to know the story behind the personnel change. But Twain, who had already flown to Los Angeles to be with his wife, simply turned off his cell phone. Brosnan could only sigh when the phone he was holding emitted a 'busy" ringtone.

After five years of working with Twain, Dunn had chosen to take another path. Whether this choice was a blessing or curse for him and Twain was yet to be known. The two of them chose two different roads. Would their two paths meet again after a few years' time?