Chapter 174: With Everton (Part 1)

April 3rd, showers.

Nottingham, outside the city court.

Although the weather is not good, this kind of ordinary weather for the British cannot prevent the Forest fans from coming to watch the game on site. The colorful umbrellas lined up in front of the entrances of the stadium. When these umbrellas moved to the stands with the flow, they all disappeared without a trace in an instant. The only remaining are people who opened their arms and sang and shouted in the wind and rain, one person, and a group of people.

This is a game in the 31st round of the English Premier League, with Nottingham Forest playing against Everton at home. Perhaps for other fans, this is a game that is not special, or not. But for the fans of both sides, this is a crucial game, and it is no less than the derby battle in the city where the two teams are located.

Everyone put a lot of effort into this game, and no one wanted to be a loser in ninety minutes.

The home team's locker room was quiet. The players had just warmed up from the field, wet, and were catching the time to change their clean jerseys. Donn stood at the door of the locker room, watching his players do all this in an orderly manner. David Chris Lark was a little anxious and raised his wrist to look at his watch from time to time.

Tang En cleared his throat and raised his hand: "You guys are busy, I'll say a few words." The players stopped their work and looked back at him. Tang En waved his hand hard, signaling them to continue to be their own. Seeing the players turn around and continue changing clothes, Tang En scratched his head and said, "Well, half a month ago, we lost the League Cup... I excitedly claimed that we were going to win the League Cup championship, but the result was ridiculous. I lost."

Tang En said "I lost" so easily. The players present were a little surprised. Their coaches can be regarded as being beaten to death and never admit defeat. Even if they really lose, they have to take advantage of it. Why is it so abnormal today?

Tang En looked at the expressions of these players and naturally knew what they were thinking. He grinned: "Have you changed your clean clothes?"

The players nodded.

"Very good, everyone is quiet and keep listening to me. We are promoted, right?"

"That's right. The promoted team." Some of the players replied.

"The goal of the promoted team is usually to relegate, right?"

"Yes." More people made a sound this time.

"But..." Tang En changed his tone, "The league has been going on for thirty rounds, let's see our current results. The sixth place in the league! Which newly promoted team has such good results as us? More than two more places. We can participate in the European Champions League next season! I think it's worth it. There are eight rounds left in the league. For this goal, we have to sprint from now on, and have all our strength...sprint! Everton is our direct competitor, we are sprinting, and they are also!"

Tang En walked from the door to the center of the locker room and stood in the crowd. Looking around. "We are not very lucky recently. We lost one after another, lost the League Cup, and lost two consecutive games in the league. The media outside made a fuss, describing our Nottingham Forest as if the end of the world has come. They sentenced us to death in advance. With eight rounds of the league... we are announced in advance that our season is over and we are finished!" He pointed to the gate and cursed loudly, "Those whores are raised! What do you think? Do you think our season is over? Are we finished playing?"

At this time, if someone still says "Yes, I think we have no chance", it would be a slight search for death. All the players of the Forest team shouted loudly: "No!"

Tang En is very satisfied with the players' performance.

"I tell you, I can assure you that Liverpool will fall behind, Liverpool will fall behind! Don't look at them now ahead of us, they will definitely be overtaken by us! So our main competitor is actually only Everton, and the day of the final battle with them is today! As long as we can narrow the gap with them to one point! Those who can't bear this pressure will collapse first must be our opponent!" He clenched his fists and smashed them down. Although he didn't hit anything, everyone could hear a "bang".

"The sixth in the league. The last 16 of the League Cup... I think this result is excellent enough for a newly promoted team. It is excellent enough for a head coach who is only 36 years old. "The game has not yet begun, and the work of the commentator has begun. Martin Taylor and Andy Gray are analyzing some relevant information about this game for everyone.

Gray laughed, "Martin, I don't think Coach Donn will agree with you."

"Um?"

"He will definitely feel that it is not enough because his goal has not been achieved. Even if his goal has not been achieved, it is not outstanding. We can see something from this game. I can bet. The Forest will definitely fight Everton in this game, and this game cannot be a draw. Because at this time, the draw is equivalent to failure for someone like Tony Donn."

"Andy, when did you start to know him so much?"

The two of them laughed in front of the microphone.

After the players on both sides appeared, Moyes met Mikel Arteta among the eleven starting players in Nottingham Forest, and the feeling was immediately in his heart.

This was supposed to be a player who was trained under him and competed in the Premier League in the Everton blue jersey, but now he is his opponent in the Nottingham Forest.

He turned his head to look at the home coach's seat.

Tony Donn's upright look made it impossible for him to associate himself with the down-and-out frustrated person two years ago.  It's only been less than two years, and the changes are really big...

No, we are now opponents.

Now is not the time to appreciate each other.

Moyes withdrew his gaze and sat in the coach's seat waiting for the game to begin.

By the beginning of the game, the rain did not stop and it was not heavy, but it was very annoying. There was no water accumulation on the field, but it became even more slippery.

In the past, what Tang En hated the most was that he played on rainy days, because the team could not even play two-thirds of the level. But after staying in the UK for more than two years, he had to succumb to the power of nature. He could not change the climate of the UK's island country, right? Then he would not be a football coach and just wear underwear outside and change his career to become a Superman.

Now, the Forest team's Wilford training base has a special venue since the game with the Arsenal Youth Team that time. Whenever the weather is bad, it will pour a lot of water on the court to simulate the conditions for fighting on rainy days and allow the team to conduct adaptive training. After repeated targeted practice, the team's loss of strength in fighting on rainy days has been very small.

It seems now that he really fits the starting lineup of Bentner and Crouch. The two big tall men, most of the team's offense can avoid the slippery ground and walk into the air.

He is not like Wenger, and he must make the team play well. Tony Donn is a pragmatist. If he is ugly, he doesn't mind making the game look unappreciative. Of course, Arteta, who is delicate in technology and imaginative in passing, can also make Forest's offensive methods richer in the team. Donnn is not afraid of too many offensive routines. He wants more, so he can't figure out his mind and don't know how to defend.

After Everton's midfielder left Gravesen, his strength was weakened a lot. Although Donn remembered that Gravesen failed in Real Madrid, he was a well-deserved core when he was at Everton. Not only could he defend, but his passing ability allowed him to be competent in organizing offense. But later, when he went to Real Madrid, there were too many strong men in Real Madrid and there was no room for him to play. Teams like Real Madrid were not suitable for Gravesen. After all, not all players who were core in small and medium-sized teams could play the main force in giant clubs. Later, after Capello entered Real Madrid, the pressure became greater and more intense, and was cleaned by Capello because of a fight with Robinho.

Now there is no Graveson in this Everton team, nor the Arteta that Donn is familiar with, so Moyes has to train another player to be the core of the midfield - Australian Tim Cahill.

This person, Don Eun, is not unfamiliar with him. Whether in his memory or in his personal experience as a head coach, Cahill left a deep impression on him. Millwall's player now wore Everton's blue jersey and stood opposite Don Eun once again.

But this time, Tang En is no longer the one who was more than a year ago, and Nottingham Forest is not the deputy squad leader who is still struggling in the second-level league and cannot see the future.

As the core of the midfield, Cahill is still too young!

Moyes is completely rushing the ducks to put them on the shelves. George Wood is probably more than enough to deal with two such a midfield core.

Moyes also knows that Everton's midfield cannot compete with the Forest's midfield, so although Cahill is an intermediate midfielder on the surface, in fact, he is a forward.

Everton's starting striker is Duncan ferguson and "Saints" James Beattie who transferred from Southampton this season. Perhaps their biggest role is to help Cahill attract the forests' defensive firepower.

The real last blow was done by this Australian kid.
Chapter completed!