The Royal College of Physicians of Nottingham University is located in the southeast corner of the university, across the lake from the university campus. If you open the windows of the hospital's inpatient building, you can see the sparkling lake, and further afield, you can see the iconic building of the University of Nottingham, the white building that looks like the White House.

Donn and Wood weren't just looking out from the upper floors, they were walking by the lake at the moment. Near noon, there were very few people here. The patients who came out to breathe saw that the sun was getting hotter and brighter overhead, and they all returned to the room. Don and Wood didn't care, and walked slowly along the lakeside.

"I don't think you need to have any press conferences." Donn handed the newspaper to Wood, "It's almost a given." ”

Wood looked down at the newspaper in his hand, which contained an article about his retirement, and the reporter's tone was very determined, and he didn't know how they knew the inside information. But Wood doesn't care about that.

"Mommy is not in good condition, and I want to accompany her for the rest of the way......" Wood whispered.

This sentence shocked Donn. He stopped and turned to look at Wood. Did this kid know in his heart that his mother was running out?

Wood didn't care that Donn was staring at him, he turned to look at the inpatient building, as if searching for the window of his mother's room.

“…… I don't have the heart to play in this situation and the club will be affected by me. ”

"So you just just make it clear and retire directly, so that the club doesn't have to worry about your affairs anymore?" Donn added.

Wood nodded.

It wasn't just a spur of the moment, it was, as he said, a carefully considered decision. But if that's the case, it will only give Don more headaches.

There is a row of benches in front for patients to rest. Donn gestured there, "Let's go and take a break." ”

The two of them sat down on chairs, facing the small lake in front of them, and the clear water reflected the blue sky and white clouds, as if the lake was also blue.

"Do you think you can leave the team unaffected by announcing your retirement in the middle of the season? Do you know where you stand now, George? Donn looked at the lake and said, "Do you remember the first time we met?" ”

Wood was stunned for a moment, he had almost forgotten what happened more than ten years ago.

Seeing that he was silent, Donn continued: "Dirty you suddenly ran to my door, returned my wallet, and told me that I should sign the best player in England. Speaking of which, Donn glanced at Wood, "Now that the best player in England has suddenly announced his retirement, do you think there will be no follow-up to this?" ”

Wood still didn't speak, but he didn't immediately contradict Donn, which was a good sign.

"After you hid in the hospital, the repercussions were already there. Do you think Nottingham Forest will be able to win against Liverpool tomorrow? ”

This time, Wood didn't remain silent, but said, "Even if I'm here, it's hard to win." He looked up at Done, then opened his mouth and said, "Nottingham Forest is no longer the Nottingham Forest you used to be......

This sentence left Don speechless. Wood is telling the truth, even if Wood is there at Nottingham Forest, it will be very difficult to beat Liverpool at Anfield. As soon as he remembered that the Nottingham Forest he led swept across Europe, God blocked and killed God, and Buddha stopped and killed Buddha, his heart beat faster. It's been a fascinating time...... Don threw his head back and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the blue sky and narrowing his eyes.

- Nottingham Forest wins! They are champions! European Champion!! Tony. Donn's team beat AC Milan!

- It's incredible! Tony. Donne's team became the first team to successfully defend their title after the Champions League restructured! Nottingham Forest makes history!

...... – League Champions, FA Cup Winners, European Champions Cup Winners! The 2013-14 season belongs to Nottingham Forest! They became an amazing triple crown!!

What would have happened if he hadn't chosen to leave in the first place, but had swallowed his anger and stayed with the Forest team? Nottingham Forest should have a few years to go, right? The Triple Crown is not to think about it, and it should be okay to win a few more championships.

"George, do you still hate me?"

Wood turned to look at Done.

"Nottingham Forest is the way it is, a little bit of my reason, right?"

"Of course I hate you." Wood's answer was truly true to his heart. "How was life after retirement?" He abruptly changed the subject.

"Uh......" Donn didn't expect Wood to ask this question out of nowhere, he thought about it, and it seemed that there was nothing to say. That's it, take care of the children at home every day, and accompany Shania. How else can a retired old man live? ”

Hearing Donn say "a retired old man," Wood actually laughed. It was the first time Don had seen him smile in the past two days.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm imagining what life would be like for a retired old man."

"You think I water the flowers in the garden every day, and plant tomatoes and potatoes or something? No, no, I'm not going to do that kind of thing. I still care about world football, maybe I'll be a TV commentator and I'll comment on your game, George. "He seems to have forgotten that Wood was retiring." You've been terrible in the last few games. Top at the front of the current waist? You can't even catch the ball, what do you do as a striker? Have you forgotten that offense is converted by defense? Do you know why I insisted that you stay in the back position and not go in any other direction? The midfielder is the pivot of attack and defence, where you can have more opportunities to get the ball, your career is more open, and the opponent is less disturbing, which is conducive to your performance. But if you look at the last few games, you're almost a second striker! ”

The more Donn spoke, the more stern he became, as if they were not in the backyard of the hospital, but in the locker room of the court.

'That's not my problem, it's the manager's decision. Wood defended himself. "McAllister thought the team's offense was a big problem and decided to put me on the premise and let me go straight to the attack, and if the conditions allowed, he would let me shoot as long as he could."

Don frowned when he heard what Wood said. "Evan. Dogotti's vision for choosing a manager is truly flattering......"

"He's only picked the right one in years." Wood continued.

"Hah!" Don laughed, "That's right, only picked the right one." ”

Then there seemed to be no more conversation between the two of them to continue with, and there was a silence.

Don stared at the lake, and Wood didn't know where he was looking. It took a long time for Wood to break the silence: "You're here to persuade me not to retire, right?" ”

Don snorted.

This is really a thing that bothers him, and he would rather lead the Chinese team to the World Cup qualifiers than face a stubborn Wood.

"I have a solution."

Don turned his head sharply to stare at Wood, he was afraid that he had misheard.

Ignoring Donn's burning gaze, Wood continued, "When you go back to the Forest, I'll stay with you. ”

Donn's mouth opened wide in surprise. He hadn't expected to hear such words from Wood.

Under Donn's surprised gaze, Wood continued: "This is not a joke, I have thought it very seriously. ”

"I'm retired, George......" Don really didn't know what to say, this result was definitely not expected by himself.

"You flew back to England from Los Angeles to persuade me not to retire. But like you just said, you're retired, neither England manager nor Nottingham Forest manager, so what does it matter to you whether I retire or not? Wood looked directly at Donn, as if trying to see through his heart.

Under Wood's forced gaze, Donn was a little overwhelmed, and it was the first time he found that Wood's eloquence could be so good.

"Do you really not want me to retire?" Wood asked.

"Uh, of course......"

"Why? You're not my coach anymore, so why do you care so much about whether I'm retiring? ”

"Why?" Donn chewed on Wood's question, "Okay...... I've watched you grow up, I've turned you from a street gangster to a world-class star, I have feelings for you, and I don't want to see you leave this stage so early. ”

"So what do I get out of keeping playing? What is the reason for your retirement? You've got the honours of the club and the honours of the national team, and so am I. Wood said calmly.

"No......" Donn shook his head, "don't you think it's fun to play football?" Not for utilitarianism, just for the joy of pure enjoyment of football......"

Wood laughed again: "Who told us we can't be happy if we can't win?" Who told us that only winning championships is qualified to say that I am enjoying football? Do you think I'm still happy playing in the environment I'm playing in? Can you still enjoy football? ”

Donn suddenly felt that Wood on the other side had become himself, and he had become the George who needed to be convinced. Wood.

"I've won all the championships, and my happiness is gone, why can't you say I can't retire?"

Donn found out that what Wood said was not wrong at all, and it was normal for him to retire. But why don't you want to see him retire?

Something suddenly occurred to him. When he has not yet crossed the possession, when he is still an ordinary Chinese, likes football, likes to play the game of football manager, when one of the demon players he has dug out in the game announced that he is about to retire at the end of the season after more than ten years of professional football career, what kind of mood does he feel? He tells the other party, an NPC made up of data, to reconsider his retirement decision.

In fact, what else is there to play in a football manager game to the end? No matter how bad the team is, he can take it to the top of Europe. The domestic league and the Champions Cup have won n consecutive championships, and the transfer funds are sufficient but they are not used at all, because his team is full of the best players in the world of that era. As George said, having won all the titles and never going to be ecstatic about lifting the domestic league trophy for the first time, or getting the same sense of accomplishment as the first time he was promoted to the top league, so why keep playing? The reason for him to continue playing was that he didn't want to leave earlier than the names he was familiar with.

After more than a dozen seasons of play, those NPCs who only have names and data are no longer cold NPCs, but living people, real players. They will thank the media after receiving an accolade, and thank the manager for helping and promoting them. They would also say after the defeat that the manager had been angry in the dressing room only after the game and that "we all felt his anger". When you praise them for their recent performance, they are happy, and when you criticize them for their recent poor form, you get a different response...... Although for others, this is just a game, and at least it is a multiple-choice problem designed by programmers, the real football manager player will be emotionally invested in playing.

Yes, be emotionally engaged.

That's why Donn doesn't want to see Wood retire prematurely, just as any emotionally invested player would try to persuade him to reconsider his decision when he learns that his favorite player is retiring, even if he knows he might hit a wall.

"Seeing fewer and fewer familiar people on the court, I feel a little lonely." Donn sighed, "So I don't want you to retire, you're one of the few people I'm familiar with." ”

Wood opened his mouth, but didn't make a sound, and he continued to look at the lake. There was another silence between the two men.

After a long while, Tang En heard a faint voice in his ear: "You are also one of the few people I am still familiar with......

※※※The next night's match, the highlight of the match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, was selected by BBC Television to broadcast live nationally. So in front of millions of spectators, Nottingham Forest was beaten by Liverpool with five goals at Anfield. The Nottingham Forest team had no fighting spirit and seemed to be thinking about leaving as soon as possible from the moment they stepped on the pitch. When the team conceded a goal, head coach McAllister was still thundering below, very unhappy with the status quo. But by the time the team conceded three more goals in fifteen minutes, he was already sitting in his chair and indifferent.

Commentator Mortenson said the Nottingham Forest team was clearly influenced by George Forest. The impact of Wood's absence. Don was watching live TV in the reception room outside the hospital room, and he turned his head to look at Wood and saw that there was no expression on his face.

In the end, the team lost to Liverpool with a score of 0:5, ending this nightmare for Nottingham Forest fans.

The next day, at Sophia's strong insistence, Wood had to abort his "vacation" early and return to team training. But before leaving, he said to Don En, don't think that he won't give up his intention to retire in this way, if you really don't want him to retire, then come back to accompany him.

Don didn't respond.

On the same day, Nottingham Forest held a press conference to announce that manager McAllister had offered to resign, and the club had agreed to his resignation after research. For the time being, the team will be coached by youth team director Mason Greenwood.

After such personnel changes, in the eyes of outsiders, Nottingham Forest, which was once dominant, is sliding into the abyss of darkness, and the more it slides, the faster it slides......

(To be continued)