"I'm sorry that I didn't let the audience see me jumping into the sea. Maybe next time I should say, 'If I win, I'll jump into the ocean'? ”

LCD TVs in the airport lobby are showing Donne's interview with a BBC reporter.

It was already morning, and now it's afternoon. The Forest's plane is about to arrive at London Heathrow.

In an exclusive interview in the morning, Don promised to compensate the BBC for the live broadcast of Forest's gala celebrating the team's triumph tonight.

As for the rest of the media...... He didn't care.

It is clearly written in the contract that this contract will come into effect only if Forest lose, and he will not be held responsible for it. handed over the live broadcast rights of the celebration party to the BBC, but because Don En had cooperated with BBC TV in the World Cup in Germany, and the relationship between the two sides was not bad.

“…… Well, I'm now somewhat regretting selling the rights to live coverage to the media in England. "Don on the TV screen is well-dressed, radiant and smiling." Maybe I should sell to the Italian press? Then I watched them sell all the ads, and vowed to broadcast my sea jumping live...... Ha! I'll learn that lesson next time. ”

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd watching the TV.

Almost all of them were fans from Nottingham, who came to the airport early to greet the Forest team and put up a red banner that read: "Welcome European champions – Nottingham Forest!" ”

Not just banners, all of them were holding a newspaper. This is an issue of the Nottingham Evening Post's Champions Cup final. It was the editorial department and the printing company who rushed out all night after the finals.

The front page is printed in color, and the whole page, except for their own registration, is a piece of red, with a golden number "3" on it, and a row of gold letters above and below the number "Champions - Nottingham Forest". This is the commemorative T-shirt that the Forest team wore to receive the trophy after winning the championship.

Other than that, there is not a single superfluous word on the front page. As newspapers that only sell in the Nottingham area, they are aimed at Nottinghams, and it doesn't take too much prognosticism to explain what Nottingham Forest fans know what this means.

Pierce. Bruce sent this to the newsroom as a front-page idea, and it was approved immediately.

Now the Forest fans who came to pick up the airport even used the newspaper in their hands as a connector code and identity marker, and when they saw someone, they raised the newspaper in their hands, and then everyone looked at each other and smiled - they are all Forest fans!

More than two dozen media outlets gathered around the group, waiting with them for the plane to arrive.

A season ago, at this time, when Donn and his team flew back from Paris, France, apart from these die-hard fans, there were only a few local media outlets in Nottingham and The Sun waiting to mock Donn, and there was always a lack of interest in a loser. Nobody wants to be a loser, but no one cares if a loser wants to be a loser.

※※※

Through the porthole, Donn could already see the mouth of the Thames beneath the clouds, the surface of the water reflecting the sun's rays, shining silver. He turned his head to look at the Champions Cup right next to him, which also shone with a dazzling silver light.

"What a beautiful ......," he muttered, reaching out to touch the curves of the trophy as if caressing his own wife's ** - if he had a wife, of course......

The players, tired from a night of partying, had been asleep since they got on the plane, and only a few were still awake at this time.

Don and Don are one of them. Tang didn't sit with Don, he went to the economy class in the back, supposedly to give an exclusive interview to Tang Jing. Tang En snorted when he heard this, what kind of interview, do you want to get it from last night to this afternoon?

There was a jolt in the fuselage, and the voice of the flight attendant appeared on the radio: "Passengers, our plane is descending, and now there is turbulence in the fuselage, please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts." ”

Some of the players woke up one after another, and they looked blankly to find that they were over the UK.

Tang Enke didn't listen to the flight attendant's command, he stood up with the trophy, and then shouted in a loud voice commanding the game: "Get up, lazy bugs!" ”

The sound of Suo Suo sounded in the cabin, and in a moment everyone poked their heads out of their positions, most of them sleepy-eyed and dazed, not knowing what was happening.

"Should you really be given a mirror and see for yourselves – is that what the European champions look like?" Don made the appearance that he hadn't woken up, and his strange appearance made the players laugh and drive away their sleepiness.

"Rub your face, the plane is about to land, and there are a lot of fans and reporters waiting outside. Don't let them see you now. After saying that, Don En reflexively sat down.

After a while, Don also walked back from behind, and he sat down next to Don.

"The interview is over?"

"Hmm."

"I'm suddenly looking forward to a long interview." Donn whistled.

Tang didn't speak, he knew that his mouth was not as good as Tang En, and if he kept talking about this topic, he would soon be defeated.

There was a commotion behind him, Tang turned his head to look, and then touched Donne: "Mr. Chairman." ”

When Don heard this, he quickly stood up. Sure enough, he saw Evan. Dogetty and Allen. Adams walked up to him as he greeted the players.

"Looks like I'm looking for you." Don spoke, and then made it to the empty spot on the opposite side of the aisle.

"Guys! You've done a great job and I'm so proud of you! The prize money will be cashed out when you return to Nottingham! Evan smiled and made a promise of money, which was the most important thing the players wanted to hear right now, and everyone whistled and applauded.

It was a row of three seats, with Donn by the window, the championship trophy in the middle seat, and an empty seat in the aisle. Don was going to let another one, but Evan raised his hand to stop it.

He held out his hand to Donn, "Can I hug that?" He was referring to the Champions Cup.

"Of course." Donn handed him the Champions Cup.

Evan held it in his hands and rubbed it gently, then he sat down in the middle seat and continued to hold the trophy in his arms.

Allan. Adams sat on the outside.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Evan asked, looking at the trophy in his arms.

"It's like a beautiful woman with big breasts and fat buttocks." Don replied.

Both laughed.

"Well done, Tony." Alan, who was next to him, stretched out his hand to Don through Evan and the trophy.

Don shook hands with him: "Thank you Alan, we wouldn't have been able to get this far without your financial support. ”

Evan is delighted to see his two men getting along so well, which shows that there are no rifts within the club and that he can look forward to a better future and more moments.

"Tony. You've brought so much glory to the team and the club should do something about it. Evan put down the trophy and handed it to Alan. What do you want? ”

Donn thought for a moment: "I want the club to invest more in the construction of the youth team. ”

Hearing him say this, Evan glanced at Alan next to him, and then stretched out his hand: "Ten pounds." ”

"Oh, hell......" Alan grumbled as he reached out of his pocket for ten pounds and patted Evan. Doggety's palm.

"You ......"

"I made a bet with Allen before I came and he said you'd ask for a raise or something personal, but I said you'd think about team building. Thank you, Tony, for helping me win him ten pounds. Evan laughed happily.

"Hey ......"

Evan didn't let Done continue, he put his hand on Donn's shoulder: "Haven't our academy always been among the top in England? ”

"That was before, and it's not anymore." Don wanted to shrug his shoulders, but when he saw Evan's hand on it, he didn't think it was good, so he just shook his head. 'The new owners of Chelsea have invested a lot of money in the club's academy, they have poached people everywhere and we have people poached. If you look at the big clubs in the league right now, which one doesn't have a great youth team? Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool...... It's just us, and our youth system is like a hillbilly compared to theirs. It's frustrating to me that since Bale and Wood, we haven't had any players in our youth team that have caught my eye......"

"Maybe you're looking too high, Tony, and the senior team is full of big stars these days. You can't see the youth team coming out of the normal ......," Evan comforted.

Donn shook his head, "Maybe." But we're already on the back foot in the war for teenage talent with those teams, that's a fact. ”

Evan nodded in agreement. "But, Tony...... I have something to tell you. ”

Now that the cabin was becoming more and more lively as more and more players woke up, Evan lowered his head and lowered his voice, obviously he didn't want more people to hear what he was going to say next.

"It may be difficult for us to get your request ......"

"What?"

"I mean, we probably won't be able to put a lot of money into the youth team in the near future, at least I can't be as generous as that Abramovich. Because...... Well, Allen and I are planning to build a new high-capacity stadium for the team. ”

Don opened his mouth and looked at Evan in surprise.

He really didn't expect to hear such news.

In the game he plays, FM Football Manager, he can make various demands to the club's board as a head coach, such as improving training facilities, improving the construction of the youth system, finding satellite clubs, budgeting for higher salary caps and transfer fees, and expanding or even building new stadiums.

Among these requirements, the last one is the hardest. Don has asked the club more than once to expand the stadium when he was playing the game, and the answer has been basically "no". He even threatened to resign, and the result was the same – he led the team to all the championships in the world and was the number one decorated manager in the world rankings, but he was abandoned in the board's choice question about "new stadium or new manager".

Just for the sake of not having enough seats at the stadium, he could be dismissed by those damn club boards without hesitation.

Impressed by this absurdity, Don didn't even think of proposing to the team that the expansion was just a new stadium. Although he also felt that the city stadium, which can accommodate up to 30,000 people, was a bit small and outrageous, and did not match the status of the Forest team......

Evan looked at Donn's expression and thought he was angry that the club was not giving money to improve the youth team and was going to build a new stadium, and he was going to explain. He didn't want to get into trouble with his manager the day after he won the Champions Cup.

"Uh, Tony...... Here's what happened......"

Don raised his hand to interrupt him, "Do you really have plans to build a new stadium?" He looked at Evan, and then at Alan.

Still Alan came out and nodded: "Yes, Tony." We started planning this idea in the semi-finals and Evan and I both felt that the city stadium could not accommodate too many fans and that it didn't match the results of our team in Europe and in the domestic league today. You know, a new stadium costs a lot of money, just look at Arsenal's woes in those years, so if we do not have a lot of money for your youth team once this plan comes to fruition, and I'm afraid we don't have a lot of money for you to operate in the transfer market......

Evan was always reluctant to do this kind of offending thing, and only Alan stepped forward.

Don was not a fool, he looked at Evan with his head down and said nothing, then at Allen's expression, and then laughed: "Wait, you think I'm going to be furious and lash out at this plan?" ”

Hearing him say this, Evan looked up at him.

"I've been thinking the same thing as you have for a long time. I also felt that the city stadium, which can only accommodate a maximum of 30,000 people, was too small...... I'm in favor of the new stadium plan. ”

The expressions of the other two relaxed and relieved.

Any discord within the club was not what Evan wanted to hear.

"But ......," Donn's tone changed, "the youth team can take its time, I hope to have at least one plan, how much money to invest every year, not too much, but to keep investing in it." In terms of transfer fees...... Anyway, I've been used to saving money for the club in transfer negotiations over the past few years, and it doesn't matter if it's less. We have a strong squad now and we don't need a lot of transfer fees to replace the whole team, we just need to add a few positions with a little bit of personnel. ”

Hearing Don say this, Evan and Alan glanced at each other, and the stone in their hearts was completely put down.

"There is no problem with the construction of the youth team, and I also know that any big club must have a youth training base that matches its identity. Also, Tony, our transfer situation in the past few years has generally been more in and less out......"

Don knew what he meant.

"When the transfer market reopens, there will be one person who will definitely leave."

Evan and Alan didn't ask him who that person was, because everyone knew it in their hearts.

"But," Donn said, "we probably won't make that much money from that man." He's not selling as well as he did last year. ”

"Who told you to refrigerate someone for a season?" Evan laughed.

"I won't let those who oppose me leave the forest so easily." Don shrugged. "He's going to have to suffer a little. Now I'm sure he's had enough......"

Allen interrupted him: "What if this title suddenly makes him change his mind and want to stay at Nottingham Forest?" ”

Don didn't hesitate to answer Allen's question, as if he had already thought of the answer: "The result is the same, he leaves." Alan, you know what? It's a great opportunity to show the players who is the boss of this team and I won't let it go. ”

As they spoke, there was a jolt from the plane, and they landed.

"I've got your back, Tony." Evan nodded at the shock. "In the team, it's up to you."

After saying this, Evan and Alan left without waiting for the plane to stop.

Donn got up and greeted Albertini, who was sitting in the back: "Demi, come here!" ”

"What's the matter, chief?" Although he has announced his retirement, Albertini is still in the team, as is customary, Donn is still called "the leader".

"Later, you will come with me and walk in the front." Donn gestured to the Champions Cup in his hand. "We both got off the plane with it."

Albertini hesitated: "I'm retired, chief. You should have George come and ......."

"Bullshit!" Donn scolded, "Did I announce the disbandment of the team? The season isn't over yet! If George wants to enjoy this glory, wait for the next time! This time, you and I are at the forefront. Not only here, but also on the way back to Nottingham and finally our celebration party...... Until that time, you were the captain of this team. ”

Albertini smiled helplessly: "Okay, I'll listen to you, boss." ”

※※※

Once the planes had cleared the runway and landed on the tarmac, a queue of reporters and welcoming fans swarmed up, and the police officers tasked with maintaining order struggled to keep them behind the security line. There was some chaos and commotion at the scene.

It wasn't until they saw the cabin door being opened that it suddenly fell silent.

The policemen felt the pressure around them suddenly lighten and raised their heads.

The cabin door slowly opened, and Tony was the first to step out. Donn, he raised his hand and waved to the welcoming crowd below, his other hand still on the plane. In his footsteps, the trophy was unveiled along with Albertini.

The two men did not rush down, but stood at the door and held the trophy high together.

**Here it comes.

The fans below cheered in unison and the flashing lights were blazing.

"Ladies and gentlemen...... This is the European Cup! "The live TV broadcast gave Donn and Albertini a big close-up of the trophy in their hands." Holding it in both hands, it has worn Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich...... Now it's Nottingham Forest's turn! ”

A female anchor spoke emotionally in front of the camera lens. Her words were heard by the fans next to her, and they shouted with pride in their words. "It's not the first time, it's not the first time! This is the third time we've picked her up! Nottingham Forest are the team that have won the European Champions Cup three times! ”

The female anchor was startled by the sudden shout and didn't make a sound for a long time.

Donn and Albertini walked down the gangway with their trophies held high. From the moment they appeared at the door of the cabin, the flashing lights did not stop.

Behind them, the Forest's players have changed their jerseys and are wearing crisp dark red suits. This is the uniform issued by the Forest Club to the players and coaches for the occasion.

Such outfits made them look energetic, not at all confused as if they had just woken up. Donn looked back at his players, and he was pleased with the boys' performance.

As Donn and Albertini walked down the gangway with the trophy in their hands, the police officers on either side felt the pressure from behind them again, and they squeezed forward desperately to get close to the trophy that glittered in the sun.

Some of the policemen's hats were so crowded that they couldn't wear them steadily, and the scene was chaotic for a while.

Donn stopped and motioned for Albertini to join him in lifting the trophy again. Then he raised his hand and motioned for the fans to be quiet, he had something to say.

This trick is very effective, the fans don't listen to the police, but they all listen to the manager.

A young policeman looked at Donn with a smile on his face, and while desperately trying to maintain order, he said to his companions: "Is he helping us stabilize the mood of the fans?" ”

The older policeman gritted his teeth in a low voice and said, "The ghost knows...... It would be nice if he didn't add to the chaos! "The veteran cop was very unhappy with being sent to the airport to be responsible for the continued maintenance of security. On the one hand, because he is a Chelsea fan, he doesn't like to see his opponents in such a glamorous way. On the other hand, because wherever Don is there, there is trouble.

"Hey! I said guys! Donn raised his voice and yelled as if he was directing the game loudly from the sidelines, "What was she like before I took over this team, do you remember?" ”

"Remember!" The hundreds of fans present responded loudly.

"Now Tony. Coach Don is going to give an impromptu speech on the spot......" The hostess whispered into the microphone, for fear of disturbing Don's speech.

"Twenty-three years from that day, everyone still remembers what the Forest team was like at that time, right?!"

"Remember!!" The answer was much louder, because it was one of the most glorious periods in Nottingham Forest's history, as they emerged from the second division to become the champions of the first division, and won the European Cup for two consecutive years, the longest unbeaten run in 42 English top-flight games before Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, and Liverpool, who dominated Europe, were beaten twice in one year: the league and the Champions Cup. For a time, the red Nottingham Forest was in the limelight.

Brian. The names of Clough and his disciples are etched in the annals of the European Champions Cup.

"Good!" Donn nodded, and then he took the other handle of the trophy from Albertini, which he held high and shouted, "From that year to now...... Twenty-seven years later! We're back! Let all Europe tremble! Let our opponents be scared to go! To hell with those who despise us! There are more champions waiting for us to hold ahead! ”

Hundreds of fans roared wildly to the sky along with their head coach, just as the older policeman said: "It's even more chaotic......

In the midst of this frantic shouting, the hostess also had to raise her voice: "Tony." Coach Donn gave an impromptu speech to his supporters at the airport, telling them that it was just the beginning! That's it for BBC TV from the scene. ”

The female anchor who finished her work turned her head to look at Don who was walking out with the trophy held high in the crowd, and he smiled so brightly......

(To be continued)