Winter in the UK is always dark early. By five o'clock in the afternoon, the sky was already completely dark. Street lamps came on one after another, and the neon lights of the bars in the streets hung on the transparent glass windows, reflecting a brilliant brilliance that gave an illusory feeling, like the scene in the eyes of an alcoholic.

Burns' Forest Bar is on the corner, at the intersection of two streets where pubs and pubs of all kinds congregate. Burns' pub is the best and most famous, not only because of its location, but also because it is located in a place where Forest fans live.

Forest Bar is a fan territory just by the name, and the main colors of the bar are red and dark red. The exterior wall also has a huge Forest Team logo that can be seen from afar. Before and after the game, Forest fans like to come here for a few drinks, chat with other people, and even have heated arguments. People who don't have tickets will watch the Forest games on pay TV here, and that's when the bar business is at its highest.

Donn had been waiting for Walker in the bar, where he even had dinner. When business wasn't too busy, he sat in the corner and whispered to Burns. Burns congratulated Done on his performance in the second half of the FA Cup, before lamenting the two draws. In between, there would be fans who came here to drink, Burns would greet them, and there would be people who would recognize Donn and come up and say hello politely, and the British guys would be nice when everyone wasn't drunk.

Walker didn't come until after eating, he wasn't like Don alone, he could deal with him anywhere. He is a man with a wife and children.

"The man who loves the family is here." Don saw Walker appear in the doorway and pointed at him and said to Burns.

Burns greeted him with a smile, brought Walker over to sit with him, and then went to the bar himself to get a beer.

"What's the matter? Tony. Walker took off his coat and hung it on the back of his chair.

"Bored, find someone to talk to." Donn lit himself a cigarette, he didn't hand Walker a cigarette, that kid doesn't smoke, it's a habit to be a professional footballer.

"I think Tony; Mr. Donn isn't like someone who would talk to someone because he was bored. Walker smiled and took the drink from Burns, "Thank you, Kenny." ”

"Uh, that's right...... I'll go to a woman. ”

The three men let out a knowing laugh.

"Seriously, I do have something to ask you for, and I want Kenny to give me an idea." He waited for Walker to take a sip of his wine before he spoke. "Before I tell you what I think, I'd like to ask you a few questions, Des."

"Please."

"As a fan, as a spectator, what kind of game do you like to see? Don't think about it, just say the answer ......"

"Uh......" Walker was stunned for a moment, and then replied: "I think there should be a lot of stars, the two sides are evenly matched, you come and go, the kind of exciting game, right?" ”

"That is, the offensive war?" Donn asked.

Walker nodded: "So...... That's right, the two sides played offensive football. Lots and lots of beautiful goals......"

Don laughed, "You're so cruel." ”

"Huh?"

"Des, you embarrass the defenders and goalkeepers by saying that." Burns was also laughing at the side.

Walker understood. It's nice to play offensively, but it's painful for a defender to play on the field. "Well, it was Tony who put me in the shoes of the fans......"

"Okay. Now you're in your own shoes as a player, what do you like about that kind of game? Don't think about it, say it intuitively. ”

"Of course, it's the kind of game that we won easily, without any suspense." This time, as soon as Donn asked the question, Walker gave the answer.

"That is, just win, don't worry about the process." Donn asked.

"Well, it's not about the process, it's about winning easily...... But that's not bad for you to say, as long as you win a game is a good game. When I was playing, sometimes I wished I hadn't sweated for 90 minutes, and sometimes I would rather pay whatever it took to get a win at the end. ”

Hearing Walker say this, Don snapped his fingers. "Alright, now for the last question. Des, if you're the manager of a team, which of the two games do you prefer? ”

The question stopped Walker, and he opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer. Don looked at Walker's colorful expression with interest, and he seemed to be engaged in a psychological struggle. After a while, Walker shook his head honestly: "I don't know, I've only been a coach for half a season. ”

Burns knocked on the table next to him, "Tony, don't sell it." Tell me what you think? ”

Donn told the two: "The last three games have touched me a lot. With one defeat and two draws in three games, we have the advantage and if the technical statistics are to determine the final result, we should have won three in a row instead of three without a win. ”

Walker knew what Donn was going to say, and he coughed. 'Tony, we really deserved to win the first game, but it wasn't because of that, it was the referee who knocked us out in the third round of the FA Cup.

"Alright then, except for the first game. Two league games...... Kenny, as you can see, we're totally in the upper hand, and we deserve to be the victors in every sense of the word. The result? Donn leaned back in his chair, spread his hands, shrugged, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. ...... Capero was going to talk about the famous "uselessness of ball control" that was repeatedly criticized by the Spanish media after Capello took charge of Real Madrid, but he immediately remembered that this was four years ago, when Capello was still in Rome, playing the most beautiful and attacking offensive football in Italy. At this time, they will not believe that Capello advocates the uselessness of possession and allows a team like Real Madrid to play extremely conservative and ugly football.

But...... Wait a minute! Don had a plan in his mind, he didn't know if anyone had explicitly put forward this "uselessness of ball control" before Capello, but the football world should have known this way for a long time, but he didn't seem to hear any master summarize and carry him forward. Since I'm four and a half years ahead of the world now, why can't I just sum it up and officially launch it? Four years later, perhaps Capello said, "I admire Tony; Coach Donn's 'Theory of the Uselessness of Possession'. "It's my Donn's original, Lord Capello, don't spoil it.

The thought of this made Donn excited, and it was so refreshing to play with history in the palm of his hand.

"That's right......" Donn began his work to popularize the theory, and first he had to get people to accept it emotionally. I know the fans like to watch the game, they like to attack, they like to score more goals, but what do you think is the chance of winning such a game? ”

'Arsenal are playing well and they're number one at the moment, with Manchester United five points separating them. Walker retorted.

Don rolled his eyes, and when he asked the question, he knew Walker would answer him like this. This Arsenal team is indeed an outlier in the whole of England, and there are more and more teams playing in the Premier League today, but no one can take it to the extreme like Arsenal. Arsene Wenger is a great coach and Done has never denied that, even though he is not an Arsenal fan. However, he also clearly remembers who won the final Premier League title in 02-03 this season. It's Manchester United, it's Manchester United who are five points behind Arsenal. Donne, of course, can't argue with this fact, he can only look at it differently: "Five points is nothing, I think Manchester United still have a good chance of winning the title at the end of the season." ”

Walker laughed, and Burns whistled at the side. Done knows they don't believe it, Arsenal are in great shape at the moment, and Manchester United are in decline. He wasn't going to convince the two of them, that's not what he was going to say anyway. But...... He didn't mind making some money with it.

"Well, I know you don't believe it. Well, let's make a bet. I'm betting that Manchester United will be Premier League champions at the end of the season, and the bet is ...... Take your pick. "Don is confident.

"Okay, I'll bet too." Walker said first, and Burns took his words, "Walker and I bet on Arsenal to win the title. If we lose, I'll be open for free for a day, and Tony, and I'll drink here for you without paying a penny. ”

That's a good bet. Don hehe, "I'll drink you poor, Kenny." ”

"I don't mind. But if you lose, Tony, you're going to have to do what I wanted. ”

"No problem. What are the requirements? ”

"Well......" Burns thought for a moment, "I haven't thought about it now, I'll tell you when I have an idea." ”

"Okay, that's a deal."

The bet was settled. Donn continued to promote his "original" theory to them, "In today's football, apart from Arsenal, can you name which team has reached the top by playing beautiful attacking football and artistic football? Don dared to grin because he knew that Barcelona was still in chaos at this time, Ronaldo did not go to Barcelona, Messi was not yet famous, Deco was still playing under Mourinho in Porto, and the offensive football frenzy that swept across Spain and Europe was far from coming.

"Don't say five years, how many can you cite in ten years? I don't want teams that have a lot of reputation, but they don't get any honors, and to be at the top means to win the championship. ”

Walker and Burns thought about it, there are really few of them, and Arsenal, whom they admire, have not won the championship this season.

"That's right. Modern football is more utilitarian, that's true, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Because I'm a coach, I look at things from the manager's point of view, and I don't want my team to be praised for how beautiful they are in the future, to take the initiative in the game, to play attacking football, to get the fans and the media excited, and then ...... We can't win anything. Again, I'm a coach. What are the criteria for evaluating a coach as good or bad? It's simple – results, results, wins, championships. A coach who can't lead his team to victory is definitely not a good coach, no matter how good his tactical style is, no matter how flashy his team plays, he is not successful. "Donn thought of Rijkaard, and the '06-07 season was the beginning of the collapse of Rijkaard's artistic football, and it also showed that it is impossible to achieve long-term success with artistic flamboyant football." What does it take to win? I don't think it's possible to rely on the beautiful football, at least not with Forest. ”

"Ah, Tony, you're a conservative coach?" Walker said, pointing at Donn.

"No, I don't have any sects. I'm triumphant. I only want to win, as long as I can win, I don't care if I go all in or on the counter. "Donn thinks that's where he's better than those who spend their days shouting offensive football over defensive football, or chattering about defensive football as king, and he's gone beyond the realm of pursuing a superficial style of football......

"Professional Football...... When I say professional football, it's not something that school kids play for fitness, or a pastime for street play. What is the most important thing about professional football? What is the ultimate goal? In my opinion, it is victory, and the pursuit of the ultimate victory is the championship. "Donn set his coaching career in a small pub in Nottingham and established his style entirely for him." I'm a coach, I don't want to lose my job or be forgotten, there is only one way to go, which is to lead the team to win one victory after another, and win one championship after another! He raised his voice.

"Tony, are you drunk?" The smile on Walker's face was gone, and he asked cautiously.

"No, I'm awake." Don shook his head, then poured half a glass of wine, "Do you think I'm not right?" ”

"Uh, no ......"

"That's good, I said the essence of professional football. Des, didn't anyone tell you before? Why do you think we play professional football? For a better fit? To entertain the masses and entertain themselves? Don made a sneering expression, "I'll tell you...... What are the twenty-four first-class teams fighting back and forth every weekend? Twenty super teams fight to the death for ten months in a year, what are you fighting for? For victory! For the champions! If it's not for the sake of winning, why are we training the team, and why are we spending a lot of money to buy those players? Football in this era and football more than a hundred years ago are two completely different sports......"

Hearing Donn say this, both Walker and Burns fell silent. Not to mention that it is different from more than 100 years ago, it is also very different from 30 years ago. Twenty-four years ago, Nottingham Forest set off a red whirlwind on the European continent, and a team without a strong economic foundation and no high prestige won the European Cup, the highest glory in European football, for two consecutive years. This experience later became known as the "Nottingham Miracle". Why is it called a "miracle", because it is becoming more and more difficult to reproduce in modern football. In today's European football, what team without a strong economic foundation and without the backing of a consortium can win the European Champions Cup? No, not a single one. That's the difference between today and before.

Walker sighed, "Maybe you're right, Tony. The establishment of the Super League changed everything...... "he thought of the Forest team he played for.

Nottingham Forest were a formidable team even in the late eighties, reaching the FA Cup final two years in a row, losing to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United once. But after the establishment of the Super League, the lack of financial support, the Forest team without the pound plummeted, even if the magical coach Brian who could lead the team from a second division team to a European champion in three years; Clough can't compete with the tide of the pound. He and his team eventually fell victim to a new era.

"It was television that changed everything." "The advent of television fees changed everything. Since learning about his situation, Don has made up his knowledge of English football from the Internet, and he is confident that he can barely be regarded as a hardcore "English fan" who knows the history of English football.

The development of football in England can be roughly divided into several stages: the establishment of football as a sport; the formation of football clubs and football leagues; The establishment of the football league...... And then the next sign is the intervention of television.

In 1955, a new era began when the newly formed British Television Company (ITV) offered the FA and Football League a £1,000 per game to buy some of their selected league games. You know, at that time, the ticket revenue of a first-division league was only an average of 3,000 pounds.

Television officially entered the world of football, and then gradually achieved dominance in this world.

This was followed in 1992 with the launch of the English Premier League, which marked the beginning of another era. Because the original intention of this league is precisely because the big clubs are dissatisfied with the law of equal distribution of TV broadcast fees, they need more money, and they deserve more money.

The Super League saved a company from one person, and Sky, which had an annual debt of 47 million pounds, made a profit of 67 million in the first year after successfully buying the rights to broadcast the Premier League for the first five years. It is precisely because he has made money by football that Murdoch's brother suddenly wants to buy Manchester United Club, he does have that strength, and it is precisely the Premier League represented by Manchester United that brought him.

The big clubs with a reputation are making more and more money, but the small clubs are gradually losing their room to survive. Fortune is always in the hands of a few, and Nottingham Forest were relegated after a season of struggle in the Premier League, with several ups and downs since then, but never to return to their former glory.

More than half a century ago, it was television that needed football, and now football needs television. This is the biggest difference between the two eras, and the sadness of countless small clubs.

Of course, Tang En is not a strong man with a mouth full of "mouths" and "mouths" in Hong Kong comics, he doesn't want to go against the sky. It doesn't matter if this era is good or not, sad or not, since it can't be overthrown, then obey. Tang En feels that in this increasingly utilitarian world, the pursuit of victory and championship is very much in line with the requirements of the development of the times and embodies the idea of harmony and progress. There's nothing wrong with that. Human memory is a wonderful thing, and in competitive sports it is finally remembered that after a few years it will only be the winners, and the losers will receive nothing but a word or two of innocuous comfort.

Donn is not such a fan, he also likes beautiful art football, he likes Brazil, he likes Ronaldo, he likes Zinedine Zidane, he likes Kaka. What made him think so dramatically? In fact, in the final analysis, it has to do with the current situation after Donn's crossing. Don was always worried that he would one day be fired by the chairman, and then lose his job, lose his source of livelihood, and starve to death on the streets...... He was very insecure, and the feeling was intense, with him at all times, lingering. Donn realized that if he wanted to completely get rid of that sense of security, he had to lead the team to a satisfactory result, and what was a satisfactory result? Naturally, it was a victory. Donn's subconscious thought is very simple: as long as you win, you will have a job, and if you have a job, you will have no worries about food and clothing. Survival is the only truth in this world, everything else is an illusion, an illusion......

He doesn't know, even if he doesn't have a job...... With the high welfare of the United Kingdom, he will be able to live without worrying about food and clothing, of course, it is impossible to find a woman for recreation.

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