Although they were missing one person, the Christmas dinner at Sophia"s place was still very festive. Everyone had a wonderful evening with Sophia"s meticulous planning.

Shania also received a large Totoro soft toy in Milan, Italy, sent to her via FedEx; a soft toy as tall as a person. Shania tore open the package in front of the other models, which got her exclamations of envy. That greatly satisfied the young girl"s vanity. Although she ate fast food backstage during Christmas, to be able to receive such a Christmas present was enough to make her the happiest of all the girls.

However, she had a little trouble answering the girls" questions about the person who sent the gift.

Her parents and relatives?

Definitely not.

Friends?

In the end, she could only say, "It"s from a very, very good friend."

How close are you guys?

We"re just very, very close.

※※※

After Christmas dinner, Twain led the team to their away game against Aston Villa on December 26th, which began their h.e.l.lish compet.i.tion schedule of two away games and one home game, a total of three matches in six days during the Christmas season.

On this day in Milan, the girls who roomed together went out to go sightseeing in this fas.h.i.+on capital, with most of the holiday spent on shopping. Shania declined her roommates" invitation and chose to stay in the hotel room alone. She turned on the television and searched for a television channel on which she could watch the English Premier League game.

By the time she finally found a channel that broadcasted Nottingham Forest"s away game against Aston Villa, the second half of the game had already begun.

The television broadcast just so happened to show a close-up shot of the Forest team manager. Shania"s anxious and restless heart suddenly settled down after she saw Twain.

Aston Villa had just equalized the score, and the television broadcast wanted to show the expression on Twain"s face. But Shania did not care about the score. As long as she could see the person she wanted to see, she was content.

On the television screen, Twain could be seen staring intently at the field, unaware that the camera had locked onto him. He was also unaware that he was watched by another pair of eyes in Milan, Italy.

Sitting next to him, David Kerslake talked to him and Twain occasionally nodded as he listened. Then he stood up and walked to the sideline of the field.

He did not do anything. He just walked to the sideline and stood there with his arms across his chest. Nonetheless, his players seemed to receive some kind of motivation and the visiting team, Nottingham Forest, suddenly began to exert their force. Shania seemed to be in a trance as she watched. Although she liked Uncle Tony to joke around with her with his face full of smiles, she also liked this serious-looking Uncle Tony. Different looks had their different appeal.

When the television footage moved to the battle between the teams on the field, Shania rolled her eyes and curled her lip. She was not interested in the game at all.

The match commentary was not in Italian or English. It sounded like one of the languages from Scandinavia, perhaps Danish or Norwegian. But Shania did not care. It did not matter to her if she did not understand the commentary.

※※※

The Villa Park stadium was full of hubbub and the home fans worked hard to cheer Aston Villa on, hoping that they could give their supporters a victory on this Christmas night as a present.

But Nottingham Forest was not willing to hand over the three points. Both sides were in a stalemate.

Twain certainly did not think that tying the away game with Aston Villa was an acceptable outcome. The Aston Villa manager said before the game that he wanted to beat the league"s second-ranked team at their home ground to bring some comfort and confidence to the Villa fans who were in despair over the team"s current poor record.

It was good to have a winning conviction, but it also depended on where it was to be used.

Tony Twain was not Santa Claus for the Villa fans. He also had a reason that he must win.

With fifteen minutes left in the game, they entered injury stoppage time. Twain replaced the physically exhausted Albertini with Arteta to strengthen the organization of the midfield offense.

Twain noticed a detail.

When Albertini saw that he was going to be brought off, he turned to look for George Wood as he took off the captain"s armband from his arm. In the past, the Italian would have run over first to put it on George Wood. However, this time, it was George Wood who ran over first and took the captain"s armband from the Italian to put it on his left arm. Next, he waved his left hand with the captain"s armband on to let his teammates press up. He would defend the rear.

Since Keane"s departure, George Wood had seemed more active. He would often use body language to express his ideas.

Twain knew that Roy had talked to Wood before he left, but he did not know what was said. He did not ask Keane or Wood. He thought this should be a secret between both of them. He was glad to see that Wood was actively making some changes, and that was enough.

Aston Villa really wanted to win the game. They did not give up on the offense, even in the last ten minutes. Although the Forest team pressed hard, they did everything possible to seize the opportunity to fight back. The game suddenly intensified in the last ten minutes.

George Wood"s performance as the defensive midfielder made everyone feel rea.s.sured. Even though Keane"s training with the Forest team was short, George Wood had learned some things.

Aston Villa counterattacked after they intercepted Ashley Young"s dribble. But they did not expect the ball to be cut by George Wood rus.h.i.+ng up just when they pa.s.sed over the center circle. His tackle was very fierce, but it was not a foul. The boos at Villa Park were not enough to stop Nottingham Forest"s attack.

It was a very simple pa.s.s. Wood pa.s.sed to Arteta, who in turn pa.s.sed it again to Anelka. Finally, the French striker used a sudden change in speed to create a s.p.a.ce for him to shoot. He kicked the shot without hesitation. The football brushed against the goal post and rolled into Aston Villa"s goal!

The jeering was gone. In its place was the Nottingham Forest fans" cheering and the "Merry Christmas" song.

Amidst the "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" song, the goalscorer, Anelka, ran all the way to the subst.i.tutes" bench and took the red Santa Claus hat from his teammate"s hand. Just when the television audience thought he would put it on himself, he suddenly turned towards Tony Twain, who was celebrating the goal with Kerslake, and put the hat on his head!

Then, before Twain could react, Kerslake pulled out a fake white beard from his chest and stuck it on Twain"s chin.

"Ah… You planned this!"

With a red hat and a white beard on his chin, Twain looked like a Santa Claus in front of the television camera.

"Merry Christmas, chief!"

"How"s this for a Christmas present, Tony?"

Everyone around Twain burst into laughter.

"You rascals..." Twain tried to scare them with a straight face, but he laughed as he looked at all the laughing faces.

Looking at the comical Uncle Tony in front of the television, Shania collapsed and rolled on the bed as she laughed, holding the Totoro soft toy.

※※※

"This was a surprise that the players gave Tony Twain. It looks like it"s a success! He was stunned!" The commentator, John Motson, laughed happily.

"Poor Aston Villa, their Christmas is destined to be a.s.sociated with failure. Tony Twain makes a great Santa Claus, but he only serves the supporters of Nottingham Forest!"

"Merry Christmas, Manager Twain!"