Chapter 490: Chapter 490

After the first matchday of the Champions League group stage, life at Manchester City returned to its usual rhythm.

For Manchester City, only O’Neill could roam the touchline, as everyone else, including Mourinho, was banned from domestic games after the trouble in the previous match with referee Uriah. But don’t worry—the authority may have ruled on paper, but tactical decisions still lived in O’Neill’s head.

As for the players, Gattuso was suspended. This little "card magnet" had already collected enough bookings to fill a sticker album—and he hadn’t even completed his first season at City yet. Thankfully, Makélélé was ready, stepping in seamlessly.

With Mourinho absent, whether he liked it or not, goalkeeping coach Terry Gennoe took charge as assistant. The team members were quite familiar with him, so they listened with attentive ears.

Before the start of the second matchday of the Champions League, City had played five domestic matches during the staff suspensions. They also cruised through the League Cup, advancing with ease.

The opponents in their four league matches were as follows:

Away vs. Nottingham Forest

In these four matches, Manchester City only managed to win the home game against Southampton; they lost to Arsenal, and the other two ended in draws.

In the intense clash with Arsenal, Cannavaro equalized with a header, but it was answered by Bergkamp via a penalty in the dying moments, securing a point for the opposition. The next two matches, at home and away, featured opponents playing defensively, effectively stifling City’s attempts to break through.

As for Southampton, a free kick from Nakata saved City from a four-game winless streak—but the Premier League would never forget the 90-minute debut of 17-year-old City defender John Terry, who announced himself with calm confidence on his very first outing.

As the new season commenced, Manchester City’s record stood at three wins, six draws, and two losses from eleven league matches, totaling 15 points.

Manchester City, the previous champions, came under intense scrutiny—especially from journalists at Fleet Street and the Manchester Evening News—who believed that if City had utilized Ronaldinho more in the league, they could have turned some of those draws into victories.

Some also argued that FA suspensions prevented the team from performing at their maximum. O’Neill, who usually attended press conferences with confidence, found himself at the mercy of a relentless media barrage.

Debates raged over the best way to use Ronaldinho. Some claimed O’Neill had lost control, and there were even rumors of a public vote for the next Manchester City manager. To be honest, Richard Laso leaned toward deploying Ronaldinho more in league play, but O’Neill firmly opposed it.

Perhaps it was Ronaldinho’s exceptional talent that made him cautious about overusing him. Even when Richard cited Owen—a young phenom who had delivered stellar performances last season, including a remarkable World Cup display—O’Neill remained steadfast in his reservations.

For O’Neill, in the early stages of young players’ careers, the intensity and frequency of matches should be well-balanced. Otherwise, the long-term consequences could be detrimental and not immediately visible. But for Richard, emphasizing playing experience was everything. He believed that exposing young talent to as many high-pressure situations as possible would accelerate their growth, sharpen their instincts, and toughen them mentally.

This almost broke the two’s relationship.

The results of each round of fixtures had the power to significantly alter the standings.

While City struggled, the Premier League’s big four—Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United—remained dominant on the leaderboard, though none had yet pulled clearly ahead Follow current novels on novel•fire.net

Unlike their CIty rivals, Manchester United swept through their opponents with remarkable consistency, suffering only two losses.

First, they secured their first Premier League win at the fourth attempt by defeating Charlton Athletic 4–1 at Old Trafford. After that, they continued to sweep aside their opponents—before finally being beaten by Arsenal 3–0 in the league at Highbury in fixture 11, marking the fourth defeat inflicted upon Alex Ferguson’s team in less than a year.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Wimbledon complete the top five.

As October arrived, British football began to heat up.

First came the shocking news: Kenny Dalglish was sacked after 19 months as manager of Newcastle United, earning a reputation as one of the most unpopular figures in the club’s recent history. And it was easy to see why.

After being appointed on a three-and-a-half-year contract, taking over from Kevin Keegan, Dalglish immediately dismantled the team that had finished second in the league for two consecutive seasons.

Popular players such as Peter Beardsley, Lee Clark, Les Ferdinand, and David Ginola were sold, replaced with aging stars like John Barnes (34), Ian Rush (36), and Stuart Pearce (35)—alongside virtually unknown talents such as Des Hamilton and Garry Brady. Newcastle United then appoint Ruud Gullit as their new manager, the day before his 36th birthday.

After Kenny Dalglish’s departure, George Graham stepped into the spotlight. He quit Leeds United after two years as manager to take over at Tottenham Hotspur after they sacked Christian Gross after nine months as manager.

It was said that Graham left Leeds under acrimonious circumstances, with Spurs chairman Alan Sugar personally telephoning Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale. After a brief conversation, a deal was struck, including a compensation agreement that allowed Graham to fulfill his wish of returning to London.

After Graham’s departure from Leeds United, rumors began circulating that Martin O’Neill of Manchester City would be the club’s next manager. However, once the news broke, Manchester City confirmed that O’Neill would not be moving to Leeds United. The following day, David O’Leary, formerly the assistant manager at Elland Road, was appointed manager on a permanent basis.

The news became a surprised in British football, and just as people thought the story had reached its conclusion, an even more devastating report emerged.

Justin Fashanu was found hanged in a deserted lock-up garage he had broken into in Fairchild Place, Shoreditch, London. He had reached the point where he could no longer bear the weight of the allegations against him—accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy.

In his suicide note, Fashanu vehemently denied the charges, insisting that the encounter had been consensual. He explained that he had returned to England because he believed he could not receive a fair trial due to his homosexuality.

He wrote: ’I realised that I had already been presumed guilty. I do not want to give any more embarrassment to my friends and family.’

The tragedy sent shockwaves through the football community, highlighting not only the pressures faced by professional athletes but also the profound impact of prejudice and public scrutiny on his life.

When Richard saw the news, he frowned. He fished his phone from his pocket, preparing to call an old acquaintance—Eric Hall.

It had been a long time since he last contacted the man who had helped him break into the world of football agents. How many years had it been? Two? Three?

But Eric was now a very busy person. His schedule was packed with high-profile clients across music, football contracts, media management, commercial deals, and endorsements. Coordinating with him was never easy, and Richard knew it might take a while to find a slot before he could truly get through.

Richard frowned before calling again. It was no secret that Eric Hall had been Justin’s agent, but they had fallen out badly. The conflict centered around Justin selling his coming-out story (about being gay) to The Sun newspaper in 1990. According to The Independent, Justin had reportedly asked Hall to help him sell the story because he needed money. After that deal, Fashanu and Hall never spoke again.

Just as he was about to make a call, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Richard called.

He opened the door to find his brother, Harry, standing there.

Harry swaggered into the kitchen, looking completely at home. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed some cutlery and quickly carved out a large portion of Richard’s dinner. Then he pulled a bottle of red wine from the temperature-controlled cellar and poured a generous glass for himself.

Richard stayed by the door, glancing nervously around.

"Where’s Sarah?" he asked.

"Isn’t it your turn to be with her?" Richard said seriously. His sister-in-law was about to give birth!

Harry waved a hand dismissively. "I’ll go there after I’m done here. I need to talk to you first."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Something serious?"

He was taken aback but followed Harry to the table, sitting down. Before he could start, he frowned at the meager portion left on his plate. "Hey... are you on some kind of weight-gain plan or something?"

Harry let out a hearty laugh. "Don’t worry. Before I came, I called a restaurant nearby to send some food over. It should be here any minute. Just enjoy your meal—I promise I won’t let you step foot in the kitchen again."

Thanks to the head injury, his little brother had become someone who thrived on routine, with a structured schedule for everything—even eating. Having already finished his dinner, he had no intention of being pulled back into the kitchen. Anticipating his needs, he made all the necessary arrangements in advance, ensuring everything ran smoothly without disturbing the delicate balance of his schedule.

Richard waved his hand. "I know, I’m just kidding."

Enough with the small talk, Harry immediately, lowering the TV volume with the remote.

"I heard you’ve got trouble with the FA."

Richard furrowed his brows.

"Don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to interfere," Harry said. But when it came to Richard, Harry knew he wouldn’t just stay silent. "I heard you asked a reporter to dig up information on a media company that’s up for sale?"

"...How did you know?"

"I just got the information," Harry replied. "That’s why I came straight over. By the way, it’s about the reporter you met." Before sitting down, he handed Richard a sheet of paper.

Richard looked at it and immediately recognized it as a newspaper clipping.

THE DAILY MIRROR – BUSINESS SECTIONThursday, Sepember 29, 1998

City Slickers Share-Tipping Scandal Rocks City Journalists

Byline: John Hargreaves, Business Correspondent

LONDON — Allegations of unethical conduct have emerged surrounding the City Slickers column, a financial feature in the Daily Mirror run by journalists James Hipwell and Anil Bhoyrul.

It is claimed that the pair issued share tips on companies in which they—or other associates—held stock...

"James Hipwell and Anil Bhoyrul? Who are they?" Richard asked, confused.

Harry shook his head. "They’re not the ones you need to worry about—it’s their boss."

"In the Daily Mirror, their boss is Piers Morgan."

Richard was dumbfounded.

"I just wanted to warn you," Harry continued. "With this controversial news, be careful around him. Especially since it turns out he’s not just a sports reporter."

Richard stayed silent but appreciated Harry’s warning. He nodded, signaling that he would be careful.

"By the way, one more thing," Harry said before handing another stack of papers to Richard. "Consider this a bonus for Maddox Entertainment. It’s for you to deal with Keith Wiseman."

Richard paused, looking down at the papers. "What’s the situation? Work or personal?"

Harry leaned in with a grin. "Work. They’ve got something on their hands that they’re trying to hide."

Richard glanced at the papers and then looked at it seriusly. After that, he looked up at Harry. "Thank you."

"What do you plan to do next?"

After a moment’s thought, Richard replied, "Then let’s get this to Fleet Street—or..."

"Well, you can hand this scoop to your friends over there," Harry interrupted.

"Piers Morgan?" Richard asked, incredulous.

Harry, though, showed no amusement, merely fixing Richard with a steady gaze.

Richard understood his meaning, so he chuckled, "Nah, I think it’s better for my new media company’s exposure."