Chapter 149: The Mixed Reactions

"Alan Sugar, Tottenham’s big boss, heaps praise on Sol Campbell!"

"Tottenham Hotspur rumored to be in contact with Campbell’s camp and Richard Maddox for a transfer in July!"

"Tottenham sets City’s goal, Shaun Goater, as their target to replace Jürgen Klinsmann, who left for Bayern Munich!"

"Jürgen Klinsmann doesn’t want to leave Hotspur, saying he was forced to buy from Alan Sugar. He retaliated by calling Sugar ’a man without honor!’"

"Manchester City in crisis as clubs circle for Ronaldo!"

Manchester City’s remarkable resurgence catapulted them to become Second Division winners, and their 17-game winning streak brought their players into the spotlight.

The sports pages were now filled with speculation, linking City’s rejuvenated stars to several elite clubs. Rumors swirled, amplifying the noise around the club with each passing day.

Robertson sat in the coach’s office, flipping through

The Sun

as his eyes lingered on a headline accompanied by a picture of several City players, with a quote of praise predicting their bright futures.

He exhaled sharply, tossing the newspaper onto the table and startling O’Neill, who was sitting across from him.

"Ronaldo to Barcelona? Great," Robertson muttered. "What’s next? Half the team being auctioned off?"

He then turned to O’Neill and helplessly said, "Even our staff are being raided."

Mike Phelan, who had finished the season as player/coach, was unexpectedly not given a new contract, nor was there any discussion about his role at City. He decided to leave the club. The same went for René Meulensteen and Steve McClaren, who also decided to leave City last week. Their destination?

Fucking Manchester United.

O’Neill picked up the discarded paper and skimmed the front page with a faint smirk.

"This again?" he chuckled. "Old news."

"How can you laugh about this?" Robertson snapped. "Aren’t you worried? At all?"

"Of course I am worried, but you don’t even know the full picture yet," O’Neill replied, his tone calm.

"What do you mean?" Robertson asked, growing more curious.

O’Neill didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze locked onto the window, where he saw a familiar figure making their way toward his office.

"Looks like the devil himself is heading this way," O’Neill muttered under his breath.

Robertson turned around, startled, and his eyes widened as he realized who was approaching.

"Come in," O’Neill said in response to a knock at the door.

The door opened to reveal Sol Campbell, who stepped in with an awkward expression.

"You didn’t go on holiday, Sol?" Robertson asked, surprised.

Campbell didn’t answer right away. He simply shook his head and said, "I’m sorry, boss," his voice laced with quiet regret.

O’Neill forced a small smile, though the disappointment was evident in his eyes. "It’s okay, Sol," he replied, his voice carrying a mix of resignation and understanding.

After a pause, he added, "Though I have to admit, it caught me off guard."

Campbell nodded, guilt flashing across his face. "I should have told you sooner, but Mr. Sugar insisted it remain confidential until the season ended. I didn’t expect it to leak to the press right after that."

O’Neill let out a sigh and stood up, moving to place a reassuring hand on Campbell’s shoulder. "I understand. You’ve given everything for this team, Sol. I respect your decision."

"I—I can’t turn down the allure of the Premier League," Campbell said quietly, his gaze dropping to the floor. "The offer from Tottenham... I couldn’t turn it down."

"I get it," O’Neill replied, nodding. "You have to think about what’s best for your career. No one can fault you for that."

As someone who had also considered resigning after being denied any power regarding transfers, he could relate.

There was a moment of silence before Campbell hesitated and then added, "By the way, boss, if you’re interested... Sugar would like to meet you. They’re putting together some plans and think you might fit into them."

O’Neill’s face changed instantly, but it dimmed just as quickly.

"Don’t worry, Sol," he said, cutting off the awkward offer before it could go further. "I promise I’ll come and visit. I wouldn’t miss the chance to see how you’re doing."

Time passed quietly, and soon, the Copa América was just around the corner.

Clubs across Europe began to shift their focus, closely monitoring players set to feature in the tournament. Scouts, analysts, and agents turned their attention to South America, eager to uncover the next big star.

[...Manchester City to Dismantle Its Historic Youth City A and City B Due to Heavy Debt?...]

[...Martin O’Neill—Did He Take the Fall Under Pressure?...]

[...Manchester City’s Financial Crisis Deepens—Bankruptcy Risk Still Looms...]

The headlines exploded across the local media—though not as explosively as Sol Campbell’s move to Tottenham Hotspur. A club going bankrupt was no longer unfamiliar to the ears of British football fans.

And it wasn’t solely Richard’s doing—Smith and Phillips had played their parts perfectly.

Barclays Bank Spokesperson:

"We are in ongoing discussions with the club’s management and are monitoring the situation closely. Our priority is to ensure that appropriate financial controls and obligations are met."

Lloyds Bank Statement:

"While we do not comment on individual clients, we are working constructively with the organization to assess its financial health and explore all available options."

They didn’t say it outright, but the message was clear—the pressure was coming from the banks. That narrative had now firmly taken root in the media.

"Everyone’s in a panic. Even the kids’ parents look as pale as ghosts—they’re probably already thinking about moving them to another club. I actually feel a little bad about you dismantling all of this..." Miss Heysen said as she reported to Richard.

Richard clicked his tongue. "Miss Heysen, you should call it ’downsizing’ instead of ’dismantling.’ This is for a greater purpose. If I hadn’t come to this club, the real dismantling might’ve happened for real."

It wasn’t truly dismantling. The real goal was to downsize in order to stabilize the club. No professional club could completely eliminate its youth system. Instead, it was being reduced to a near-invisible state, making it easier to restructure and regain balance.

"Ah, is that so?" Miss Heysen nodded, not bothering to respond further.

She handed Richard the folder and added, "The press release might go out soon, you’d better prepare."

Just as they had planned, press releases were sent to every major outlet by Richard soon.

[...To all the City fans out there—trust me. I know this won’t be easy, but sometimes the hardest decisions are the ones that are necessary. I need you to believe in the vision. Together, we’ll build something far stronger and more resilient than what we have now. Right now, the bigger picture requires tough choices....]

In other words, Richard confirmed that the current state of City was on the brink.

The moment other clubs got wind of this, faxes began pouring into the City offices.

"Richard, we’ve received offers. Blackburn is offering £500,000 for Ronaldo, £250,000 for Roberto Carlos, £250,000 for Cafu, and there’s also a bid for Solskjær..."

PFFT!

Richard sprayed orange juice across the table, utterly dumbfounded.

One million?! For Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu?! What is this—a clearance sale at Poundland?!

He grabbed the fax, squinting like it might change the numbers.

"Are you kidding me? What’s next—buy one Brazilian, get one free?!"

Miss Heysen wisely slid the juice out of reach.

"Hahaha!" Richard laughed aloud, mocking Jack Walker—the current owner of Blackburn, who was desperate to defend his Premier League title next season.

"Ignore all faxes regarding Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Gallas, Ferdinand, and Solskjær. As for the others—we’ll accept, as long as the price is right. By the way, Miss Heysen, what’s the situation with John and Paul?"

John Terry and Paul Robinson were the only players from City A that Richard intended to keep.

"I’ve already briefed their parents and reassured them that we plan to keep both boys. We’ll raise their status to first-team players the moment they turn sixteen. Don’t worry—they’ve accepted the plan. For now, they’ll start training with the first team," Miss Heysen reported.

Richard nodded in approval.

The next few days were nothing short of hell for Richard.

Faxes and inquiries flooded in one after another—nonstop, relentless, all asking the same thing: the availability of Manchester City players. But most of them were focused on Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Gallas, Ferdinand, and Solskjær. The offers for them kept pouring in.

Each new page from the fax machine was like a vulture circling the wounded club—everyone wanted a piece of City’s remains.

Miss Heysen was equally swamped, working tirelessly to negotiate with the parents of boys from City A and City B, many of whom were eager to pull their sons out of the club.

Thanks to Richard’s radical and disruptive "bankruptcy" strategy, even the Manpower Services Commission—responsible for managing the Youth Training Scheme (YTS)—was left speechless, uncertain how to respond to the unprecedented situation at Manchester City.

Had he not taken such a bold approach, the club would have been forced to enter lengthy negotiations, pay compensation, and actively help each youth player under a YTS contract find a new club—something that, given City’s current short-staffed situation, would have been nearly impossible unless they were willing to abandon their priorities for the summer transfer window.

But now, with panic spreading and every parent simply wanting the best for their child, they were making the decision for him—scrambling to leave City in a hurry, racing to secure trial spots at other clubs before the new season began.

The sudden "exodus" of seeds players didn’t go unnoticed by fans. Yet, instead of directing their frustration at Richard, it was the banks that ended up shouldering most of the public’s anger—shielding him in the process.

Across Manchester, the voices of City fans echoed with frustration and disillusionment. Pubs and fan gatherings buzzed with the same angry sentiments:

"Those greedy corporate bastards only care about money, not football!"

"This is what happens when the game is ruled by capital!"

"At least the manager fought to downsize it, rather than shut it down completely."

"Downsize? It’s practically gone!"

"Still, if even a little structure remains, they can rebuild it later."

"Yeah, right. Like this club will ever bring it back."

"Why not? If we get promoted to the Premier League, we’ll have the funds to restore it. Did you even watch Richard’s interviews? He said to trust him! He wants to win!"

There were some flaws in their reasoning, but the fans weren’t entirely wrong. A professional club did need a youth academy.

If the club could secure back-to-back promotions—first to the First Division, then to the Premier League—broadcasting revenue and squad value would rise significantly.

At that point, they could afford to reinstate the academy. Richard had made the decision to downsize because he didn’t want to waste his time fixing the old system but instead aimed to rebuild it with his new approach.

Early online forums like Usenet, IRC, AOL Chat Rooms, and Message Boards were buzzing with heated discussions.

IRC chat:

[cityfan95] Does City even have a supporters’ union? If I donate, can we stop this madness?[manchesterfan] It’s hopeless. I heard the youth academy was bleeding money left and right.[bluearmy] At least they fought to downsize it, rather than shut it down completely.

[cityfan95] Downsize? It’s practically gone!

[bluearmy] Still, if even a little structure remains, they can rebuild it later.

[cityfan95] Yeah, right. Like this club will ever bring it back.

Heck, Richard even got spammed by a City fan on his Usenet.

[

Subject: Manchester City - Relegation Woes

From:

[email protected]

Newsgroup: rec.sport.soccer.england.manchestercity

Date: May 1995

Hey City fans,

It’s been a tough, but I still believe we can pull through. What do you think about the team’s future? Should we focus on rebuilding with youth? I’ve heard rumors about potential signings—any thoughts on who we should target in the transfer window?

Keep the faith,

CityFan1995

]

Just as Richard was about to respond to the email, Miss Heysen walked into his office—this time accompanied by an unexpected guest: Karren Brady, the future vice-chairman of West Ham United.

The moment she opened her mouth, Richard was left utterly speechless.

"Help me acquire this club," she said sharply, "and let me run it."

"What the bloody heck?" Richard nearly blurted out.