Brawling fans were nothing unusual in the United Kingdomâboth the media and public had long grown numb to it. The only reason this incident drew so much attention was because the brawl erupted on London Bridge, a public place, with everyone in hoodiesâas if it had been planned in advance.
At the police station, the TV crackled to life.
[...During yesterdayâs English First Division match between Millwall and Manchester City, gangs from both sides clashed in an alley after the game. The brawl escalated and spilled onto London Bridge. Amid the chaos, a 12-year-old innocent boy was caught in the violence and is now in critical condition at the hospital...]
Richard sat quietly on a bench, his coat draped over his shoulders. In the holding cells beside him, both Andrew Bennion and Carl Morran sat in separate cages, each nursing their own bruises in silence.
Thankfully, Fayâanticipating that things would spiral out of controlâhad already called the police in advance. Now, he and Marina paced anxiously in the stationâs hallway, waiting for answers and praying the situation wouldnât get any worse.
Some of the Guvnorsâ boys accused Richard of attacking Andrew Bennion. But when the police tried to get statements, everyone seemed confused.
Some said Richard smashed the bottle, while others claimed they were too drunk to see clearly.
Even Andrew Bennion and Carl Morran refused to say anything.
"Richard Maddox," the officer said, entering Richardâs cell with a sigh.
He couldnât help but curse the guy whoâd been running his mouth recklessly.
âEven if itâs true, so what?â
he thought.
At the end of the day, it was just a matter of bail. Still, they had to follow protocol and formally arrest Richard, keeping him in custody around the clock until someone posted bail.
Luckily, his lawyer showed up quickly, making things easier for everyone. They only hoped they hadnât offended him.
"Thank you for your hard work, officer," Richard said as he stepped out of his cell.
The officer straightened up, eager to make a good impression. "No problem at all."
The passerby in front of the police station cautiously kept their distance, looking inside with horror, thinking the people inside were hooligans.
Not far behind, some of the Guvnors had split into two groupsâone accusing, the other pretending not to remember what happened. Both sides argued fiercely over a sense of betrayal.
"Fuck you, coward! Are you really scared of the police? How long have we been fighting them, yet youâre the one whoâs too afraid to stand up?" one shouted, voice dripping with contempt.
"Donât act like youâre so tough!" the other shot back.
"Fuck you!"
"Youâre a damn idiot!" He couldnât hold back any longer and grabbed the other by the collar.
"Are you out of your mind? Andrew might be able to live on the streets, but what about you? Youâve got a family â kids, a wife. Do you really want to make Richard Maddox your enemy? You want Maddox to come after your family? Do you want the police breathing down your neck 24/7? Iâm a football fan, not some punk. Donât let your kids grow up wasted like you. Listen carefully â stay out of this, and get as far away from it as you can."
"..."
Richard was just about to leave the police station when he stopped. He glanced at the officer beside him, then toward the cell holding Andrew Bennion.
"Officer, may I?"
The officerâs eyes flicked nervously as he exchanged a glance with his colleague, clearly hesitant.
Richard then turned to Fay, who was standing behind him. "Please donate ÂŁ20,000 to Stretford Police Station. Letâs say Maddox Auto wants to show appreciation for all the hard work the police have done."
Hearing the mention of the donation, the officer immediately changed his mind.
"N-no worries, sir. Please, right this way."
He then grabbed his keys and unlocked the cell.
Richard stepped inside.
Shepherd, Barry, Fay, and Marina stood outside the cell, utterly bewildered by his actions. Anxiety quickly took over. â
What the hell does he want to do now?â
Who was Bennion?
He was a tough guyâthe one behind the Guvnors gang.
No one could say anything if he suddenly went berserk. Richard had smashed a bottle over his head just like thatâthree times!
Some were even questioning whether Pockâs head was too tough or the bottle too fragile. Either way, he wasnât bleeding...
Richard stood over Bennion and said, "If you werenât out there causing mayhem under the Manchester City banner, I might be more pleased."
Bennionâs expression turned cold at Richardâs words. He retorted, "Iâm not your enemy. This is our first meeting, and youâre already hostile? My fatherâs a City fanâI grew up one too. Youâre just some kid who recently took over City. Compared to me, donât get too full of yourself."
Richard had no interest in banter. He sneered coldly, "Let me tell you somethingâManchester City is mine now. I can make it soar or vanish from Manchesterâall at my discretion. Who do you think you are? I donât care if you call yourself a fan. If you damage Cityâs reputation or cost me financially, I wonât just lock you upâIâll wipe your whole crew off Manchester. You really think Iâm bluffing?"
After making his point, Richard threw his coat over his shoulder and turned to walk away, but his words left Bennion dumbstruck. Reflexively, Bennion grabbed Richardâs arm, not letting him leave so easily.
"OFFICER!!!"
Thankfully, Marina and the other officers whose eyes never left the cell responded quickly.
Sure enough, the police officers didnât even use their batonsâthey immediately shocked Bennion with a taser, catching him off guard and temporarily clouding his mind.
"Fuck you! Are you deaf? Didnât you hear what I just said? You scumâdonât dirty my clothes!" Richard cursed Bennion harshly, then turned to the officer who had tasered him.
"This guy was the main instigator at London Bridge. Lock him up for goodâlet him learn his lesson before he makes more people suffer!"
With that, he turned around and stormed off, followed closely by Marina, Shepherd, Barry, and Fay.
They all hurried after him, still baffled by the situation. It was the first time they had ever seen Richard so furiousâagain and again.
Just when they thought it was finally over, Richard came to an abrupt stop. Without a word, he turned to Shepherd, his legal solicitor, and leaned in to whisper something.
Shepherd gave a silent nod, understanding immediately, then turned and strode back into the police station.
Meanwhile, Richard threw open the car door and climbed in without looking backâMarina, Barry, and Fay following close behind, still trying to piece together what had just happened.
Inside the car, no one spoke.
Richard closed his eyes, trying to process everything that had just happened. Then suddenly, he remembered something.
"Wasnât Manchester City supposed to face Leeds today in the League Cup quarterfinals?"
"Is that so? How did it end?"
"Well... we were a bit occupied with your situation hereâwe completely forgot about the match."
Richard nodded at that, then leaned forward slightly. "Turn on the radio."
There was no way they lost... right?
But for some reason, Richard had a bad feeling about it.
Upon taking charge of Arsenal in 1986, George Graham led the team through a pre-Premier League era of glory, implementing a highly pragmatic style of play that featured a five-defender formation. Under his leadership, Arsenal won several trophies, including the European Cup Winnersâ Cup.
However, one thing to rememberâwhile Arsenal did win trophies, their playing style was... ugh. Letâs just say Arsenal didnât exactly flourish under his management. Not only did neutral fans fail to embrace the team, but even their own supporters often felt disheartened by Grahamâs style.
The teamâs mantra became "1-0 football," and their record defense, which conceded only 18 goals during their championship season, left fans numb. Watching an Arsenal match felt akin to stepping into a libraryâexceedingly dull.
Now, George Graham has decided to bring that same style to Leeds United, and Richard knows... he will succeed there.
The radio crackled with excitement.
[...What a header from Brian Deane! Leeds United have sealed the deal! George Graham is back! Heâs readyâno, eagerâto teach Manchester City a lesson they wonât forget...]
In other words, John Robertson stepped in as caretaker manager... and he lost his debut match.
Manchester City was out of the League Cup.
"Stop the car!" Richard suddenly shouted as a sharp thought hit him.
"Turn aroundâletâs go to Ricâs bar."
Fay, who was driving, glanced sideways to where Barry just shrugged in response.
"Got it."
With that, they quickly made a U-turn and headed back toward Ricâs bar once again.