The United Kingdom was in turmoil. News had broken that the country was facing a widespread outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)âwidely known as "mad cow disease"âalongside its deadly human equivalent, variant CreutzfeldtâJakob disease (vCJD).
The media buzzed with panic. Supermarkets scrambled to remove contaminated products. Families across Britain stared at their dinner plates with unease.
When Richard heard the news, he frozeâstaring at the headline for a moment longer than necessary. Then, without hesitation, he issued a sweeping order.
"Effective immediately," he said, "no one under the Maddox Group and Manchester Cityâstaff, players, executives, or familyâis to consume British beef. Not a bite. Not a risk!"
Both Marina and Miss Heysen exchanged glances.
Even at the Manchester City training ground, chefs and staff catering were instructed to purge every trace of beef from the kitchen. Menus were rewritten overnight.
It might have seemed extreme, but to Richard, it was simple,
âthis is how you stay two steps aheadâon the pitch and off it.â
The outbreak also affected the Premier League, as Middlesbrough cancelled their fixture against Blackburn Rovers, scheduled for the following day. Manager Bryan Robson insisted he could not field a team, with 23 of his players reportedly struck down by a virus. As a result, Middlesbrough were charged with bringing the game into disrepute over the cancelled fixture.
For Manchester City, thankfully, their schedule remained intactâat least for now.
Every cancelled fixture elsewhere in the league brought headaches. Postponements meant rescheduling, and rescheduling meant a more compressed calendarâa nightmare for any club chasing consistency.
For Richard and the coaching staff, that was a scenario they wanted to avoid at all costs.
Back in the league, Manchester City lit up the pitch at Maine Road. Ronaldo stole the show, producing a dazzling hat-trick in a commanding 4â1 win over Sunderland, with Andriy Shevchenko adding the fourth to cap off a dominant performance.
Meanwhile at Anfield, it was Robbie Fowlerâs turn to make headlines, as the Liverpool striker netted four goals in a blistering 5â1 demolition of Middlesbrough, adding more pressure on a club already rocked by illness and chaos.
Over at the Old Trafford, Manchester United made their title intentions clear, sweeping aside Nottingham Forest 4â0, a result that deepened the home sideâs relegation fears.
Wimbledon, the seasonâs surprise package, continued their fairytale run with a 3â1 away win at Everton, keeping their hopes of European qualification alive.
And in the biggest shock of the weekend, Newcastle United tore through Tottenham Hotspur 7â1, sending a message to the rest of the league that they, too, were serious contenders for the crown.
With the Sunderland win in the books, November had come to a closeâand with it, the calm before the storm.
December was here.
In the Premier League, December wasnât just another month. It was a gauntlet: fixture congestion, icy pitches, exhausted legs, and unforgiving turnarounds. They called it the Boxing Day period, but to managers, it felt more like walking into a minefieldâmatch after match, sometimes three in seven days, with little rest and even less margin for error.
Richard knew this stretch would make or break their season. Momentum could skyrocketâor collapse entirely. His focus sharpened. The calendar was no longer just a schedule; it was both his enemy and his strategy board.
He gathered the coaching staff, including head physio David Fevre and head of recovery Andreas Schlumberger.
"We need to rotate smartly. We canât burn out the players before New Yearâs Day. Every player has a role."
Five league matches, one League Cup tie, eighteen days.
Richard felt thankful that City had been promoted this yearâespecially as the FA Cup was undergoing changes to its competition structure.
In the 1996â97 FA Cup, the tournament began with non-league teams competing in preliminary and qualifying rounds to earn their place in the main draw. This meant that, in the early stages, most participating clubs were not members of the Premier League or the Football League.
In the First Round Proper, 48 teams from the Football League Second and Third Divisions entered the competition, joining the 28 non-league clubs who had progressed through the qualifiersâalong with four non-league sides (Woking, Kidderminster Harriers, Altrincham, and Enfield) who were granted byes.
The Second Round then featured the winners of those first-round ties.
Only in the Third Round Proper did teams from the Premier League and First Division enter the competitionâwhich meant Manchester Cityâs FA Cup campaign wouldnât begin until January.
Robertson nodded in agreement with Richardâs idea of rotating players.
He looked up. "Everyone will get minutesâespecially in the tighter matches. If possible, no one plays the full ninety in all of them."
He pointed to the week of December 21st.
"Thatâs our danger zone. Three matches in seven days: Aston Villa, Southampton, then West Ham."
With that meeting concluded, City was prepared.
The first fixture in December would be against Sunderland.
One day before the match, Henry stood wide on the left, just near the touchline.
Ahead of him were narrow vertical channels marked into the grassâthe spaces between the opposing full-back and center-back.
"Wait for the cue!" shouted coach Walford.
Todayâs drill:
Zonal Ghost Runs
â for positional awareness and movement.
The whistle blew. Henry darted diagonally, accelerating between the cones as a ball zipped into his path.
Another whistle. He froze.
"Too early," the coach called. "You were offside."
They repeated the drill.
Again.
And again.
By the sixth run, Henryâs timing was perfectâappearing late, but arriving first.
In the next drill, Henry jogged back to position. Midfielder Neil Lennon stood ready to deliver the pass.
The drill:
Blindside Finish
â for receiving and finishing during transitions.
The moment it came, Henry turned. A defender chased from behind.
One touch. Another. Bang.
The net rippled.
Again.
Again.
Not every shot went in, but now the movement was there.
His first touch was cleaner.
His posture more balanced.
His finishes sharper.
From the sidelines, Richard nodded as he watched.
âHeâs starting to understand,â
he thought.
"Itâs not about being fastâitâs about knowing where to appear."
Then, in the match against Sunderland, Henry proved himself.
1 goal. 1 assist. A statement.
PHWEEEEEEE!
The final whistle echoed across Maine Road, and the crowd erupted.
As Henry walked toward the tunnel, he received a standing ovation from the City faithful. Applause rained down from every sectionâfans clapping, cheering, even chanting his name.
He had earned it.
Alongside Ronaldo, he had torn Sunderlandâs defense to shredsâstretching them wide, cutting inside, linking up with pace and precision. They were unstoppable.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Just after the match against Sunderland, Miss Heysen knocked on Richardâs office door and stepped inside, a folder tucked under her arm and a subtle frown on her face.
"Richard," she began, walking in without waiting for an invitation, "Iâve compiled the latest complaintsâmostly about the Christmas menu."
She handed him a printed reportânotes from the chefs, supplier pushback, and even letters from staff. Richard flipped through it casually.
"For weeks now," she said, "Cityâs rotation meals have been strictly poultry and fish. But now, with Christmas around the corner, the chefs are insisting beef has to be on the table. Some external partners are even threatening to cancel their holiday sponsorship events if we donât relax the ban."
Richard didnât even blink.
"Weâre not serving beef. Not now. Not on Christmas. Not until I say otherwise."
Miss Heysen raised an eyebrow. "Even though the government says thereâs âinsufficient evidenceâ linking BSE to vCJD? Theyâre reassuring everyone British beef is safe."
Richard leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing slightly.
"And
thatâs
exactly why we wonât touch it."
The UK governmentâs response to BSE/vCJD in the early 1990s was widely seen as weak, particularly in public health communication and proactive risk management. Their updates often lacked clarity, as UK officials merely offered public reassurances without enforcing strict consumer protections. Richard refused to risk his lifeâor anyone elseâsâon the word of such an irresponsible government.
He tapped the folder sharply.
"Tell the chefs to get creative with turkey and salmon. No red meat. End of discussion."
Miss Heysen hesitated, then gave a resigned nod.
"Understood."
In the grueling Boxing Day stretch, Manchester City faced Everton, Blackburn, and Tottenham in quick succession.
Despite their momentum, City managed to collect only five points from the three matchesâdrawing against both Everton and Tottenham, but thrashing Blackburn with a dominant 4â0 victory that reminded everyone of their attacking firepower.
The current table:
1. Manchester United â 42 points
2. Newcastle United â 40 points
3. Liverpool â 39 points
4. Manchester City â 35 points
5. Arsenal â 30 points
6. Chelsea â 29 points
What surprised Richard the most was that Robertson had quietly racked up an impressive win rate of nearly 81%.
Sixteen wins, two draws, and just one loss in the league. Two wins from two in the League Cup.
Richard leaned back in his chair, eyes lingering on the numbers. The figures didnât lie.
"People wonât believe it," he murmured, almost to himself. "But heâs actually pulling it off."
What once looked like a gamble â especially with OâNeillâs unexpected injury â was now proving to be one of the most promising managerial runs in the league.