NOVPUB
Chapter 153: Bringing O’Neill’s Player Request
Manchester City’s appeal against the FA regarding the Martin O’Neill headbutt incident was accepted by an independent regulatory commission.
Initially, the FA had decided to suspend O’Neill’s coaching license for an indefinite period and fine City £750,000.
In retaliation, City appealed to the independent regulatory commission regarding the FA’s statement of an indefinite suspension. City argued that the decision was unjust and disproportionately harsh, questioning the fairness of such a suspension without clear justification.
With no other choice, the FA changed their stance and decided to reduce it to a two-year ban!
City found themselves in a difficult position. In truth, O’Neill was a fitting example for a case like this—but once again, Richard’s City, under the guidance of Shepherd and Barry, launched another appeal.
They argued that the headbutt was unintentional, stating: "There seemed to be a slight contact of the nose, to be precise."
O’Neill, as the accused, was also present at the hearing, where he expressed his remorse: "I regret having shown behavior that goes against my principles. I assure you that, despite the aggressiveness in the way I spoke to Mr. Millot, I never had any intention beyond wrongly expressing my frustration. I would also like to apologise to the referees’ committee and to the FA."
He also offered to do community service, including meeting with amateur referee associations—a gesture that did help soften the FA’s stance.
Of course, Richard also had a hand in this. He immediately called Johansson from UEFA, asking for his help and subtly invoking the same threat he had used in the past against FA officials Graham Kelly and Keith Wiseman—the Francis Lee bribery when he was still chairman of Manchester City.
"Now we’re even," Johansson said over the call.
"Indeed..." Richard replied.
The favor was finally repaid. First, it had been used against FA chief Graham Kelly. Second, to help establish the City Football Group. Third, to keep quiet on the non-EU player restrictions. And now, to soften the blow of O’Neill’s fine.
"You can come to Maine Road and look at the evidence yourself," Richard continued. "Then do with it what you will—destroy it, keep it, it’s your call."
"...Understood. I’ll find time to come," Johansson said.
CLICK!
After ending the call, Richard let out a deep sigh of relief. Now, all he could do was wait to see what kind of verdict would be handed down to Martin O’Neill.
Due to the Copa América, the major leagues had already concluded, leaving only the playoffs in the First and Second Divisions following the establishment of the Premier League.
Over the next few days, Richard focused on rebuilding City’s squad, working to fill the gaps left by the departure of several key players—Shay Given, for example, who had been the team’s first-choice goalkeeper last season.
Currently, City’s first team has only two eligible goalkeepers: Tony Coton and Nicky Weaver. However, Coton is already 34, and Richard has chosen not to extend his contract, so it’s expected he’ll leave the club this summer. As for Weaver, he’s still too young—having just turned 17.
Richard reviewed all the data in City’s manual scout database, searching for the best goalkeeper candidates—someone affordable yet of quality. Finally, his eyes landed on one name that made him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Having been at fault for three first-half goals in the span of just seven minutes, the manager’s decision to withdraw Jens Lehmann reportedly led the 25-year-old goalkeeper to flee the stadium by tram, alone, unable to face his teammates whom he believed he had let down with his performance.
Perhaps Schalke was still in the process of evaluating his abilities, but Richard’s instant £450,000 offer changed their mind. For a goalkeeper with unproven ability, especially after what had just happened, it was a shocking move.
Soon, the transfer of the 25-year-old goalkeeper Lehmann was approved, with the final bid set at £500,000.
The second transfer focus was to search for a replacement for Emile Heskey, following O’Neill’s preference for a target man.
Richard already had his target in mind, which was also on the list of players O’Neill wanted: Henrik Larsson. He immediately set off to fly to the Netherlands for this.
The current Larsson took time to adjust to working and living in a foreign country, managing to score a modest 6 goals in 27 appearances.
There are also rumors circulating that he is unsettled and frustrated due to a combination of ever-changing coaches, being played in unfamiliar positions and the club’s player-rotation policy. This policy saw him substituted after fifty or sixty minutes of play, even when performing well. By the end of the season, he had told the new manager, Arie Haan, that he wished to leave the club.
There was, however, a problem. A legal dispute arose over a clause in his contract, which PSV claimed would allow him to be sold if a fee of £600,000 was offered.
£600,000 for an unproven striker?
Many teams hesitated, but Richard wasted no time. He slapped the price tag with £650,000, leading Feyenoord to accept the deal instantly.
Larsson hesitated about joining a second-tier English club, but Feyenoord’s management and manager Arie Haan didn’t give him much of a choice.
Richard, sensing the opportunity, leaned in with a sly grin. "Let’s focus on developing with Manchester City first, before worrying about anything else. Think of City as a stepping stone—after all, no other club would dare pay £600,000 for you. You’re frozen out by Haan, stuck in the reserves. How long do you want to wait on the sidelines? You’re in your prime, Henrik. This is your moment."
The devil’s whisper hung in the air. Larsson hesitated, considering Richard’s reasoning.
After a moment of contemplation, he finally nodded, reluctantly agreeing to Manchester City’s offer.
Done with the Larsson deal, Richard didn’t immediately return to England. Instead, he flew straight to the southernmost province of Limburg, specifically to De Baandert Stadium, the home of Fortuna Sittard.
Fortuna Sittard had experienced mixed fortunes throughout its history, as their youth system had produced notable talents such as Kevin Hofland, Mark van Bommel, and Fernando Ricksen.
Richard’s target that day was the 18-year-old Mark van Bommel.
He had already faxed Fortuna Sittard, who originally intended to hold on to van Bommel no matter what. However, Richard’s £300,000 bid made them waver.
Soon, the transfer was approved, with the final bid landing at £500,000, making Fortuna Sittard think they had already made a fortune from such a fool.
Done with Larsson and Van Bommel, Richard finally flew to his last destination in the Netherlands to seek more talent.
In Monnikenhuize, a northern neighborhood of Arnhem, Richard arrived at Nieuw Monnikenhuize, a multi-use stadium primarily used for football matches, home to SBV Vitesse Arnhem.
He went to the home of Vitesse to pursue Roy Makaay, hoping to bring him to Manchester City. However, the response he received was clear—he only met with Makaay’s agent, Wasserman.
"Sorry, my client does not intend to play in a second-tier league. He is already comfortable with the trust that Vitesse and manager Frans Thijssen have given him."
Rejected!
However, such rejection didn’t make Richard sad or deter him. He knew the road to success was filled with obstacles, and he had to keep moving forward, no matter the setbacks.
With that mindset, Richard’s talent hunt in the Netherlands ended with the signings of Larsson and Van Bommel for a combined fee of £1,150,000.
The next step was to search for the players recommended by O’Neill.
Last season, City’s midfielders were far from impressive.
Even after bringing in several players on loan, their performances failed to meet expectations. Throughout the first half and middle of the season, City looked disjointed and helpless, repeatedly exposed through the middle of the pitch.
As a result, O’Neill’s top priority was to seek reinforcements in midfield.
The first stop was PAOK FC, where the club was currently serving a two-year ban from all European competitions imposed by UEFA’s disciplinary committee due to crowd violence during a UEFA Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain.
There were various demonstrations and riots against Voulinos throughout the season, including an arson attack on his house following a 1–3 loss to AEK.
With no other choice, Theodoros Zagorakis decided not to renew his contract, which he had been contemplating for some time, and accepted O’Neill’s early call.
Richard was here only to finalize things and...
The warm Mediterranean breeze swirled around them, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore seemed to match the relaxing vibe of the holiday.
Richard rubbed his temples as he watched his mother, father, brother, and future sister-in-law lounging under the sun on Agia Triada Beach.
He had brought them all to Greece, thinking it would be a relaxing break—a chance to unwind while he took care of business with PAOK and then returned home. But he never expected they wouldn’t want to leave!
It didn’t look like they were in any rush to return to their busy lives.
"Mom, are you sure you don’t want to come back?"
His mother, half-smiling, didn’t even look up from her sunbathing spot. She simply waved her hand dismissively.
"No need to hurry back," she said casually, while his father, wearing dark sunglasses and an open-chested shirt, added, "The city will still be there when we get back."
Richard turned to Harry, his brother. "What about you? What about the company?"
"No worries, everything’s under control," Harry replied with a shrug, clearly enjoying the moment. "For now, it’s my time to unwind." He leaned back, soaking up the sun with his fiancée.
Richard facepalmed at this. "Fine then," he said. "By the way, help me draft a contract—I need to borrow ten million pounds from your company."
Harry was taken aback by the sudden request and raised his glasses in surprise.
"So much?"
"What do you think?" Richard replied.
Harry only nodded, lowering his glasses again before saying, "Consider it done."
With that, Richard flew back to England alone.
This time, he didn’t head straight to Manchester. Instead, he went to Cheshire, where Crewe Alexandra was based.
Richard came personally this time because both City and Crewe Alexandra shared a similar bond, having both been involved in sex abuse scandals. Because of this, he became acquainted with John Bowler, the English businessman and chairman of Crewe Alexandra Football Club.
"Is everything good on your side?" After exchanging warm greetings like old friends, Bowler asked about the situation at City.
"The investigation for City is done. How about you?"
Thankfully, Richard had been very open and allowed the authorities to fully investigate everything and everyone involved, without shielding anyone.
"It’s the same, though there are still some issues that pop up now and then," Bowler sighed.
If Bowler knew that the person who leaked the news was standing right in front of him, he would probably go crazy.
After getting through the small talk, Richard quickly got to the point about his intentions to visit Gresty Road.
£300,000 for Neil Lennon and £500,000 for Robbie Savage, both of which set a new club record for Crewe Alexandra, making the negotiations go smoothly with little resistance.
After dealing with it, Richard took a brief walk around Gresty Road Stadium. To be honest, he had initially hoped to find another player he knew. However, when he saw no familiar faces, he decided to leave Cheshire and head straight back to Maine Road in Manchester.
The final midfielder on O’Neill’s list was Jackie McNamara, who currently wore the jersey of Dunfermline Athletic, a team from Scotland.
With a handful of promotions and relegations, every year felt like a roller coaster for Dunfermline Athletic. Most of their key players were sold to other clubs, meaning they were always in need of fresh blood.
Still, at the end of the day, they remained a Scottish professional club, constantly competing in the top tier of the Scottish Premiership.
Richard made an initial bid of £500,000, which was eventually sealed at £600,000, with a promise of a key player status.
O’Neill handled everything, even making a phone call to personally convince McNamara to join.
