Football Dynasty

St James' Park was plunged into an eerie silence.

Newcastle United fans were in shock, with many latecomers still wandering around in search of their seats, standing frozen in the aisles as they gazed blankly at the pitch.

Even the few thousand Manchester City supporters were in disbelief.

"We are City, We are City~!"

"Super City, from Maine Road~"

"We are City, Super City~"

"We are City, from Maine Road~"

Then, slowly at first—but growing louder with each passing second—the chant began to ring out across the entire stadium.

The commentators, Gray and Tyler, were caught off guard.

They had anticipated a moment to catch their breath, but the goal came so quickly that they scrambled to their microphones, launching into an exhilarating commentary.

"Incredible! Unbelievable! Manchester City takes the lead with their very first attack of the match! Let's take a closer look at this goal: Despite early pressure from Shearer and Ferdinand, Lennon and McNamara calmly exchanged passes to escape and advance the ball. Lennon then switched play with a diagonal pass to Zanetti on the right flank. Exploiting Batty's slow reaction, Zanetti surged into Newcastle's half and delivered a perfectly placed long diagonal pass into the box.

Shevchenko's run dragged a defender out of position, allowing Larsson to time his own run to the far post. Zanetti's cross flew over everyone, and Larsson met it with a powerful, leaping header. The shot wasn't sharply angled, but its sheer force beat goalkeeper Pavel Srníček, who got a touch but couldn't stop it. The ball trickled over the line—giving City a stunning early lead. Unbelievable!"

"No official statistics yet, but we can confirm this goal happened in under a minute!Without a doubt, it's the fastest goal recorded in the Premier League this season! Henrik Larsson showing exactly why the Premier League needs to fear him!Martin, was this goal a fluke?"

"Andy, I disagree. It was anything but a fluke. Analyzing City's players' movements shows this was a brilliantly executed attack. They scored with their very first attempt—and it was Newcastle United who conceded! Fans might comfort themselves by calling it an accident, but I see it as a clear reflection of City's strength."

A clear record—the fastest goal!

No wonder both commentators quickly shifted from being a bit hostile toward City to genuinely excited to see them in action now.

Larsson dashed toward the City bench, his teammates surging after him. One by one, the players joined the celebration, forming a tight, roaring circle of jubilation. It was more than just a goal—it was a moment destined to be etched into Premier League history.

And they had every reason to celebrate: they had just struck first, and done so at the iconic St James' Park—Newcastle United's fortress.

Richard, in the executive box, waved his arms—overwhelmed with excitement at the goal—yet somehow managed to hold himself back.

This was City's first-ever Premier League goal.

Will they hold the record for the fastest goal? Hard to say—but one thing is certain: fans will remember it for a long time.

After the celebration, once the players had calmed down, Robertson stood on the sideline, clenched his teeth, and asked softly, "Now that we're ahead, what's the plan? Do you remember what I said before the match?"

All the players replied in unison, "We remember!"

No mercy. They would keep pressing.

"Alright, let's go. Until the final whistle, we don't stop!"

Robertson's focus wasn't clouded by the early lead. As a caretaker manager, he knew his position was only temporary. Before the match, he had already mulled over what Richard Maddox had said to him: that he needed to build his own identity rather than operate in the shadow of Martin O'Neill.

He was determined to make the most of this opportunity—to seize it with everything he had. And most importantly, he needed to find his true self—as a manager. If he got complacent now, this goal could turn from a brilliant advantage into a terrible omen.

"Newcastle United—the team that challenged Manchester United for the title last season—have conceded early. But it seems Kevin Keegan is trying to calm his players. As you can see, they're attempting to control the pace, holding a high defensive line. It looks like they're planning to surprise City by ramping up the tempo."

With the setback of conceding an early goal, Newcastle wasted no time in putting pressure back on City. They quickly reverted to their trademark tactic of attacking down the flanks. However, thanks to Zanetti and Zambrotta—who held their defensive line brilliantly—most of Newcastle's crosses were blocked or simply failed to find their target.

Thirty minutes had passed, and every cross had either been inaccurate or easily intercepted by Gallas and Ferdinand.

With no other choice, Keegan shouted from the sideline, raising two fingers—a clear signal for a tactical change.

At first, no one knew exactly what it meant. But soon, everyone understood.

David Ginola. Alan Shearer. Les Ferdinand.

Barcelona's English manager, Bobby Robson, had personally tried to sign Ginola earlier this season, but Newcastle refused to let him go. It was clear that Keegan still planned to rely heavily on Ginola's creativity to feed Les Ferdinand and their record-signing striker, Alan Shearer.

When City were in possession, both would press relentlessly. But when Newcastle had the ball, it would often go to Ginola first, before he launched a long pass or cross toward Shearer or Ferdinand.

Still, three players alone couldn't change the flow of the game.

PHWEEEEE!

The first half ended, and Richard, Marina, and Miss Heysen stood up as they went to pick up their snacks.

Hot dogs, beer, and nachos.

Because that's what's traditionally associated with the ballgame—but in the future, there's so much more available to create a more engaging, memorable experience for fans.

Richard knew this and that's why...

"Is it possible for us to upgrade our food service at Maine Road?"

Out of nowhere, he suddenly voiced the unexpected question as he picked up his food.

"..."

The question stumped both Miss Heysen and Marina. It was strange—especially in this moment, with the three of them holding trays of classic stadium snacks.

Richard cleared his throat. "It's rare for a stadium to start a foodservice trend, but it will definitely emulate one," he explained.

In the coming decades, football stadiums would begin to mirror trends from American ballparks—quick-service models fused with celebrity chefs, higher-end menus, and enhanced fan experiences. For Richard, it wasn't a matter of if, but when.

That's why, while most clubs still focused on basic food stalls, he thought—if City could become a pioneer, why not do it?

Miss Heysen, the club's CEO, took a breath before responding, thoughtful. "It's tricky," she began.

"Maine Road's concourse space is limited. The structure wasn't designed for flexible hospitality. If we wanted gourmet stalls, craft kiosks, or chef-curated menus, we'd face logistical challenges—space, equipment, even fire codes."

After all, Maine Road was no Emirates Stadium. Forget adding a kitchen—even squeezing in a hundred extra seats would've cost as much as building one. After all, we're talking about feeding hundreds—possibly even thousands—of people here.

She paused a moment before adding, "Besides, fans today aren't looking for artisanal burgers or sushi, right? Look around you. Everyone here expects pies, beer, and chips. Maybe a hot dog on a good day."

"Is that so?" Richard muttered, slightly disappointed but understanding.

Thankfully, the new stadium project was already underway—they were just waiting on proposals from the architects and construction groups to finalize the design.

"Still," Miss Heysen continued, "we could try small steps. Add new food vendors, introduce better branding, or mobile carts. Offer a bit more variety. It's doable. Something that elevates the experience without overhauling the infrastructure."

Richard nodded at the idea.

After they finished their food, the second half finally began.

City continued to dominate, while Newcastle kept searching for openings to launch a counterattack. However, even with that, Richard couldn't help but frown at what he was seeing.

In this match, Robertson was using a 4-3-3 formation: four defenders at the back, and three midfielders—Van Bommel in the deep role, Jackie McNamara in the center circle, and Neil Lennon positioned slightly further forward—followed by three forwards.

When Richard suddenly leaned forward with a deep frown, both Miss Heysen and Marina took notice.

"What's wrong?" Marina couldn't help but ask. Isn't the team dominating? Why did Richard suddenly frown?

"No, I was just thinking… maybe a 4-4-2 would be a better fit for our tactics and the players we have."

"Why? Aren't the players playing well?"

Richard shook his head at this. The main problem for the current Manchester City squad is that there's no pure winger, which makes their formation less fluid when switching from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3.

Richard wanted to slap his forehead at this.

Last season, O'Neill had mostly used a 4-4-2: four defenders in line, two central midfielders—one sitting deep, the other more advanced—two wide midfielders, and two forwards, with one playing higher up and the other slightly withdrawn.

Basically, he only used the 4-3-3 formation when fielding a substitute lineup—and even then, he used it very rarely.

Thanks to this, Richard's transfer strategy has mostly focused on finding goalkeepers, midfielders and strikers—he hasn't really considered looking for true wingers yet.

Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Larsson, and Henry could technically play as wingers, but they aren't entirely effective in that role.

Take this match, for example: Ronaldo, playing on the left, showed excellent dribbling skills but never delivered a truly threatening cross. Heck, he looked exhausted on the pitch and was barely noticeable in this game.

'He really needs to improve his fitness,' Richard noted with a twitch.

Shevchenko, on the other hand, was the opposite of Ronaldo—he had lost his dribbling edge. Unlike when he played in a 4-4-2 system, he now mostly focused on crossing, often overlapping with Zanetti on the right.

Still, he did have the option to use them there—at least for the time being. Both Marina and Miss Heysens nodded, understanding Richard's concern.

"Do you mean that in a front three, the players on the left and right are actually wingers?"

Traditionally, wingers operate along the flanks, mainly providing crosses for the central forwards. If City's wingers simply played this traditional role in a 4-3-3, it would reduce the number of central threats and might not enhance overall effectiveness.

"Yes, wingers—but not just traditional deep-crossing wingers," Richard clarified.

"They need the ability to cut inside and score, while also building synergy with the striker, the two midfielders, and the overlapping fullbacks. Especially when the fullbacks push forward to create overloads on the flanks, the wingers should move into the box to either draw defenders or create direct scoring opportunities."

He continued, "That places high demands on the wingers' skill set. They need precise passing, positional awareness, coordination, dribbling ability, and good finishing. And that's just on offense—defensively, they must also track back and run tirelessly."

"Does that mean we'll be looking for new players before the transfer window closes?"

Richard thought for a moment before shaking his head. From his perspective, City's squad was already bloated.

"The demands are high, yes—but we already have players with that potential. Larsson, Henry, and Shevchenko—although they're naturally center-forwards—can adapt. If the wingers cut inside or rotate positions with the central striker, having players like Larsson and Shevchenko in the box becomes a massive advantage."

"GOAAALLLL!"

Just as they were still deep in conversation, a massive roar suddenly echoed through the stadium, stunning Richard. He quickly stood up.

"What happened?"

Turning his head, he saw—astonishingly—the ball had hit the back of the net.

Just before the second half started, Manchester City were already leading 0-2 against Newcastle United!

The previous Premier League title contenders were done for.