Football Dynasty-Chapter 50: It’s Not Fair

Managerless City then drew 1-1 at Charlton, and shortly after the game, Mel Machin's departure was officially announced.

In their next match, the Blues suffered a 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Zenith Data Systems Cup, followed by a 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool and a 2-1 loss at Southampton.

These results left them rock bottom of English First Division after 17 games.

The ship needed to be steadied as soon as possible, and out of nowhere, City announced their new manager—a decision that even Richard himself hadn't seen coming.

The choice fell on Howard Kendall, leaving Richard truly perplexed by the City board's decision.

Kendall had left Everton in the summer of 1987, frustrated by the European ban on English clubs, to take charge of Athletic Bilbao in Spain. However, his time at Bilbao wasn't exactly a success.

While he managed to guide Athletic to a respectable fourth place in La Liga in his first season, their performance significantly declined afterward.

There were persistent rumors that Kendall would be the next England manager when Bobby Robson eventually departed, but no one expected him to accept the City job.

Kendall, the new manager, signed Alan Harper for £150,000 from Sheffield Wednesday. Not only that, he also immediately brought in Peter Reid from QPR as Player-Coach, which gave Richard a headache.

Why do both Kendall and Machin like to sign player-coaches?

Kendall was certainly beginning to stamp his own ideas at Maine Road. The new regime made an immediate impact, with Kendall securing a credible 0-0 draw against Everton at Goodison Park.

The improvement continued over Christmas, as City beat Norwich 1-0 at Maine Road on Boxing Day.

City then strengthened their squad further by bringing in Mark Ward from West Ham in a £2 million deal, which saw Ian Bishop and Trevor Morley move to Upton Park.

Ward made an impressive home debut as The Blues beat Millwall in FA Cup first leg 1-0. However, in the next match, Kendall suffered his first defeat on New Year's Day as City lost 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday.

Despite this setback, the Blues' position in the league continued to improve as they moved three places clear of the bottom.

The next challenge came in the FA Cup second leg, where Millwall made a comeback, overturning a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to defeat the Blues 3-1. Following their FA Cup exit, City could now focus on escaping the relegation zone.

They earned a creditable 1-1 away draw against Tottenham, followed by a 1-0 win at home to Coventry, and another 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. They also managed a 1-1 draw at home to Wimbledon, which saw them rise to 4th from bottom after 25 games.

City then beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park and drew 1-1 against Millwall at The Den, leaving them four points above the relegation zone with just six games to play.

Thankfully, they secured crucial victories, winning 3-1 at QPR and 2-1 at home to Sheffield Wednesday. On Easter Monday, City won 1-0 at Carrow Road against Norwich, putting their relegation fears to rest.

The fans showed their full adulation for Kendall's rescue of the club. During the final eight unbeaten games, the Kippax Stand adopted Blue Moon as their new anthem.

The season ended with a 1-0 home win against Everton, followed by a 1-0 home defeat to Derby.

In the last game of the season, City drew 2-2 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, sparking an uproar among City fans as a revelation came to light.

After the game, one of City's shareholders, Richard Maddox, stepped down from the director's box and directly hugged Ian Wright, congratulating him right in front of City fans!

The media, ever eager for a sensational story, jumped on the moment. Headlines blared with the picture of Richard in a celebratory hug with Wright—City's potential future striker—amidst a backdrop of confused and curious supporters.

'Was City moving behind the scenes to bring in Ian Wright o their camp?'

The photos were everywhere, with some speculating on the nature of Maddox's connection to the player.

Finally, the next media launched an article that sent City fans into an uproar.

The article revealed that striker Ian Wright had Richard Maddox, one of City's shareholders, as his agent!

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Not only that, many reporters seemed eager to corner Ian Wright, firing questions like, "Are you planning to move to Manchester City in the near future?"

Ian responded calmly, "Never. I'll stay at Crystal Palace."

Then one reporter asked, "What's your connection with Mr. Richard Maddox?"

Ian simply smiled, knowing Richard had already given him clear instructions. He replied, "He's my agent."

BOOM!

City fans were furious, but Richard wasn't afraid.

As expected, the first to approach him was The Official Magazine of Manchester City, the same publication that had informed him when he was dismissed from his director title.

When asked about the Wright saga, he didn't mince words. "City had their chance. They didn't want him, and now look at him. Ian Wright has turned into one of the most exciting strikers in the country. It's frustrating, but it's also a part of football. Not every decision goes as planned."

Richard finally showed his stance!

City was turned upside down. The revelation didn't sit well with the board. To navigate the tricky situation, they now had to explain these failed decisions.

Mel Machin, the former manager, became the scapegoat, but he wasn't the only one taking the heat. The current youth manager, Tony Book, and head scout Ken Barnes also found themselves in the firing line.

This marked the beginning of increased scrutiny from Manchester City fans as they questioned why Richard Maddox, who was so keen on spotting talent, had been pushed out of the club's management roles.

This sparked a wave of investigations from die-hard fans, who dug into Richard's past activities.

What they uncovered was truly astonishing: nearly all the players under him were on fire.

Ian Wright – Crystal Palace: 9 goals, 4 assists.

Alan Shearer – Southampton: 3 goals in 26 appearances, but recognized for his strength, which enabled him to retain the ball and create opportunities for teammates.

Matt Le Tissier – Southampton: 6 goals in 24 league games, including a hat-trick against Leicester City.

Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino – Millwall: Both scored 15 goals each, making them the joint top scorers for Millwall with a combined total of 30 goals. This record also helped propel Millwall to promotion.

Les Ferdinand – Queens Park Rangers: 2 goals in 9 appearances.

Andy Cole – Arsenal: 0 goals in 1 appearance.

Lee Sharpe – Manchester United: 0 goals in 30 appearances. Although he failed to score, the fact that he made 30 appearances was significant. Not only that, but he was also shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, which he lost to Arsenal winger Paul Merson.

City fans grew restless; they began to question everything.

Why? Why? And WHY?!

Some calls for a fresh start, a new direction, and better decision-making grew louder. Richard's name began to echo as fans demanded the City board bring him back into management roles.

Richard, however, was busy preparing. Before the 1990/1991 First Division season began, the UK was hit by several significant events.

The Burns' Day Storm struck, with hurricane-force winds killing 39 people across England and Wales. 500,000 homes were left without power, and severe flooding affected both England and West Germany.

During this time, Richard made headlines by donating another million pounds to the victims, receiving praise from the public and even political figures for his generosity.

Next, the UK and Argentina restored diplomatic relations after eight years. These ties had been severed following Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.

Following that, the pound sterling joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, and the Broadcasting Act came into effect. This act made the bidding process for independent television franchises more commercially driven while relaxing the regulations on television and radio broadcasting.

Not long after the announcement, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) was founded through a merger between Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting.

In football, Bobby Robson announced he would not be renewing his contract as manager of the England national football team after the World Cup in Italy that summer.

UEFA lifted the ban on English football clubs in European competitions, five years after all teams were excluded due to the Heysel disaster.

Finally, the long-awaited FIFA World Cup, Coppa del Mondo Italia '90.