Back when he was a fan, Ethan did not have a very strong impression of the suggestions from Premier League managers calling for the introduction of a winter break. In fact, he felt that the Premier League, without a winter break, had its own unique flavour in European football.
For example, Ferguson had criticised teams leading in the first half of the season many times, arguing that without going through the test of the Christmas period, no one could claim they had already secured the league title.
And Manchester United, under Ferguson himself, had also used that period many times to stage great comebacks and win the title.
Precisely because of those talking points, when Ethan was still a fan, he had always felt that a winter break was unnecessary. At the very least, the Premier League without a winter break was more dramatic and exciting.
But now that he had transmigrated to England and become a club owner himself, he truly understood the importance of a winter break.
First, during the Christmas period, the players clearly did not focus as much on the matches. They cared more about reuniting with their families at home. Christmas was the most important family holiday of the year, so its importance was obvious.
Second, the weather in England around Christmas was cold, making players more prone to injury. New Manchester United had suffered in that regard. Marginson, Darren Lyons, Kevin Evans, and Crouch had all been injured one after another, with Marginson ruled out for at least two months.
Third, the schedule around Christmas was extremely packed.
Taking New Manchester United as an example, after playing a league match on December 7th, they had an FA Trophy match on the 11th. Their opponent was Yeovil Town, also from the National League. Since it was an away match, New Manchester United had to travel a long distance to Yeovil, in the southwest of England, to play the game.
On the 14th, New Manchester United had to return to Manchester to host Nuneaton, then travel away to challenge Rushden & Diamonds on the 17th, before another away match against Hednesford on the 20th. After Christmas, they would host Dover and Southport on the 23rd and 27th respectively, followed by the FA Cup third round at home against Arsenal on January 1st.
That was not all. If they successfully advanced to the second round of the FA Trophy, New Manchester United would also have to play the second round of the cup on January 8th, with a league match squeezed in between the 2nd and the 8th.
When Ethan saw such a dense, brutal schedule, he cursed those bastards at the FA in his heart while also deeply realising how wise the Premier League managers had been to push for a winter break.
...
As a veteran who had played in the English leagues for many years, Bruce naturally knew very well how important the brutal Christmas schedule was, especially since long-distance travel across the country placed a huge strain on the players' stamina. However, he could not make the FA change the schedule, so he could only look for solutions within the team.
Therefore, in the FA Trophy match against Yeovil Town on the 11th, New Manchester United fielded many substitutes. The forwards were Kitson and Jonathan Matten, the two wide midfielders were Richie Wellens and Hleb, the central midfield pairing was Juninho and Essien, who had just returned from Ghana, the back line from left to right was Roy Williams, Gary Turner, Danny Collins, and Stenson, while the goalkeeper was Almunia.
This could almost be called New Manchester United's second team. Among them, Jonathan Matten, Roy Williams, Richie Wellens, and Danny Collins had barely had any playing time, yet Bruce sent them all on for this match.
However, perhaps precisely because they had been out of action for so long, this group of New Manchester United substitutes performed very diligently on the pitch. Despite playing away, Jonathan Matten, New Manchester United's top scorer from last season, took the lead in breaking the deadlock in the 34th minute by connecting with a cross from the flank by Richie Wellens.
After that, Yeovil Town launched a fierce attack on New Manchester United. Bruce decisively ordered the players to drop their defensive line, steadily preserving the 0-1 score until the end of the match.
In this match, Juninho looked exhausted while dealing with Yeovil Town's relentless attacks. Although the young Essien had performed impressively at the U17 World Cup, it was obvious in this match that his fitness was lacking, and he failed to show his best form. As a result, New Manchester United's midfield was almost entirely supported by Juninho.
Another player who performed impressively was goalkeeper Almunia. The Spaniard made several top-class saves in this match. In the dressing room after the match, Schmeichel, who also served as the goalkeeping coach, was full of praise for his performance.
After winning away against Yeovil Town, New Manchester United returned to Gigg Lane and defeated the visiting Nuneaton 2-0 in a dull but steady match. Žigić, who started the match, scored a goal, while Juninho once again showed his free-kick ability.
The day after the victory, the entire New Manchester United team travelled away to challenge Rushden & Diamonds.
This strong team, which had been hailed before the season as the most likely side to secure promotion, seemed to have completely collapsed after their heavy defeat to New Manchester United in the first round of the league. They had suffered three defeats in the last four rounds. Facing New Manchester United, Rushden & Diamonds declared that they wanted to step over New Manchester United's corpse and take this season's promotion place.
But in reality?
New Manchester United also attached great importance to this match, and all the main players started. Žigić continued his excellent form this season, scoring another hat-trick, while Juninho produced a hat-trick of assists, helping New Manchester United defeat their opponents 4-0 away.
But just when everyone thought New Manchester United were in great form, they rotated again in the away match against Hednesford. Although the substitutes fought very hard in the match, they ultimately failed to bring New Manchester United a victory. The 1-0 scoreline left New Manchester United returning to Manchester with regret.
This defeat also made Ethan clearly realise that there was a big gap in strength between New Manchester United's main players and their substitutes, especially players like Jonathan Matten, Smith, and Danny Collins. If New Manchester United finally won promotion to the next division this season, they probably would not be able to remain with the team.
Although it seemed cruel, these players had all made outstanding contributions to New Manchester United. Back then, they had all come to New Manchester United with passion, accepting low wages and helping the team grow from nothing, step by step, out of the North West Counties League Division Two and into the current National League.
But sometimes, professional football was just that cruel.
Of course, Ethan had other ideas. For example, Darren Lyons had once revealed that if he decided to retire, he hoped to become a coach. At the moment, New Manchester United happened to be short of coaches, so Ethan planned to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with him. If he was willing to play for another year next season, that would be fine. Otherwise, he could directly enter the club's youth academy as a coach.
The same situation applied to everyone. This should be the only thing Ethan could do for them. After all, he could not pay a salary to a player who could not contribute to the team at all. Even if the salary was very low, what would the other players think?
Besides the players, Ethan had another problem: the new stadium.
This new home ground, temporarily named City Stadium, had already been renovated, the turf had been laid, and all the staff were in place. The only thing left was to wait for the first match on January 1st, 2000, the FA Cup tie in which New Manchester United would host Arsenal.
Before the match, New Manchester United would also specially arrange a stadium opening ceremony. Although it would be simple, it was, after all, the first match at New Manchester United's first stadium of their own.
Judging from the ticket response, the first match at this stadium would be sold out again. So far, all 8,000 tickets had been sold. After all, this was a very memorable day. The first match at the new home ground, against Manchester United's arch-rival Arsenal, made the fixture especially attractive.
It was said that Sky TV would once again arrange a live broadcast of this FA Cup match, and the famous commentator Andy Gray would be there on site to commentate. This would also be the second time New Manchester United appeared on national television.
Precisely because the match was being broadcast live, Ethan was extremely worried about the opening ceremony. Although it was only the home stadium opening ceremony of a National League team, and he could not invite any big-name stars or political and business celebrities, Ethan still hoped to make it a little unique.
It was precisely because of this matter that he even forgot Christmas had arrived!
...
"Christmas... has come!"
Eva rested her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the strange-looking figures in the distance. They were actors wearing props and costumes, rehearsing the scene according to the director's requirements.
This was the crew of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in New Zealand, and sitting beside her was the Englishman Orlando Bloom.
"Yeah, it's Christmas. Eva, are you going back for the holidays?" Orlando asked casually while flipping through a car magazine.
In the entire Lord of the Rings crew, the two of them got along the best because Eva was born in London, while Orlando was born in Canterbury, near London. The former was now a well-known Hollywood actress, while the latter was just starting out. Eva naturally took care of this fellow Briton, and Orlando also respected her very much as an older sister figure.
"No. What about you? Are you going back?" Eva asked casually.
"Yeah, my mum and sister want me to go back." Orlando looked just like a little boy who had not yet grown up.
Eva looked at the handsome Orlando and smiled. She had not been home for a long time. Although she occasionally talked on the phone with her mother, she had never thought about going back. She was a little afraid of going home.
"Looks like I'll have to spend Christmas alone this year!" Eva shrugged indifferently.
"Oh, what magazine are you reading?"
Orlando moved the magazine in his hand closer to Eva. "A car magazine. Lamborghini is about to launch a new sports car again. The design blueprint for this car is just too amazing, too perfect! Take a look!"
(To be continued.)