What directly triggered it in that timeline was the fact that their gap between Chelsea and Arsenal in total points had not narrowed due to the 1:1 equalizer by Fulham. As a result, in the locker room after the match, Alan Smith, the one who had scored the goal, accused Ronaldo of playing too independently and not knowing how to cooperate with his teammates. The two men's quarrel developed into a physical fight. Ferguson then announced that Ronaldo's condition was not good enough and that he needed to return to his hometown in Portugal for a period of time.
There was a smirk on Twain's face as he thought about this. Maybe the new trigger would be Nottingham Forest's 2:2 draw against Manchester United.
Of the history that he was familiar with, how much had he personally changed, and how much more would he still change?
