"Carl, after I got off the field, you were the captain of the team. How did I explain to you at the time?" Steve Bruce grabbed the handrail of the bus with one hand and sat in the seat not far away from Carl Makinson, snapping.
It was obvious that the head coach's tone was not good. All the players, including Levi and Walsh, who were sitting in front of the bus, paid attention.
"I..." Makinson looked a little guilty. He was never the vocal type.
"I explained to you that in addition to fulfilling your responsibilities as a defender, you must also urge your teammates. You must not relax in the slightest. You must maintain absolute concentration for 90 minutes. But think about it, did you do that in those last 20 minutes?" Bruce looked heated, pointing at the players.
No one dared to say anything at this time.
"Patrices, you played well in this game, and you were very active. Your opponents' defenses couldn't contain you. Congratulations, you're now famous. You're known in the Northwest Division B!" Bruce said as he walked beside Patrices Evra, his voice becoming louder.
"You were active with lightning speed in the first half. Where were you in the second half? The task I gave you was for 90 minutes, not just 45. Did the opponents dare to face you like they did in the first half? Tell me, Patrice!"
Evra stood up, startled, and hesitated before saying, "No, sir!"
Bruce patted Evra's shoulder comfortingly and motioned for him to sit down. "You're a very talented player. You're only 17 years old. The club and I both value your future. You shouldn't be satisfied with what you've achieved in the amateur league. Remember Gary Neville's achievements? He's your role model! If you haven't reached his level yet, why would you be satisfied? Why relax?"
Evra looked pensive, and Bruce let him be for a moment.
Instead, he approached Jonathan Matten and smiled, "We should thank you today, Jonathan. You became the first player in our club's history to score a hat-trick in an official game. You'll go down in history. But unfortunately, I have to tell you that in the next game, you'll be on the bench!"
At first, Matten thought he was going to be praised. He was very happy, but after hearing Bruce's words, he couldn't believe it and stood up, asking, "Why, sir?"
Bruce stared at him and said, "Because your performance in the second half was terrible! As a player who once played regularly in the national league, do you feel proud to be facing such a low-level amateur team and scoring a hat-trick?"
"It's not just Jonathan, Patrice, Carl, Smith, all of you will be on the bench next time!"
When Bruce said this, not only were the players surprised, but even Levi and Walsh were taken aback.
Eleven main players, and four substitutes?
Walsh wanted to speak out but was pulled by Levi, who signaled to keep quiet.
Yes, Levi believed in Bruce. No matter what he did, Levi felt they should fully support him!
"I declare here again that my team needs only those players who can give their all for 90 minutes. Those who can only perform in halves and play poorly in the other half, even if they're talented, I won't use them. If you feel wronged or think I'm being unfair, then fine, you can choose to leave!"
"The team I have in mind is a team of eleven, not a team that can't play without certain individuals, or a team that can't win without them. I won't compromise. This is the bottom line. Anyone who wants to play in the game must show me your fighting spirit and determination and convince me, because I'm the only one who decides whether you can play or not!"
After speaking, Bruce sat back in his seat, and the whole bus fell silent. No one spoke.
"Levi, don't you think Steve was speaking too harshly? Most of them have never played professional football, so asking them so much might cause conflict."
Back in Newton Heath's training ground office, Walsh closed the door and asked Levi with a worried expression.
Although this team was Levi's, Walsh had also contributed a lot, and he was also worried about the future of the team.
"Andy, I believe Steve has good intentions. He has had a successful and illustrious career, serving as a model for professional players. So we should trust him, and I don't see anything wrong with his strict requirements. We're not an amateur team like Rick, just playing for fun. Our ambition is to climb to the Premier League and even become a giant!"
Walsh thought for a moment and suddenly understood what Levi meant.
Just as Levi had desperately pursued Steve Bruce at the beginning of the club's establishment, wanting to inject a tough and determined spirit into the team and make it an invincible force.
Building an invincible force takes time and effort, just as it took Ferguson and Wenger over a decade to shape Manchester United and Arsenal. So Levi started from the lower leagues, slowly instilling a resolute spirit and a warrior-like ethos into New Manchester United.
And Bruce was proving with facts that his team could win without key players.
Although four main players would miss the next league game, New Manchester United, playing at home, still defeated the visiting Stilsten team with goals from Rodriguez Giggs and David Bell. Two games, two wins, and an eight-goal difference put them at the top of the table.
A total of 3,741 fans attended the game at the Butcher's Knife Stadium, once again filling the stadium to capacity and breaking New Manchester United's previous attendance record. Fans who couldn't get tickets also gathered outside the stadium, cheering loudly. It was easy to see how popular New Manchester United had become.
After the game, the Manchester City Council held a consultation on New Manchester United's proposal to buy the district sports stadium and surrounding land. Andy Walsh represented Levi at the meeting.
"In principle, the city council agrees with our buyout proposal, but there are still some disagreements on the price. After all, many real estate developers intend to develop the land for commercial use."
After returning from the council, Levi immediately convened a meeting in the office with Walsh, along with Bruce.
"Those real estate developers can pay in one lump sum, but we obviously can't match that. However, the city council doesn't want the district sports stadium and surrounding land to become commercialized," Levi said.
"In terms of price, we should negotiate as best as we can. As for payment, we could consider a larger down payment, perhaps half, with the remaining debt paid off within two years," Levi suggested.
Bruce shook his head. "It won't be enough. I've seen the District Athletic Stadium. It's in terrible condition. Even if we buy it, it will take a lot of money and time to renovate it before it can be used."
"Yeah, Levi, I've looked into it. It will cost at least £100,000 to repair the stadium. If we want to build a grandstand in the north section, it will cost at least £500,000," Walsh said, looking at Levi with a worried expression.
The lack of a grandstand on the north side of the district athletic stadium meant it could only accommodate 6,000 people. Levi intended to build the northern grandstand to accommodate at least 10,000 people, making the stadium more complete. This expansion would meet New Manchester United's needs for the next few years.
"The money isn't the problem. The key is to secure this land. Our current stadium can't meet the fans' needs at all. I believe that as our results improve, more and more fans will gather," Levi asserted.
As he spoke, Levi recalled something else.
"Andy, you have an opportunity to address this in the media. Even if our club acquires the new stadium, our ticket prices will remain at £5. I won't burden the fans with the financial strain. We are New Manchester United, not Manchester United!"
When news broke that New Manchester United was interested in acquiring the District Athletic Stadium site, fans began worrying that ticket prices would rise after moving to a new stadium. Levi felt it was necessary to clarify this matter.
"If the team doesn't get promoted to the national league, ticket prices don't need to be mentioned," Bruce added, supporting Levi's decision.
A £5 ticket price was moderate in the amateur league but low in Manchester. Once in the national league, the average ticket price would be at least £10-15. At each higher level in the professional league, the average ticket price would increase by £1-5.
Levi vividly remembered how Manchester United's ticket prices skyrocketed after being acquired by Glazer, reaching an astonishing £40. Moreover, one had to be a club member to access such prices, and Old Trafford's capacity of 76,000 fans ensured substantial ticket revenue per game, reaching at least three million pounds based on the lowest fare income. Levi vowed never to take New Manchester United public; the listing of football clubs was the greatest calamity!
Reflecting on this, Levi secretly resolved to keep New Manchester United independent, ensuring the club remained true to its roots and loyal to its fans.