When Ethan entered the administrative building, three middle-aged Englishmen were sitting in the reception room.
All three appeared to be in their forties, although the oldest looked closer to fifty and was speaking quietly with the others.
The moment Ethan entered, they stood to greet him.
"Good afternoon, Mr Yu."
The eldest man stepped forward and introduced himself.
"I'm Eric Samuelson, and these are my associates, Dickie Guy and Ivor Heller. We've come from London."
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Please, sit down."
Ethan invited them to take their seats.
Although the three Londoners were middle-aged, they looked healthy and rugged and were dressed rather casually.
Ethan immediately suspected that they were football supporters.
Could they be Red Rebels fans from London?
He quickly dismissed the idea.
Red Rebels supporters rarely needed to approach him personally. The foundation already had a dedicated team responsible for helping fans.
Unless the situation was extremely serious, there would be no reason to involve him directly.
"Mr Yu, I apologise for arriving without an appointment, but we genuinely need your help," Eric said awkwardly.
He hesitated before gathering the courage to continue.
"We are supporters of Wimbledon, the Crazy Gang. We intend to establish our own football club, just as you did four years ago."
The moment Ethan heard this, everything became clear.
Of course.
He had been so busy that he had completely forgotten about Wimbledon.
He had repeatedly reminded himself that he needed to help the club's supporters during the summer of 2002.
However, with the new stadium, commercial planning, and sponsorship negotiations occupying his attention, the matter had slipped from his mind.
"I'm very sorry, Mr Samuelson. I've heard what has happened to Wimbledon, and I'm deeply saddened by it."
Ethan stood again and offered his hand with genuine warmth.
Eric accepted it gratefully.
His two companions were equally moved.
They understood that Ethan was perhaps the one person who could fully appreciate what they were experiencing.
That was precisely why they had travelled to Manchester to seek his help.
"Winkelman intends to move the club out of London," Eric said.
"You understand that we cannot accept that.
"He knows nothing about Wimbledon, just as he knows nothing about football.
"He has money, but money is not everything.
"What makes it worse is that the FA approved his proposal and allowed the club to be moved to Milton Keynes."
As Eric described what had happened to Wimbledon, his expression grew increasingly sorrowful.
Dickie and Ivor looked equally distressed.
In his previous life, Ethan had always felt deeply sympathetic towards England's two major supporter-founded clubs, the Crazy Gang and the Red Rebels.
He had researched their histories extensively and understood what Wimbledon's supporters had endured.
"I'm truly sorry, Mr Samuelson," Ethan said. "What can I do to help?"
Eric forced a smile.
"We've decided to establish our own Wimbledon club, and the supporters have given the proposal their unanimous backing.
"We've also contacted a local ground and discussed a lease. That will become our new home.
"However, we know very little about setting up a football club, so we want to learn everything we can."
Ethan nodded and immediately began explaining the difficulties he had faced while establishing the Red Rebels.
In his experience, the greatest challenge had been financial.
Eric explained that they intended to create a supporters' trust.
Every member who contributed money would receive one vote, regardless of the size of the contribution.
The arrangement reminded Ethan of a membership-based club.
However, he had no intention of imposing his preferences on Wimbledon's supporters.
They had every right to choose their own structure.
Besides, a one-member, one-vote system was not necessarily a bad model.
The supporters had already raised a considerable amount of money, enough to establish the club and begin competing.
Ethan then discussed player trials and recruitment.
Since Eric and his associates had already appointed a manager, they politely declined Ethan's offer to send staff to assist them.
They believed they could handle the footballing side themselves.
Ethan also advised them to speak with the FA and determine which division had an available place they could enter.
Money could make the process easier, but forming a football club involved countless responsibilities both on and off the pitch.
The complications were almost endless.
Ethan could only share everything that came to mind and promise that they could return to him whenever they encountered difficulties.
"By the way, Mr Samuelson, have you arranged any friendly matches yet?" Ethan asked.
Eric shook his head.
"We're still preparing the player trials, so we haven't considered friendlies."
"In that case, how about this?
"New Manchester United will travel to London and play a friendly against you.
"All the proceeds will go to Wimbledon.
"Consider it a small gesture from the Red Rebels. What do you think?"
Eric stared at him in astonishment.
He could hardly refuse such a generous offer.
The Red Rebels' popularity throughout England was already comparable to that of several Premier League clubs.
A friendly against New Manchester United would generate considerable revenue for Wimbledon.
"I may also be able to arrange a match against Droylsden," Ethan continued.
"And I'll personally contribute another £2 million to the supporters' trust.
"Consider it my membership fee. From today onwards, I'm also a member of the Crazy Gang."
Ethan laughed and produced the cheque he had prepared earlier.
Eric, Dickie, and Ivor were stunned.
They rose from their seats and stared at him, scarcely able to believe what they were seeing.
Two million pounds merely to become a member of a club that had not yet formally been established?
"Please don't refuse, Mr Samuelson.
"I've been through this myself, so I understand exactly how difficult your situation is.
"We are friends.
"The Red Rebels and the Crazy Gang should regard each other as brother clubs, and we must support one another.
"I was fortunate. I established the Red Rebels and later happened to make a considerable fortune.
"But I don't consider wealth an achievement in itself.
"I would rather use it to support the things I believe are right.
"Helping Wimbledon is one of those things."
Ethan's sincerity left all three men deeply grateful.
"Mr Chairman, may I make my first request now that I've become a member?" Ethan asked with a smile after Eric accepted the cheque.
Eric froze briefly before nodding at once.
"Of course, Mr Yu."
Ethan smiled and held his hand firmly.
"Wimbledon's rebirth makes me feel that the Red Rebels are no longer alone.
"One club is in London and the other in Manchester, but we share the same principles.
"So whenever you need anything, please come to me.
"You will always be welcome here."
Eric and his companions could clearly feel Ethan's sincerity.
They knew their journey to Manchester had been worthwhile.
...
After seeing them off, Ethan immediately called Walsh and explained everything that had happened.
He asked him to provide Wimbledon with as much assistance as possible.
Walsh completely supported the creation of another supporter-owned club in England.
He believed Ethan had handled the matter perfectly.
As pioneers of the movement, the Red Rebels should offer Wimbledon every possible form of help.
Walsh also promised to contact Eric and his associates directly to discover what further assistance they required.
Ethan then instructed him to arrange an additional £1 million donation from the Red Rebel Foundation.
A new football club required considerable funding during its earliest stages, something Ethan understood better than most.
After Walsh left to make the arrangements, Ethan spent some time dealing with documents before leaving the administrative building.
The Newton Heath training complex was already regarded as one of the better facilities in English football.
Once that year's renovations were completed, it would become one of the most modern and comprehensive training centres in England, perhaps even in Europe.
But the facilities themselves were not the most important part.
What truly mattered was the culture within the training ground.
Buildings and equipment were only one side of the equation.
The environment mattered more.
Ethan understood that only the right atmosphere could produce a continuous supply of talented footballers.
As he passed the academy pitches, he stopped for a moment.
The young players were training under the guidance of their coaches.
Bright smiles covered their faces, appearing particularly vivid beneath the rare Manchester sunshine.
The Red Rebels' academy was improving every year, largely because of Ethan's continued investment.
For the young players, the club placed considerable emphasis on education, with football treated as only one part of their development.
That did not mean the club had confused its priorities.
Education could make players more intelligent, improve their decision-making, and teach them to think more clearly on the pitch.
The focus on schooling was also a matter of responsibility.
Fewer than ten per cent of the youngsters in any academy would eventually become professional footballers.
Many would never play for New Manchester United or any other professional club.
For those who failed to establish a career in football, continuing their education would provide the best possible alternative.
That was one of the main reasons so many parents were willing to send their children to New Manchester United.
Ethan's fondness for youth development, combined with his background as a supporter, meant he valued the academy enormously.
That attitude had created a strong culture of nurturing young players throughout Newton Heath.
Many of them might never represent the Red Rebels' first team, but growing up in such an environment would still benefit them throughout their lives.
New Manchester United had also signed a non-poaching agreement with Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton, and several other clubs in North West England.
The agreement had been one of the conditions for establishing their regional youth league.
If the clubs competed regularly and every outstanding youngster was immediately approached by rival academies, the entire competition would descend into chaos.
The agreement encouraged the participating clubs to focus their recruitment efforts outside one another's local areas.
Within the region, everyone followed the rules because doing so benefited them all.
It also allowed New Manchester United's academy teams to compete freely against opponents of similar quality without constantly fearing that their best players would be taken.
That would greatly accelerate the youngsters' development.
They were the future of the club.
Ethan understood that better than anyone.
(To be continued.)
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