The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 22: Building a Foundation

After securing a successful opening match in the league, Aldrich refrained from mentioning Peter Dawson again. In his mind, even an arrogant person had no interest in using someone as obscure as Dawson as a stepping stone.

By the end of the first round, Millwall unexpectedly claimed the top spot in the league table, closely followed by Sheffield United, Oldham, Middlesbrough, and other strong teams capable of promotion.

Aldrich granted the players a day off, but he returned home and worked late into the night. The next day, he arrived at the hotel where the team was training, and met with the entire coaching staff to discuss a growth and development plan for the young players.

In the meeting room, they first laid out the schedules for the three tiers of teams.

Jensen pointed to the projection on the big screen and said, "Before the FIFA break in mid-September, we have seven league matches in League One against Sunderland, Derby County, Bolton, Reading, West Brom, Burnley, and Tranmere. Among these, two matches will be played in midweek, which means our players will have to face two games in one week. There's also the first round of the League Cup next week, and if we can get through, we must face the second round of the League Cup in the last week of August."

Aldrich gazed at the schedule for the first team on the big screen, falling into deep thought.

The weekend match against Sunderland wouldn't be too difficult because the current Black Cats Sunderland lacked promotion strength. Last season they ranked in the middle of the table in League One, at the same level as Shrewsbury. This summer, Sunderland didn't make any strong signings, so their overall strength seemed average, relying on their performance on the day.

But the upcoming series of matches would definitely be a test for Millwall.

Derby County, who had crushed Millwall 5-1 in the playoffs last season.

Bolton, who brought in many experienced veterans aimed at promotion.

Reading and West Brom emerged with the momentum of last season's promotion. Although they didn't appear strong, they were familiar with victory in the past season, and their combined strength and occasional explosive momentum shouldn't be underestimated.

In the lead-up to the FIFA break, Aldrich needed to ensure the team maintained a stable mindset. Achieving the delicate balance of being neither arrogant after a win nor disheartened after a loss was quite challenging; such training required more than just the head coach's words.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let the substitutes handle the League Cup; the first team should focus solely on the league this season unless we can reach the final in the cup, but I believe that possibility is very slim. The season is long, so we should aim to maintain the main lineup with one match per week. They are young players, and the match load must be moderate. As for the next seven matches, our target remains the same: no losses and minimize conceding goals. Even if we draw all seven matches, I would accept that."

Upon hearing Aldrich's seemingly "unambitious" goal, other members of the coaching staff exchanged glances, and Jensen frowned, "Not losing in all seven matches? That sounds a bit too low, don't you think? We won our last match 4-0. In my opinion, among these seven opponents, we should at least secure two victories; not winning against teams like Tranmere or Burnley wouldn't mean much. Besides, drawing all seven matches would only net us seven points. If we win three matches, that's at least nine points."

Jensen's view was widely accepted, but Aldrich shook his head and said, "Last season, the second-place team that got promoted was Nottingham Forest with 83 points, while Crystal Palace, the first place, earned 90 points. There are 46 matches in total, so we have some leeway to drop points early on; I don't want to put too much pressure on the team. Moreover, we must recognize that our victory over Shrewsbury yesterday was fundamentally due to their tactical errors, and not a significant gap in overall team strength. Jensen, what you say is very practical. Winning three matches and losing four would earn us more points than seven draws, but I don't see it that way."

The coaching staff frowned, staring intently at Aldrich, eager to hear his thoughts.

"Our starting eleven yesterday had an average age of around 21. If we exclude the 25-year-old goalkeeper Keller, the average age of the other ten players may be even lower. They cannot bear the weight of failure, nor can we accept it. Losing brings about doubts, distrust, disappointment, and loss of motivation. The players' focus could easily become scattered. At this critical phase of building confidence and mutual trust, losing is the biggest taboo! A draw, for a young team like ours, would not be demoralizing; it might even be considered a victory. Losing one goal would elicit regret or discontent from the players. Losing two goals might lead to self-comfort, which could be seen as normal. Losing three goals is a blow; four goals, however, leaves a significant shadow in the players' minds and could be contagious, spreading throughout the entire team and eventually leading to collapse."

Aldrich's calm words sent a shockwave through the coaching staff.

In reality, these coaches were also quite young, and the most direct responsibility for the team was reflected in the league standings, as accumulating points was nearly the primary goal.

Aldrich tapped the table lightly and said, "Alright, from now on, we must forget about yesterday's victory and not pay attention to where we rank in the table. Our focus should be on how to build this team into a more competitive unit, not just on the individual growth of players but also on shaping the team's character and spirit. This is what we should concentrate on. Once we get these aspects right, I believe victories will come naturally."

The coaches let out a collective sigh of relief and exchanged smiles, suddenly realizing that Aldrich didn't seem like an 18-year-old head coach. Even they held some quick-fix ambitions, while Aldrich remained unusually calm at this moment.

Nobody knew that Aldrich had a life experience surpassing forty years deep within him.

Bob suddenly voiced his concern, "Patrick made a mistake in yesterday's game. Although he has calmed down, I worry this might weigh on him. I suggest allowing him to begin by getting familiar with English football, perhaps letting him play in the youth or reserve team matches, but certainly don't rush him onto the league stage."

Aldrich nodded in agreement, saying, "This is precisely my focus for today's meeting. We have many young players in the team with no prior professional league experience, and some have only played in the youth level. Therefore, I want to discuss the schedules for the reserve and youth teams, so that these young players can gradually gain experience."

Previously, Millwall didn't participate in the reserve league; only the youth league existed to develop young players, but results had been minimal. After Aldrich took over, any players from the first team who couldn't be sold or felt they still had potential, were moved down to the reserve team, sufficient in number to form a squad, thus entering the reserve league this season.

Jensen presented two schedules: one for the reserve team and one for the youth team.

Aldrich said, "Call the coaches of the reserve and youth teams, and have them bring player information. We not only want the players to participate in reserve and youth matches, but we also need to design tactics consistent with the first team's approach, and ensure that other players support the growth of these young players."

In essence, it meant that other players, whom Aldrich deemed hopeless, would serve as practice partners for the promising ones.

Such practices were tacitly accepted in English clubs; even Manchester United did it, surrounding their outstanding prospects with some obscure young players for training, even leading to legal disputes, but ultimately it fizzled out.

Now, with Millwall in reconstruction, the youth and reserve teams were more like decorations, so Aldrich's direct involvement in both teams' planning was entirely appropriate.

For two consecutive days, Aldrich and the entire coaching staff studied the technical characteristics of the team's players, designing tactics to allow the younger players more opportunities to practice, while instilling these plans into the coaches of the youth and reserve teams.

By Wednesday, Aldrich began researching intelligence on the weekend's opponent, Sunderland. The coaching staff had hardly taken a day off; while they usually supervised players' training, they convened when the players rested to prepare for the weekend's match.

Although he woke up early and returned late every day, Aldrich didn't feel fatigued at all; instead, he found life very fulfilling. He left home early and returned late, with little time for anything else besides sleep.

In Friday's pre-match preparation meeting, Aldrich noticed the first-team players seemed more serious than they had been at the same time last week. Their expressions were solemn, and each person's eyes were fixed on Aldrich, ears perked up, ready to absorb his tactical arrangements.

Seeing this scene, Aldrich understood — after the previous match's 4-0 victory over Shrewsbury, he had already established a foundation of trust with the players.

This is great; listen to me, and you won't go wrong!

Jensen began sketching tactics on the board while Aldrich calmly addressed the players, "Our next league opponent is Sunderland. Last season, they ranked in the middle of the league. They do not have striking characteristics, as they scored the fewest goals among the top twelve teams and also conceded goals towards the middle of the table. From their last match where they drew against the weak-performing Bristol City, they seem focused more on defense this season. However, since it's their home ground, we need to be cautious of any unexpected setbacks."

Aldrich patiently analyzed the opponent's attacking tactics for the team, highlighting areas to be cautious of during defense. He then referred to the formation diagram on the tactical board, saying: "Their defense mostly compresses near the penalty area and doesn't give us much space. Therefore, in attack, our two forwards need to constantly reposition to create passing opportunities. Robert and Bernd, your passing routes should connect with the corresponding side forward. When the forward makes a diagonal run into the channel, pass the ball toward that side. After receiving the ball, the forwards can either square it into the box or pull it back outside the box, where Bernd and Robert can support. Pavel can step up to link the front-line attack, ensuring the ball is always moving and not lingering too long on one side or with one player. Got it?"

The attentive players responded in unison, "Got it, boss!"

Aldrich clapped his hands and said, "Good, the meeting is over. Let's play a beautiful match tomorrow, but remember, don't treat the opponent as just any team, every match should be treated as if it were the most important game."