The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 43: Noisy Neighbors

The morning sun shone brightly, a rare treat for winter in London. Aldrich stood by the training ground in the club's winter sportswear, casually chatting with fellow coaches while wearing a pair of warm gloves.

Soon, the players arrived at the training ground one by one. Aldrich felt grateful for the decision he made six months ago to appoint Southgate, Nedved, and Larsson as the team's three captains. These three were now the backbone of Millwall, demonstrating exceptional skill on the field and professional discipline off it. With them setting an example, no player dared to act like a superstar; in fact, there hadn't been a single instance of late arrivals during training for the past six months.

"How have the past few days treated you?" Aldrich asked, increasingly taking on the demeanor of a leader. Most of the younger players smiled silently, while the more extroverted ones chimed in with enthusiastic chatter.

Unlike other clubs still stuck in training, Millwall had unexpectedly given its players a break, much to their delight. The team needed a breather after an intense stretch of games since October, and sometimes it was essential to hit the brakes for a while.

This short vacation had left the players feeling rejuvenated. Besides, once they returned to training, it was likely that no one would remember their recent streak of three winless games. Aldrich had managed to minimize the negative impact on morale.

Since Schneider was injured, Aldrich opted to give him a month's rest for precautionary reasons, while Beckham stepped into the starting XI temporarily.

Five days later, they traveled north to challenge Sheffield United, currently ranked high in League One. With the recent three-game winless streak, the outside world focused intently on this match. Whether Millwall could withstand the pressure and turn things around would likely be seen as a watershed moment in the title race.

If Middlesbrough won their match, the gap between the two teams would shrink to just two games. After six rounds, the two title contenders would meet again in the second round of league play.

With the spotlight firmly on them, Aldrich led the team to a comfortable 2-0 victory away from home, winning without a fight.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough failed to secure a home win against Grimsby on the same day, widening the points gap between the two teams to 10.

Millwall's victory halted their slump; if this momentum continues, the suspense surrounding the League One title could very likely be resolved by the end of February.

In late February, whether Middlesbrough can dampen Millwall's momentum at Lion's Den will determine the fate of both teams.

Ultimately, who will face the ruthless playoffs for a chance to earn promotion to the Premier League?!

In a cheerful mood, Aldrich returned to London. Just as he got home, the phone in his study rang.

"It's done. I found a specialist to handle the divorce case for her, helped her rent a new apartment, paid three years' rent upfront, hired a nanny with my company covering the salary, and also gave her ￡30,000," Andrew reported, sounding a bit fatigued.

Aldrich sighed with relief and chuckled, "Have you forgotten how to exercise? You don't seem to have done any physical work lately. What's with the tiredness?"

"Uh, running around like that is tiring, Aldrich. I'm a bit confused here."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"Fine, why are you helping her? Even if you like older women, I fail to see her appeal."

Aldrich chuckled in disbelief and sighed after a moment, "Andrew, you've changed."

"What's that got to do with me?"

"Why can't you look at this simply? While you may charm women by dating models and showering them with luxury gifts, that doesn't mean I'm like that. Mrs. Rowling has talents we can only envy; she's just going through tough times in life. Helping her brings me no gain; all I want is for her to stand up again and showcase her exceptional talents to the world without being bothered by life's little issues."

Andrew fell silent for a while before sighing, "Aldrich, you're right; I have changed. Something so simple has got me confused. You won't hate me for this, right?"

Aldrich laughed, "Of course not! Everyone has their own way of living. Who knows, I might end up changing myself one day. I shouldn't criticize others with a lofty perspective. Let's talk about something else."

The two brothers then discussed business matters. Andrew's agency not only held contracts for most Millwall players but was also trying to sign players from a few Premier League teams.

However, Andrew's company remained under the radar, not making significant waves in the agent industry. This field needed prestige, connections in the transfer market, and a broad network for player commercialization; the core essence was to generate revenue for players.

Once the conversation shifted to football, Aldrich found it hard to stop talking. Under his influence, Andrew completely changed his mindset from trying to squeeze players into Millwall. Now, he realized his agency was just starting, and signing even ordinary players would be a challenge at this stage. But that was fine; he focused on building relationships with young players, as forming connections was essential for the future. After signing a few star players in transfers, Andrew's company would make a name for itself.

The following day, Aldrich received a package from Edinburgh, sent by Rowling.

Inside was a thick stack of photocopied manuscripts and a letter. Aldrich opened the letter first and read Rowling's expression of gratitude for his help. The manuscript was a copy of her ongoing work. While still unfinished, she hoped he could have a sneak peek and provide feedback.

To Aldrich's surprise, the manuscript was none other than an incomplete draft of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

As for providing feedback, Aldrich believed he had no right; he was merely an onlooker. If Rowling were a football player, he would be nothing more than a fan cheering from the stands. Putting him on the field would surely lead to disaster.

Nevertheless, he was thrilled to read the original draft of "Harry Potter." Understanding the value of her manuscript, he never took it out of the study. That night, he lay quietly on the study sofa, listening to soft music, savoring every page.

In the past, he struggled to understand English literature, often feeling lost in translation. But times had changed; he could now seamlessly grasp everything depicted in the manuscript, allowing his imagination to soar into that wondrous world.

Interestingly, Rowling had some connections to football. She found matches boring, yet the flying ball inspired her creativity. The Quidditch World Cup in "Harry Potter" was actually a manifestation born from football matches.

After finishing the draft, Aldrich wrote back to Rowling. Though they rarely met, their correspondence kept their connection alive, a relationship that endured until the day "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was officially published.

At the end of January 1995, Millwall faced a major match: the FA Cup.

The FA Cup begins in the third round, where Premier League and League One teams join the fray, forming a knockout tournament with sixty-four teams battling it out.

Millwall had terrible luck, drawing their local rivals Arsenal in the draw.

If there was anything to be glad about, it was that playing at home would boost ticket sales, and facing Arsenal meant substantial broadcast income.

Millwall has had many rivals throughout history, including historically later rivals like Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United, and Gillingham.The hostility and grudges formed with these teams can be attributed half to encounters on the field during certain periods,And the other half due to explosive clashes between the fans.

Teams like Liverpool, as a Premier League powerhouse, hardly consider Millwall a threat,It's more of Millwall harboring resentment due to their own perceived shortcomings.

In these rivalries that are not local derbies, football hooligans have played a key role in stoking the flames.

In summary, due to their location in London, Millwall's primary rivals are three: West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Charlton Athletic.

If we were to rate the intensity of hatred, West Ham United would score the maximum, followed by Crystal Palace at 80 and Charlton at 60.

Not all London clubs held an animosity towards Millwall; the disparity in strength meant that many stronger teams looked down on them. Just as Tottenham's hatred for Arsenal might be rated at 100, Arsenal's sentiment for Tottenham would likely only reach 80, making it as if Millwall and both Tottenham and Arsenal existed in separate worlds.

Aside from West Ham United, likely a perennial rival, Millwall's second target of hatred was Chelsea from West London.

This is probably also related to the fans. Chelsea is located in West London,and as West London has become extremely expensive over the past few decades,the traditional working-class supporters have been forced to leave the skyrocketing prices of West London and move to areas with relatively lower living costs.In London, the east is poorer while the west is wealthier, and the south is poorer while the north is wealthier.Many Chelsea fans have thus relocated to the Millwall area,As a result, the conflict between fans naturally escalated to a rivalry between the clubs, leading to a peculiar phenomenon.

The stronger Chelsea fans hate Millwall more than Millwall fans hate Chelsea!

It's easy to imagine that in the Millwall area, notorious for its football hooligans, Chelsea fans wouldn't find it easy here, would they?while Millwall merely responds in kind.

In the Greater London area, there inherently existed derby links among clubs, and for teams without historical hostilities, the rivalry boiled down to the simplest concept: who was the true king of the city?

Due to their relative weakness, Millwall could never engage in the title race against Arsenal as the "Kings of London," so the derby atmosphere wouldn't be particularly intense.

However, Arsenal was a club that evoked irritation, especially among London teams.

Once, Arsenal had moved north to claim territory in North London, encroaching on Spurs' doorstep, and competing for territory was something that irked any club or its fans, resulting in a similar repulsion as new arrivals like Manchester United not earning support from local fans in Manchester. Manchester City had a stronger fanbase than United, while more Arsenal fans largely came from neighboring northern counties. With London's increasing international diversity, many neutral fans eventually became Arsenal or Manchester United supporters through the years.

The FA Cup match against Arsenal might only generate mild sparks in London but wouldn't ignite significant passion; had it been Millwall against West Ham United or Chelsea, the atmosphere would have been electric.

Aldrich approached the FA Cup fixture with a relaxed mindset, unaware that some were determined to cause him trouble.

On the morning of the match, *The Times* featured a headline:

"George Graham: Arsenal Will Teach Millwall to Respect Football; Aldrich Is the Blight of English Football!"