The Young Lion

The Millwall players regret it, they should have followed Aldridge's advice, don't read the next day's newspaper, don't even turn on the TV, and even if it is turned on, don't watch football news and programs.

One day before, the overwhelming predictions were about Millwall's prospect of winning the Triple Crown. One day later, Millwall's entire team was criticized to pieces.

Overall, the team is not mature enough and stable enough.

Individual players were also pulled out to criticize one by one.

Pires dribbling error: too lonely and too selfish.

Nedved didn't score: not worthy of a spiritual leader.

Larsson and Trezeguet didn't have many chances: they were unhinged, and apart from a penalty and a goal from open play, there were no bright spots.

Schneider: You can't make a beautiful shot except for crossing?

The young Spaniard Elguera on the back line was bombarded even more: both counter-attacks and conceded goals have something to do with him. Although he is more like a thorough central defender than Southgate, Southgate's maturity is He can't compare!

Keller has long been the target of media bombardment. The outside world has always believed that Millwall's goalkeeper is a weakness, because you can't expect him to perform at a higher level. He will definitely lose the ball he should lose. Conceding the ball, occasionally he will miss a few goals.

Needless to say, the head coach Aldrich was naturally ridiculed by all parties, like a dog in the water, every passing audience would pick up a stick and hit him on the head.

Players will naturally feel resentful after seeing the news, and no reasonable person can maintain psychological balance.

Aldrich is the one who sees the most openly. This is the usual practice on Fleet Street, and there is nothing to make a fuss about.

British entertainment media naturally have their own recipe for success.

To put it bluntly, it is flattery and suppression.

If you are popular, I will blow you up, make you ecstatic, and make the outside world focus on you.

If you are black, I will step on you. Stepping on you makes you feel miserable, and makes the outside world stingy with sympathy for you.

No one is perfect, and Fleet Street knows it well. So no scruples, behind the hype. I don't know how many reporters and editors sneered sinisterly: Anyway, you will fall down sooner or later!

No player is perfect,

There will be times when performances are out of order, and the team will also encounter the Battle of Waterloo. These are all news, and Fleet Street is going to make this ordinary football law into explosive headlines with impact.

Fair and objective? Go away.

Football is also part of the entertainment and cultural industry. It is not something newcomers can quickly adapt to in the UK, where faces can be turned faster than books.

Aldridge gave the main players a holiday. And it will last for a week, which is equivalent to the last two rounds of the league, and the main players will not play until they recover from the exhaustion in April. Go all out for the final battle of the season, walk into Wembley and point to the FA Cup.

In the last league game at the end of April, Aldridge held a pre-routine press conference before going out.

There are also a lot of reporters here today. Over the past two days, the outside media have been in trouble like a scourge. The reporters all want to see if Aldridge will give them some news.

Like gaffes. For example, some locker room stories were revealed.

To Fleet Street's disappointment, Millwall's dressing room was eerily quiet after the draw with Leeds United.

Even when the players were interviewed, they just said in an official tone: We did not perform well enough, Leeds United played very well, congratulations on their success in relegation.

After the draw with Millwall. Combined with the results of other games, Leeds United has landed steadily.

Such a result made Manchester United laugh, because this round, it is their turn to face Leeds United. Although the two teams have enmity, Leeds United will obviously relax mentally.

In the past few days, many of the main players have not been seen on Millwall's training ground. I heard that you have given them a holiday. Then, which players will you send to the game at St. James' Park tomorrow? Theoretically, Millwall still have hope of winning the title.

Faced with this question, Aldrich stared at Richard, a reporter from the Daily Mail.

The opponent can be regarded as an old friend. He has followed and reported Millwall since last season, and has never been absent from the press conference.

In the past two days, even though the Daily Mail has been making fun of Millwall, none of them were written by Richard, because he is familiar with Millwall and Aldrich, there is no need to make the relationship deadlocked, and he is making At the same time as the news, he has tendencies.

Anyway, anyone can do the job of making things worse, and Richard can't do it himself. Besides, he still wants to continue to hear the news from Aldridge.

Aldridge was silent for a moment.

Is there any hope of winning the championship?

have.

Based on Millwall's two wins.

Newcastle United have at least one loss and one draw, which means that they can't win Tottenham at home in the final game.

Manchester United scored a maximum of 4 points in the two games, while Manchester United played Leeds United at home and played Middlesbrough away in the final game.

Some experts analyzed the probability of Millwall winning the championship, and I don’t know how he analyzed it. In short, they gave a relatively poor result: 2.78%

Pretty accurate.

Aldridge said lightly: Since the first round of the league, Millwall has never been in the leading position, so we don't have a strong psychological gap. I have said countless times that we are a young team. , we focus on every game, and the growth and improvement of the players is the most important task. Regardless of the results of the season, I am satisfied with the performance of the team. Also, I reiterate that from the beginning to the end, it is you Shouting that Millwall will win the title, now you are the ones pretending Millwall won the title and regretting it. Me and my team just want to play every game, that's all.

Then tomorrow's away game against Newcastle United, is your plan to train young players?

My plan is for the players to go to St James' Park and play a good game and get the best out of them and that's the goal.

Can you tell me about tomorrow's starting lineup?

Goalkeeper: Bout. Defenders: Zambrotta, Materazzi, Helguera, Capdevila. Midfielders: Gattuso, Vieira, Ballack. Forwards: Solskjaer, Van Gogh. Nistrouj. Shevchenko. Substitute list, do you need it too?

That's enough, that's enough. Uh. Excuse me. Capdevila, who is Van Nistelrooy?

The reporters in the audience were a little dazed. They couldn't remember who these two people were for a while, and they had no impression in their minds.

Aldridge shrugged: Capdevila is a full-back we introduced from Spain last summer. In the past season, he has adapted to the team and integrated into our tactical system. I decided to give him a chance to perform tomorrow. , Ruud van Nistelrooy came to the team the year before last. He didn't play many games, but his performance has been getting better and better recently. I think he has the ability to become a regular player in the first team to enrich the striker's strength. He will also perform tomorrow I would like to make a statement that I will include these two young players in the starting list after confirming that they have the ability and mentality to enter the Premier League. It's a lack of respect for Millwall.

Aldrich's formation was not a whim or a temporary decision. Originally according to his plan, both Capdevila and Van Nistelrooy should have entered the rotation squad in early April, but this plan was blocked by the team's crazy state.

For young players, it is impossible to buy today and enter the starting game directly tomorrow. Like Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Capdevila, Mills, etc., Aldridge gave them a season to integrate into Millwall, because Millwall's tactical system is completely different from England's mainstream 442 Different, to adapt to the football philosophy here, you need to learn, understand, adapt, exercise and a series of processes.

The youth team and the reserve team are the necessary process before they enter the first team, not to mention that they are not very old.

After finishing the press conference, Aldridge went back to the office to sort out the documents and reports given to him by various departments of the club, and planned to go home and rest, and lead the team to Newcastle tomorrow.

His cell phone rang.

After answering, there was a voice with a Scottish accent, and the tone was a little dissatisfied.

Aldrich, what the hell are you doing? Did you give up tomorrow's game?

Apart from focusing on his own team, Ferguson pays more attention to the trend of Newcastle United. In the standings, Manchester United is 3 points behind Newcastle United. Ferguson pins all his hopes on Millwall's away game against Newcastle United. .

But Aldridge announced the starting lineup one day in advance. Obviously, Millwall did not come up with the strongest lineup, and none of the main eleven players!

I think how I arrange the starting players has nothing to do with you!

Aldridge's blunt tone kept Ferguson silent for a moment.

Can you watch Keegan win the title? He never looked down on Millwall.

The aggressive method? It doesn't work for me! My main players need to rest. If I send them on the field, my injury list will definitely increase again. Alex, if you respect me, don't ask me how to command the team. You have crossed the line! Tomorrow, Millwall lost to Newcastle United, not because I want to give Keegan a championship, and if Millwall wins Newcastle United, it is not because I will work hard to help Manchester United win the championship!

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

I apologize to you for what I said just now. Aldrich, can you give me an answer to the deal you talked about before?

Nedved is not interested in moving to Manchester United. I don't plan to sell it for how much money you pay. I have reached an agreement with Stam. If Millwall cannot win the league title this season, then Stam will return to Manchester United. Stay for one season, you can ask the price next summer, I will talk to him again, if he regrets and wants to stay, I can only say sorry. Solskjaer can leave, but please give Manchester United a decent offer, you As I said, he went to Manchester United to play the main force. He played as a substitute at Millwall this season, but he scored more goals than Manchester United's main striker Cole. If you want to reach a deal as soon as possible, let's be quick.

What is your psychological price?

Can you negotiate? My psychological price? I told you directly, is that still called a psychological price? Don't be wordy, 8 million pounds.

Are you kidding me!

Joke? How many goals did Cole, who you bought for 6 million, score this season? With two rounds left in the league, he scored 11 goals. Bergkamp spent 7.5 million for Arsenal, so far this season. How many goals? 10. My Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored 12 goals in the league as a substitute, and 4 goals as a substitute in the cup match. Do you think I am joking?

Buy it now, 5 million.

Then we can't reach an agreement. Sell a striker who can score nearly 20 goals in a season for 5 million? Ha ha.

6 million, it can't be higher.

7 million, don't let us just say goodbye. We will still be friends when we meet in the future, but don't mention this deal again.

make a deal!

When he hung up, Aldridge could hear Ferguson gnashing his teeth.