The Young Lion

Players who perform well in League One are at best being noticed by the Premier League teams. Aldrich knows that if his team is going to be poached, it is obvious that the pressure from the Premier League giants is the greatest.

As long as he can be promoted next season, Aldridge will try his best to use the transfer fee and wages as obstacles to prevent the core of the team from being poached. Well, no one knows if Ferguson will be eager to find a striker in the winter and put his mind on Millwall.

However, Aldridge is a little relieved that Ferguson at least respects him. Otherwise, Manchester United only needs to make rumors outside to seduce the players, and it will cause a lot of trouble for Aldridge. The introduction of Andy Cole is such a strategy. It's just that Kevin Keegan is biting and refusing to let go.

After a draw at the Ayersume Park Stadium as a guest, Aldridge led the bench to the northeast to challenge the Magpies Newcastle United in the middle of the week.

The game was relatively flat. Aldridge and Kevin Keegan faced each other for the first time on the stage of the League Cup. His substitute lineup fell into a complete passivity against Newcastle United, who played the main team, and finally swallowed a 2-0 victory. The bitter fruit of failure.

Aldridge didn't mind being out of the League Cup. On the way back, he kept instilling a concept in the young players: at this stage, they play the game to feel the atmosphere of the game, which is far more important than the result!

If Aldridge pursues results, then he will not necessarily lose if he puts a bus in front of the goal and waits for an opportunity to counterattack, but what is the point of that for these young players?

After the battle with Middlesbrough, the cohesion and combat effectiveness of Millwall's first team suddenly rose to a new level. Aldridge's process of building offensive tactics has achieved gratifying results. Wade showed the style of a general in the midfield, aiming at the opportunity to enter the penalty area is also a sharp knife to seal the throat.

Entering October, Millwall defeated Bristol City, Stoke City, Wolves, Sheffield United, and Portsmouth one after another, winning five consecutive victories.

The first four games were played on a weekly basis. Among them, the away game against Wolves, which has the most offensive firepower in League One, is crucial. Since the last league game in October was in the middle of the week, Aldridge dispatched all substitutes. At home, they defeated the visiting underdog Portsmouth 3:1.

Through five consecutive victories in one go, Millwall sat firmly at the top of the League One table, opened a 5-point gap with Middlesbrough behind it, and also opened a gap with the group outside the promotion play-off ranking A gap of 12 points.

Less than three months after the start of League One, Millwall had a youthful storm in League One, and the outside media immediately turned the wind.

Millwall sits firmly at the top of the table and will make his debut in the Premier League next year

Larson Trezeguet: Devil's Front!

Aldrich pointed to the Premier League!

 …

Aldridge was not dazzled by the praise of the outside world, he kept a low profile in his words and deeds, and did not make the team's style of play more unrestrained because of successive victories. On the contrary, he would be more serious in his training sessions every week, What is instilled in the players is still a solid tactical system based on defense.

By Christmas, Aldridge believed that the season's transformation of the team had reached a point where it could be paused.

To create a mature tactical system, it is impossible to achieve results with a few words and a short period of one week and a half months. Aldridge spent half a season to clarify the defensive strategy of siege and oppression starting from the midfield.

In the frontcourt, Pires, Nedved, and Schneider were the starting point of the attack on the longitudinal axis. Occasionally, Larsson retreated to support, making Millwall's offense rich and flexible in the frontcourt.

Halfway through the league, Millwall's main lineup has already achieved pleasing results on the pitch, as if abandoning the POMO theory that has poisoned England and set English football back for 30 years.

Watching Millwall's game, you will not see frequent crosses from the side, nor will you see offensive players flocking blindly to the penalty area. Millwall's offense is rich in layers, smooth and varied.

However, Millwall's record fell sharply during the Christmas period. Three rounds of unbeaten, two draws and one loss made the gap between them and their pursuers Middlesbrough shorten from 13 points in early December to 8 points. point.

At this time, the outside media began to clamor that Millwall had signs of collapse.

Aldridge didn't care, he knew what the problem was.

Most of the players in the team came to England to play for the first time, and they are not yet familiar with the rhythm of the lack of winter break here. In addition, during the Christmas season, the English league drives fast and the games are frequent, so many players in the team focus on Christmas and Christmas. Players with family reunions are a little less energetic, and that's understandable.

A young team needs to be familiar with new things in order to accumulate experience. Aldridge did not denounce the team's poor performance, not to mention that two of the three games without victories were played by the substitute lineup, so they had no expectations for points.

It has just entered January, and there is a two-week break in the middle of the League One. This is to make way for the cup competition. The Millwall League Cup was eliminated early, and the FA Cup will not join the battle until the end of the month. They are out of luck. The same city rivals were drawn without a hitch: Arsenal.

During the ten days or so without games, Aldridge announced a four-day holiday for the team so that the players could relax.

And Aldrich also began to prepare for a short trip.

On the road of living a new life, Aldridge has plenty of time and rich property, and he always tells himself in his heart: cherish time and see more of the outside world.

In the past six years, Aldrich has traveled all over Europe. Apart from watching a football game a week, part of his time is spent traveling, taking pictures of the landscapes of places of interest, or Appreciate the charm of different cultures.

If he was stuck in that place in London all day, he would feel sorry for letting him go through the possessed heaven.

Before leaving home, Aldridge received a call from club CEO Adam, claiming that a team was interested in Millwall players.

After Aldridge inquired, he found that several teams in the Premier League had made offers for Millwall players.

Including, Makelele, Thuram, Nedved, Larsson, Pires, Schneider, all teams are interested.

It's just that there really isn't a real giant here.

After asking about the team's offer again, Aldridge felt dumbfounded.

Such as Aston Villa, Leeds United and their like, want to buy players, but they don't even do their homework well.

Makelele's offer was only 1.5 million pounds, Pires 800,000, Larsson the highest, 1.8 million pounds, like Nedved, only 1 million pounds.

There is a reason why the wealthy do not make a move, because they cannot afford it!

Thuram spent three million pounds on Millwall, as long as he is not a fool, don't pay at least five million pounds for a contract with a top Premier League star, don't even think about taking him away from Millwall.

Larson, Makelele as well.

Most of the clubs who made the quotations were delighted to see Liexin, and did not investigate in detail the big moves in Millwall's transfer market last summer at all, otherwise they would not humiliate themselves and make hasty quotations.

Aldridge said to Adam on the phone: Reject all offers for first-team players and declare that they are not for sale. Also, you just mentioned the names of a few reserve players, didn't you?

Yes, boss, most of them come from League Two and League One teams. The transfer fee is not high, and the most is only £100,000.

Aldridge thought about it. Those players who did not leave Millwall in the summer were sent to the reserve team. In fact, most of them planned to wait for the first team to have a poor record. Aldridge would still use the veterans of last season, but Millwall But they played an unbelievably good record, so after the winter transfer window came, they didn't have any expectations, and leaving quickly to continue their careers was the best choice.

Those who want to leave the team can list their names, even if there is no transfer fee, it can save wages and avoid delaying their future.

Okay, boss.

Many players in the reserve team were the main players or substitute players who ranked No. 3 in League One last season. It cannot be said that they have no strength, but only that they have no greater potential. They have not yet reached the retirement age. Aldridge does not want to waste them. , being able to send them away is beneficial to both parties, so it's easy to get together and leave.

After making a decision on the transfer, Aldridge wore a slim coat, straddled a backpack, and embarked on his winter excursion. The destination was the capital of Scotland: Edinburgh.

Strange to say, Aldrich has been to France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and even Northern Europe in the past few years, but he has never been to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, at his doorstep. He probably feels that the distance is too close to arouse his curiosity. Take it easy, plus the essence of Scottish football is in Glasgow, and that's why it's been overlooked.

With a relaxed mentality of traveling, Aldrich browsed the places of interest in Edinburgh. In this small and exquisite city that supports Scotland’s strength, Aldrich admired the gorgeous buildings that can be seen everywhere, including the Victorian era. outstanding creativity.

For three days in a row, Aldrich walked alone in the city, and when he was tired, he found a coffee shop to rest and relax while looking at the scenery outside the window.

When the day came when he decided to go home, Aldridge walked into a cafe called Nilkerson with satisfaction, and after a short rest here, he was about to return to London.

But he would never have imagined that the sudden decision to give the team a holiday, the excursions he took with great interest, his footsteps stopped inadvertently, and he turned around and walked into this unknown cafe left him with an unforgettable memory. Even when he was old, he still felt how unbelievable it was to have a new fate.