The Young Lion

After the results of the fourth round of the FA Cup draw came out, Aldridge lamented that fate was tricky.

It is obviously a team in England's second tier league, but it is the third time it has met a Premier League team in the cup, and it is Newcastle United who have played against each other in the first half of the season.

The only good news is: Millwall has home advantage.

This can add a lot of money to the club.

Newcastle United, coached by Kevin Keegan, is still a pleasing team in the Premier League, but they have been unable to attack the championship this season. The top two teams in the Premier League standings are Blackburn and Manchester United, and Leave the team behind far behind.

Therefore, Newcastle United will naturally attach great importance to the FA Cup.

Aldridge, as always, made up his mind to let the bench lineup grow through cup games.

After entering February, Millwall has maintained a strong momentum in the League One. The mature team is invincible in the League One. Aldridge is now the least afraid of encountering the top of the standings or the team near the relegation zone. , because these teams will take risks for points, and the temptation of three-pointers will allow Millwall to give full play to the advantages of quick counterattacks.

On the contrary, only when encountering the kind of team that has no desires and desires and does not want to lose ugly, Millwall will be unable to attack for a long time and lose points.

The fourth round of the FA Cup kicked off at the Lion's Den Stadium. Aldridge once again saw Kevin Keegan, who was already a little smug, and Aldridge couldn't help laughing at the flamboyant crimson suit.

It is no wonder that Kevin Keegan feels good about himself. He was a rookie two years ago. After eight years away from football, he first took charge of the team and brought Newcastle United to the Premier League. Although they sold last season's top scorer Andy Cole this year, they have earned the club more than 4 million pounds, and the team's record has not declined. It is still the Premier League. A well-respected veteran team.

Interestingly, the owner of Newcastle United is also surnamed Hall, who is also wealthy and has a net worth of hundreds of millions of pounds.

After 90 minutes of the game, Kevin Keegan looked a little ugly.

He led the Premier League team to face the Millwall substitutes at the Lions Den Stadium, and finally only got a 1:1 draw.

Underestimating the enemy's arrogance is the fundamental factor in failing to win the game. After all, a few months ago, Newcastle United defeated Millwall with the same lineup at home in the League Cup without bloodshed.

After the game, Kevin Keegan embarrassingly stated that he would win the game in a replay at home.

Aldridge is more happy. If the substitute lineup can play one more game, they can gain more experience, not to mention extra income.

In the face of Kevin Keegan bombarding Millwall in order to divert attention: lack of respect for the FA Cup!

Because Millwall is not in the main lineup.

Aldridge responded lightly: We are about to usher in the most important game of the whole season. Is the FA Cup optional? Such a statement is very irresponsible. If it is not for a little bad luck, my team Being able to advance to the next round at home, Coach Keegan’s criticism is unreasonable. If we are condemned because we did not send all the main players, then why did Newcastle United not win against Millwall who did not have all the main players? What about it? Are they also retaining strength? Or are they underestimating the oldest cup competition?

Now Aldridge has become one of the London media's favorite coaches,

He is always able to calmly face the war of words, instead of accusing others unreservedly and unreasonably. While bringing news, he can maintain a relatively harmonious relationship with the media.

Before the FA Cup replay comes, Millwall does have to play a crucial game of the season.

Round 32 of League One: Millwall VS Middlesbrough.

Three months ago, the two teams played a 2:2 top battle at the Aiyasumi Park Stadium.

Three months later, the top two teams in the standings are still Middlesbrough right behind Millwall.

But the gap between the two teams has changed from a goal difference to a shocking 13 points!

It’s not that Middlesbrough’s performance is not good enough. Their performance in the same period has surpassed Nottingham Forest, which was second in last season, but Millwall is too good. Their points in the same period are more than Crystal Palace, the League One champion in the same period last season. eight points!

The 13-point gap makes the suspense of the League One championship less and less, and the result of the 32nd round of the top battle may kill all suspense.

The Daily Mail took a large page to publish the writing of reporter Richard.

For the Premier League, February 24 is still a day of chasing each other between the two most in-form teams, it is a never-ending war between Dalglish and Ferguson, but in League One On the field, perhaps the speculation about the championship will be completely over. Millwall, who is far ahead in the league, has opened up the 13-point gap behind Middlesbrough, making all chasers feel desperate. If this game Millwall Winning at home, then no one should doubt that the champion of League One has been produced. Although there are still 14 rounds in the league, more than 1/3 of the entire schedule, once Millwall leads the second-placed Middlesbrough by 16 points , then, it’s all over! At this moment, we think back to Bryan Robson’s interview three months ago after he was equalized by Millwall at home. The fantastic captain said: We failed to win the next game The game that decides the league championship! At that time, everyone felt that Robson was alarmist, but just imagine, if Millwall hadn't taken away the precious draw at the Aiyasumi Park Stadium, what impact would it have on the morale of the entire season? ?...

The media always likes to predict the trend of football games. If they guess right, they will gain insight, but if they guess wrong, they will be grandstanding.

However, this issue of the Daily Mail has sold well. Richard's article has been widely recognized, and on the cover is an old photo. After De scored the equalizer goal, the moment Aldridge knelt down and raised his arms to the sky and screamed. It was a young non-player who made a gesture similar to a player's celebration and catharsis, and Aldridge's popularity suddenly rose.

The battle was imminent, and Aldridge looked at the team list and Dr. Thompson's report on the players' recovery from injuries in the office.

bang bang

Please come in.

Bernd-Schneider in casual clothes walked into the office. Aldrich closed the document in his hand and asked gently: Bernd, what's the matter?

Schneider sat down across the desk and said honestly: Boss, I feel like I'm fully recovered, and I want to start the next game.

He has been recuperating from his injuries for the past month, and returned to the team to participate in joint training in the last week.

Aldridge smiled, got up and poured him a glass of water, then stood on the side outside the desk, with his butt slightly touching the table, he smiled and said: But I plan to let you be a substitute for the next game.

Schneider looked up at Aldrich, frowned and said, But I have fully recovered.

Aldrich waved his hand and said: I know, but the next game will definitely be intense, Bernd, you are an indispensable member of the team, and I don't want to take the risk of making you face an intense game after you come back. We have a lot of games left in the season, don't we?

But......

But the next game is against Middlesbrough, isn't it?

Schneider nodded.

In the top battle, this kind of crucial battle, he naturally wants to appear in the game.

Aldridge bent down and asked mysteriously: Bernd, you have been with the team for more than half a year, what kind of person do you think I am?

Schneider froze, scratched his head and said: Boss, you are a pragmatic person, a down-to-earth person, er, a reliable person.

Aldridge shrugged and said: Actually, I am also an ambitious and arrogant person. To tell you the truth, Middlesbrough, I didn't pay attention to it at all. Yes, they are a mature team. But they have no potential, and our potential has only been tapped to less than half. Our future is destined not to be comparable to them. Therefore, what I think now is more about our opponents in the Premier League in half a year. When the time comes Against Manchester United, against Liverpool, that's the real big game. Don't listen to the big game that the media preaches, and put us in the same class as Middlesbrough, it really doesn't make me happy.

Bernd Schneider was amused, he didn't expect Aldridge to have such a side.

But his ingenuity made him understand instantly, he nodded and said: Boss, I understand, don't disturb your work, bye.

After sending Snyder off, Aldridge circled back behind his desk and wrote down the starting lineup for the weekend's game in his playbook.

Except for the right midfielder replacing Schneider with Beckham in the main lineup, there are no other changes.

At the press conference the day before the game, Aldridge said in a low-key manner: This is just an ordinary league game. No matter what the result is, the schedule that really determines the league championship will be in April and May.

Such an argument made Aldrich the target of criticism from the media the next day, thinking that he was too hypocritical.

However, his humble expression of Middlesbrough's importance and respect for Bryan Robson still won him a lot of plaudits.

PS: Thank you Take off your slippers for your tip!