The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 200: Aldrich's Anger

Millwall secured a home victory against Leicester City, while Manchester United, who had been shouting about Millwall's looming collapse, suffered a home defeat to Derby County in the same round. This bumped the points difference between the two teams from 11 to 14. With only six rounds remaining in the league, Millwall would have to collapse spectacularly to give Manchester United any chance for a comeback.

Fleet Street wasted no time in piling on the pressure for United: "Hoping for Millwall's collapse? You should focus on not collapsing yourselves first! Liverpool is just four points behind you; hang on to second place in the league, and your Champions League ticket will vanish unless you can clinch the UEFA Champions League!"

The day for international fixtures arrived as expected, and players reported to their national teams. Makelele and Trezeguet were both called up for the French squad for the first time. Before leaving, Makelele made a special trip to Aldrich to express his gratitude, knowing that without Aldrich tirelessly recommending him to the French team, he might never have made the cut in such a talented squad.

However, Aldrich was feeling a bit down lately, struggling with the situation regarding Richards.

With no first-team matches scheduled, he spent his days training scattered teams or going to the cinema alone, trying to distract himself with movies or reading at home.

Just as the international break ended and players were about to return, Andrew called Aldrich, and it lit a fire in him.

"Has Manchester United contacted you?"

"It wasn't me; it was Jaap. They specifically went to the Netherlands, took the opportunity to contact him about a transfer while he was with the national team. Jaap just called me to inform me, and to be honest, United's offer is very generous."

"I see."

Aldrich hung up the phone and immediately called Ferguson. Once the line connected, he started shouting into the phone.

"Alex, Manchester United's season is over, but Millwall's isn't! F**k! Stay away from my players!"

"Aldrich..."

Doot doot doot.

Aldrich hung up.

With United's title defense fading, their last hope for silverware lay in the Champions League and retaining second place in the league.

Ferguson was already starting to plan for the summer; it was understandable since many teams began poaching players before the end of the season.

However, Aldrich is outraged because he had a gentleman's agreement with Ferguson, which the latter has decided to ignore, leaving Aldrich feeling betrayed.

After all, Millwall still had crucial matches in the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup to play. If Stam was preoccupied with transfer talks, it would undoubtedly affect his focus on the pitch.

Moreover, United might be worried that if Millwall enjoyed significant success this season, Stam would be reluctant to leave.

Before they could get their hands on any trophies, they needed to secure an agreement with Stam. Even if Stam had some room to reconsider, he would still have to take his reputation and credibility into account.

When the players returned, Stam approached Aldrich and requested a transfer for the summer.

Aldrich did not try to hold him back, agreeing to let him leave but required him to remain silent in the media.

There's no point in forcing a player to stay who doesn't want to. Aldrich had already made an attempt last year, and both teacher and student had made promises. If Stam believed Millwall couldn't compare to United, Aldrich had no arguments left. If Stam wanted to wear the Red Devils' jersey, so be it.

In less than a month, Millwall had lost two important central defenders—one starter and one backup.

What was once a rich reserve of defenders quickly became just adequate.

Southgate, Elgla, Materazzi, Ferdinand—if all stayed healthy, the four would certainly be able to cope with what lay ahead.

In the thirty-third round of the Premier League, Millwall hosted the reigning champions, Manchester United.

Both teams had European commitments midweek, so they sent out second-string lineups. Millwall had only their absolute starter, Larsson, on the field.

"It's strange; Hall doesn't look too good today. He hasn't shown any signs of happiness since he stepped onto the pitch. Is he nervous?"

"Doesn't seem like it. What does he have to be nervous about? Even if they lose to United at home, what's it matter? A change from an 14-point lead to 11 still leaves them with a five-point cushion as long as they win just one match. United must win all their games and can't afford to drop points in their remaining matches."

"True, but why is he still unhappy? It's puzzling. Besides, United isn't fielding a strong lineup today. They seem to be focused on the Champions League semi-final against Dortmund."

Aldrich didn't even glance at Ferguson as he entered, walking straight to the bench, crossing his arms in a calm manner, his sharp gaze fixed on the players in action.

The fans were in high spirits, with massive banners floating in the south stand, emblazoned with images of the Premier League trophy, heralding Millwall's impending crowning.

Millwall retained their 4-3-3 formation, but the midfield was configured with one holding midfielder and two attacking midfielders. Gattuso was responsible for breaking up play, Ballack focused on organizing, and Lampard was inclined to make late runs into the box.

Larsson and Gronkjaer operated as wingers, with Van Nistelrooy playing as the central forward.

In Manchester United's squad, Aldrich recognized some unfamiliar faces, notably the somewhat unfortunate Cruyff Jr., who had made a dazzling start to the season with three goals in three matches but has now been sidelined by a long-term injury. He also spotted Johnson, a fellow countryman of Solskj?r's, along with several other youth academy players.

Manchester United has promoted a greater number of youth academy players to the first team this season, seeing over 15 players make appearances for the senior squad, but not one has managed to secure a permanent spot. Ultimately, only a handful from the iconic Class of '92 have shone through.

Ferguson seemed to have accepted defeat in the league; one of the biggest problems was over-reliance on young players. Beckham, Giggs, and the Neville brothers were not only starters in the league but also played every single European and cup match. Their bodies couldn't cope with the intense schedule, leading to inconsistent performances—dominating when fit, but crumbling away from home against weaker teams.

Ferguson watched Millwall's players on the field, scanning each one, unable to hide his sense of envy.

Lampard, Ballack, Elgla, Zambrotta, Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand—he found it incredible how many talents Millwall had on display.

Was Aldrich really capable of transforming waste into wonder?

This reminded him of an early trip to Barcelona with Sir Bobby Charlton. They were looking to scout some good players but found themselves leaving with a realization. After watching the Barcelona youth system, Charlton said to Ferguson: "Let's go—what United needs isn't just one player but a youth system like theirs."

Even though the Red Devils had glory under Busby, their youth system had declined during the club's troubled years. After Ferguson took over, revitalizing the youth system led to the emergence of the 'Class of '92'.

Now, Millwall too had built a remarkable youth system, with investments in youth development that were mind-boggling. The scale of their Leo Youth Academy outshined even the construction of the Lion's Den stadium and club buildings.

In the match, Millwall played with more patience than United. United's lineup featured many players who seldom played, which, while energizing them, also made them a bit impatient on the field.

Millwall found more and better opportunities during the transitions of attack and defense.

Ballack controlled the midfield adeptly—not as flashy as Pirlo but stable and effective.

After Lampard made a forward run, Ballack passed the ball to him. However, Lampard's feigned attempt to receive it actually allowed it to slip through—catching the opponent off guard. Just outside the penalty area on the left, Larsson received the ball. This agile striker leaned forward to deceive the United defender, making them believe he would cut inside as Ferguson had emphasized keeping that route guarded.

But Larsson dribbled across the box. Surprisingly, no United defenders rushed to pressure him; Van Nistelrooy's movement beautifully drew the defensive attention while Gronkjaer made a run that provided support for Larsson.

After taking three lateral steps, Larsson set his feet and launched a curling shot that beautifully arched into the bottom corner of the net.

"What a fantastic goal! That's Larsson's 33rd goal of the league season!"

Aldrich sat unmoving in his seat while the coaching staff and players erupted in excitement, rushing to celebrate.

If they secured this victory, their point gap with United would widen to 17, allowing them to clinch the Premier League title five rounds early!

But Aldrich was thinking deeper; Larsson's goal showcased his individual skills—his ability to read the game, create space, and delivering an exact curling shot from the edge of the box. It was a beautiful execution, the sort of goal that top wingers loved to score by cutting in and firing unexpectedly.

He had to admit that Nagy's warning last year was incredibly important.

Over the past year, Larsson's skills had been improving, and the scientific training methods only made him better than the Larsson of years past.

During his time at Celtic, Larsson had been a 30+ goal player each season, even coming back from a broken leg!

At Millwall, he was developing even faster, becoming more excellent, thanks to the coaching staff's dedication.

On the opposite side, Gronkjaer was also improving quickly, his breakthrough techniques weren't new, but his choices and timing were maturing. His shooting, at least, had greatly improved and was far from being reckless.

After a strong counterattack from United, Millwall struck again with a quick flank attack. Gronkjaer penetrated into the box, setting up a perfect assist for Van Nistelrooy.

Millwall went into the break with a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Manchester United couldn't find their footing. Van Nistelrooy was taken down inside the penalty area by the keeper, van der Gouw, leading the referee to award a penalty kick. Larsson calmly stepped up and buried the penalty, finalizing the score at 3-0.

This season, Millwall achieved a double victory over the traditional giants of England, securing the Premier League title with five rounds to spare.

As the match concluded, the fans in the stands were emotional, cheering and celebrating with tears of joy, reluctant to leave.

The players and coaches also flooded onto the field to celebrate with excitement.

Throughout the match, Aldrich remained expressionless. Once the final whistle blew, he got up to approach Ferguson. Before they got close, Ferguson spoke first, "Congratulations on the Premier League title."

Aldrich's face remained unchanged as he shook hands with Ferguson before turning to leave.

But Ferguson frowned and said, "Aldrich, don't throw a tantrum."

Aldrich spun around, visibly furious, "This isn't a tantrum! It's Manchester United's blatant disrespect towards Millwall! It's your lack of respect towards me! If you don't honor our agreement, you shouldn't have even spoken to me in the first place!"

Ferguson's face turned red with anger as he replied, "Jaap wants to join Manchester United; it's that simple."

"Is that your answer? Fine, ￡15 million! I won't release him for a penny less! Even if you incite my players into a fuss, I'll wait until the last day of the transfer window to agree to letting him go!"

Aldrich said this and stormed down the player tunnel. He wanted to give his players and coaching staff time to celebrate, but he felt no urge to join in—it wasn't over for Millwall yet as there were still tough matches ahead.

Ferguson's expression darkened, muttering something under his breath, filled with rage as he left with his Red Devils.

Fifteen million pounds?

That was the world record transfer fee from last year!

Those were the exact figures Newcastle had paid to snatch Shearer away.

Was United really willing to drop the same amount on a central defender?