Chapter 358: A Reckoning Approaches
After the conclusion of the first matchday of the Champions League group stage, Aldrich's life resumed its usual rhythm. He was suspended from domestic games in England, which gave him more time for training and match preparation. Klinsmann was also under suspension, but even without him, the authority to make tactical decisions still rested firmly with Jansen.
Having fought alongside Aldrich for over four years, the team members were quite familiar with Jansen, and they respected him in their work. Therefore, when Jansen was in charge, the players listened to him with attentive ears.
Before the start of the second matchday of the Champions League, Millwall played five domestic matches during Aldrich's suspension. They cruised through the League Cup and advanced with ease. The opponents in their four league matches were as follows:
- Home vs. Liverpool
- Away vs. Nottingham Forest
- Home vs. Southampton
- Away vs. Blackburn
In these four matches, Millwall only managed to win the home game against Southampton; the other three ended in draws. In the intense clash with Liverpool, Southgate equalized with a header in the dying moments, securing a point for his side. The two away games featured opponents playing defensively, effectively stifling Millwall's attempts to break through.
As the new season commenced, Millwall's record stood at three wins and five draws from eight league matches, totaling 14 points.
Manchester United matched Millwall's total with four wins, two draws, and two losses.
Hot on their heels were Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, all with similar records of three wins, four draws, and one loss.
As the season began, the top five teams from the previous Premier League remained dominant on the leaderboard, though none stood out particularly. The results of each round of fixtures had the power to significantly alter the standings.
Despite sitting atop the table, Millwall drew scrutiny, especially from journalists at Fleet Street, who believed that if Millwall utilized Ronaldinho more in the league, they could have turned those draws into victories.
Aldrich's suspension kept him from attending press conferences, leaving Jansen at the mercy of a relentless media barrage.
Internal debates ensued regarding the best use of Ronaldinho. Jansen leaned towards deploying him more in league play, but Aldrich firmly opposed it.
Perhaps it was Ronaldinho's exceptional talent that made Aldrich more cautious about using him. Even when Jansen cited Owen—a young phenom who showcased stellar performances last season, including a remarkable World Cup display—Aldrich remained steadfast in his reservations.
Debating with Jansen proved futile; the passage of time would reveal the truth. In the early stages of young players' careers, the intensity and frequency of matches should be well-balanced. Otherwise, the long-term consequences could be detrimental and not immediately visible.
In early October, Aldrich returned to the sidelines, directing his team at Wembley Stadium. Nearly 70,000 ardent Lions supporters flooded the venue, warmly welcoming their youthful coach back after a brief absence.
Aldrich entered the stadium, raising both hands above his head in appreciation for the fans' enthusiasm.
Today, they faced the Russian champions, Spartak Moscow. Though the strength difference between the two teams was apparent, Aldrich opted to field his strongest lineup just to be safe.
Gronkjaer's injury from the match against Inter Milan was not severe; he had rejoined the team's training but was not ready to play yet. Aldrich started Van der Meyde instead, deploying a classic 4-4-2 formation. After a month of honing this tactical approach, Millwall had been performing increasingly well, achieving better balance between attack and defense, with noticeable improvement in player cohesion.
In the 90 minutes of the match, Millwall exerted clear dominance. Thanks to goals from Van Nistelrooy, Nedved, and Lampard, they sent Spartak Moscow packing with a decisive 3-0 victory at Wembley.
With two consecutive victories, Millwall's prospects in the Champions League looked promising.
After the match, Aldrich gave a brief interview before dismissing the team and heading home to rest.
He felt the team was getting back on track. Aside from the depth issues due to injuries, everything else was beginning to run smoothly.
Just as he was preparing dinner and settling in to watch some television, the doorbell rang.
Aldrich opened the door to find Andrew standing there, swaggering into the kitchen, looking very much at home in it, grabbing some cutlery and quickly carving out a large portion of Aldrich's dinner, then opening a bottle of red wine from the temperature-controlled wine cellar and pouring a glass for everyone.
"Hey, are you on a weight loss plan or something?" Aldrich asked, frowning at the meager portion left on his plate.
Anyway, there wasn't much food left, so it was impossible for him to be full; but what made him even more curious was that Andrew's appetite suddenly decreased.
Andrew let out a hearty laugh. "Before I got here, I called a restaurant close by to have some food sent over. It should arrive any minute now. Just enjoy your meal; I promise I won't let you step foot in the kitchen again."
Aldrich was someone who thrived on routine, with a structured schedule for everything, including cooking. Having completed dinner already, he didn't want to be pulled back into the kitchen. Andrew understood this about him and made the necessary arrangements.
As they started their dinner, Andrew lowered the TV volume with the remote.
"I want to catch the news."
"About that thing you asked me to look into—there's some progress."
Andrew leaned in with a grin, speaking softly.
Aldrich paused, looking up calmly. "What's the situation? Work or personal?"
"Work. They've got something on their hands that they're trying to hide. What do you plan to do next?"
After a moment's thought, Aldrich replied, "Then let's get it to Fleet Street."
Andrew chuckled, "Well, you can hand this scoop to your friends over there."
Aldrich showed no amusement, merely fixing Andrew with a steady gaze.
Under the scrutiny of that unwavering gaze for a solid minute, Andrew suddenly slapped his forehead in realization. "Sorry about that! I got a bit carried away. I'll take care of the rest."
Aldrich returned to his meal, maintaining his focus on the food.
That very night, several media outlets from Fleet Street received the insider scoop. These outlets shared a lukewarm relationship with Millwall, often finding themselves sidelined during press interviews.
In London, at midnight.
Weissman lay in bed, cradling his wife as he drifted into a deep sleep, only to be abruptly awakened by a ringing phone. Groggy and annoyed, he answered, instantly recognizing his assistant Kelly's voice filled with panic.
"What time is it? Don't you have any sense of time? Why aren't you asleep?"
"Sleep? You're about to lose your job with the FA tomorrow! How can you even consider sleeping?!"
Kelly's frantic words jolted Weissman awake; he quickly got out of bed and made his way to the living room, demanding through the phone, "What's going on? You're not making any sense!"
"It's too complicated to explain over the phone. I'm outside your house on the south side of the park. We need to talk in person!"
"But it's so early…"
"Right now, you need every second you can get! But time won't wait for you, and by sunrise, it'll all be too late!"
Weissman realized he'd rarely seen Kelly in such a state, and even from the other end of the line, he could almost visualize Kelly's frantic pacing, a sight that filled him with unease.
He threw on some clothes and left the house.
When Kelly finally saw Weisman arrive, they met in the desolate street, just the two of them, deliberately hiding in a shadowy spot.
"What took you so long?"
Kelly's tone dripped with grievance.
Weisman waved his hand impatiently. "What's this all about?"
Kelly pulled a newspaper from his pocket and handed it over. Weisman glanced down but couldn't see much in the dark.
He stepped into the light of a street lamp for a better look and realized it wasn't an officially published paper but a pre-press sample.
When he read the bold headline on the front page of the sample, his eyes widened in shock.
He stood there, speechless, until Kelly waved him over from the corner. Only then did he weakly shuffle toward him.
"Who leaked this?"
Weisman asked, his heart racing.
Kelly ground his teeth, replying, "I have no idea."
"And how did you get this info?"
"A journalist friend tipped me off. Cost me two thousand pounds."
Once the initial panic subsided, Weisman collected himself. He probed Kelly for details and learned that the source of this information wasn't from a more influential mainstream outlet, suggesting that the Times hadn't caught wind of it yet.
"This is clearly an attempt to ruin us!" Weisman concluded.
He quickly surmised there was someone stabbing them in the back.
This was not difficult to deduce.
Typically, mainstream outlets would have wider information channels, and a breaking piece like this wouldn't usually come from a tabloid. However, with public figures, it wasn't uncommon for tabloids to drop exclusive stories—especially for sensational personal matters, given their caliber.
The severity of the news in Weisman's hands surely wasn't something tabloids would chase down; only the big papers would follow up on such leads.
With the leading papers not having the scoop, the source became suspect. If typical informants were selling their information, they would prioritize selling to larger publications, bringing them greater reward.
Thus, the source couldn't have been for profit.
"Who wants to do us in?"
Kelly, looking increasingly frantic, had a face twisted in fear.
Weisman pondered, furrowing his brows to seek out the mastermind behind it all.
"Could it be an enemy within the FA?"
Kelly asked bluntly.
Weisman outright rejected the idea. "No way! This scandal would harm the entire FA too significantly. If it were an external adversary, sure, they could bring us down, but would that gain them anything? Our internal fights also have their limits and principles. Damaging the collective interest would only lead to mutual destruction."
Frustrated, Kelly stomped his foot. "Then who could it be?"
Weisman found his thoughts aligning clearer thanks to Kelly's questioning.
If internal strife was ruled out, then they could only face enemies from outside the FA.
Suddenly, a name shot into his mind, and he blurted out, "Aldrich Hall!"
Kelly paused, then skeptically replied, "Him? Wouldn't he worry about making enemies of the entire FA?"
The more Weisman pondered, the more he became convinced.
"No, he wouldn't care, for he has no evidence against him. If we end up accusing him later, it would only look like we're slinging mud at him. Moreover, we would have no standing to cast stones, and he has friends within the FA. Since that incident, his reactions have been quite unusual!"
"Unusual?"
Kelly took a moment to reflect on the aftermath of the Millwall vs. Wimbledon match. After that game, Aldrich only went as far as to ridicule the referee for wearing a Wimbledon jersey during the press conference. He complied with the fines, accepted the suspension without a fight, and didn't even consider appealing.
Even with the Den facing penalties that led to part of the stands being closed during his ban, he stayed completely mum.
It was highly atypical!
Where was that fierce, decisive young manager from the East London derby days?
Turns out, the most dangerous dogs are often silent!
For heaven's sake, Aldrich, is this all just over a little disagreement?
You're being downright savage, attempting to ruin our reputation like this!
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