Chapter 29: The Weight of Choices
On one of the rare clear nights in London, Aldrich gazed at the sparkling stars, a whirlwind of thoughts swirling in his mind. Brady and the others had brought in a stash of drinks and snacks, and everyone sat on the ground, continuing their cheerful gathering.
Aldrich had long since dismissed feelings about people like Boke. He didn't see his own threats as despicable or shameful; rather, they seemed to him like the posturing of a spoiled rich kid. He didn't care to argue principles with a thug—unless, of course, someone had kicked him in the head.
As they chatted, Aldrich suddenly turned to Brady and asked, "Do you like Millwall?"
The others fell silent, staring at Aldrich with odd expressions, while Brady looked a bit uncomfortable. They were at that age filled with youthful fervor, where openly stating a simple like or dislike felt a bit pretentious.
"What's wrong? Are you mute? Does this question take that long to ponder?"
Aldrich frowned slightly, believing that with these childhood friends, he could share his true thoughts without the facade of pretense.
Brady rolled his eyes and replied, "I like them, my whole family does."
They had all grown up in the same community, where most of the residents were Millwall fans.
Aldrich pressed on, "And will you still like them in the future?"
Brady's response was interrupted by a collective shiver, as if Aldrich had brought up something eerie.
His question felt oddly sentimental.
Brady shook his head, helplessly asking, "What are you really getting at?"
"Help me."
Aldrich met Brady's gaze calmly, who looked back in confusion.
"I want to establish an officially recognized Millwall supporters' organization. I want a fan group with a positive image to positively influence the club's reputation."
Brady was stunned, and so were the others; they hadn't expected Aldrich to be thinking along those lines.
To be honest, even if Aldrich were to personally set up such a fan organization, it would be challenging to gain the fan base's approval. The conflicting interests between the club and its supporters often caused friction, a prime example being ticket prices.
When money is involved, there's never a balance.
The club would always consider ticket prices cheap, while the fans would always see them as expensive.
Debating whether tickets are worth it seems unnecessary.
Due to this conflict of interests, Aldrich couldn't just take the reins but needed a well-developed fan organization to support Millwall.
Ewan lightly tapped his forehead, a joyous grin spreading across his face as he seemed to talk to himself, "You always do this; what's going on in that head of yours? Of course, we'll help you."
Once Brady got over his initial surprise, he nodded firmly, "If that's what you need, no problem, leave it to me."
Aldrich stood up, chuckling, and grabbed his suit to head home. Glancing slyly at Brady, he asked, "Are you not even thinking about your future? That kind of work doesn't come with pay, you know?"
Brady, who was initially enthusiastic, froze, scratching his head and finding it hard to respond.
Aldrich threw an arm around his shoulder and started to walk back, deciding not to tease him any further, quietly asking, "How much savings do you have?"
Brady awkwardly rubbed his hands together, shaking his head and saying nothing.
Aside from Aldrich, the others were still in college. Savings? What a joke; if they could save some of the pocket money their parents gave them, that'd be a win.
Aldrich naturally continued, "I'll lend you twenty thousand pounds. My brother is currently raising a fund. You can invest that. Don't take the dividends out at the end of each investment period; just reinvest. I think by the time you graduate, you should have some financial security without needing to work."
Brady, Fred, and Ewan all stared in shock.
The Hall family was a rising star in the British financial industry, and their return on investment was unmatched; not only ordinary stock brokers sought their connections, but even many traditional business tycoons were very interested in the Hall family.
"Wait, do I get a share too?" Fred eagerly leaned closer to Aldrich.
Aldrich nodded with a smile and then turned to everyone, saying, "You all get a share; I'll lend you the capital."
Originally, Barnett's fund did not publicly recruit investors and was only raising money within the industry. It made more sense to let his friends share the spoils rather than letting strangers benefit.
While Aldrich wasn't an expert in finance, he knew a thing or two about stocks, especially the companies set to become prominent over the next twenty years; those were the clear investment choices with guaranteed returns.
Ewan hesitated slightly, wanting to turn down Aldrich's generosity but swallowed the words before they left his mouth.
If he refused, it would feel overly distant.
"Brady, I think I can answer your earlier question about why I want to be a head coach. It's because it's what I love and want to do. Too many people live their lives not knowing what they want. Remember Lennon?"
Aldrich casually asked.
"Of course! He used to bully us, and then we cornered him in the restroom and gave him a good beating," Brady chuckled, his eyes lighting up.
Lennon was three years older and lived in the same neighborhood growing up. Although he didn't hang out with Aldrich and his friends, he was close to Aldrich's older brother, Andrew.
Aldrich shrugged and laughed, "Lennon always dreamed of being a pop star as a kid, even took training at school. But he ended up getting an MBA, and after graduating college this year, he's trying to become a stockbroker, pestering Andrew to get him a job at my brother's company. Sometimes I want to ask him: What do you really want to do with your life? A pop star? A manager? Or an investor?"
Originally, Aldrich had shared this in a light-hearted tone, but unexpectedly, after he finished speaking, there was a heavy silence. No one responded, and a lengthy quietness enveloped them.
It seemed Aldrich's words had struck a chord with his friends.
...
After concluding the third round of the League One, Millwall's record of three wins, ten goals scored, and zero goals conceded astonished everyone!
Mainstream media was hardly paying attention to the English Football League One, as there was less than a week until the transfer deadline in September. The ongoing transfer news from the Premier League was the focal point for major publications at that time.
However, Millwall's strong performances had begun to catch the attention of their rivals in the same league.
Three days later, for the midweek match of the fourth round, Aldrich's team traveled to Bolton.
Bolton had a stellar home record and aimed to secure promotion to the Premier League this season, making them direct rivals to Millwall.
Perhaps due to Millwall's momentum, Bolton played conservatively at home. Aldrich's team maintained a solid defensive strategy, resulting in a goalless draw of 0-0 after ninety minutes.
After the fourth round, there was no time for Aldrich to catch his breath, as just four days later, they were set to face Reading away.
When the fifth round of League One ended, the scoreboard at Reading displayed 0-0. Millwall earned their third draw in eight days, once again shaking hands with their opponents.
After the fifth round, Millwall slipped down the rankings, overtaken by Middlesbrough, who had a record of four wins and one loss.
With two consecutive draws, Millwall's strong start seemed to be under siege, losing some of their "dark horse" status.
But Aldrich didn't see it that way; he was even pleased to leave Reading county. In five matches, Millwall hadn't conceded a single goal, and he was ecstatic about the team's defensive performance.
In defense, Southgate displayed great poise, while Stam and Tulram were fierce in challenges. Even young Lucas, under eighteen, showed a bit of a ruthless edge. Makélélé was steadily adapting to the holding midfield role and had performed solidly in recent matches.
Upon returning to London, Aldrich still had no time to rest. Although there were no League One matches midweek, the second round of the League Cup was on the horizon.
He sent out a full substitute squad to meet the opponents.
This opponent was not unfamiliar, it was Birmingham, the same team they faced in pre-season!
In the pre-season friendly, Millwall failed to beat them at home, and for both teams aiming for promotion, the League Cup felt like an afterthought. Thus, at The Den, both sides delivered an incredibly lively match!
Solskjær, Phillips, and Ballack had sealed the score at 3-1 by halftime. In the second half, Dean Richards added a cherry on top with a corner kick, and in the end, Millwall defeated Birmingham 4-2 at The Den, successfully advancing to the third round of the League Cup.
A month later, Millwall was set to face Newcastle United away. Upon learning that their opponent in the third round was Premier League Newcastle, Aldrich knew that Millwall's League Cup journey would reach its end. He didn't plan to force his main squad to battle against last season's third-place team, as that would disrupt his strategy.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Millwall faced a tough match at home, narrowly defeating West Brom. After two consecutive draws, Millwall finally regained a sense of victory.
However, after the final whistle blew, Aldrich could clearly see that the players on the field appeared somewhat dejected.
The match against West Brom had left them feeling drained and tortured.
West Brom had finished fourth from bottom in League One last season, one step away from relegation, and showed no signs of recovery this season. They adopted a negative, defensive strategy at The Den, and if not for Schneider scoring directly from a free kick in the second half, West Brom might have snatched a point.
It was understandable that the players felt demoralized; their attacks only involved five players, and even Nedved rarely wandered near the penalty area. With just two wide midfielders and two strikers, it was naturally difficult to find the back of the net.
As the players left the pitch, they appeared quite dejected. Aldrich quickly shook hands with the manager of West Brom before heading into the players' tunnel.
The next day, Aldrich was in his office, distractedly reviewing the schedule. In just three days, his team would play another midweek match, and once again it would be an away game. The intensity of the recent matches was overwhelming, especially with 46 rounds in League One!
As he hesitated about whether to implement the next phase of transformation for the team, Mr. Thompson, the head of the medical department, knocked on Aldrich's office door.
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