章 4: A New Era
At this moment, Aldrich finally realized that this was the birthday gift his brother Barnett had given him. He sat in the armchair behind his desk, frowning in contemplation.
He had indeed planned to pursue a career as a football coach after returning home.
However, he had never entertained the idea of instant success. His plan was to start slowly, applying for a position as a regular coach at a London club, getting familiar with the team before gradually climbing the ranks.
He didn't think that just having memories of watching football in the future would allow him to thrive as a head coach; there were many things that couldn't be learned from books or mere observation.
But now he owned a club like Millwall—was he really expected to work for another team as an employee?
That would be utterly absurd!
Even if he remained a regular coach at Millwall, what would others think? His ordinary opinions would be treated as decrees, and he might not even have the opportunity to communicate.
Moreover, his feelings towards Millwall were complicated. While he outwardly rejected this "dirty" club, during his years of studying across Europe, a vision of Millwall's transformation would occasionally flash in his mind.
Perhaps this stemmed from the fact that, except for him, the entire family was a die-hard Millwall fan.
From Barnett's perspective, Aldrich must also be a Millwall fan, receiving his favorite club as a birthday gift—was there anything more exciting than that?
Yet, ironically, Aldrich found himself tangled in confusion.
Knock, knock.
The study door was ajar, and Andrew, wearing pajamas, knocked lightly before entering. Upon seeing Aldrich, he smiled and said, "Are you too happy to think straight?"
Clearly, he was aware of what the birthday gift was.
Aldrich appeared absent-minded, shaking his head and replying, "I never thought I would own Millwall."
Andrew looked at him strangely and retorted, "What do you mean? Don't you want to be a coach? Are you feeling pressured? Afraid the team will perform poorly?"
Leaning back and staring at the ceiling, Aldrich replied nonchalantly, "To be honest, I'm not a fan of Millwall."
"Ah?!"
It seemed that the two brothers had never discussed this topic before. The family had assumed that everyone in the Hall family loved Millwall, leaving Andrew unprepared for Aldrich's "betrayal."
Aldrich shook his head and said, "Never mind that; it's pointless. Why didn't I hear about my brother buying Millwall before?"
Andrew settled onto the leather sofa against the wall, crossing his legs and shrugging, "Over two years ago, my brother bought the club in the name of an investment firm. Besides publicly announcing the change of ownership, nothing else was altered. You know how old you were then, right? The team had just been relegated from the top league. With failed promotion attempts and the burden of a new stadium, it didn't cost much to buy the club. Barnett wanted to give you a surprise..."
After hearing Andrew's words, Aldrich leaned against his chair, deep in thought.
In recent years, he had kept an eye on Millwall's results. He consistently told himself he didn't like the club, yet he followed their performance weekly, leaving his actions and thoughts in contradiction, and he couldn't find an explanation.
Millwall's success in the late '80s was credited to the emergence of Teddy Sheringham, who helped them secure promotion to the first division and later formed a remarkably efficient strike partnership withTony Cascarino to aid in survival.
Rookies are often overlooked; while Sheringham and Cascarino garnered renowned status, the team faltered in the following season, as other clubs strategized against them. Without substantial investment, the struggling Millwall fell back to the Second Division.
It's also true that Millwall was somewhat unlucky—if they could have survived a couple more years in the first division, they would have benefitted from the establishment of the Premier League, which generated considerable revenue. Although the first television contract was less than £200 million, for a team like Millwall, landing several million pounds could secure at least three capable players.
After relegation, Millwall almost bounced back to the top league in their first season, largely due to Sheringham's exceptional performances. Unfortunately, they were thrashed 2-6 by Brighton in the first round of the playoffs.
Following that failure, excitement surrounded the construction of a new stadium, and the club sold Sheringham to Nottingham Forest for £3 million—at the time, a handsome transfer fee.
After enduring another season, Millwall showed little improvement in the Second Division and did not even advance to the playoffs when, at that moment, Barnett purchased the club.
In the first year of the ownership transition, the team's performance was mediocre. However, that season, Millwall experienced significant improvement, finishing third in the league and securing a place in the playoffs.
Due to the World Cup that year, major leagues had already concluded, and only the playoffs remained in the now Second Division after the Premier League was formed.
Andrew commented that if the team had good fortune, it would enter Aldrich's hands as a Premier League club.
A few days later, Aldrich was at the Den to watch the second leg of the playoff first round between Millwall and Derby County.
Sitting in the stands beside Andrew, he found several fans nearby cheerfully greeting them.
East London had been in decline since World War II; the former industrial area had turned into markets and small factories. However, in recent years, the Hall family had risen in prominence in London. During the downturn in the economy, they made substantial investments, even revitalizing abandoned docks—after all, West Ham United and Millwall were both born from the shipyards.
Many fans in the stands were grateful to the Hall family; during a period of widespread despair, they had preserved their livelihoods and homes.
The sight of the two Hall children attending the match was indeed uplifting.
Television cameras often zoomed in on Aldrich and Andrew, but no one realized that Millwall was now a property of the Hall family.
As the match commenced, Aldrich remained calm in his seat, while Andrew, like the fans, swung between excitement and frustration. What caught Aldrich's eye was a small group of Derby County supporters in the east stands, appearing like weak sheep, taunted and provoked by the Millwall fans in a corner of the stadium...
When the match concluded, the scoreboard displayed a glaring score.
1:5
This was the aggregate score over two legs.
The home team was in the lead.
Millwall had once again collapsed in the first round of the playoff.
The stands were in chaos, and Aldrich turned to see Derby fans celebrating their victory, igniting outrage among the extreme Millwall fan groups, resulting in a small-scale conflict in the stands.
"Ugh, it's probably Boggy's crew causing trouble again."
Andrew patted Aldrich's shoulder, looking dejected. Just days ago, he had said that maybe the team Aldrich would take over would be a Premier League side, yet here at the Den, their home ground, they had been dealt a resounding slap in the face.
Aldrich, however, maintained a calm demeanor. He turned to Andrew and said, "Let's head to the press conference and announce the Hall family as the team's owners."
Andrew's expression faltered as he hesitated, "Right now?"
The team had just failed in the promotion bid, and spirits were low. Everyone knew the club had been under the control of an investment firm before, but the internal environment was stable. Announcing the Hall family's formal emergence from behind the scenes at this moment would certainly have far-reaching effects.
Aldrich said little more and turned to walk toward the stadium's exit.
He felt calm about the team's failure to be promoted. Far from being disappointed, he considered it a blessing.
He had not returned from studying to merely idle away; since he was taking over the team, he needed to take full control.
If it was a successful team, his arrival would inevitably cause turmoil. However, a failing team provided him with the justification and confidence to rebuild.
As Andrew guided Aldrich to the press conference, Aldrich suddenly asked, "Who did you mention earlier—Boggy? Who is that?"
"Oh, he's the leader of the Bushwackers, a sworn enemy of the ICF. Let's put it this way, whenever Millwall clashes with outsiders, there's an 80% likelihood of the Bushwackers being involved."
Aldrich mentally noted this.
Bushwackers and Y Firm.
The press conference was underway, and Aldrich and Andrew's arrival went unnoticed. Someone was speaking on stage, and since it was Millwall's home ground, the administrative officials recognized Andrew, who held a nominal role within the team.
When they saw Andrew and Aldrich walking toward the stage, the room fell silent, with nearly a hundred pairs of eyes curiously trained on the two young men, uncertain of their purpose, and strangely enough, the security did not stop them.
Ignoring the bewildered gazes, Aldrich stood straight on the stage after arriving, grasping a microphone and calmly addressing the crowd, "Hello everyone, my name is Aldrich Hall. Two years ago, Millwall was acquired by BAA Investment Company, a firm under the Hall family. Just days ago, BAA transferred ownership of Millwall to my name, meaning I am now the owner of the club. You can verify this, but what I need to announce is that from today, Millwall will enter a new era, led by me, Aldrich."
After saying this, Aldrich paid no mind to the stunned audience and left the stage to return to the backstage passage.
Andrew followed closely behind, clearly sensing the commotion erupting in the press conference hall. He called out to Aldrich, "You're so cool!"
However, Aldrich halted with a serious expression and turned back to Andrew, saying gravely, "Within a week, I need the entire coaching staff to resign voluntarily. Also, help me draft a contract—I need to borrow thirty million pounds from Barnett."
Andrew looked taken aback and instinctively nodded.
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