章 70: Millwall’s Premier League Debut
The South Stand of Old Trafford was the position for television broadcast cameras, housing the most VIP boxes in the entire stadium. Here, the live commentators representing various TV stations and streaming platforms were also located.
Inside the Sky Sports box, the live commentators were two seasoned professionals in English football, who would become some of the most popular commentators in the future: Martin Tyler and Andy Gray. Although they were not as famous now as they would be in the future, their expert commentary received widespread acclaim and even earned them the coveted title of the world's best commentary duo.
However, both men looked somewhat unhappy today.
Within the plans for the new season's TV broadcast schedule, the directives issued by the TV executives left them feeling bewildered and even angry.
Sky Sports had seemingly lost its mind, as in the list of selected matches for live broadcasting during the 38-round season, alongside high-profile games like the Merseyside Derby, the England Derby, Manchester United vs. Arsenal, and the North London Derby, one team was getting a conspicuous amount of attention: Millwall!
The directives from Sky's upper management stated that Millwall was the team with the second-highest number of live matches, only behind Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal!
Moreover, it was mandated that the commentary for Millwall's matches had to be provided by Andy Gray and Martin Tyler!
Whether or not a match was listed as a key broadcast directly affected the team's broadcasting revenue. Premier League broadcasting revenue was divided into parts based on team performance, equally distributed portions, and also based on the number of matches broadcasted.
It was clear that Millwall's earnings from this segment had already surpassed that of most mid to lower-tier teams in the Premier League.
At the end of the day, Martin Tyler and Andy Gray were just employees; they had to follow the company's arrangement. However, if Millwall's matches turned out to be dull and affected the viewership ratings, they would then have the grounds to voice their opinions to the higher-ups.
Little did they know, Barnett was driving Murdoch insane!
Each day, Murdoch regretted not stopping the Hall family from acquiring shares in Sky Sports. During the summer, Barnett had made it clear that he wanted Sky Sports to care for Millwall, to hire top-notch commentators, feature them in prime time slots, and ensure maximum exposure for Millwall.
Murdoch had argued with Barnett, but in the end, Barnett had delivered a bold ultimatum: if you disagree, fine, but don't blame me if I interfere with the management of Sky Sports. Though Barnett held shares, he had previously been just an investor, a hands-off manager. If he wanted to stir things up in the Sky Sports board meetings, his influence was enough to make Murdoch uneasy, especially since Barnett was a local Brit and Murdoch was an outsider.
Aldrich had been unaware of all these undercurrents until everything was settled by Barnett, after which he merely accepted the news with a smile, having no strong opinions about it.
Boosting broadcasting revenue was secondary; the rapid increase in recognition was key.
Television broadcasts were vital for a team's visibility—fans naturally gravitated towards professional commentary. Otherwise, even if Millwall played exceptionally well, a commentator lacking any enthusiasm would fail to engage viewers.
As for whether Millwall would deliver an exciting performance, Aldrich at least had confidence: their play would certainly be more appealing than aimless long balls.
As both teams lined up to enter the field, Sky Sports' live broadcast kicked off.
"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Old Trafford," Martin Tyler said. "I'm Martin Tyler, and joining me for today's commentary is Andy Gray. Hi, Andy."
"Hi, Martin. Today marks the opening round of the new Premier League season. Manchester United, who missed the chance to reclaim the title against Blackburn in the last match of last season, are facing off against Millwall, who had a stunning performance in the League One last season. United's manager, Ferguson, has made significant changes for the new season, fielding a young squad. Andy, what are your thoughts on this?"
"I believe many fans will have heard Alan Hansen's comments, who said that Ferguson can't win any championships with a bunch of kids. Interestingly, Millwall's starting lineup is even younger on average than Manchester United's. Hansen also commented on Millwall, hoping the kids wouldn't be intimidated by adult football. Haha! Whether Millwall's kids get scared, I can't say. However, there's no doubt that last season's Millwall surprised all other teams in League One. Today's match is a clash of two young teams. Compared to Millwall's youthful exuberance, United's lineup seems a bit more seasoned. Ferguson hopes to blend the old with the new in building the next generation of Red Devils."
"Absolutely! Today we'll see how the young Aldrich leads his team in Old Trafford. Now, let's introduce the starting lineups. The home team, Manchester United, is in their traditional red shirts and white shorts. Starting goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel; right-back: Gary Neville; center-backs: Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister; left-back: Denis Irwin. Right midfield: David Beckham; central midfielders: Roy Keane and Nicky Butt; left midfield: Ryan Giggs; forwards: Andy Cole and Brian McClair. United is set up in their traditional 4-4-2 formation. With Cantona banned and Mark Hughes's transfer to Chelsea this July, Ferguson has chosen to field Brian McClair, who has been in declining form over the past two years. He was a top striker bought for just £850,000, but he only scored five goals in 40 league appearances last season, while three years ago he was still scoring over 20 goals a season."
"United's front line is worrisome, so let's take a look at Millwall's lineup. They're wearing their traditional blue kits. Starting goalkeeper: Kasey Keller; right-back: Lilian Thuram; center-backs: Jaap Stam and Gareth Southgate; left-back: Lucas Neill; right midfield: Bernd Schneider; midfielders: Claude Makélélé and Pavel Nedvěd; left midfield: Robert Pires; and the two forwards are Henrik Larsson and David Trezeguet, who struck fear in their opponents in League One last season, combining for an incredible 66 goals! They were the kings of efficiency in League One, but it remains to be seen if they can maintain that scoring form in the Premier League."
"Alright, folks, the first match of the 9596 English Premier League season is about to kick off! We see that Millwall will start with the first ball, attacking from left to right."
As both teams lined up in preparation for kickoff, Aldrich stood off to the side, looking determined as he murmured, "Come on, lads!"
"Although he celebrated his nineteenth birthday merely three months ago, he felt like he had lived almost fifty years in two lifetimes. In his eyes, the Millwall players were simply young lads."
As an esteemed referee officiating since 1974, Paul Durkin commanded great respect, and he was the one in charge of today's match.
With a single whistle, the match between Manchester United and Millwall officially kicked off.
Trezeguet gently nudged the ball forward, and Larsson quickly passed it back. The two forwards sprinted ahead, and the ball found its way back to Nedvěd's feet, while United's forwards, Cole and McClair, pressed hard.
Nedvěd calmly passed the ball back to Makélélé, while the two United forwards continued their pressure. Makélélé pushed the ball forward and smoothly worked with Nedvěd to evade the pressure from United's strikers.
Nedvěd turned to find Keane closing in on him, and without hesitation, he made a diagonal pass to the right flank. Schneider, who had sprinted forward immediately after the kickoff, received the ball in space, while Giggs had yet to find his rhythm, allowing Schneider to easily invade United's territory and control the ball effectively.
Irwin lowered his center of gravity to guard against Schneider's breakthrough, but unexpectedly, Schneider stopped the ball and took two steps forward before launching a diagonal long pass into the box!
Larsson darted to the right, pulling Pallister out of position, and the ball soared over both their heads, heading for the far post.
Trezeguet, who had already formed an understanding with Larsson's movement, appeared at the far post. Steve Bruce, the aging United captain, did not anticipate the ball arriving there so early. As he positioned himself, Trezeguet dashed past him!
By the time the veteran captain spun around to give chase, Trezeguet had already soared into the air, leaping to meet the ball with a spectacular header!
Boom!
Trezeguet's shiny bald head made perfect contact with the ball at a precise angle; even at the moment of impact, he kept his eyes wide open, his determined gaze filled with the ferocity of a beast unleashed!
Here we are at Old Trafford!
The Theater of Dreams!
Returning to the European stage from Argentina, I won't be anyone's supporting actor!
What about Manchester United?
I, David Trezeguet, am determined to become the world's best forward!
If we don't conquer the giants, how can we call ourselves champions?
As Trezeguet soared into the air for the header, Schmeichel stood there with arms outstretched, surprisingly flustered, his wide eyes reflecting disbelief: How long has it been since the kickoff? The referee's whistle was still ringing in his ears!
Trezeguet's header was as powerful as a shot struck with his foot—not particularly angled, but incredibly fast, hurtling toward the near post.
The ball soared just over Schmeichel's head. Realizing it too late, he jumped, raising his arms to block it, but it was all far too late!
Schmeichel fell back on the goal line as the ball, after making contact with him, slowed down and rolled gently onto the grass inside the net.
Trezeguet, having landed after the header, kept his eyes on the ball's trajectory and, upon seeing it go in, stumbled as he tried to get up in his excitement, falling back down again. It took a second attempt for him to stand up, and then he raced towards the sideline, screaming triumphantly toward the away team's bench.
"Camera, come to me!
Focus on me!
I am the star of the Theater of Dreams!"
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