บท 193: The Cost of Youth
Since the start of 1997, Millwall seemed to experience new changes every day—innovative promotional posters, fresh club banners, the launch of the official website, and a blue lion mascot joining the sidelines during home games.
After knocking out Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup in early March, Millwall advanced to the FA Cup quarterfinals, while in the league, they found a rhythm of one win and one draw—giving Manchester United the chance to close the gap. Ferguson started playing psychological games, claiming that Millwall would ultimately collapse just as they did last season.
Before every league press conference, Aldrich had to reiterate the same formulaic statement: If Manchester United performed well, the league title would be theirs.
As the European battle reignited, the entire Millwall team packed their bags on a Wednesday afternoon, boarding a plane bound for Bergen, Norway, under the guidance of the coaching staff.
In the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinals, they were set to face Norwegian powerhouses Brann in the first leg.
The club had chartered a small aircraft, with not only all first-team players on board but also 18 youth team players accompanying them.
The first team took their seats at the front of the cabin, while the youth players and coaches settled in the back. However, Nagy was an exception, sitting next to Aldrich as they discussed the youth team's itinerary.
Bringing the youth team along on this European trip was Aldrich's idea. It served to foster a sense of belonging among the young players and provided them an opportunity to engage and exchange ideas with clubs across Europe. As for the cost of the expedition, that was merely a minor detail.
During their previous trip to Switzerland to face Sion in the UEFA Cup second round, Aldrich had noted that these Nordic countries also had solid youth academies. Regardless of their strength, the playing style was bound to differ from that in England. To ensure the youth players became exposed to diverse football styles, rather than being homogenized by domestic league opponents, Aldrich contacted Brann ahead of the Norway trip to propose a friendly match between the two youth teams.
Brann readily agreed, seeing as they would not need to provide accommodations for Millwall.
Moreover, Aldrich also reached out to other Norwegian clubs with an intention to set up friendly matches for the youth team. Several clubs found this idea intriguing; while friendly matches for first teams were common, it was unusual to see such initiative mid-season. Most friendlies occur in pre-season, so encountering a youth team eager to challenge them was quite novel.
Multiple clubs agreed to the matches, and regarding the youth team's participation in the domestic youth league and FA Youth Cup, Aldrich was not overly concerned. The youth league's intensity wasn't high due to the limited number of teams; they only played an average of one match every ten days. With a simple request to the FA for a schedule adjustment, this was not a significant issue. The FA Youth Cup had even more lenient scheduling, with an average of only two matches every month and a half.
After the first team played against Brann, Nagy would take the youth team around Norway under the guise of exchange activities, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the local scene.
However, Aldrich genuinely did not care about the youth team's results in Norway. His primary aim was to broaden their horizons. Training only with local youth leagues was simply insufficient, prompting Nagy to regularly take the players to the community to train with street football teams.
Aldrich and Nagy were busy discussing the youth team's itinerary on a notebook, but the noise from the back of the cabin made it hard for him to concentrate. He turned and called out, "Ronaldo, quiet down!"
The boys were experiencing this kind of travel for the first time and were very excited. They were not behaving well in the plane; at that moment, Ronaldinho was enthusiastically teaching Ashley Cole how to dance the samba.
After being reprimanded by the head coach, Ronaldinho finally settled down.
The youth team players quieted down, while those in the first team were relatively calm, some playing cards, others listening to music, or watching movies...
As the plane touched down at Bergen International Airport that night, the players pressed their faces against the windows to take in the stunning views of this beautiful harbor city, instantly captivated by its enchanting night scenery.
Upon disembarking, the bus that had been arranged in advance was waiting for them outside the airport. Aldrich and the others took their simple luggage and boarded the bus to head to their hotel in the city.
While the first team players may not have much experience in European competitions, most had traveled with the national team, so they settled in and prepared to rest to recharge for the match the next night.
On the other hand, the youth team players were clearly overly excited; they were restless in the hotel. Villa and Joe Cole were caught trying to sneak out by Nagy, causing a ruckus that kept the entire youth team coaching staff awake all night. Nagy's assistant, Mr. Franz, even sat in a chair in the hallway to keep watch...
In Norway, Brann's status is comparable to Newcastle United in England; they have previously won championships but now occasionally mount challenges for titles without establishing dominance. However, due to the Nordic style's flamboyance, Brann remained highly popular in Bergen, creating a lasting football frenzy in the region.
The youth team's schedule was tight, so the next morning, Nagy took them to Brann's youth training facility. After a brief warm-up, the players took to the field to compete, with plans to leave Bergen in the afternoon for Oslo, Norway's capital, where they would face the youth team of the capital's club the following day.
The training ground for the Brann youth team was small and surrounded by a single row of stands. Local residents, having heard that a youth team from England was in town to challenge their own, came over to watch. They were looking forward to seeing the youth team of the club that would face Brann in the evening.
Football fans who followed mainstream European events were aware that this previously obscure Millwall had established a new winning streak in the top five leagues, achieving an 18-game winning streak in England, making them a dominant force in the Premier League.
Thus, they were eager to discover just what made this club's youth team so special.
Unfortunately, they were disappointed.
Despite the Millwall youth team, led by Ronaldinho, having some age gaps—players like Villa and Ashley Cole at only 15 or 16 years old, with Ronaldinho approaching 17—the overall quality was not expected to be very disparate due to just a year or two in age.
However, during the match against Brann's youth team, the Millwall youth team performed terribly. Nagy was jumping up and down with frustration on the sidelines, his anger palpable, while Aldrich was seated in the stands, laughing uncontrollably.
Looking closely, Ronaldinho, Joe Cole, and the others were all sporting dark circles under their eyes as they took to the field. Who knows how late they had been up goofing around in their hotel rooms last night?
Before the first half ended, Millwall found themselves trailing 1-3.
The lethargic Ronaldinho and the other players knew that their poor performance resulted from staying up too late the previous night. They felt their bodies growing heavier with every move. During the halftime break, Nagy decided to substitute some of the exhausted players.
The second half showed no improvement, and soon Brann scored two more goals.
With each goal, the Brann coaches and players erupted in cheers, while the fans in the stands offered applause.
They considered the Millwall youth team to be utterly lacking in skill!
This made it clear that their first team wasn't anything to write home about; no wonder English football had performed poorly in the last decade. Clearly, Millwall was just a big fish in a small pond in the Premier League.
Substituted off, Ronaldinho and others were filled with shame, observing the smug expressions of the young Brann players and their coaches. Their pride took a serious hit.
Meanwhile, Aldrich was quite pleased. He believed that bringing the youth team on this trip was indeed a brilliant decision.
It was about time these young lads understood that wanting to travel abroad for fun while also winning applause for their football wasn't as easy as it seemed.
He hoped today's defeat would serve as a lesson, believing that players with any sense of pride would realize the need to take these experiences seriously.
After the match ended, Aldrich left the venue. In the afternoon, his players engaged in a brief warm-up session to acclimatize to the field at Brann's home ground.
The weather in Norway was pleasant that day. While not as warm as in England, it was perfect for playing in long-sleeved jerseys during the evening match.
Once training was finished, Aldrich attended the official press conference.
The atmosphere at the press conference was somewhat peculiar.
Many North European mainstream media journalists were present, along with those covering UEFA events; however, the English journalists who accompanied the team couldn't help but suppress their laughter, as if they anticipated something amusing was about to unfold.
When Aldrich sat down, a local football journalist in Bergen asked, "Mr. Hall, did you watch this morning's match?"
Aldrich was momentarily taken aback and replied, "What match?"
"The match between Millwall's youth team and Brann's youth team."
"Oh, I saw that. Does this relate to tonight's match in any way?"
"The Millwall youth team lost 1-5. What's your take on that?"
"I don't believe the youth team's match holds any significant meaning. It's normal for U18 players to have ups and downs, especially when traveling from England to Norway. But it was a great learning experience for them. Even a loss can be valuable, and I think that's good."
"Is a 1-5 scoreline also good?"
"I don't understand what you're implying with the 1-5 scoreline. What exactly do you want to ask by fixating on that score? You've got me confused. In England, youth league teams can lose by seven or eight goals in a single match, but so what? Are those players suddenly not going to play football again? Does that mean they'll definitely not find success in the future?"
Aldrich expressed his confusion, wondering if in Norway, the nurturing of youth teams placed such emphasis on match results.
The English journalists in attendance, especially those familiar with Millwall, couldn't hold back their amusement, covering their mouths as they giggled.
Eventually, Richard bluntly stated, "Mr. Hall, Brann's head coach Kalvenis just commented on the morning's match during his press conference. He believes the performance of the youth team indicates that Millwall's first team must not be very strong either. He claimed that tonight, Brann would eliminate all suspense regarding advancing to the semifinals, leaving Millwall no chance to turn the tables when they return to London."
Aldrich was taken aback by this revelation. He wasn't familiar with Brann's coach; his agreement for the friendly match had been made directly with the club's administrative director.
"Inferring a first team's strength from a youth team's performance?" Aldrich asked doubtfully.
The English reporters laughed uncontrollably, nodding vigorously, while their Nordic counterparts looked on in disdain at this unprofessional display, deeming it impolite!
Aldrich's expression became rather peculiar as he tried to suppress his laughter, uncertain whether this Kalvenis was overly confident or just foolish. He said lightly, "Oh, well, we came here with the utmost seriousness regarding the match. For tonight's game, I really hope to see Brann perform at their strongest and put on a thrilling show for the fans."
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