Chapter 12

Before the training camp at the 21st Club began, Audrich welcomed Jansen and his group from the Netherlands in London. A total of thirteen new coaches would join Millwall Football Club.

Audrich led this group on a tour of the club and established the new coaching staff, including two new youth team coaches, two reserve team coaches, and the remaining nine. Jansen would serve as Audrich's assistant coach, with four more staying as first-team coaches, and another four forming an intelligence-gathering team.

This team was specifically tasked with observing the league opponents, studying the next match's opponents, including the players' conditions, tactical strengths and weaknesses, and providing a report to Audrich at least three days before the match.

After settling the coaching staff, Audrich went to a renovated hotel near the team's training ground, accompanied by Adam and other club staff.

The hotel was purchased in the club's name and would no longer be open to the public. The interior was simply decorated, with all the facilities Audrich requested, including the newly built medical department and restaurant.

Even in 1994, it was hard to imagine the neglect of medical care in English football. Many traditional clubs' doctors, or athletic trainers, were often long-term employees rewarded for their loyalty.

As a fan, who could imagine a groundskeeper becoming a top team's "doctor" in his old age?

This was naturally related to the conservative nature of football clubs.

Later, when young Redknapp, who served the Reds for ten years, was discarded by the team, it was only because he could not tolerate the team's "quacks" and chose to seek medical treatment elsewhere. Such behavior was considered "heretical" by traditional English football clubs, and thus, a ten-year veteran was abandoned and left in disgrace.

Audrich did not have the conservative nature of English clubs and had no intention of integrating into the flawed tradition. He needed the most advanced and professional medical department to ensure the health of the players, who were worth millions of pounds now and in the future!

Handing over the treatment of players worth millions of pounds to someone who was not even a qualified doctor was simply incomprehensible, yet this was a common phenomenon in English football.

After the tour of the hotel, Audrich kept Adam to discuss the future development of the team. Although it was all talk before achieving results, he needed to remind Adam.

"I have reviewed the situation of the new stadium project. I have an idea. Since the stadium is not yet formed, why not turn it into a new training base and find another location for the new stadium? The construction scale should be at least 50,000 people, and the surrounding area should be able to drive commercial development..."

Audrich's words left Adam speechless. Finally, he could only say helplessly to the young owner, "Sir, I have made a financial budget. To be honest, even if we do not carry out any unplanned construction and maintain the current operation of the team, the current funds can only sustain the team for two years. Even if we are promoted to the Premier League after two years, we still cannot continue to operate. Of course, if the Hall family provides additional funding, everything would be different."

Audrich raised his head and thought deeply. He was too hasty.

The current wage level of the team was already at the top of the Premier League.

Although the highest weekly salary in the Premier League was over ten thousand pounds, many players still earned only a few thousand pounds, and most earned less than a thousand pounds. Overall, the annual salary burden of Audrich's first-team players, plus the dozen or so players left in the reserve team, was probably in the top ten in England, while Millwall's earning ability was certainly less than one-tenth of Manchester United's.

Relying solely on ticket sales, the small stadium probably did not generate more than 3 million pounds a year. As for football merchandise sales, the limited sales channels in East London could hardly be expected to earn much.

Television broadcasting and match bonuses were also scarce in the Football League.

Therefore, Audrich had only one path left.

Unlike what he had told Barnet, he had only one year, not three to five years. If he could not promote to the Premier League next season, he would not only lose top players like Makelele, Thuram, Larsson, and Nedved without any return, but he might also lose the funds needed to rebuild.

Audrich ultimately did not discuss any future plans with Adam. It would seem unrealistic to talk about them further. Everything would have to wait until next year.

In recent days, Andrew had been very busy. He had already left Millwall and was working as a dedicated agent, signing many players, all of whom were new to Millwall. As an agent, he was well-versed in his duties, which included not only taking a commission on players' transfer fees and salaries but also providing legal, financial, and life planning services.

These players were not yet famous in England, and even Southgate was just a standard player. Andrew and his staff were busy in East London, but fortunately, the Hall family's investment made it easy to deal with real estate developers, providing comfortable apartments for the new players and translators for those who did not speak English. If the players needed anything, even escorts, Andrew would arrange it after a warning.

With Andrew's meticulous help, many young players who had earned "big money" began to feel the benefits of having an agent.

The World Cup had just ended, but Larsson did not return to the team on the extended holiday date set by Audrich. On the 21st, this player, admired by the young players, appeared on the training ground.

Audrich's team could be considered newly formed, but no one felt lonely. German players had But, Schneider, and Ballack; Dutch players had Van Nistelrooy and Larsson; Italian young players would not feel isolated; only Nedved from Eastern Europe might have difficulty integrating, but as a national team member and with a gentle personality, many players gathered around him.

Audrich led the coaching staff to the training ground, all dressed in the club's traditional dark blue sportswear.

Andrew, on the other hand, was dressed in a suit and tie. He came here to complete some work procedures with Audrich, arranging a few translators to help the players who did not speak English integrate quickly into the team environment.

"Is everything smooth with the FA?"

"Yes, Pavel is already a national team member, so there's no need to invite a celebrity to speak on his behalf. We submitted the materials and paid ten thousand pounds, and everything is done. Don't worry, there's no trace left. As long as Pavel performs well, no one will investigate the past."

Andrew whispered in Audrich's ear.

Audrich felt relieved. Nedved did not have an EU passport, so he needed a work permit to transfer to England. Although he was a national team member, his appearance record was clearly insufficient. However, the 75% appearance standard was not rigid and had a lot of flexibility. Moreover, the English football world was rife with unspoken black money. When Audrich submitted the materials to the FA, he had Andrew work on the side, and everything went smoothly.

If Nedved were a youth team player, even with more black money, the transfer might be difficult. But as a national team member with a bright future, even after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia two years ago, Audrich believed that Andrew's ten thousand pounds of black money played a crucial role. Millwall, a small club with a negative reputation and no attention on the pitch, naturally meant that the new players were not noticed.

Before entering the training ground, Andrew gave a few instructions to the translators and waved goodbye to Audrich.

Seeing Audrich leading a group of people in coaching attire, the players on the training ground automatically formed two rows. Many of them were still 17 or 18 years old, full of hope for the future, and did not have the arrogance to look down on the young head coach and owner. They all showed respect.

It was a bit like a gang showdown. Audrich led the coaches to the players, with the coaches standing in a row behind him. Audrich, standing alone in front, looked calm. For his first meeting with the entire team, he needed a unique opening speech.

He walked from the left to the right of the two rows of players, making eye contact with each one and nodding slightly.

After completing the round, Audrich stood in front of the players and spoke softly.

"Millwall has a 109-year history. In these 109 years:

English top-flight league championships: zero.

English League Cup: zero.

English FA Cup: zero.

And never participated in the three major European cups.

Congratulations, you have joined a 109-year-old club with zero championships!"

Audrich's words were light and slow, with only the last sentence spoken with great solemnity. He deliberately used the simplest English to ensure that the players who were just learning English could understand.

Among the 26 first-team members, only Beckham and Phil Neville seemed indifferent. They were on loan here for training and naturally looked down on this 109-year-old club with no championships and a bad reputation.

However, the other 24 players had varied expressions. The young players looked at each other, seemingly just realizing what kind of club Millwall was.

Audrich suddenly raised his hands and asked solemnly, "Aren't you happy?"

The players were stunned.

What the hell is there to be happy about?!