Chapter 13

The players' expressions were truly remarkable!

Surprise, suspicion, worry, stupor, confusion...

It seemed as if a shadow had fallen over every player's heart.

Such a club, which had been without a title for a century, what was there to congratulate about? What was there to be happy about?

O'Driscoll's gaze swept over the players before him, and a smile appeared on his handsome face.

He shrugged and said with a laugh, "Actually, when I first took over this club, my expression was probably similar to yours. I wanted to question my family, why not buy the bloody Manchester United? Why not the European king of England, Liverpool? Why not let me stand on the turf of Highbury? Why? Yes, why? You might be thinking the same thing, that you should have joined Juventus, Real Madrid, AC Milan, or Roma Lazio. While I was comfortably soaking in the bathtub for ten minutes, I figured it out."

At this point, O'Driscoll paused. Even Beckham and Phil Neville, who had been indifferent, were now staring at him intently.

All 26 players wanted to know what O'Driscoll had figured out.

O'Driscoll put away his smile and said seriously, "If I were the coach of Manchester United, Liverpool, or Arsenal, I think even if we won the Premier League next season or the European Cup, so what? People would still talk about the legendary Busby, they would still reminisce about Shankly's Reds, and who would dare to compare themselves to Chapman, who led Europe? When I become a champion coach, I can't be proud, I can't show off, otherwise someone would surely pat me on the shoulder and mock, 'O'Driscoll, what are you? Manchester United rebuilt their dynasty after the Munich air disaster, Paisley led Liverpool to nearly 20 titles in nine years, and even Arsenal has been commendable in recent years. O'Driscoll, what are you proud of? Ha ha, if we were in a big club, we would be so sad. We could never surpass our predecessors, our miracles, our glories, all would be overshadowed by the past. So, I congratulate you for coming to a club that has been without a title for a century. This is the most suitable place for us to create miracles and our own legends!"

Looking at O'Driscoll, who was raising his head with determination, the players exchanged glances, as if a burning flame had risen in each of their eyes.

Who wouldn't want to create their own legend?

O'Driscoll continued with a resounding voice, "Coming to Millwall is the right choice for you. If I were a talented player like you, I wouldn't beg to join a big club. What for? To look at others' faces and speak humbly? To sit on the cold bench? To struggle alone in the dying minutes when your teammates have already lost their fighting spirit? Then, at the end of the season, to watch the main players lift the trophy like a clown in the corner? What's the point of such a championship? A charity championship, a borrowed championship, I don't want it! I want to win the trophy with my own hands and proudly show off the medal!"

By this point, the 26 players were in agreement, and many nodded involuntarily!

O'Driscoll suddenly smiled, his demeanor becoming relaxed. He paced in front of the players and said casually, "The outside world is mocking me for spending over ten million pounds on a circus troupe. Ha ha, I don't mind, not at all. Because soon, your performances on the field will tell the world that you are the best players, no, stars, superstars! Forget Maradona, Platini, Matthäus, Zico, Van Basten. In the next ten to twenty years, you will be the main characters in European and world football! You will be the kings of the pitch, known to all! At that time, you will be wealthy, respected by fans, and even have beautiful women by your side, perhaps more than one. Later, you will be the legends people talk about. Of course, I might have misjudged some of you, but I think out of twenty of you, at least a dozen should not be difficult. After all, talent is one in a million. Those who are eliminated can only regret it for decades, but don't blame fate. Who made these failures betray their God-given talent? Ninety-nine percent of sweat, anyone with perseverance can do, but too many people willing to work hard don't have your one percent of talent. So, if you end up not leaving a glorious mark on the pitch due to laziness, it's truly a pity, oh, no, there's nothing to pity. Those who give up and don't strive for progress are worse than dog shit."

These words left the twenty-odd players in shock.

They never expected O'Driscoll to praise them so highly. Perhaps players like Nedved and Larsson, who were in their twenties, wouldn't be swayed by O'Driscoll's grand words, but the other seventeen- and eighteen-year-old players, who were still young and full of dreams, were naturally very excited, eager to start training and kick all the way to the World Cup final...

"From now on, you will call me boss, Gareth."

O'Driscoll had just called Southgate, and the latter immediately responded loudly, "Boss, what's up?"

O'Driscoll took the captain's armband from his pocket and threw it to Southgate. After a moment of surprise, O'Driscoll said, "Gareth is the team captain, Henrik."

Larsson asked curiously, "Boss?"

O'Driscoll pointed at him and said, "Henrik is the vice-captain. Then, Pavel, you are the third captain."

Nedved looked a bit surprised but nodded firmly.

O'Driscoll's face suddenly became serious, and he said solemnly, "My requirements for the team are simple: first, discipline; second, unity. There are no privileged players in the team, not now, not in the future. Whether on or off the field, if you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me. One thing you need to remember: any problems within the team must be resolved internally. Football is your career, not just a matter of technical ability, but also of professional ethics and integrity. Do you understand?"

All the players answered in unison, "Understood!"

O'Driscoll turned to the coaches behind him and introduced them to the players, "Let me introduce the coaching staff. This is Jason Bernard, my assistant coach. These four are Bab, Craig, Troup, and Leo, the first-team coaches. You will meet the other coaches in different training sessions. Don't underestimate them because they look young. I can tell you, they come from Ajax, where they have been coaching for four years or more. They will train you to become world-class stars, don't doubt that."

Hearing that these young coaches were from Ajax, the 26 players were deeply impressed. Regardless, Ajax's training standards were top-notch in Europe.

The formal meeting ended, and O'Driscoll gave the order for the team to start training. They began with a slow jog around the field to warm up, and he stood on the side to watch their performance.

Led by the three captains, the other players did not dare to slack off, and the 26 players jogged around the field in an orderly manner.

The young Ballack, feeling as if he were on cloud nine, whispered to Schneider, who was slightly smaller than him, "Hey, I don't think I'll ever forget today."

Schneider winked and said, "I didn't even know I had the talent to become a top star."

He was already 21 years old and had previously played for a German second-tier team.

For them, their first formal meeting with O'Driscoll on the training ground became a memory that would never fade.

O'Driscoll naturally inspired them, but he also knew a fact that would inevitably become reality.

England couldn't keep these players!

Even though in the 1970s, after Tottenham won the UEFA Cup, England entered an era of dominance, with Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa collectively winning seven European titles, not to mention the other two major cups, the Heysel disaster in 1985 dealt a heavy blow to English football. After the ban was lifted in 1991, Liverpool couldn't even pass the preliminary rounds of the Champions League. The Taylor Report also led to English clubs reducing their spending in the transfer market to rebuild their stadiums, further weakening their competitiveness.

During the years when English clubs were absent from the top European competitions, Serie A rose to become the undisputed top league in Europe. This era coincided with the growth of the players under O'Driscoll's command. For many ambitious players, Serie A was the highest league they aspired to, not the seemingly declining England, even the Premier League lacked appeal.

For players like Nedved, if it weren't for the lack of an EU passport and the restrictions on non-EU player transfers in Italy, he probably wouldn't have considered joining O'Driscoll. Even in the timeline O'Driscoll had experienced, Nedved still risked legal trouble with a fake passport to join Serie A. For players of his era, Serie A was the highest stage, a gathering of masters.

O'Driscoll stood on the sidelines, and Jason teased him, "I didn't know you were so persuasive."

O'Driscoll replied without changing his expression, "I'm telling the truth, the big truth!"

Jason smiled and then said seriously, "Next season will be tough. The Premier League announced that the following season will have only 20 teams, so next season, four teams will be relegated from the Premier League. In the First Division, there are only two promotion spots, making the competition even more intense."

Thinking about this, O'Driscoll felt a bit unlucky, as if the timing was against him.

The Premier League had been planning to reduce the number of teams from 22 to 20 since its establishment in 1992, but it just so happened that it was implemented next season, right when O'Driscoll arrived.

This made the competition in the First Division next season very intense. When O'Driscoll roughly analyzed the competitive situation for next season, he found many strong opponents.

The three teams relegated from the Premier League last season: Sheffield United, Oldham, and Swindon.

Swindon, with its embarrassing record of conceding over a hundred goals in the Premier League last season, might struggle to be competitive in the First Division, but the other two teams were formidable.

There were also several teams in the First Division with promotion potential: Middlesbrough, Reading, Bolton, Wolves, Derby County, Watford, and others.

With only two promotion spots next season, breaking through the competition would not be easy.