Chapter 3

In the second half of 1986, the three young men of the Hall family were each striving on their respective paths towards their ideals.

Barnett left East London for West London to study finance, planning to officially enter the financial market the following year.

Andrew discovered that Audrey was studying football match videos every day. Upon asking, he learned that Audrey wanted to become a coach in the future. Inspired, Andrew also wanted to pursue this direction, but Audrey advised him to become a new type of professional: an agent.

This was Audrey's well-considered idea. He wanted to make the most of his advantages. Many future football stars and era-defining superstars were still young children. With the major changes in the world of football that would occur a decade later, the benefits that player agents could gain were immeasurable.

When Andrew was attracted by the beautiful blueprint Audrey described, he began to study law seriously, aiming to become a lawyer, which was a prerequisite for becoming an agent.

Andrew often fantasized about those unreachable football stars being his clients. Just being able to get close to them felt like a dream.

Audrey, on the other hand, spent every day studying football tactics. Although England was known for its rough and brutal style of play, it had made indelible contributions to the development of world football. Even though the WM formation, which Arsenal had popularized half a century earlier, was no longer in vogue.

When Audrey truly began to study match videos from a coach's perspective, he realized that his former spectator's view was very limited. Watching matches on TV, he could only see a small part of the game, even if it was the most exciting part, but it could not cover the overall picture of the match.

In Sand's video store, he could study a great match for a week or even longer, writing and drawing in his notebook to thoroughly understand every offensive and defensive position, player movement, and ball trajectory.

Over time, Audrey's insights into football matches improved significantly. In his eyes, every goal and every loss was not a matter of chance. He believed he was now standing at the threshold of becoming a football coach.

Since Audrey started working part-time at Sand's store, the local hooligans no longer caused trouble in the store. Seeing Audrey's passion for football match videos, Sand always tried to find more match videos for him, especially from other European leagues.

As winter turned to spring and 1987 arrived, Audrey's life continued as usual. His older brother Barnett, influenced by the London Stock Exchange, tried to integrate into the cutthroat world of finance, cautiously avoiding rash investments.

Audrey, in his previous life, did not understand financial investment, but he was a good student. His textbooks had emphasized the infamous "Black Monday."

The event was set to occur in October 1987.

This presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Hall family.

Audrey would also go to The Den to watch Millwall's matches, but he always left disappointed and often felt repelled by the actions of Millwall's fan groups.

If Millwall was to play against West Ham United, the hooligan fan groups would go wild within half an hour of receiving the news. The match result was irrelevant; instead, the violence outside the stadium would continue from before the match until after it ended.

The Heysel Stadium disaster in the 1980s was just a symbol of English football hooliganism. The number of hooligan incidents suppressed and covered up by the media and government was countless. Millwall and West Ham United were representative of these teams.

Audrey wanted to focus on the game, but English football seemed to be regressing. It was understandable, as English clubs were banned from European competitions and were out of sync with the rest of Europe. The second-tier league lacked technical sophistication and tactical depth, with long balls and physical play being the norm.

In such a situation, Audrey found Millwall's matches uninteresting, despite the presence of a rising star, Teddy Sheringham.

To be fair, Millwall had just been promoted from the third tier to the second tier the previous season and had managed to avoid relegation. This season, the team was in an upward trajectory, but Audrey still found the matches unappealing.

He attributed this to his familiarity with fluid, high-tactical matches from his previous life, which made him uninterested in the rough and brutal games. Another factor was the environment; sitting among Millwall fans, he could not enjoy a single minute of the match, as the fans' constant shouting and threats of violence filled his ears.

The 1986/87 second-tier league season concluded, and Millwall performed slightly better than the previous year, but it did not achieve the miraculous three consecutive promotions to the top tier like Wimbledon. However, with Sheringham returning from his loan next season, the team's performance was expected to improve significantly.

Over the year, Audrey accumulated a lot of knowledge about football tactics through self-study and reading books. He felt the need for more systematic and professional training, so he decided to pursue a football coaching course.

It wasn't until the end of 1987 that Audrey realized this goal.

The day after Black Monday in October, Barnett returned home late at night, his face full of excitement and his voice trembling as he told everyone in the family: "We've made a fortune!"

The decades-long economic boom after World War II had finally reached its peak, and the economies of Europe and America entered a recession phase after Black Monday...

Through borrowing and financial market leverage, despite having a small initial investment, Barnett made several hundred thousand pounds. He then bought many stocks that Audrey believed would perform well in the future. With his brother's financial support, Audrey formally took a break from school and entered a professional and systematic football coaching training program.

During major tournament years, Audrey would use his memory to earn substantial returns, in 1988, 1990, 1992...

Since the summer of 1986, when he came to this era and became the youngest son of the Hall family, eight years had passed.

On May 20, 1994, Audrey flew from Zurich back to London to attend a teaching seminar organized by FIFA. As he took a taxi to East London, he looked out the window at the passing scenery, his handsome and refined face filled with a sense of unreality.

In recent years, his travels had taken him all over Europe, where he studied and gained a firsthand experience of the different styles of football across the continent.

The taxi stopped in front of a villa on the outskirts of East London. Audrey paid the fare and tip, and with the driver's help, retrieved his two large suitcases from the trunk.

Then, Audrey gazed at the vast estate villa, his heart filled with infinite emotion.

Now, he could be considered a wealthy and handsome young man.

The Hall family's wealth had grown at a rocket-like pace. When the European economy was in recession, Audrey advised his brother to shift the investment focus to the emerging markets of Asia, which was a surefire way to make money before the Asian financial crisis.

Conservatively estimated, Barnett's total wealth had already exceeded 200 million pounds and was still on the rise. He was well-known in London and had established friendly relationships with many business families in North America.

The front gate of the villa was open, and Audrey walked in with his two large suitcases. A few high-end cars were parked on both sides of the wide road. Audrey didn't pay much attention, walked around the fountain in front of the house, and approached the front door. He put down his luggage and knocked, but there was no response. He then pushed the door open.

"Bang."

As soon as he opened the door, his mother, Amelia, set off a firecracker, and confetti rained down on his flowing blonde hair.

"Happy birthday, son!"

Amelia excitedly hugged Audrey and kissed his forehead.

Audrey was taken aback but then smiled. He saw a crowd in the first-floor hall, with his elegantly dressed mother, Amelia, and his father, Arthur, who had gained weight in recent years, standing in front of him.

After letting go of his mother, Audrey walked forward to hug his father. He smiled and said, "Your belly is quite impressive."

Arthur, holding a cigar, smiled kindly but said nothing.

Audrey turned to look at the couple standing beside them, his older brother Barnett and his sister-in-law Lea, who looked like a perfect match.

Barnett walked over and warmly hugged Audrey, whispering in his ear, "Your birthday gift is in your study. I'm sure you'll like it."

Barnett treated his two younger brothers almost like a father.

Audrey smiled and didn't mind. He then turned to Andrew, who was now in his early twenties and equally handsome. They didn't hug, but Audrey directly took the wine glass from Andrew's hand, and the two brothers laughed heartily without a word.

The hall was filled with guests, mostly old neighbors and friends from the community, as well as many of his brothers' and parents' old classmates and colleagues.

Most of these people were unfamiliar to Audrey, except for a few he vaguely remembered.

The guests were also curious. The youngest son of the Hall family was rarely seen, as he spent most of the year abroad studying to become a football coach, which was quite surprising.

Audrey's return coincided with his birthday, and he didn't mind the party. After all, the Hall family was now very prominent in London, far surpassing any newly rich outsiders.

At the party, Audrey was very restrained but still managed to chat and laugh with everyone who approached him, displaying his elegance and grace.

It wasn't until late at night that Audrey went upstairs to his room. He first settled his luggage, which included a suitcase of clothes and another of books and materials. He planned to put the books in his study but accidentally noticed a folder on the desk.

Curious, he opened the folder and carefully examined its contents. To his surprise, he found a contract for the ownership of a football club.

He stared intently at the two names in the contract.

One was his own.

The other was the name of the football club.

Millwall Football Club!