Chapter 43

As the morning light spread, London, which had been shrouded in winter, finally had a sunny morning.

Aldridge stood by the training ground in his club's winter sports uniform, casually chatting with his colleagues from the coaching staff, his hands in warm gloves.

Soon, the players arrived on the training ground one by one, and Aldridge was glad he had made the decision six months ago to appoint Southgate, Nedved, and Larsson as the team's three captains. These three were now the pillars of Millwall, not only for their on-field prowess but also for their professional conduct. With these three leading by example, the other players couldn't act like big shots, and in the past six months, there hadn't been a single instance of a player being late for training.

"Did you have a good few days off?"

Aldridge was increasingly taking on the air of a leader. When he asked, the more mature players mostly smiled without a word, while the younger, more outgoing ones chattered away.

Compared to other clubs that were still training, Millwall's sudden decision to give the players a break made them very happy. The team needed a breather after a non-stop schedule of matches since October. A timely break was necessary.

The short break made the players feel happy, and after relaxing, they returned to the training ground, perhaps none of them still thinking about the three consecutive matches without a win. Aldridge had done his best to minimize the negative impact on morale.

Because Schneider was injured, Aldridge decided to let him rest for a month, and Beckham temporarily joined the starting lineup.

Five days later, they traveled north to South Yorkshire to face Sheffield United, who were high in the First Division standings.

The media and the public were closely watching this match, as it would determine whether Millwall could withstand the pressure and turn around their recent poor form. This match could be a turning point in the league title race. If Middlesbrough won, the gap between the two teams would narrow to just two matches. After six rounds, the two teams vying for the title would face each other in the second round of the league.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, Aldridge led his team to a 2-0 victory away from home, without much difficulty.

However, Middlesbrough failed to win at home against Grimsby on the same day, and the gap between the two teams widened to 10 points.

Millwall's victory halted their slump. If this momentum continued, the First Division title might be decided by the end of February. Whether Middlesbrough could suppress Millwall's momentum at the Den in late February would determine the fate of both teams.

Who would have to play the brutal playoff to secure promotion?!

Returning to London in a good mood, Aldridge had just arrived home when the phone in his study rang.

"It's done. I hired a specialist to handle the divorce, rented her a new apartment, paid three years' rent, hired a nanny whose salary will be paid by my company, and gave her 30,000 pounds."

Andrew's slightly tired voice came through the phone.

Aldridge sighed with relief and chuckled, "How long has it been since you went to the gym? You haven't done any physical work, right? Why do you sound so tired?"

"Uh, running around is tiring. Aldridge, I'm a bit confused."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"I don't."

"Alright, why did you help her? Even if you like mature women, I can't see what charm she has."

Aldridge laughed, then sighed after a moment, "Andrew, you've changed."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Why can't you see this as a simple act of kindness? Maybe you win over models with expensive watches and bags, but that doesn't mean I do. Ms. Rowling has talent we can only envy. She's just facing some difficulties in life. I have no other motives in helping her; I just hope she can regain her strength and not be distracted by the trivialities of life, so she can freely showcase her unparalleled talent to the world."

Andrew fell silent and finally sighed, "Aldridge, you're right. I've changed. What was a simple issue, I made complicated. You don't hate me, do you?"

Aldridge laughed, "Of course not. Everyone has a different way of life. I can't guarantee I won't become a jerk in the future, so why should I judge others with a high moral standard? Let's talk about other things."

The two brothers discussed some business matters. Andrew's agency, which held contracts for most of Millwall's players, was now trying to sign players from several Premier League clubs.

However, overall, Andrew's company was still low-key and hadn't made much of a splash in the industry. This business requires reputation, skill in the transfer market, and extensive connections in player commercial development. The core is to generate income for players.

Whenever football-related topics came up, Aldridge couldn't stop talking. Under his influence, Andrew's idea of "signing players to push them to Millwall" changed. At this early stage, his agency could hardly sign even ordinary players, let alone famous stars. But that was fine. For now, he just needed to sign young players on a large scale. Even if he couldn't sign them, building good relationships would lay the foundation for the future. Agent contracts are not lifelong; many are signed for three years. Once he could manage the transfers of a few stars, Andrew's company would gain a reputation.

The next day, Aldridge received a package from Edinburgh, sent by Rowling.

The package contained a thick photocopy of a manuscript and a letter.

Aldridge opened the letter first, which expressed Rowling's gratitude. The manuscript was a copy of her ongoing work, though not yet complete, she hoped Aldridge could read it and provide some feedback.

To his surprise, the manuscript in his hands was the unfinished "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

Aldridge didn't feel qualified to evaluate it; he was just an enthusiastic reader. If Rowling were a football player, Aldridge would be a fan cheering from the stands, not someone who could play on the field.

However, he was delighted to read the original manuscript of "Harry Potter." He knew the importance of the manuscript, so he never took it out of his study. At night, he would lie on the sofa in his study, listening to soothing light music, and read it page by page with great interest.

In the past, his English was mediocre, and he couldn't understand English books, even if he could, it would be at a level where the words didn't convey the meaning.

Now, he could understand everything in the manuscript without any obstacles, naturally imagining the magical world in his mind.

Interestingly, Rowling's connection to football wasn't entirely absent. She found football matches boring, but the flying balls in the sky gave her inspiration. The Quidditch World Cup in "Harry Potter" was actually inspired by football matches.

After finishing the manuscript, Aldridge wrote a reply to Rowling. From then on, although they rarely met, they kept in touch through letters, a relationship that lasted until the official publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

In late January 1995, Millwall faced a crucial match: the FA Cup.

The FA Cup started from the third round, with Premier League and First Division teams joining, forming a knockout tournament of 64 teams.

Millwall's luck was extremely poor, as they drew their local rivals, Arsenal, in the draw.

If there was anything to be thankful for, it was the increased ticket revenue from a home match and the substantial broadcast income from facing Arsenal.

Historically, Millwall had many enemies, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United, and Gillingham, among others. The enmity and rivalries with these teams were partly due to on-field competition and partly due to violent conflicts between fans.

Teams like Liverpool, a Premier League powerhouse, wouldn't take Millwall seriously, and the enmity was mostly one-sided, with Millwall harboring resentment due to its inferior strength.

In these non-derby rivalries, football hooligans played a crucial role in fueling the conflicts.

Overall, due to its location in London, Millwall had three main rivals: West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Charlton.

If enmity were measured on a scale, West Ham United would be at the maximum, Crystal Palace at 80, and Charlton at 60.

Not all London teams were bitter enemies with Millwall, and the strength gap made the stronger teams look down on Millwall. Stronger teams often disdain weaker ones, similar to how Tottenham's enmity towards Arsenal is 100, while Arsenal's towards Tottenham is only 80. Millwall and Tottenham had a "live and let live" relationship with Arsenal.

Apart from West Ham United, Millwall's second biggest rival wasn't Crystal Palace but Chelsea in West London.

This was largely due to the fans. Chelsea, based in West London, saw its traditional working-class supporters move to areas with lower living costs as the area became increasingly expensive. Many Chelsea fans moved to the Millwall area, leading to conflicts between fans, which then escalated to the club level, creating a peculiar situation.

The stronger Chelsea hated Millwall more than Millwall hated Chelsea!

It's easy to imagine that in the hooligan-infested Millwall area, Chelsea fans wouldn't fare well. Thus, Chelsea hated Millwall more, while Millwall's hatred was more of a defensive reaction.

In the broader sense, all clubs in Greater London had derby relationships, but for those without a history of enmity, the rivalry was more about who was the true leader of the city.

Due to its strength, Millwall couldn't compete with Arsenal for the title of "King of London," so the derby atmosphere wasn't intense.

However, Arsenal was a disliked club, especially by other London teams.

Arsenal had moved from South London to North London, almost to Tottenham's doorstep, which was a move that any team and its fans would resent. Similar to how Manchester United, an outsider, couldn't win the hearts of local fans in Manchester, where Manchester City had a stronger fan base. Arsenal's fans were mostly from the northern counties, but as London became more international and diverse, many neutral fans later became supporters of Manchester United or Arsenal.

The FA Cup match against Arsenal would create some sparks in London but wouldn't generate much passion. If Millwall faced West Ham United or Chelsea, it would be a different story.

Aldridge approached the FA Cup match with a calm mindset, but someone was restless and wanted to stir things up.

On the morning of the match day, the front page of The Times read:

George Graham: Arsenal will teach Millwall to respect football, Aldridge is a cancer in English football!

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