Chapter 47

After the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup was announced, Audrich sighed, feeling that fate was playing tricks on him.

Clearly a team from the second tier of English football, they had encountered a Premier League team for the third time in the cup, and it was Newcastle United, whom they had faced in the first half of the season.

The only piece of good news was that Millwall had the advantage of playing at home.

This would certainly add a significant amount of income to the club.

Newcastle United, under the guidance of Kevin Keegan, remained a team that was a pleasure to watch in the Premier League, but this season they were unable to challenge for the title. The teams at the top of the Premier League table were Blackburn and Manchester United, who had a considerable lead over the rest of the teams.

Therefore, Newcastle United would naturally place great importance on the FA Cup.

Audrich, as always, decided to use the reserve team to gain experience and grow through the cup matches.

After entering February, Millwall maintained a strong momentum in the Football League First Division. The increasingly mature team was invincible in the league, and Audrich was least afraid of facing teams at the top of the table or those near the relegation zone. These teams would take risks to gain points, and the temptation of a win would allow Millwall to fully exploit their advantage in quick counterattacks.

On the contrary, it was only when facing teams that had nothing to lose and did not want to lose badly that Millwall would struggle to score and lose points.

The fourth round of the FA Cup was played at The Den, and Audrich met Kevin Keegan, who was already somewhat overconfident. Keegan's flamboyant dark red suit made Audrich unable to hold back a smile.

It was no wonder that Keegan felt good about himself. Two years ago, he was a rookie, and after being away from football for eight years, he led Newcastle United to the Premier League and then achieved the impressive third-place finish as a promoted team last year. Although he sold the top scorer from last season, Andy Cole, for over four million pounds, the team's performance did not decline, and they remained a respected veteran team in the Premier League.

Interestingly, the owner of Newcastle United also had the surname Hall, and he was equally wealthy, with a fortune of over a hundred million pounds.

After the 90-minute match, Kevin Keegan's face was somewhat grim.

His Premier League team faced Millwall's reserve team at The Den and could only manage a 1-1 draw.

Overconfidence and arrogance were the main reasons for not winning the match. After all, a few months earlier, Newcastle United had easily defeated the same Millwall team in the League Cup at home.

After the match, Keegan awkwardly stated that he would win the replay at home.

Audrich was relatively pleased. The reserve team getting an extra match meant gaining more experience, not to mention the additional income.

In response to Keegan's attempt to shift the blame by criticizing Millwall for lacking respect for the FA Cup because they did not field their first team, Audrich responded calmly, "We are about to face the most important match of the season. Is the FA Cup optional? Such a statement is extremely irresponsible. If not for a bit of bad luck, my team could have advanced to the next round at home. Coach Keegan's criticism is baseless. If we are to be condemned for not fielding all our first-team players, then why did Newcastle United not win against a Millwall team that did not field all its first-team players? Were they also holding back? Or did they also underestimate this historic cup competition?"

Audrich had become one of the favorite managers of the London media. He always handled verbal sparring matches with composure, rather than making baseless and unreasonable accusations, thus maintaining a relatively harmonious relationship with the media while still providing news.

Before the FA Cup replay, Millwall indeed had to play a crucial match of the season.

The 32nd round of the Football League First Division: Millwall vs. Middlesbrough.

Three months ago, the two teams played a 2-2 draw at Ayresome Park, a top-of-the-table clash.

Three months later, the top two teams in the league were still Middlesbrough trailing Millwall.

However, the gap between the two teams had widened from just a goal difference to a staggering 13 points!

It wasn't that Middlesbrough performed poorly; their performance was better than that of Nottingham Forest, who finished second last season. But Millwall was outstanding, with 8 more points than the First Division champions Crystal Palace at the same stage last season!

The 13-point gap made the First Division title race increasingly less suspenseful, and the result of the 32nd round top-of-the-table clash might end all suspense.

The Daily Mail published a large article by journalist Richard.

"February 24th is still a day of intense competition in the Premier League, with the two best-performing teams chasing each other, and the never-ending war between Dalglish and Ferguson. However, in the First Division, the speculation about the title might be completely resolved. Millwall, leading the league by 13 points over Middlesbrough, has left all pursuers in despair. If Millwall wins at home, no one will doubt that the First Division title has been decided. Although there are still 14 rounds left, more than a third of the season, once Millwall leads Middlesbrough by 16 points, it will be over! At this moment, we recall Brian Robson's interview after being held to a draw by Millwall at Ayresome Park three months ago. The legendary captain said, 'We didn't win a match that decided the league title!' At the time, everyone thought Robson was exaggerating, but imagine if Millwall hadn't taken that crucial draw at Ayresome Park, what impact would it have had on the team's morale for the entire season?..."

The media always likes to predict the course of football matches. Being right is insightful, but being wrong is just pandering to the crowd.

However, this issue of the Daily Mail sold well, and Richard's article received widespread recognition. The cover featured an old photo from three months ago at Ayresome Park, showing Nedved scoring the equalizing goal, and Audrich kneeling on the ground, raising his arms and roaring to the sky. This young man, who was not a player, made a gesture similar to a player's celebration, and Audrich's fame soared.

With the big match approaching, Audrich was in his office, looking at the team list and Dr. Thompson's report on the players' injury recovery.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Bernd Schneider, dressed in casual clothes, walked into the office. Audrich closed the file in his hand and asked gently, "Bernd, is there something you need?"

Schneider sat down opposite the desk and said honestly, "Boss, I feel completely recovered. I want to start in the next match."

He had been recovering from an injury for the past month and had returned to training with the team for the past week.

Audrich smiled, got up to pour him a glass of water, and then stood on the other side of the desk, leaning slightly against it. He smiled and said, "But I plan to have you start on the bench for the next match."

Schneider looked up at Audrich, frowning. "But I'm completely recovered."

Audrich waved his hand. "I know, but the next match will be intense. Bernd, you are an indispensable part of the team, and I don't want to risk you facing such a tough match right after your return. We have many more matches this season, don't we?"

"But..."

"But the next match is against Middlesbrough, right?"

Schneider nodded.

It was a top-of-the-table clash, and he naturally wanted to play in such a crucial match.

Audrich leaned forward and asked mysteriously, "Bernd, you've been with the team for over half a year. What do you think of me?"

Schneider was taken aback, scratched his head, and said, "Boss, you are a practical person, down-to-earth, uh, reliable."

Audrich shrugged. "Actually, I am also ambitious and a bit arrogant. Let me be honest with you, I don't take Middlesbrough seriously at all. Yes, they are a mature team, but they have no potential. Our potential has only been tapped to less than half, and our future is not something they can compare to. So, I am thinking more about our opponents in the Premier League in six months. The matches against Manchester United and Liverpool will be the real big games. Don't listen to the media hyping up this crucial match and putting us on the same level as Middlesbrough. It really annoys me."

Bernd Schneider was amused. He didn't expect Audrich to have this side to him.

But his intelligence made him instantly understand. He nodded and said, "Boss, I get it. I won't disturb your work. Bye."

After sending Schneider off, Audrich returned to his desk and wrote down the starting lineup for the weekend match.

The only change in the starting lineup was replacing Schneider with Beckham in the right midfield.

At the press conference the day before the match, Audrich modestly stated, "This is just a regular league match. Regardless of the result, the matches that truly decide the league title will be in April and May."

This statement made Audrich a target of media criticism the next day, who thought he was too insincere.

However, his humble expression of respect for Middlesbrough and Brian Robson won him a lot of praise.

PS: Thank you to "Tuo Tuo Xie Hei" for the tip!

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