Chapter 91

"Through the wind, through the rain, your dreams may shatter, but move forward with the hope in your heart, you will never walk alone, you will never walk alone..."

Even though hooliganism in English football is notorious, it cannot be denied that there are fans around the world who emulate English supporters, for here are the loyal fans who demonstrate their loyalty through their actions. Even when English football is in decline, there are still fans who stand by their teams through thick and thin.

In the stands of Anfield, a sea of red, fans held up Liverpool scarves and sang the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the top of their lungs.

In his previous life, when Aodrich watched Liverpool matches on TV, the Chinese commentator called the song "You Will Never Walk Alone on the Road." Although the meaning was similar, the connotation seemed far off. "You'll Never Walk Alone" implies constant companionship, while "You Will Never Walk Alone on the Road" was somewhat lacking. For this reason, he thought the commentator's level was poor.

After he walked out of the players' tunnel, he did not head to the away team's bench but stood at the sideline parallel to the center line, a position that should have been occupied by the fourth official. He took the initiative to stand there, hands on his hips, looking around the stadium with a serious expression, as if he wanted to imprint every fan holding up a scarf and singing in his eyes.

"Where's the camera? Damn it, where's the camera? Focus on him! He's here! F**k, Rudy, if you don't get the camera on Hol in ten seconds, you won't have a job tomorrow!"

In the live broadcast booth, the Sky TV manager roared in anger. He could see Aodrich's appearance from the box, but the camera had not yet followed.

Commentators Andy Gray and Martin Taylor had not yet started their work, but they watched the camera focus on Aodrich and tried to understand his perspective from various angles.

"Martin, what's he doing?"

"I guess he's feeling the atmosphere here."

"Maybe, this isn't Old Trafford, this is Anfield. I hope he doesn't get scared. There are no female fans here to give him a kiss, only fierce opposing fans."

"I don't think so. Maybe it's his first time here. This is a match worth commemorating for him."

"What do you think Millwall will do today? I mean, what's their goal? A draw or a win? They certainly didn't come here to give away three points."

"Of course, a win. Aodrich needs a victory to inspire his players. Otherwise, how would the young lads in the team listen to him? He's so young. All he can offer is victory, which will make the players follow him wholeheartedly!"

...

Melanie and her family were also in the stands, holding up scarves and singing like the other fans. When the song ended, applause erupted and continued for a long time.

Melanie's brother pointed at Aodrich on the sideline and laughed, "Sis, your boyfriend is scared stiff!"

Melanie smiled, "Let him see the power of Liverpool. He must be scared stiff! Ha ha."

The Kop stand erupted in passionate cheers, and on the opposite side, the Millwall fans who had traveled far also gathered to clap and chant their team's name. Although this was not an evenly matched contest, neither side was willing to back down. The war in the stands never ceased.

After surveying Anfield, Aodrich took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them with a smile.

Anfield, I've finally made it here!

Not as a fan visiting, but as a manager to fight!

A great stadium, a great stage, a cradle of great matches!

With respect for the predecessors, Aodrich slowly walked toward the away team's bench.

In the past, when the Crazy Gang Wimbledon visited here, each player would spit on the "This is Anfield" sign in the tunnel to show their disdain. Aodrich strongly disapproved of such behavior.

Football can be ruthless, but he had his own principles.

He would encourage his players to fight fairly and openly, making them understand that winning here is an honor, not a self-deception by belittling the ground. That would only make the victory worthless.

Moreover, the creator of that sign was a great figure in the history of the Reds: Bill Shankly.

Many neutral fans might know his name because of the famous quote: "Football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that."

This is a misinterpretation. Bill Shankly never said that. In an interview, he said, "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I'm sure football is more important than life and death."

In context and in response to the interview question, Shankly was expressing a positive attitude toward victory, not a cold-blooded disregard for life.

Bill Shankly created the soul of the Reds. His philosophy of victory was gentlemanly. He used various psychological tactics, such as personally waiting at the bus to welcome the opponents when they came to Anfield, to put pressure on them. However, his principles were clear, and he could not tolerate dirty tactics on the field. One of the managers he hated the most was Helenio Herrera, the creator of Inter Milan during the Grande Inter era.

Shankly established the Liverpool Boot Room tradition and built a team of champions, simple, passionate, strong, and straightforward, with a touch of romanticism.

Aodrich, in his studies, held Shankly in high regard. He even thought that if he could go back to the 1960s, he would be in a dilemma, captivated by the Busby Babes or completely charmed by the great Shankly. As a thorough English fan, it would be impossible to like both Manchester United and Liverpool at the same time.

The appearance of the players brought Aodrich back to reality. He looked at the Liverpool players on the field, his eyes filled with envy, for among them were many talented individuals.

At 22, Jack Redknapp was even more popular than Manchester United's Paul Scholes at the time, as he had already been selected for the England national team.

At 23, Steve McManaman, if not for injuries, why would England regret that Giggs was Welsh?

At 20, Robbie Fowler, Liverpool's "God," the young prodigy who pushed Ian Rush to the bench.

Goalkeeper David James, though not world-class, would become the England national team's goalkeeper in the future, so his abilities were certainly recognized.

What made Aodrich sigh was that Liverpool had a player from Millwall's youth academy, left-back Neil Ruddock. This player, who looked a bit overweight, entered Millwall's youth team at 15 and became famous at 18. He was poached and even returned to Millwall for a year a few years ago. He was still in his prime.

Aodrich quickly收回目光，得之我幸，失之我命，羡慕别人永远没有止境，他只是有些惋惜，利物浦作为英格兰传统三豪门之一，却是死板顽固的典型，就连东伦敦的西汉姆联队都开始引进现代运动医疗确保球员健康时，利物浦却始终对先进的医疗保持怀疑和抵触态度，这毁掉了他们多少希望？

只是现在场上这批人，杰米－雷德克纳普，罗比－福勒，27岁就退役的罗伯－琼斯等等，不是球员有伤病就指责俱乐部没照顾好球员，但后世这一代球员都披露过利物浦俱乐部队医糟糕水平，甚至雷德克纳普是被误诊，长期带着骨折的脚训练，比赛，然后从一个手术就能解决的小伤，变成了粉碎性骨折。

而且，利物浦无法重回巅峰还有一个致命因素，香克利治下的红军纪律严明，这一时期的弗格森也是如此，李－夏普自甘堕落，弗格森救不了他，那就把他卖走，避免带坏了其他球员，可是利物浦呢？他们这批天才有一个外号：辣哥。这一外号就是来源于他们场外的私生活。

球员职业生涯中有两大敌人，其一是伤病，其二就是堕落。

利物浦这两样都齐了，也就别抱怨为何球队总是有天才出世，却又无法染指顶级联赛冠军。

所以，奥德里奇建队理念就要避免这两大敌人的阻拦，先进的医疗部，严明的队内纪律，场外生活严于律己的三位队长，哪怕是马特拉齐这位第四队长，场上是恶汉，场下都是一位好好先生。

双方球员摆开阵势，准备开球。

“观众朋友们，英格兰足球超级联赛第三轮，我们在安菲尔德为您现场直播本轮的一场焦点赛事，红军利物浦迎战来访的米尔沃尔，也许米尔沃尔在我们印象中并不是一支强队，但本赛季第一次征战英超的米尔沃尔已经展现出了不俗的战斗力，他们先在客场与曼联打成了惊心动魄的5:5，然后上一轮坐镇主场轻松战胜了德比对手阿森纳，显示出了强大的实力。”

“赛季前不少球评家认为米尔沃尔是保级球队，并且对米尔沃尔适应英超的时间感到担忧，但奥德里奇的球队用两场比赛就粉碎了所有质疑声音，米尔沃尔是一支强队，毋庸置疑，反倒是利物浦让人担忧，第一轮只是一球小胜弱旅谢周三，第二轮却输给了利兹联，今天在安菲尔德，他们能够拿下狂狮吗？九十分钟的比赛之后，希望不会是一个出人意料的结局。”

“介绍一下双方的首发名单，米尔沃尔的首发阵容和前两场一样，没有任何变化......利物浦的首发阵容是门将：大卫－詹姆斯，后卫：罗伯－琼斯，马克－赖特，约翰－斯卡莱斯，尼尔－鲁多克，中场：杰森－麦卡蒂尔，约翰－巴恩斯，杰米－雷德克纳普，史蒂夫－麦克马纳曼，前锋：罗比－福勒，斯坦－科利莫尔。他们后防线上的32岁老将赖特不知道会不会成为米尔沃尔主攻的一点，因为首场面对曼联，布鲁斯就被米尔沃尔攻得失误连连，而夏天从诺丁汉森林挖来的科利莫尔并没有迅速进入状态，上赛季他在诺丁汉森林打进了24个进球，但来到利物浦，似乎和福勒没能擦出火花，倒是米尔沃尔这边的锋线让人更加期待，两场比赛打进四球的拉尔森毫无疑问是本赛季英超金靴的争夺者，曼联七百万英镑没能带走他，如果这个赛季拉尔森能够拿出亮眼的数据，他的身价还会上涨，话题有些远了，好了，利物浦的福勒已经开球，观众们，比赛开始，让我们享受接下来的红蓝大战吧！”

PS: 感谢“飞扬如初见”的打赏！

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(Translation continues from the point where Aodrich quickly收回目光...)

Aodrich quickly shifted his gaze, knowing that what he had was a blessing, and what he lost was his fate. Envy of others has no end, and he was just a bit regretful. Liverpool, as one of the traditional three major clubs in England, was a typical example of rigidity and stubbornness. Even when West Ham United in East London began to introduce modern sports medicine to ensure player health, Liverpool remained skeptical and resistant to advanced medical care, ruining many hopes.

Just this group of players on the field now, Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Fowler, and Rob Jones, who retired at 27, were not blamed for their injuries by the club. However, the players of this generation later revealed the poor quality of the Liverpool club's medical staff. Redknapp was even misdiagnosed, training and playing with a broken foot for a long time, turning a minor injury that could have been fixed with a single surgery into a compound fracture.

Moreover, a fatal factor preventing Liverpool from returning to the top was the strict discipline under Shankly's leadership. During this period, Ferguson was the same. When Lee Sharpe fell into decadence, Ferguson couldn't save him, so he sold him to prevent him from corrupting other players. But what about Liverpool? This group of talented players had a nickname: the "Spice Boys." This nickname came from their private lives off the field.

There are two major enemies in a player's career: injuries and decadence.

Liverpool had both, so it was no wonder the team always produced talented players but could never win the top league title.

Therefore, Aodrich's team-building philosophy aimed to avoid these two enemies. Advanced medical facilities, strict team discipline, and three captains who were strict with themselves off the field, even the fourth captain, Materazzi, who was a tough guy on the field but a gentleman off it.

The players from both sides lined up, ready to kick off.

"Dear viewers, this is the third round of the English Premier League. We are live at Anfield, bringing you a key match of this round: Liverpool, the Reds, against Millwall. Although Millwall may not be a strong team in our impression, this is Millwall's first season in the Premier League, and they have already shown impressive fighting spirit. They drew 5-5 with Manchester United away and easily defeated their derby rivals Arsenal at home, demonstrating their strength."

"Before the season, many football analysts believed Millwall would be a relegation team and were concerned about their adaptation to the Premier League. However, Aodrich's team shattered all doubts with just two matches. Millwall is undoubtedly a strong team, while Liverpool is the one to worry about. They only won by a single goal against weak Sheffield Wednesday in the first round and lost to Leeds United in the second round. Today at Anfield, can they defeat the Lions? We hope the 90-minute match will not end with a surprising outcome."

"Let's introduce the starting lineups. Millwall's starting lineup is the same as in the previous two matches, with no changes... Liverpool's starting lineup: goalkeeper David James, defenders Rob Jones, Mark Wright, John Scales, Neil Ruddock, midfielders Jason McAteer, John Barnes, Jamie Redknapp, Steve McManaman, forwards Robbie Fowler, Stan Collymore. The 32-year-old veteran Wright in their defense might be a target for Millwall, as he was repeatedly outplayed by Bruce in the first match against Manchester United. Collymore, signed from Nottingham Forest in the summer, has not yet found his form. He scored 24 goals for Nottingham Forest last season, but he hasn't clicked with Fowler at Liverpool. On the other hand, Millwall's forward line is more promising. Larsen, who scored four goals in two matches, is undoubtedly a contender for the Premier League Golden Boot this season. Manchester United couldn't take him for seven million pounds, and if Larsen performs well this season, his value will rise. Let's get back to the match. Liverpool's Fowler has kicked off. Viewers, the match has started. Let's enjoy the red and blue battle!"

PS: Thank you to "Feiyang Ruchujian" for the tip!

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