Chapter 98

Midweek cup or league matches are usually held in the evening because fans have to work during the day.

When Audrich arrived at the Grimsby club, the sky was already pitch black, and the Blundell Park Stadium was bustling with noise and light.

Audrich could feel the intense atmosphere of the match even outside the club.

This was not a good omen!

The enthusiasm of the home fans clearly indicated that the home team was performing well.

Audrich didn't have a ticket, so he couldn't enter directly from the stadium entrance. He came to the club entrance and argued with the guard for a long time.

"I am the head coach of Millwall, I'm late, and now I need to get in!"

"Sir, could you please show some identification?"

The guard was a young new recruit who probably didn't follow the news and didn't recognize Audrich.

"Hey, Jerry, let him in. He is indeed the head coach of Millwall. He came here last season."

A club staff member recognized Audrich but wasn't particularly welcoming, as Millwall had won 3-0 against Grimsby in an away match last season in the League Two.

Audrich was allowed in, and the staff member who helped him said indifferently, "Mr. Hall, I don't think Millwall will be leaving here happily today."

Audrich ignored him. Since he had been there last season, he had some familiarity with the place. He walked straight to the players' tunnel and looked at the scoreboard at the exit.

2:0

By convention, the home team is listed first, followed by the away team.

The time showed the first half, 44:12, 44:13...

What's going on?

Millwall was two goals behind?

Audrich scanned the players on the field, counting them. There were 22 players in total. Grimsby hadn't fielded 12 players, and Millwall hadn't lost any players. Moreover, apart from Solskjaer and Richards, Millwall had fielded their main players. How could they be behind?

He looked at the away team's bench, where Jensen stood with his arms crossed, frowning. He looked calm but helpless.

The whistle signaling the end of the first half sounded, and Audrich disappeared from the scene.

The players from both teams left the field. The Grimsby players looked very happy, while the Millwall players looked dejected, as if they had lost their souls.

They felt that something was off about today's match, as if something was missing.

After the players had entered the dressing room, Jensen was the last to go in. He was thinking about how to adjust at halftime. The tactics were fine; Millwall was the main attacking team, and Grimsby was playing a counter-attacking game. For most of the first half, Millwall had been pressing the opponent. What had gone wrong to make the team two goals behind?

He wanted to replicate Audrich's passionate motivational speech, but it didn't work well before the match. The players looked at him indifferently, as if they were watching a performance.

Just as he was at a loss, he heard someone calling him.

"Jensen, Jensen!"

Jensen looked in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see Audrich waving at him from the corner of the corridor, looking sneaky and furtive.

Jensen walked quickly over and said urgently, "Since you're here, come into the dressing room quickly. The situation is not good!"

Audrich motioned him closer. They walked around the corner, and Audrich took out a cigarette. They both lit up, and after exhaling a puff of smoke, Audrich asked softly, "Tell me about the first half."

"In the first half, we had the advantage. Grimsby was determined to play a defensive counter-attacking game. They took the lead with a corner kick, and we got a penalty in the box, but Larsson hit the post. After that, we kept pressing the opponent, but they broke through our defense with a counter-attack. Many League Two teams are now mimicking our style from last season, playing a defensive game against strong teams and leaving a couple of fast forwards to counter-attack with long passes."

"That's not really copying us; it's just a trend. Our counter-attacks are a coordinated fast advance, not relying on individual skills."

"Come on, this isn't the time to be detached. What do we do now? We're two goals behind."

Audrich looked at his watch and waited until he finished his cigarette. He then tidied up his slightly disheveled suit and walked calmly toward the dressing room.

The atmosphere in the dressing room was tense. No one was talking. After cleaning their jerseys and shoes, they sat with their eyes closed, and no one seemed to care that Jensen hadn't come in.

The captain on the field today was Nedved, who rarely spoke in the dressing room. He inspired his teammates more through his actions on the field. In terms of verbal motivation, he was much quieter, which was why Audrich had appointed Southgate as the first captain.

The door to the dressing room opened, and the players still had their heads down.

"Hey, it's been a while. I had some personal matters to handle, so I wasn't with the team. I apologize to everyone for that."

When Audrich spoke, all the players looked up at him with expressions of disbelief, their eyes gradually regaining their light.

Audrich ignored their expressions, crossed his arms, and continued, "I was in the stands during the first half. I watched the game, and you guys did well, but I think you might be tired. After all, we played Liverpool away just four days ago, and we have to face the defending champions Blackburn this weekend. To put it simply, I'll let you rest this weekend, but it seems you want to end this game early. That's fine; I understand. It's just a League Cup match, so don't worry about it. If we lose, we lose."

The players stared at Audrich, confused by his words.

Is the boss surrendering?

And he's even trying to persuade us to surrender?

Audrich shrugged and said, "I just went to see the referee. I asked him to let Millwall replace all 11 players on the field in the second half. Of course, we don't have enough substitutes, but that's okay. We can add the coaching staff. However, the referee didn't agree, so I need to consider replacing three of you. Is there anyone who wants to rest in the second half?"

The dressing room was silent.

The players became extremely tense.

Audrich scratched his head in a helpless manner and left, saying, "Well, since no one is volunteering, I'll decide. I need some time to think. When I make my decision from the stands, Jensen will replace three of you. Don't worry; this isn't directed at anyone. I'm satisfied with your performance, but it's just that the opponent is Grimsby, and you can't get excited, right?"

Audrich opened the dressing room door and walked out.

The players looked at each other, nervously swallowing. They all knew that Audrich was actually angry.

The current Millwall team, even with the main lineup, had more than half of the players who were previously unknown. Audrich had given them opportunities, high salaries, and a chance to enter the public eye in England. In their eyes, Audrich was a mentor of great importance.

His praise or criticism directly affected the players' moods and mental states.

Just his absence from the match made the players feel a significant difference.

Now that Audrich was back, the players felt completely at ease.

In the second half, after the players were back on the field, Audrich appeared at the exit of the players' tunnel. He leaned against the wall, watching the game leisurely.

The camera caught his appearance and focused on him, and the commentators began to joke about Audrich.

What Audrich didn't expect was that one of the Grimsby stadium staff was his fan. A slightly overweight young man walked up to him, slightly excited, and said, "You're Mr. Hall, right? Can I have your autograph? You're amazing, becoming a head coach before you're 20 and doing such a great job. I've watched all of Millwall's matches against Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool. They were incredible, the best matches I've ever seen. Millwall..."

He spoke enthusiastically, and Audrich listened patiently to his admiration, then signed an autograph, took a photo with him, and asked him to get a cup of water. He hadn't had a drink since he got off the plane and had been on the road for a few hours, feeling very thirsty.

Just as he was drinking from the cup, Blundell Park Stadium fell into a brief silence.

Audrich looked up at the field, where Solskjaer was running with the ball toward the center circle. He had just scored.

"Hehe, Millwall is great, they scored indeed."

The staff member was still by Audrich's side and seemed even more excited than Audrich when Millwall scored.

This was understandable; people working at a football club aren't necessarily fans of that club. For example, there are more than 20-year loyal employees at Liverpool who are Everton fans.

Millwall's tactics in the second half didn't change, but they played with more dominance. Grimsby retreated to defend, but their players' individual skills were limited, and they couldn't withstand Millwall's relentless attacks.

Just 20 minutes into the second half, Millwall equalized the score. Schneider's free kick hit a defender and deflected into the goal, a bit lucky, but luck is also part of skill.

Grimsby, who had almost all their players retreat to defend, suffered a heavy blow in the 87th minute.

Stam scored with a header from a corner kick, and Millwall reversed the score to 3-2, just one goal more than the opponent.

Audrich had lied; he didn't replace any players.

After the match, Jensen looked thoughtfully at Audrich, who had already turned and walked toward the dressing room, and smiled bitterly to himself: You always say the team's fighting spirit is Nedved, but you are the true soul of this team!