The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 166: Unstoppable!

Millwall finally opened the door to victory in the third round of the league, achieving an impressive six-goal win. After the match, Aldrich praised his team's performance in an interview, choosing not to mention the visiting team, as it seemed pointless.

That evening, he cooked at home and enjoyed a pleasant dinner chatting about the game with Puskás and his father.

The next day, the headline in the Premier League was "The Roaring Lions Make a Powerful Comeback!"

To everyone's surprise, The Times reported a sensational story as their front-page headline:

"That Fat Guy Is Back!"

The subheading read: "Puskás: The King Returns!"

The accompanying image showed Puskás in the stands at the Den, arms raised in celebration of a goal, with Arthur jumping up excitedly beside him, while Ivan clapped joyfully on the other side.

The live broadcast initially aimed to catch Arthur of Millwall, but when some seasoned football insiders saw the elderly man next to him, they had to dig up old photographs to confirm their suspicions.

It was him!

It was the overweight man who once guided the most formidable Hungarian team ever to Wembley, unforgettable for all the fans who watched!

Over forty years had passed, yet for fans of that era, Puskás, the slightly overweight flying major, remained unforgettable. He led the Hungarian national team to crush England's pride right on their home turf. Even when England visited Budapest six months later, they were met with even greater humiliation!

So, why was this legendary football star at the Den?

Was he just there to watch the game?

It didn't seem so; he appeared to be enjoying the company of those around him.

While Millwall celebrated their six-goal rout over Coventry, Fleet Street's focus was on Puskás's presence.

Even Real Madrid caught wind of it and called Millwall to ask, "Why is our legendary superstar at your place?"

But Real Madrid's inquiry was merely symbolic; they had yet to enter a true era of global commercialization, and even Di Stéfano had not returned to the club as an honorary president.

International fixtures were scheduled for late August, early September, and early October. With the first three rounds of the Premier League complete, players would soon switch gears to the international stage.

During this period, Aldrich made a point to clarify in interviews that Puskás was in London for health reasons and only visiting the Den to watch the match; there were no other intentions, and he hoped the media would respect that.

At the same time, he subtly expressed his views to the French national team coach, Jacquet, through the media.

"Even though Trezeguet is young, he's improving every day. He has distinctive qualities as a forward, and I believe he has a place in the future of the French team. Makelele has undergone a position transformation at Millwall; he used to play as a full-back, but now he plays as a defensive midfielder. His qualities and contributions are significant, and such players are the favorites of any coach. You know what to expect from them. If you want to control the game, limit the opponent's attacks, or simply strengthen your defense, just bring on Makelele. If you ask him to deliver a perfect performance, that's what he'll give you. I hope Coach Jacquet pays attention to these two players; if they keep progressing and contributing to the team, and performing well at top levels, please give them the chance to serve their country."

Aldrich's heartfelt remarks aimed to win hearts, and as long as the players felt appreciated, it was enough. He could see that both Makelele and Trezeguet were somewhat frustrated about their exclusion from the national team.

With only two years until the World Cup in France, Aldrich hoped Trezeguet could make the cut, and he wanted the same for Makelele. After all, it was a home World Cup, which carried great significance. While competition for starting positions might be tough, just being a part of a World Cup-winning team was a dream many players aspired to.

Before the players returned to the squad, Millwall officially announced a major development.

A press conference was held where Aldrich personally announced before all the reporters: In five years, Millwall will have a brand new top-class stadium!

The proposed architectural design and name of the new stadium were also revealed, presented on a giant poster and affixed to the main building of the club.

The mighty Lion King Stadium!

Even though fans were nostalgic about the Den, they had long prepared for a new stadium since plans had been discussed five to six years ago.

After all, this new season's home matches for Millwall's European Cup were scheduled to be played at Wembley, which made fans realize that their current facilities were no longer adequate for the team's growing strength.

As soon as the new stadium plan was announced, it caused a sensation.

Was Millwall on an unstoppable trajectory?

Just by looking at the promotional images, one could tell how massive the investment would be. Other Premier League clubs had built new stadiums in the past few years, mostly holding capacities of around thirty to forty thousand, with costs capped at around thirty million pounds. Millwall, however, was planning for a sixty-thousand capacity venue, complete with a large area for integrated commercial and entertainment purposes—it seemed like a dream!

What kind of fan base do you have to support a stadium that large?

Two years ago, the answer would have been none. A year ago, maybe just a few. But now, while six thousand fans may not fill that capacity, at least forty thousand seemed feasible, and as long as Millwall maintains this upward trend, attendance wouldn't be an issue by the time the new stadium opens.

After all, they are located in the international metropolis of London.

That alone is an advantage that few other teams can match; just look at Blackburn, whose performance dipped and attendance plummeted promptly.

Millwall's long-term plans sent shockwaves through the Premier League. Ferguson commented on it: "Millwall has the ambition to challenge the traditional order. They almost succeeded last season, and I have no doubt that in the future, they will become a regular team in the Premier League title race. However, they are still young, and other teams in the Premier League should announce their presence when facing them, reminding Millwall that success is not a given."

Aldrich chose not to respond to external comments; he simply announced his team's plans and left the rest to Adam, who would be very busy this season—not only managing the new stadium project, but also preparing for the future. He would reach out to various offshore financial centers to establish partnerships, helping Millwall split contracts when signing players to reduce taxes and lower costs.

There was no other way; future salary costs would soar, and it would be essential to use tax avoidance strategies. Tax avoidance and tax evasion are two different concepts: the former is legal, while the latter can lead to imprisonment.

Once the international fixtures were completed, Millwall quickly regrouped and set off for the north bank of the Thames, visiting their old rivals Arsenal, who had been heavily criticized by their fans this summer.

Wenger had not yet stepped in, but the season was already underway.

Rioch felt flustered and embarrassed, knowing that a new head coach was about to take over his position, but he still had to lead the team to play the game. Things looked calm in north London after their opening win over the Hammers. However, Rioch was criticized by Arsenal fans after the 0-2 defeat at Anfield in the second round. Furious, Rioch stood firm and issued a bold ultimatum to the Arsenal board: "I quit!"

Following a successful away win against promoted Leicester City in their third match, Rioch departed from his position as head coach with style.

Fleet Street wasted no time in stoking the fires, claiming Rioch was scared of losing to Millwall in the London Derby at Highbury and thus left prematurely.

Aldrich's nickname from over a year ago resurfaced:

"coach killer,"---situation turned out to be quite amusing this time; the opposing team ran away without even starting the match.

It was all just sensationalized storytelling by Fleet Street to draw attention.

Aldrich, however, was uninterested in the gossip. Currently, Arsenal's head coach was Houstone, the caretaker who had taken over after Graham's departure. This fellow was a bit of a fill-in, going wherever he was needed. Rioch came in, and he stepped aside; when Rioch left to await Wenger, he quickly resumed his role without hesitation.

Arsenal was having a tough season, already aware before it started that a new head coach was set to arrive. The media widely claimed that Wenger did not understand football, which misled the Arsenal players. Even captain Adams did not hold back in interviews, openly mocking Wenger and questioning how a coach from Japan could possibly grasp the culture of English football.

Rioch managed to stabilize Arsenal over the course of a season. While he was unable to completely reshape the team, at least the players focused on playing their game with honesty and dedication.

But now, the Arsenal locker room was engulfed in turmoil once more.

The summer recruits Vieira and Pires were left sitting on the bench, as Rioch was trying to appease the older players in the squad. After all, those two weren't his chosen players; he had only found out late in the transfer market that he was merely a backup, and the club had purchased these two without consulting him. Deploying them was easy, but who would he pull from the starting lineup? Why should he care about appeasing Pires and Vieira if it meant putting himself in a tight spot?

In the midst of this internal and external strife, the London Derby kicked off at Highbury.

The Arsenal fans in the stands were apathetic; previously, there had been dull football, but at least there were some championships—they now had nothing to hope for!

The coach who had taken a year to finally settle in had left. Houstone, standing on the sidelines, was practically invisible.

The most disheartening thing for the fans was that this proud traditional powerhouse, Arsenal, once led by tactical mastermind Chapman, had invited a coach from Japan—what on earth was the future of their beloved team?

The Arsenal players showed clear signs of low morale; they were dissatisfied with the club. Just when they started to regain a semblance of spirit, Rioch departure left them despondent.

Even during today's match, as Aldrich walked out of the players' tunnel, he could smell alcohol on some of the Arsenal players.

Millwall's players were energized, truly experiencing the passion and allure of football. Compared to last season's 442 formation, the new 433 setup was more dynamic and attacking, with players running purposefully, breaking through the opponent's defense, and finding space to thrive; it exhilarated them.

Only a few thousand Millwall fans in the stands were equally ecstatic, singing in joyous unison as if it were a festival.

Arsenal might not have been aggressive enough, but at least their defense held up, allowing Millwall just two goals during the match.

Millwall defeated Arsenal 2-0 away, marking a ferocious revival.

After two consecutive victories, Millwall's momentum became unstoppable.

Sheffield Wednesday 0:3 Millwall

Millwall 4:1 Aston Villa

Liverpool 2:4 Millwall

Millwall 2:0 Nottingham Forest

Leicester City 1:3 Millwall

Millwall 5:0 Wimbledon

Millwall 4:1 Spurs

By the time the twelfth round of the Premier League concluded in October, Millwall had achieved an incredible fourteen-match winning streak across all competitions, including nine consecutive wins from the third round to the twelfth round of the Premier League—what an impressive force!

In the twelfth round of the Premier League, unstoppable Millwall would head to Manchester to challenge the reigning champions, Manchester United!