The Suspense of Deciding the Champion

After the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup, Aldrich couldn't help but lament how fate had played a trick on him. Clearly, they were a team from England's second tier, yet they found themselves facing a Premier League team for the third time in the cup, and it happened to be Newcastle United, a team they had already met earlier in the season.

The only piece of good news was that Millwall had home advantage. This would surely add a nice sum of income to the club.

Kevin Keegan's Newcastle continued to be a captivating side in the Premier League; however, this season, they were unable to challenge for the title. Blackburn and Manchester United were far ahead at the top of the standings, leaving others trailing behind.

For this reason, Newcastle would place great importance on the FA Cup.

As always, Aldrich decided to use the reserve squad to gain experience through the cup matches.

As February rolled in, Millwall was maintaining strong momentum in League One. The increasingly mature team was dominating their league encounters. Aldrich was least worried about facing teams at the top of the table or near the relegation zone, because those teams were desperate for points and would take risks, giving Millwall ample opportunity to unleash their counter-attacking advantage.

On the contrary, when faced with teams that are indifferent and unwilling to lose badly, Millwall often struggles to break through and ends up dropping points.

The fourth round of the FA Cup took place at The Den, and Aldrich faced a somewhat complacent Kevin Keegan once again. That flamboyant deep red suit Keegan wore nearly made Aldrich laugh out loud.

It was no surprise that Keegan felt so good about himself. Two years ago, he was a novice who had just returned to managing after an eight-year hiatus, and he had led Newcastle United to the Premier League, achieving a remarkable third place as a newly promoted team last year. Although they had sold their top scorer from last season, Andy Cole, for over four million pounds, the team hadn't declined; they remained a well-respected powerhouse in the Premier League.

Interestingly, Newcastle's owner also shared the surname Hall, and was similarly rich, with a fortune worth over a hundred million pounds.

After 90 minutes of play, Kevin Keegan's face was somewhat grim. His Premier League team could only manage a 1-1 draw against Millwall's reserve squad at The Den. 

Underestimating the opposition was ultimately the root cause of their failure to secure a win, especially given that just months earlier, Newcastle had effortlessly dispatched the same Millwall squad in the League Cup.

Post-match, Keegan awkwardly stated that they would win in the rematch at home.

Aldrich was quite pleased; a longer run in the tournament meant more experience for the reserves, not to mention additional revenue.

In response to Keegan's attempts to shift focus by criticizing Millwall for a lack of respect for the FA Cup—pointing to their decision not to field the first-choice players—Aldrich dismissed his comments lightly. "We are about to face the most important match of the entire season; to say the FA Cup is inconsequential is utterly irresponsible. If it weren't for a bit of bad luck, my team could have advanced at home. Coach Keegan's criticism is baseless. If we are condemned for not sending out our full-strength squad, then why didn't Newcastle win against a Millwall side missing some key players? Were they holding back their strength? Or perhaps they too looked down on this historic cup competition?"

Now, Aldrich had become one of the favorite managers of the London media. He always managed to handle public spats with a sense of poise, avoiding reckless accusations while simultaneously generating news and maintaining a relatively harmonious relationship with the press.

Before the FA Cup replay arrived, Millwall indeed had a crucial match ahead.

League One, Round 32: Millwall vs. Middlesbrough.

Three months ago, the two teams had delivered a thrilling 2-2 draw at Ayresome Park.

Now, three months later, the top two teams on the table remained the same, with Middlesbrough trailing closely behind Millwall.

However, the gap had widened from a tiebreaker advantage to a staggering thirteen points!

This wasn't due to Middlesbrough's poor performance; their current form surpassed last season's second-placed Nottingham Forest, but Millwall was simply outstanding. Their points tally was eight points higher than that of Crystal Palace, last season's champions at this point!

The thirteen-point difference made the championship race feel increasingly one-sided, and the outcome of the upcoming Round 32 clash could erase any remaining suspense.

The Daily Mail dedicated substantial space to journalist Richard's article.

"February 24 marks a day of intense rivalry in the Premier League between the two most formidable teams, in a never-ending battle between Dalglish and Ferguson. However, in League One, the championship speculation may very well reach a decisive end. Millwall, leading by a staggering thirteen points over Middlesbrough, leaves all challengers in despair. If Millwall secures a victory at home in this match, there should be no doubt that the League One champions have been crowned, even though there are still fourteen rounds left—thirteen matches more than the entire season's journey last year. If Millwall manages to lead Middlesbrough by sixteen points, it will all be over! At this moment, we can recall an interview with Bryan Robson from three months ago after he saw Millwall equalize at home. The magical captain expressed, 'We failed to win a match that determined the league champion!' At the time, everyone thought he was being alarmist, but just imagine the impact on team morale if Millwall hadn't taken that precious point at Ayresome Park!..."

The media always loved to predict the outcomes of football matches; if they guessed right, it was heralded as keen insight, and if wrong, it was merely attention-seeking.

Yet the latest issue of the Daily Mail sold well as Richard's article gained widespread recognition, with the cover featuring an old photo of Aldrich kneeling, arms raised to the sky in celebration after Nedved's equalizing goal three months prior at Ayresome Park. That moment, reminiscent of a player's jubilation, catapulted Aldrich's visibility.

As the big match approached, Aldrich reviewed the team list and Dr. Thompson's report on player injuries in his office.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Dressed casually, Bernd Schneider walked into the office. Aldrich closed the document he was perusing and warmly asked, "Bernd, what's up?"

Schneider sat down across from the desk, stating honestly, "Boss, I feel I've fully recovered. I'd like to start in the next match."

He had been recovering from an injury for the past month and had just returned for training last week.

Aldrich smiled, got up to pour him a glass of water, and leaned slightly against the desk. He replied, "But I plan for you to start on the bench in the next game."

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

Aldrich waved his hand dismissively. "I know, but the next match will be quite intense. Bernd, you are an essential part of the team, and I don't want to risk having you face a tough match right after your recovery. We have many more matches ahead of us this season, don't we?"

"But..."

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

Schneider nodded.

In such a crucial battle for the top spot, he certainly wanted to be on the pitch.

Bending down slightly, Aldrich whispered playfully, "Bernd, you've been with the team for over six months now. What kind of person do you think I am?"

Schneider paused, scratched his head, and replied, "Boss, you're a practical guy, grounded, uh, reliable."

Aldrich shrugged, "Actually, I'm also a person with ambition and a bit of arrogance. To tell you the truth, I don't think much of Middlesbrough. Yes, they are a seasoned team, but they have no more potential. We've barely tapped into our own potential, and our future is certainly not something they can compare to. So, what I'm really thinking about now is the opponents we'll face in six months in the Premier League. Those matches against Manchester United and Liverpool—that's where the real battles lie. Don't let the media hype up the importance of this match, trying to place us and Middlesbrough on the same level is simply frustrating."

Bernd Schneider couldn't help but chuckle; he hadn't expected this side of Aldrich.

But his intelligence led him to grasp the situation instantly. He nodded, saying, "Boss, I get it. I won't linger and disturb your work; see you later."

After sending Schneider off, Aldrich returned to his desk and wrote down the starting lineup for the weekend's game in the tactical notebook.

Aside from substituting Beckham for Schneider in right midfield, there were no changes to the starting lineup.

At the press conference the day before the match, Aldrich downplayed the importance of the game, stating that it was just an ordinary league match, and that the real schedule determining the league champion would unfold in April and May.

Such comments turned Aldrich into a target for the media's scorn the next day, deeming him hypocritical.

However, his humble expression of respect for Middlesbrough and for Brian Robson garnered him considerable applause.