The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Birthday Gift

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Birthday Gift In the second half of 1986, the three sons of the Hall family were advancing on their paths toward their dreams.

Barnett left East London to study finance in West London, planning to officially step into the financial market the following year.

Andrew discovered that Aldrich was studying football match footage every day. Upon inquiry, he learned that Aldrich aspired to become a coach. Thus, Andrew decided to pursue a similar direction, but Aldrich advised him to consider becoming a talent agent instead.

This thought emerged from Aldrich's careful consideration; he aimed to leverage his advantages as much as possible. In the future, numerous budding stars and iconic figures in football would be young adolescents. Moreover, with the impending evolution of the football world over the next decade, the benefits an agent could reap would be staggering.

Attracted by the promising blueprint described by Aldrich, Andrew began studying law seriously, as being a lawyer was a prerequisite for becoming an agent.

He often fantasized about those unattainable football giants being his clients. Just being able to interact with them felt like a dream.

Meanwhile, Aldrich immersed himself in football tactics. Although modern football originated in England, which was often criticized for its rough style, English football had left an indelible mark on the history of the sport. Even though Arsenal's WM tactical revolution had faded half a century ago, the impact remained.

When Aldrich truly began to adopt a coach's perspective while studying game footage, he realized how flawed his previous viewpoint as a spectator was. Especially when watching matches on television, he could see only a small portion of the game, no matter how exciting it was, which did not allow him to grasp the overall context.

At Sander's video rental store, he could study an exciting match repeatedly for a week or longer, scribbling down notes to meticulously analyze each team's positioning, player movements, and the trajectory of the ball.

As time passed, Aldrich's understanding of football improved qualitatively. He came to believe that every goal conceded was not merely coincidental, and every goal scored was seldom a matter of luck. He felt he was standing on the threshold of becoming a football coach.

Since Aldrich started working part-time at Sander's small store, the local thugs indeed stopped causing trouble inside. Noticing Aldrich's obsession with football tapes, Sander made a point to procure more match footage for him, especially those from other European leagues.

As winter turned to spring and they entered 1987, Aldrich's life continued in a steady rhythm. His brother Barnett was trying to navigate the cutthroat environment of the London Stock Exchange, but out of caution, he hadn't rushed to invest his capital.

Aldrich didn't understand financial investment in his past life, but he was a good student, having learned about the notorious "Black Monday" mentioned in textbooks.

The market crashed in October of 1987.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Hall family.

Aldrich would also attend matches at the Den, home of Millwall, but he always returned disappointed, feeling a strong aversion to the behaviors of Millwall's fanbase.

When Millwall was set to play against West Ham United, the rowdy fan group would become wild within half an hour of hearing the news; the match result was irrelevant. Instead, the violence outside the stadium would persist from before the match until after it ended.

The Heysel Stadium disaster of the 1980s was merely a marker of England's football hooliganism; countless incidents had been suppressed and concealed by the media and authorities. Millwall and West Ham were among the representative teams in this regard.

Aldrich wished to focus on the game itself, but there was an apparent regression in English football. This was hardly surprising, as clubs from England, banned from competing in European competitions, were falling behind the rhythm of Europe. Moreover, the lower division was technically lacking and tactically dull, characterized instead by crude long passes and brute strength to shove both the ball and defenders into the net.

In such circumstances, Aldrich found Millwall's games unstimulating, though the team did have an emerging star: Teddy Sheringham.

To be fair, Millwall had just been promoted from Division Three to Division Two the previous season and had achieved survival in their first season back. This season held promise, with the objective not so much to contend for a top division spot but to solidify their position, yet Aldrich found Millwall's matches painfully dull.

He attributed this feeling to his previous experiences of watching elegantly fluid and tactically rich games; thus, he naturally lacked enthusiasm for rough encounters. It was also influenced by the environment; nestled among Millwall fans, he found it hard to enjoy even a minute of uninterrupted viewing, with the din of insults and threats filling the air.

As the 1986-87 Division Two season wrapped up, Millwall performed slightly better than the past season but had yet to replicate the extraordinary ascent of Wimbledon into the top division. However, Sheringham was set to return from his loan next season, raising hopes for improved performance.

Throughout the year, Aldrich amassed a wealth of knowledge in football tactics. His studies comprised both independent re

Curious, he opened the folder and gazed into it, only to be stunned when he realized it contained a contract for the ownership of a football club.

He fixated on the two names in the contract.

One was his own.

The other belonged to the football club's name.

Millwall Football Club!