The match between Millwall and Liverpool came to an end, with Millwall increasing their points advantage over Manchester United to twenty.
Ferguson's team began to revive after the first half of the season, breaking free from the impact of European competitions. However, their numerous draws and consecutive losses, combined with a defeat in direct confrontation with Millwall, left the Red Devils feeling powerless in their pursuit of the leaders.
The Scottish manager publicly declared the end of Manchester United's title defense, congratulating Millwall in advance for winning the league championship.
With those words, Millwall was elevated to a higher pedestal, becoming the focal point of the Premier League discussions.
In reality, it was a backhanded compliment.
On one hand, it made Millwall's players a bit cocky; on the other, it hinted to other teams that they were up against the champions and encouraged them to bring their A-game.
Aldrich didn't care much about this. No matter how many reporters asked him, he had the same response: as long as Manchester United performed consistently well, they would remain title contenders.
As the sun set, Aldrich drove home, stopping by a supermarket to pick up some ingredients. Upon returning home and parking in the garage, he grabbed the shopping bags and reached for his keys to unlock the front door.
Just then, a honk came from behind. He turned around, unable to suppress a smile.
There stood Ronaldinho, dressed in a flashy black jacket and tight jeans, wearing a motorcycle helmet. At that moment, he lifted the visor and gave Aldrich a thumbs-up, shouting in fluent English, "Boss, today was fantastic!"
"Mr. Hall, keep it up! Can I get your autograph another day?" Another voice called out from behind, a slightly older girl holding onto Ronaldinho's waist.
Aldrich chuckled, "What are you two up to so late?"
Ronaldinho replied, "We're going out to eat, celebrating our win against Liverpool. Are you coming, boss?"
Aldrich felt it was a bit odd. You're just a youth player and haven't even played a match for Millwall's first team yet, and you want to celebrate a win?
He waved his hand dismissively, "No thanks, you guys go ahead. Just come back early and don't drink too much."
"Don't worry, boss. I'll definitely be back tonight."
Saying that, Ronaldinho lowered his helmet visor, revved the motorcycle, and waved goodbye to Aldrich.
Aldrich raised an eyebrow, sighed in resignation, and stepped inside the house.
Ronaldinho had grown considerably stronger since last year, thanks to Millwall's training system. He also worked hard to learn English, showing a remarkable ability to integrate into the environment from his very first day here.
He had to learn English; about two months ago, during dinner at Aldrich's home, Ronaldinho candidly admitted, "If I don't learn English, dating will be a big problem!"
The girl sitting behind him on the motorcycle was a university student he recently met, who was a fan hearing Ronaldinho's stories. They hit it off immediately.
Aldrich didn't have much to say about it; he just reminded Ronaldinho not to let it interfere with his training. Ronaldinho understood that his future depended on playing football, so he responsibly assured Aldrich that he would prioritize it.
After all, he was sixteen. In the UK, that counted as an adult—it was natural for a young man to have a girlfriend. Aldrich preferred to see his players having stable relationships instead of chasing after every attractive girl in the area, and that was the real problem.
As long as their private lives didn't interfere with their work or the club's image, Aldrich had no interest in asking about their personal matters.
However, as the head coach, he hoped his players would settle down early; it would help them grow into more responsible men, allowing them to focus on their careers rather than on chasing after women.
Players like Nedved, Larsson, Southgate, and Schneider were examples of this; they started families early, with some even having children. This allowed them to concentrate more on their careers as their strong sense of family responsibility kept them away from excessive socializing.
After preparing dinner at home, Aldrich took a shower and then retreated to his study to continue working.
Recently, he was compiling a document outlining his training philosophy. He wanted to organize Millwall's training system and youth training approach so that everyone involved in the club could have a clear understanding.
In Europe, coaching evaluations are very strict, yet there remains a disparity in coaching levels and differing philosophies. For Millwall to emphasize youth training, they had to ensure a unified training ideology from all youth levels so that everyone involved in coaching players could work in sync.
Many successful youth academies operate this way, like Ajax, demonstrating one of the strengths of the European youth training framework. It's not solely reliant on the experiences of coaches; thus, many who never played professionally or had limited careers can succeed, while many former star players struggle as coaches because they rely too much on their playing experiences while neglecting management. Their outdated tactical thinking often falls out of sync with the current game.
Overall, Millwall's youth training philosophy is to focus on tactical and technical training when players are young while emphasizing physical training in their teenage years. After a player turns 23, their technical development is usually more or less set. If they can't perform certain technical movements fluidly at 23, it's unlikely they'll show significant improvement later on. Therefore, the focus on physical training will gradually increase in the mid-20s.
Many talented technical players have short peak periods, often because they underestimated the need for physical conditioning. They tend to be overly confident in their skills and get too caught up with technical flashy moves, which can result in injuries during more intense contests.
Moreover, technical skills depend on physical attributes. Even something as simple as sudden stops or sharp turns requires flexibility, agility, and the body's ability to bear the strain. If a player lacks physical conditioning, a sudden twist could lead to an injury.
The following day, while the first team had a day off, the other players returned to training, and some vacationing players chose to do extra practice. For instance, Schneider, who had just been humiliated in yesterday's match, specifically came back to meet Meulensteen. They repeatedly watched game footage in the meeting room, with Meulensteen highlighting Schneider's mistakes where he had been outmaneuvered by McManaman.
This issue boiled down to pure defensive technical ability. Schneider didn't lose in speed to McManaman, nor did he lag behind physically, so the problem lay in his technical execution and defensive experience.
Aldrich made a trip to the youth teams to discuss the plans for youth development with Nagy.
He prepared to further expand the youth teams this summer to include younger age groups.
"But we clearly don't have enough coaches," Nagy remarked.
Although he agreed with Aldrich's plan, he knew that Rome wasn't built in a day.
"The practical issue is that I still need to explain the team's tactical philosophy to each of the youth coaches. While we want our young players to be as free as possible on the pitch, they still need to follow tactical frameworks within dynamic team strategies. We need to hire coaches and ensure they first learn our training principles, which can't happen overnight."
Aldrich understood Nagy's difficulties. Standing in the office at the youth training center, he overlooked multiple training grounds from the floor-to-ceiling windows. About six teams were training on the fields, divided by different age groups. However, due to the previous low hiring standards for the club, out of the seventy or eighty young players, only a handful were the ones Aldrich had specifically recruited for the first team; the rest were merely filling spots.
"How many players will leave this summer?" Aldrich asked casually, not bothering to look away.
Among the youth squad, only players like Villa, the two Cole brothers, and Ronaldinho had contracts that Aldrich managed personally. The others were on year-to-year contracts, and many players at the age of transition would depart for other opportunities, or step away from football entirely each summer.
Nagy picked up a file with information about the youth squad and flipped through it. After calculating, he said, "Nine players won't be offered new contracts this summer."
"How old are they?"
"The youngest is 17, and the oldest is…"
"Offer them a new contract to become coaches. Those who are interested can stay. The club can help them balance work with further education."
Nagy's eyes lit up, "That's a great idea!"
This could eliminate a lot of hassle. The players who had been trained at Millwall more deeply understood the team's training system and philosophy, allowing for a seamless transition as they would only need to enhance their professional knowledge to start working.
And this wasn't about making them head coaches either; coaching licenses in England carry high requirements, and unless someone has spent three to five years qualifying, it's practically impossible. Aldrich himself took four and a half years to complete various exams and gradually advance up the ranks.
Of course, regular coaches still needed professional qualifications, but the Football Association didn't enforce strict regulations in this area. However, this does affect the club's reputation. Whether you train players with professionals or amateurs directly impacts whether young athletes want to enroll in your academy.
If someone is looking to make it to the first team, they must first hold a higher-level coaching certificate. Coaches like Jensen, Craig, and Benítez had already passed all their professional assessments long ago.
"Aren't we building a new stadium? You're planning to expand the youth training center this summer? I feel our first team is a bit thin, especially in the forward position. If both Larsson and Shevchenko get injured simultaneously, you won't even have two substitutes to rely on."
Nagy's words made Aldrich's expression turn serious. He shook his head, "But we can't compete with the wealthy teams. The competition in the transfer market is becoming increasingly fierce. We're in a phase of rising football inflation, where clubs are eyeing players not just from big teams but also from first-tier clubs. We can only snag some promising prospects and unfinished products. The key is that I want Millwall to establish a strong youth training reputation, so that in the future, not only will we source talent, but talent will also come to us."
Nagy stood beside Aldrich, looking down at the hardworking young players on the training field. He smiled and said, "While this path is risky, I support your determination. It's this resolve that will make our success all the more glorious."
Aldrich nodded, his gaze becoming sharper.
This summer, financial gains will significantly increase; he was ready to start a new wave of expansion, aiming to make Millwall a "cradle of stars" recognized in history!