On the afternoon of Millwall's match against Manchester United, fans arrived early, ready to enjoy the first home game of the new season. They were eager to release all the pent-up excitement they had accumulated over the summer.
The small Den stadium had undergone a simple renovation during the summer, and although plans were in place to move to a new stadium in two years, every Millwall match remained a focal point. The compact venue might be small, but it represented the essence of Millwall.
Now, The Den looked both small and exquisite, with the top-grade grass a vibrant green that caught the eye. The stands were predominantly blue, and the main stand featured a massive blue lion logo printed against the blue backdrop, providing a visually striking element.
Today, there was hardly any red in the stands—just a sea of blue. The Red Devils had only brought a little under two thousand fans, who were relegated to a distant corner of the stadium.
Before the match began, the crowd sang a newly composed song celebrating the Lions' victory in the Champions League. Various fan organizations displayed banners and flags.
On the side of the main stand, a heavy curtain depicted a trophy—the iconic big-eared Champions League trophy—with half-body portraits of Millwall players on either side. At the bottom was a serious portrait of Aldrich, arms crossed and exuding determination.
In the other stands, flags bearing the Lions' emblem waved enthusiastically. Fans of all ages held up homemade signs to support their team, all dressed in Millwall's new home kits, much to the delight of the jersey sponsor. Millwall's commercial value had soared before the new season, as jersey sales exceeded a million in less than a month.
In the VIP seats, Arthur and Puskás reminisced about the Champions League final three months ago.
Puskás had reunited with his old friend, Stefano, in that match. They had both been legends on the field and later became successful coaches. Puskás enthusiastically discussed the highlights of the game, admitting to Arthur that Aldrich's team tactics were eye-opening, even sparking a trend.
Hearing this, Arthur felt pleased but remained humble, attributing Aldrich's success to luck, pointing out that they had only won against Real Madrid due to a penalty shootout.
Sitting beside them, Yvonne chuckled to herself, well aware of Arthur's proud nature. Everyone who knew him understood how he often showcased Aldrich's achievements. His greatest pride was not his elder son, who had a fortune exceeding a billion, but his younger son who had led the team to greatness.
Close to the field, the team mascot, Leo the blue lion, playfully interacted with the fans. When Aldrich entered the pitch, the crowd stood up collectively, applauding him and expressing their appreciation for his contributions.
He had made Millwall a formidable part of English football and instilled pride in the fans behind the team. The team's glory fostered a sense of pride among the supporters, which is exactly what a football club should represent. Millwall had achieved this, allowing fans to find joy and pride in supporting their club.
Aldrich arrived early, not needing to rally the players in the locker room before the match. The players weren't horses that needed to be whipped to run...
With plenty of time before kickoff, Aldrich either chatted with reporters or friends in the stands or signed autographs and posed for photos, trying to accommodate as many fans as possible.
Today, he was smiling while signing autographs for fans. They handed him jerseys, hats, and memorabilia to sign while offering words of encouragement or pats on the arm.
"Boss, help me out!"
After finishing signing for one fan, Aldrich suddenly looked up, as he thought he heard De Rossi's voice.
Turning to look, he didn't see De Rossi but spotted the mascot Leo with his head tilted, while a toddler fan clutched the ears of the lion mascot tightly in his father's arms.
Aldrich couldn't help but smile.
"Boss, I don't want to hurt him; please help me out!"
De Rossi's voice came from inside the lion costume, and Aldrich grinned at the cheerful young couple nearby. "Does your child really like him?"
The child's father laughed, "He loves grabbing things and won't let go once he gets hold of them."
The child's mother excitedly said, "Mr. Hall, today is my son's birthday; he's turning two. We hope you can sign a Millwall jersey we brought for him."
Aldrich gladly agreed, took the pen from the young mother, and walked over to the child's father. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Please wait a moment."
He turned and headed toward the players' tunnel. De Rossi called after him, "Hey, boss, help me out!"
Aldrich quickly returned, now holding a small football, and smiled as he approached the couple. "What's your little angel's name?"
The mother beamed, "Benson!"
Aldrich wrote on the ball, "Wishing Benson a joyful and healthy life! Aldrich."
He wobbled the ball in front of little Benson for a few seconds, successfully grabbing the toddler's attention. Benson finally released the lion's ears, and De Rossi seized the moment to retreat a couple of steps, wary of being caught again.
"Mr. Hall, thank you so much."
"No, thank you for letting me see Benson here; it makes me truly happy."
Aldrich signed his name on the oversized children's jersey and waved goodbye to the couple.
As he turned towards the coaching bench, Aldrich still wore a smile. He genuinely felt a sense of unusual satisfaction seeing the young couple happily bringing their child to the stadium.
Three years, four years, or even five years ago, such scenes would have been unimaginable!
Back then, The Den wasn't a safe place; let alone children, even teenagers could face danger at matches due to frequent disturbances in the stands.
Now, the atmosphere in the stadium was still electric. From the moment Aldrich entered until he took his seat, the singing had not stopped for over ten minutes. The flags waved like waves, and while The Den was small, stepping inside felt like entering a different world, where fans could experience the pure thrill of watching a football match.
When Ferguson passed by the sidelines, Aldrich stood up to greet him.
Ferguson's expression looked less than pleased.
Over the past three years, Manchester United's memories at The Den had never been good.
Apart from the first year when Manchester United clawed back against Newcastle to secure the league title, thanks to Millwall's last-minute victory over Keegan's side, in that year Manchester United hadn't beaten Millwall in either leg of the league and had even been eliminated by Millwall in the cup.
The cycle of cause and effect continued; just three and a half months ago on this very pitch, Manchester United had lost to Millwall, allowing Arsenal to pull off a stunning comeback after trailing by ten points to lift the trophy at season's end!
But that wasn't why Ferguson was unhappy.
He had deliberately spent some time talking to Aldrich at the sidelines today.
"I thought you'd be in a pretty good mood by now."
Aldrich stood close to Ferguson, and they exchanged low whispers, like a conversation meant for only them.
Ferguson frowned, "I thought I would be, too. But if Millwall would sell us a few players at a reasonable price, then I might actually be cheerful."
"What does that have to do with us? Don't drag me into your problems with Edwards. Besides, take a look at your offer—£3 million for van Nistelrooy, and £4 million for Lampard… If I revealed those bids to Fleet Street, oh boy, Manchester United would be a laughingstock."
Aldrich replied frankly.
What is particularly annoying is that last year they offered Larsson 15 million pounds, but this year the price was reduced to 12 million pounds. Millwall's silence sends a clear message to Manchester United: you're simply bringing shame upon yourselves!
Ferguson asked quietly, "Will you sell anyone in the winter?"
"Not likely! Millwall doesn't do business in the winter."
"Manchester United can offer a fair price in the winter, maybe even a little bit more."
"No, that's our principle. It doesn't matter how much you offer; our season plan is intact. Unless something changes drastically in the winter, we can resolve those internally. At least I won't be making any winter signings or letting go of any key players."
Aldrich replied firmly.
Ferguson felt a mix of anger and frustration.
Manchester United really not have any money?
What a joke! The Edwards boys, who used to sell pork, had made at least a hundred million pounds through Manchester United . If you calculate Manchester United's current share price, they must have earned over a billion pounds.
Unfortunately, Ferguson's relationship with Edwards was strained. Edwards has long been the target of criticism from United fans, with Ferguson often mediating between Edwards and the fans. Edwards is notoriously stingy, especially after spending huge sums of money to introduce Stam last season, but Manchester United got nothing at the end of the season. Leading the league by a huge margin mid-season, they were eventually stripped of the title by Arsenal at the last minute. Edwards was dissatisfied with Ferguson because of this.
Thus, Ferguson's transfer budget had been cut down, with only York being signed to bolster the squad over the summer.
Looking at Manchester United starting eleven, there was hardly anything to complain about. Sure, Erwin might be getting old, but as long as he had Giggs charging ahead, all he needed to do was defend.
However, relying on just eleven players wasn't enough to compete for the league title, especially against a strong opponent like Millwall, with both a solid first team and formidable substitutes.
Recently, Manchester United had been the talk of the town across the UK, as they were embroiled in a potential sale.
Edwards aimed to sell Manchester United to media tycoon Murdoch; the deal was nearing completion. Fans were fiercely opposed, which was a huge reason for Ferguson's frustration.
Such turmoil undoubtedly affected the team, yet he didn't mind Manchester United changing owners, as long as he retained his managerial position and the new owner was willing to invest. Murdoch was a wealthy man, and he couldn't possibly be as miserly as a former butcher like Edwards.
Ferguson also wanted to avoid heated arguments with the board over the transfer budget every season.
"Do you think this deal will go through? Do you have any insider information?"
Ferguson asked quietly, looking intently into Aldrich's eyes.
The Hall family had connections with Murdoch; Sky Sports was a part of Barnett's holdings, which had been valued at over £500 million since the several million pounds investment back then.
Aldrich shook his head. "My family has no way of getting any intel from Murdoch. Not that we lack core-business relationships, but my brother had a falling-out with him last year, and they stopped talking. Meetings are attended by representatives, and if they need to communicate, it's always through intermediaries."
Ferguson let out a dry chuckle, baffled by how those rich individuals think—sometimes they act like children who refuse to reconcile once there's a disagreement.
Aldrich added, "However, you should brace yourself; I doubt this deal will go through."
"Why?"
Ferguson thought the reason behind his previous comment about having money in winter was that he believed Manchester United would acquire a new owner before December. If that happened, a new wealthy owner would have to spend tens of millions to please the fans.
Aldrich shrugged. "The public outcry is too strong; it will directly impact political decisions."
It's all about vote politics—the government's decision often hinges on how well they can capture public sentiment.
Ferguson shook his head vigorously. "If Manchester United can go public and issue shares, why can't they change ownership?"
"Let's see. Just don't get your hopes up."
After shaking hands with Ferguson, Aldrich turned and made his way back to the coaching bench as the match was about to start.