Premier League, Round 36: Manchester United vs Millwall
At Old Trafford, the attendance rate dropped by around 10%. The opponent was Millwall.
Maybe it was because Manchester United's season was already over, with no trophies in hand.
Maybe it was because Millwall had sent their substitutes.
Or maybe the Red Devils fans just didn't want to watch their team line up at home to greet their biggest competitor in the league, especially after losing to them.
Millwall sent an entirely substitute team to play. As they walked out of the player tunnel, Manchester United's players stood in two lines to greet them.
Such scenes are rare—greeting the biggest league rival at home might seem peaceful, but only those involved truly understand the brutal reality behind it.
Manchester United's players felt bitter.
With 81 points after 35 matches, this was their highest points tally in the Premier League since its restructuring. It proved their progress, but the season wasn't over, and Millwall had already taken the championship.
When Millwall's players walked out, the Red Devils players began clapping, but the applause wasn't really for the substitute players of Millwall. Many of them unconsciously glanced at Aldrich, who was walking toward Sir Alex Ferguson on the sidelines.
That man—step by step, he made The Lions stronger and pushed Manchester United down. At least for the past four years, Millwall had been their biggest rival in the title race, and this dominance might continue in the future.
Ferguson had already lost this season—lost again. But at this moment, he didn't glare at Aldrich. The two Premier League managers stood by the sideline, chatting casually.
At that moment, Ferguson's thoughts were probably similar to Wenger's.
What exactly was Millwall's secret? How could they develop so many outstanding players?
Ferguson wasn't necessarily looking to poach players from Millwall. After all, who could Manchester United target? A partner for Stam? A left-back? A goalkeeper?
Manchester United hadn't traditionally relied on signing players, and Ferguson's greater aim was to improve United's youth development, an area where Millwall clearly led Europe.
So, their conversation centered around youth training. Aldrich was very open, speaking in great detail about observing players, individualized training, and development strategies—familiar theories that Ferguson had heard many times before.
Eventually, when Ferguson couldn't listen any longer, Aldrich chuckled and returned to the away team's bench.
The match wasn't important in terms of results. As for the unbeaten streak that some in the media had been promoting for Manchester United to break, Aldrich didn't care much about it.
With Millwall sending substitutes and United fielding their starting eleven, the difference in strength was clear, and it made sense for Millwall to play defensively and counter-attack.
The game was exciting. Beckham opened the scoring, Cole added another, and just before halftime, Vicente assisted Lampard in pulling one back.
In the second half, Manchester United tried to control the match, aiming to catch Millwall on the counter. But Millwall took full advantage of the few chances they had, with goals from Klose and Gronkjaer almost giving them an upset victory at Old Trafford. Scholes' goal in the 75th minute saved United's face.
Aldrich could tell that United's players seemed somewhat distracted during this match. Perhaps the pain from missing out on the title four years in a row was too much to bear. Ferguson, standing on the sideline, was furious. He had confidently declared before the match that United wouldn't lose heart, but in reality, they played a completely different game.
Even though Millwall's squad was made up of substitutes, none of them wanted to be the ones to let the unbeaten run come to an end. They gave everything they had.
The final score: 3–3.
Millwall walked away from Old Trafford still unbeaten.
Afterward, Millwall finally ended their grueling schedule of midweek matches.
In May, Millwall held a press conference, with Yvonne hosting the event to promote the team's Champions League final promotional video.
Compared to two years ago, when Millwall released two promotional videos, this year they only released one, which was a blend of animation and reality.
The content of the video continued from the one released two years ago.
Two years ago, the blue lion symbolizing The Lions ran toward Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the final shot.
This year's video began with the blue lion sleeping in a forest, with a shiny silver Champions League trophy resting beside it, engraved with the year 1998.
Suddenly, the lion was awakened by a beam of light, and as it opened its eyes groggily, it looked up to see a shimmering light in the distance. In the air, another Champions League trophy slowly emerged.
The lion embarked on a new journey, defeating enemy after enemy, but the scene changed to show the battered blue lion making its way back home, with a German tank circling the city walls behind it.
This was last year's UEFA Champions League story.
But the injured Blue Lions, having returned, honed their skills once more in the forest. With the shift of the camera, their majestic aura was restored, and they set their sights on the Champions League once again.
At this point, the screen flashes with stunning shots of Millwall's incredible goals in the group stage of the current season: victories over AC Milan, a defeat of Lazio, a conquest of Bayern Munich, and a triumph over Real Madrid. After this thrilling goal feast, the scene shifts again.
The mighty Blue Lions set foot on new land, causing the earth beneath to tremble. Behind them, the scene was grim, with a blue eagle falling from the sky, a white giant collapsing with a thunderous crash, and the German war machine falling apart, its wheels rolling aimlessly.
On this land, a strange creature stirred—a flock of chickens... The Gallic Roosters flapped their wings, but the trembling ground startled them into flight.
At the center of this flock of Roosters was a new European Champions Cup, gleaming under the sunlight, its silver shine a sight to behold.
Step by step, the Blue Lion marched forward. With every step it took, the Gallic Roosters jumped, creating a dramatic atmosphere. As the Roosters parted to create a path, and the Blue Lion passed through, glowing with an almost magical blue light under special effects, a sudden sound echoed from the sky. The Lion raised its head and looked up. A massive cloud, rapidly moving across the sky, began to block the sunlight, casting the entire earth into darkness.
As the cloud approached, it became clearer—it was a swarm of bats, their eyes glowing blood-red. The bats circled above the Champions Cup like a massive tornado, before diving in droves towards the trophy.
The Blue Lion slammed its paw into the earth, sending the Gallic Roosters scattering in every direction. A roar from the Lion reverberated across the sky.
The screen went black, and three lines of text appeared in the center:
00.5.24
UEFA Champions League Final
Millwall vs. Valencia
Finally, the figures of Millwall's players and manager Aldrich appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Although the production cost of this promotional video was lower than two years ago, the result was still very successful, receiving widespread praise after its release.
Millwall didn't just make this promotional video for the sake of it—they wanted to visualize and concretize certain impressions. This way, they could make money.
Just like the Blue Lions in the video, two years ago, two versions of Millwall merchandise sold very well: a small blue lion and a fully grown lion. Children under ten loved them, and female fans liked them too.
If the club didn't actively materialize these items, how could their symbolic meaning just appear out of nowhere?
Were they supposed to just dye any lion blue and claim it represented Millwall? Who were they fooling?
But with the official promotional video and the club's merchandise, it was a different story.
Fleet Street joked about Millwall: "Millwall could totally switch careers to making movies."
This promotional video became a hit in the UK, even more so than two years ago, mainly because Millwall had gained more fans.
Making a movie?
Aldrich really had considered it, but not about making a personal biography. Instead, he was thinking about making a movie about Millwall FC itself, turning it into part of the club's commercial promotion to bring more widespread recognition and benefits.
Millwall focused on their preparations, with Aldrich working methodically. In the penultimate round of the Premier League, the London derby was played with the full starting lineup, saving the final match for the substitute players. With more than 10 days of rest before the Champions League and FA Cup finals, they would play two decisive matches in a single week.
Millwall was in good form against Tottenham, especially with Larsson further regaining his peak condition. This was great news for the whole team, the only concern being that Makelele would still be unavailable for the Champions League final.
Millwall dominated Tottenham 4-0, maintaining their unbeaten streak. With this win, their points total reached 97, and if they secured victory in the final round, they would win the title with a record-breaking 100 points, setting a new record for Europe's top five leagues, based on league teams.
There was only one match left at The Den, the final showdown of the season.
After the match, the team spent more time than usual thanking the fans, and Aldrich walked along the sidelines to take pictures with many of them.
The day before the final game, Aldrich noticed that one of the staff members, their fitness coach, Mrs. Fiona, was absent from training.
He called to inquire and received some bad news.
Fiona had accidentally fallen down the stairs at home the night before, breaking a bone, and would need surgery at the hospital.
After training, Aldrich bought a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the club and went to visit her. He had worked with Fiona for many years, and there was a bond between them. Especially with the Champions League final approaching, every member of the staff should be able to share in the club's glory, but she might not be able to go.
When he arrived at the hospital, Aldrich approached the designated ward, knocked on the door, and heard a voice saying, "Come in." He opened the door to find Fiona lying in bed, with a man sitting beside her—likely her husband, the one who ran a farm in the countryside. There was also a girl sitting by the bed, swinging her long legs curiously observing Aldrich. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "I remember you, Mr. Hall!"
"Rosie, don't be rude."
Fiona scolded her daughter from the bed. Aldrich couldn't remember the girl, but he shook her husband's hand, placed the flowers down, and began talking to Fiona, inquiring about her condition and expressing his sympathies.
Before leaving, Aldrich handed Fiona five match tickets and said, "Everyone at the club hopes you'll be able to join us in Paris, even if it's just in the stands. But if it's really not possible, don't push yourself. Health comes first."
Fiona sighed with regret and said, "It will be very difficult. I really wanted to be with the club, Aldrich. Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure, what is it? Just tell me, I'll do what I can."
Fiona's gaze shifted to her daughter.