2:0
Millwall triumphed over Galatasaray, last season's UEFA Cup champions, in the UEFA Super Cup, effortlessly claiming this rather inconsequential title. Then, the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League group stage draw took place, capturing the attention of all of Europe.
Millwall
Athletic Bilbao
Hamburg
Sparta Moscow
These were the results for Millwall's group in the first stage of the new season's Champions League.
Undoubtedly, it was a fantastic draw.
Is there any doubt about Millwall advancing?
None.
But that lack of suspense led to criticisms from the major European media outlets about the Champions League.
Last season, when the Champions League expanded, the outcry wasn't too loud, as most people were just eager to watch and hoping for a surprise underdog to emerge.
However, this season, after seeing the group draw, everyone lost interest in predicting the top 16. The strength disparity between the groups was glaring, and only the group with AC Milan, Barcelona, Leeds United, and Beşiktaş could be considered a "group of death."
But even that "group of death" was made up of three teams from England, Italy, and Spain, none of which were league champions.
The suspense of the group stage in the Champions League dropped drastically, and the consequences were immediately apparent: lower TV ratings.
Even with AC Milan's group, perhaps Leeds United against Beşiktaş might attract the fans of those two clubs, but likely no one else would care to watch.
Millwall was also frustrated. From a commercial standpoint, they would have preferred at least one or two challenging teams in their group. That way, their matches would attract more viewers.
From UEFA's perspective, the expansion was meant to benefit smaller clubs.
Millwall is clearly above the other three teams in their group by at least one tier. Therefore, their matches become the focal point of attention, and their opponents also benefit from the exposure and attention. Essentially, Millwall is the marquee team of this group.
In other words, UEFA's expansion sacrificed the appeal of the group stage in order to win the support of smaller, less mainstream nations.
In the group stage, the big clubs play around with you, you make a bit of money, get some exposure, and though you're not strong enough to progress, you have the motivation to try again next year.
Then, when it's down to the last 16, the real game begins for the giants.
However, if a big club does fall before reaching the knockout rounds, it would certainly be an upset, but the overall attraction of the competition will not diminish.
In the past, no one wanted to miss any Champions League match during the group stage. The competition was fierce, and if you missed one, you might miss a classic match.
But now? Even if you missed all the group stage matches, it wouldn't feel like much of a loss. The real excitement is still to come, and the chances of any significant changes in the qualifying spots are minimal.
Under the influence of organizations like UEFA and the G14, the Champions League, once a tournament where the world's top teams clashed, has gradually lost its original spirit.
Aldrich worried about this, but it didn't help. UEFA's expansion was a necessity, and in the future, when Platini takes office, the Champions League might as well turn into a charity event.
On the positive side, the pressure on the big clubs won't be as intense, and in a more relaxed environment, they can use this opportunity to rotate players and give younger ones more chances.
On the downside, there's much to consider. The packed schedule, especially for English clubs, could become a burden.
When a reporter asked Aldrich for his thoughts on the Champions League draw, he looked at the journalist with a resigned expression during the pre-match press conference, silent for a long moment.
What else was there to say?
After a pause, he finally resorted to the usual diplomatic response: that all the teams in the group were strong, that Millwall couldn't afford to take things lightly, and that they'd need to give everything to qualify, and so on.
In the fourth round of the Premier League, Millwall faced Sunderland away, ending in a 0-0 draw.
The reigning champions were now two games without a win, and Aldrich's mood took a hit—especially as Materazzi was injured again.
Injuries were a normal part of football, but a spate of injuries happening at once wasn't a surprise, though it posed a serious challenge for Millwall.
With the league taking a break, the FIFA international match window arrived, and the European qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup were in full swing. The grim days for England's football fans returned.
For fans of the England national team, there were only a few weeks throughout the year to either suffer or dream, as the league and European competitions were the main focus. It was rare for a fan to purely support the national team without any club allegiance.
Even those who supported England unconditionally couldn't spend the entire year obsessing over the national team. After all, the focus only sharpened during the official FIFA match windows, when the team gathered for training. At all other times, Fleet Street treated the national team as a non-issue—who else would cover the stories if not for the media?
When the England national team performed well, fans had the chance to boast and dream a little. But when the team underperformed, the only outlet left was to vent in frustration.
During the FIFA match window, Millwall was fragmented. National team call-ups, players recovering from injuries—young talents were all summoned to the lower-tier national teams.
As per routine, Aldrich gave the team time off and traveled to Liverpool to visit his two sons.
He noticed an interesting phenomenon.
Bert, the eldest son, was passionate about football and couldn't even sleep without holding a ball.
Earl, on the other hand, had no interest in this "toy" at all.
However, as Aldrich sat on the sofa watching England's match against Finland, Earl unexpectedly sat beside him.
Earl sat next to him, fully engrossed in the football match on the TV screen, while Bert played with a football on the carpet.
Aldrich waved a football in front of Earl, trying to see if he'd take an interest, but Earl ignored it completely. Instead, he started yelling at Aldrich.
Aldrich understood it as a tantrum.
He tossed the ball aside, realizing it was blocking Earl's view. Earl immediately calmed down and kept watching TV.
When Aldrich changed the channel, Earl started shouting again.
Aldrich smiled, now understanding.
Earl liked watching football—like most kids love watching cartoons.
Aldrich wasn't sure whether his one-year-old son truly understood what was happening on screen. But still, he happily placed Earl on his lap, and the father and son watched the England match together. Bert, exhausted from playing with the football, soon lay down on the carpet and fell asleep.
The match seemed to drag for Aldrich, each passing minute a challenge, while Earl was absorbed in the action. When the game finally ended and an advertisement flashed on the screen, Earl pulled on Aldrich's hand, his face full of disappointment. It took Aldrich quite a while to divert Earl's attention from the screen, finally calming him down.
England drew 0-0 with Finland.
In a more relaxed context, England's failure to win away against Finland would be considered a small upset.
But given England's disappointing early exit from the European Championship group stage, this match became a critical point in the World Cup qualification battle. England's fans were up in arms!
The group situation for England was still somewhat optimistic. Unlike other groups that had six teams, this one only had five:
England, Finland, Greece, Albania, and Germany.
One team would automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the second-place team would enter a playoff.
At first glance, it seemed like England and Germany would be the top contenders for first place.
Moreover, England had the fortune of facing a German team that had recently hit rock bottom.
Germany, of course, has its own background in comparison.
It's important to remember that in the '80s, Germany reached two World Cup finals, finishing as runners-up in both, but in 1990, under Beckenbauer's leadership, they became world champions. However, by 1994 and 1998, the team began to decline, finishing fifth and seventh respectively.
As for the European Championship, Germany was runner-up in 1992, won the title in 1996, and in 2000, just this summer, they were sent home after the group stage, alongside England.
This marked Germany's recognized fall from grace, as their results in both the European Championship and World Cup showed a clear downward trend. Combined with the team's poor roster changes, this led to Germany being labeled as having the weakest team in the last twenty years.
There's no comparison between England and Germany – England's record is just plain worse. And let's be real, they can't be better than the worst Germany. In this group, where Finland was expected to be the punching bag, England couldn't even get the win. The first game saw them drop 2 points, and it was enough for England's fans to start having flashbacks to 1994, with that same sinking feeling that a World Cup qualification playoff was on the horizon.
Kevin Keegan faced immense pressure and quickly became the target of nationwide criticism.
That's the reality for a coach: if you do well, even your mistakes are overlooked. But if you do poorly, every decision is scrutinized and used against you.
Keegan's decision to let Adams leave the national team in frustration, his insistence on playing Shearer, who was over 30 and out of form, and his outdated defensive tactics made it seem like Keegan had no redeeming qualities.
Aldrich had a few pleasant days at Liverpool before returning to London. He wanted to continue training the first team, but there were hardly any players left.
He had originally planned to check out the youth team's training session since the youth team was also facing new challenges this season.
In the past few years, Millwall's youth team had traveled around Europe with the first team, achieving impressive results. While the first team became the main focus of attention, the youth team also gained recognition, which led to an increase in the commercial value of the youth team.
A new agreement was signed between French TV broadcasters and UEFA, and the new season saw the formation of the U19 European Youth League, named "The Next Generation," inviting European teams with outstanding youth training programs. This move aimed to generate new profits.
Millwall was, of course, one of the invited teams. Aldrich had no idea that this event, set in motion by his actions, would eventually evolve into the "European Youth Champions League" ten years later.
Looking ahead, Aldrich saw it as a good opportunity. More chances for the youth team to play against teams with different football styles would greatly benefit their development. As for whether this competition would generate significant revenue for the club, that was wishful thinking—just covering the costs of the youth team would be a success.
After parking at the Leo training facility, Aldrich was heading towards the youth team's training ground when his phone rang. He answered, and Andrew's low, serious voice came through the speaker.
"Where are you?"
"At the Leo training facility. Is something up?"
"Got a moment?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Twenty minutes, I'll be waiting for you outside. I'll call you when I arrive."
"What's going on? Why all the secrecy?"
"You'll know soon enough."
Aldrich wandered around the training facility for a few minutes. Then Andrew called again, and he left the training ground. Outside, he saw Andrew's car. He walked up, opened the passenger door, and sat down, surprised to find someone in the backseat. Turning around, he smiled and waved at the person.
"Mr. Thompson, good to see you."
The chairman of the FA, Mr. Thompson, smiled and shook Aldrich's hand. Andrew started the car, and they quickly disappeared down the street.