The Rise of Millwal

From the beginning of the new season, Millwall's undefeated league record became the focal point of public attention before every match.

This undefeated team had already reached the pinnacle of England's top-flight unbeaten records, and by the three rounds leading up to their match with Arsenal, people began to question whether Milan's 58-match unbeaten streak would be surpassed by Millwall. After all, their opponents in those few rounds weren't particularly strong, and timing-wise, Arsenal seemed the most likely team to end Millwall's unbeaten run.

People had imagined Millwall might comfortably win and match this great record, or that Arsenal might dramatically upset them.

However, the much-anticipated match ended up full of phenomena that football pundits detested.

The game was dull, the players' performances fell short of expectations, there were on-field conflicts, and a brawl in the players' tunnel...

After the match, the atmosphere of the two teams was starkly different.

Arsenal failed to beat Millwall. Generally speaking, an away draw would not cause much of a blow, but what about this time? Millwall tied Milan's unbeaten record because of this draw!

For Millwall, sure, a draw doesn't have the same excitement as a win, but they've just done something incredible—equaled the unbeaten record of the five top leagues. That's something they can strut about with pride.

After the match, Aldrich avoided discussing the brawl in the players' tunnel, only answering questions about the game. He personally wasn't interested in the record; a certain number of unbeaten matches didn't bring championships or glory, especially in this crucial six-point clash. Both Millwall and Arsenal had lost out, allowing another competitor, Manchester United, to gain the advantage.

Regarding the on-field conflicts, Aldrich expressed his view: the problem originated with Arsenal, and Ibrahimović was the spark.

Gattuso's foul was just a normal tackle. When it came to him, no one was surprised—when he was a substitute for Makelele, his foul count was always high, and he was known as Millwall's "yellow card king." This season, his fouls had decreased as he became a starter, but today, facing Ibrahimović's delicate footwork, Gattuso's fouls increased again. There was nothing surprising about that; it wasn't a malicious foul, so why would Ibrahimović be angry?

But maybe Ibrahimović had accidentally elbowed Gattuso in the face. Aldrich wasn't interested in reviewing the footage to confirm that. In any case, he just wanted to defend his player and blame the opponent.

The FA immediately announced an investigation into the player conflict that occurred at Lion King Stadium. It seemed that both Millwall and Arsenal would face heavy penalties.

Aldrich hurriedly accepted the interview and then drove away from the club.

When Aldrich got home, he took off his suit and headed straight to the living room, sitting on the carpet with his legs crossed in front of the TV. Bert and Earl were playing with toys, and Aldrich picked up Earl to check on him.The slight cold he'd had earlier in the morning seemed gone now. He kissed Earl on the forehead, and just as he did, Yvonne walked in from the kitchen. She looked him over and, clearly relieved, said, "I was worried you'd gotten hurt."

"Huh? Oh, player fights aren't anything new. If I had joined the fray, that would've been big news."

Aldrich chuckled. In fact, when the players clashed in the tunnel, he and Wenger had stood at the tunnel exit, both of them understanding that intervening could end up making things worse.

It wasn't because they feared injury or because they weren't supportive of their players, but if they had been deemed to be involved in such a conflict, a fine was guaranteed. A suspension would severely harm the team's prospects. Besides, if the media distorted the story, the damage to their image could be immense, and it might even affect the club's image.

After dinner, Aldrich took a shower and then headed to his study. He wanted to follow up on the situation in São Paulo, but Andrew hadn't sent any updates yet. So, he began to review the club's preparation materials. In two days, Millwall would be traveling to Portugal to face Sporting CP. Their Champions League group stage record was 1 win and 1 loss, which wasn't too bad, but the upcoming back-to-back third and fourth rounds would be crucial.

Aldrich lost track of time when he was working. It was just past nine in the evening when the door to his study opened. Yvonne, wearing a silk camisole, walked in and immediately grabbed his arm, pulling him out.

"What's going on?" Aldrich asked.

"Come watch a movie with me," she said, her tone firm, almost a little spoiled.

Aldrich asked, "What about the kids?"

"They're already asleep."

"Alright then."

Aldrich followed Yvonne to the bedroom. He lay down on the bed while Yvonne picked a movie and climbed under the covers with the remote in hand. She snuggled up against his chest and rested her head there, urging him to put an arm around her shoulder.

Aldrich knew she just wanted him to get some rest.

As soon as he lay down, his eyelids grew heavy. Within ten minutes, he was already breathing deeply and fast asleep. Yvonne turned off the TV and, pulling the blanket up, closed her eyes while lying in his arms.

They both slept soundly, from 9 PM until 7 AM the next morning.

When Aldrich woke up, he felt completely refreshed.

He stretched, sitting up with a yawn, but when he turned his head, he noticed Yvonne wasn't there.

After getting up, Aldrich went to check on his kids' room, but to his surprise, both of them were gone. So was Yvonne.

Maybe she'd taken them out for a walk.

Singing softly to himself, Aldrich went to wash up in the bathroom. Just as he was finishing, he heard the door downstairs open. Moments later, Yvonne appeared at the bathroom door, dressed in a light beige coat, smiling at the refreshed Aldrich.

"Where did you go?" he asked casually.

"I dropped Bert and Earl off at Arthur's place."

"That early? Were you in a rush for work?"

"I took the day off."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Because you're resting."

Aldrich hung up his towel, suddenly furrowing his brow. "I was supposed to rest today, but after what happened in yesterday's game, I have to go to the club and check in on the FA's investigation."

Aldrich wasn't concerned about facing punishment himself. The club would be fined, and the players would be fined—that was no big deal. But the question was, would any players face additional penalties? How many players would be affected by the brawl in the player tunnel?

That's what was on Aldrich's mind.

Yvonne walked up to him and naturally wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fragrance reached Aldrich's nose. In her calm voice, she said, "Mr. Hall, today, you will go where I tell you and do what I say. Let others handle the club's business. Otherwise, why are you paying them to do it?"

Aldrich wrapped his arms around her waist, tilting his head back and closing his eyes with a smile. "Heh, I don't even listen to Arthur. There are only two people in this world whose words I'll follow—first, my lawyer; second, my doctor. I haven't done anything wrong, so I don't need a lawyer right now. Now, since you want me to listen to you, Dr. Yvonne, what are you going to say to me?"

Yvonne chuckled. "Aldrich, you're too tired. You need to rest. That's my professional advice, but you look fine, so today, we're going to relax. Today, you're my patient."

Aldrich opened his eyes and lowered his head, gazing into her eyes filled with playful laughter. He teased, "I think I smell a conspiracy."

"Mm. You've caught on. I've been planning this conspiracy for a while now. Now, go get dressed. I'll be waiting for you in the car."

Yvonne stood on her tiptoes and kissed Aldrich before turning and leaving the bathroom.

Aldrich dressed in his usual sharp suit, walking out of the house to find Yvonne waiting by the roadside in the car.

Once inside the car, Aldrich couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "Where are we going?"

Yvonne handed him a beautifully designed brochure with a smile.

As the car started, Aldrich glanced at the brochure—it was a promotional introduction for a hot spring resort.

It seemed that today, he would be spending the entire day there with Yvonne.

In the late autumn, soaking in hot springs and enjoying the resort's other entertainment activities, Aldrich momentarily put aside other thoughts and relaxed, focusing solely on his time with Yvonne in their own little world.

He always preached to his players about balancing work and rest, yet he himself was a workaholic, and he truly needed someone to remind him to take breaks.

That same day, the FA's fines were handed down.

Ibrahimović and Gattuso were each banned for five matches.

Vieira and Materazzi were banned for two matches.

Later that night, British tabloid journalists caught a juicy headline in a nightclub.

Ronaldinho partied all night at a nightclub!

On Tuesday morning, Aldrich arrived at the training ground with a grim expression.

Aside from players still recovering from injuries, the first team should have returned for training that morning, preparing for their Champions League match against Sporting CP.

One player was late.

Ronaldinho arrived 45 minutes late, with dark circles under his eyes.

He quickly changed into his kit and rushed out to the training field, but by the time he arrived, his teammates were already engaged in group drills. He immediately went over to Aldrich to apologize, but Aldrich, with a stone-faced expression, pointed to the field and said, "Ten laps. First, get that alcohol smell off you and clear your head."

Still groggy, Ronaldinho began jogging around the pitch at a pace similar to his usual warm-up. The crisp autumn air helped wake him up, and soon, his mind began to clear.

At the same time, his nerves started to build.

Aldrich's bad mood that morning was due to the FA's punishments: key defenders and midfielders would miss two and five matches, respectively. The impact was huge.

As for why Ronaldinho was late and reeked of alcohol, Aldrich hadn't yet gotten the full story, but he could guess. He probably just had too much fun last night.

Throughout the training session, Ronaldinho's performance was so bad that Aldrich couldn't bear to watch.

He didn't even know how to criticize him!

It was as if his legs were weighed down with lead, and his movements lacked any agility—his reactions were slow, like someone seriously ill.

"F! At this rate, can he even play in tomorrow night's away Champions League match?" Aldrich muttered angrily, leaving Craig stunned. Craig then asked, "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"He partied until 3:30 a.m. last night at the nightclub. The British paparazzi followed him the whole time. The tabloids have him all over the front page today."

"I don't read those tabloids..."

Aldrich snapped, then realized that the issue wasn't about whether he read tabloids.

He rubbed his forehead, sighed deeply, handed training duties to Jansen, and returned to his office. He instructed the staff to bring him a copy of the tabloids.

When training ended that day, Aldrich stayed in his office while the players finished and greeted the coaching staff before heading home. Only Ronaldinho was told by Jansen to go to Aldrich's office.