Chapter 47: Championship suspense

After the results of the fourth round of the FA Cup draw, Aldridge lamented fate.
Obviously England's second-level league team, but met the Premier League team for the third time in the cup, and also played against Newcastle United in the first half of the season.
The only good news: Millwall has the advantage at home.
This can add a lot of income to the club.
Newcastle United coached by Kevin Keegan is still a pleasing team in the Premier League, but this season they have not been able to attack the championship. The top two teams in the Premier League are Blackburn and Manchester United, and Leaving the team behind far behind.
Therefore, Newcastle United will naturally attach great importance to the FA Cup.
Aldrich, as always, made up his mind to let the bench lineup grow through cup training.
After stepping into February, Millwall maintained a strong momentum in the Ligue 1 league. The increasingly mature team is invincible in the Ligue 1 league. Aldridge is now the least afraid of encountering teams in the top of the standings or near the relegation zone. Because these teams will take risks for points, the temptation of Bo three points will allow Millwall to take advantage of the quick counterattack.
On the contrary, Millwall will lose points for a long time only when he meets a team that has no desire and no desire to lose.
In the fourth round of the FA Cup at the Lion's Cave Stadium, Aldridge once again saw Kevin Keegan, who was already fluttering. The dark red suit of the Sao Bao made Aldridge endure.
No wonder Kevin Keegan feels good about himself. He was a rookie two years ago. After leaving the football team for eight years, he took the team and took Newcastle United to the Premier League. He was promoted last year. The third place was dazzling. Although this year sold the top scorer of the season, Andy Cole, but it has made more than four million pounds for the club, and the team's record has not declined. It is still the Premier League. On the commendable veteran powerhouse.
Interestingly, the boss of Newcastle United is also named Hall, who also has a wealth of hundreds of millions of pounds.
After the 90-minute game, Kevin Keegan looked a little ugly.
The Premier League team he led faced Millwall's bench at the Lion's Cave Stadium and ended up with a 1:1 draw.
Underestimating the arrogance of the enemy is the fundamental factor in the failure to win the game. After all, a few months ago, Newcastle United defeated the same lineup of Millwall in the League Cup.
After the game, Kevin Keegan embarrassedly stated that he would win the game at home.
Aldridge is happier. He can play one more game on the bench and gain more experience, not to mention additional income.
Facing Kevin Keegan shelling Millwall in order to divert his attention: Lack of respect for the FA Cup!
Because Millwall is not in the main lineup.
Aldridge responded lightly: "We are about to usher in the most important game of the entire season. Is the FA Cup optional? Such a statement is very irresponsible. If it wasn’t bad luck, my team Being able to advance to the next round at home, Coach Keegan’s criticism made no sense. If we condemn us because we didn’t send all the main players, then why didn’t Newcastle United win in the face of Millwall who didn’t play with all the main players? What about them? Are they also retaining their strength? Or are they more contemptuous of this oldest cup?"
Now Aldridge has become one of the favorite head coaches in the London media. He can always calmly face the war of words, instead of blaming others unobtrusively and unreasonably, bringing news while maintaining with the media. A relatively harmonious relationship.
Before the FA Cup rematch, Millwall did play a crucial game this season.
The 32nd round of the Premier League: Millwall vs Middlesbrough.
Three months ago, the two teams devoted a 2:2 lead battle at the Aya Sumy Park Stadium.
Three months later, the top two teams in the standings are still Middlesbrough behind Millwall.
But the gap between the two teams has changed from a difference in goal difference to a shocking 13 points!
It’s not that Middlesbrough is not performing well enough, their performance in the same period has surpassed the second place of Nottingham Forest last season, but Millwall is too good, and their points in the same period are more than the Champions League Crystal Palace in the same period last season. Eight points!
The gap of 13 points makes the suspense of the Champions League becomes smaller and smaller, and the first round of the 32nd round of the battle, the result may kill all suspense.
"Daily Mail" took a large page to publish the writer Richard.
"February 24 is a day for the Premier League to chase between the two best teams. It is a never-ending war between Dalglish and Ferguson, but in the Premier League On the field, maybe the conjecture for the championship will be completely ended. Millwall, who is far ahead in the league, opened the 13-point gap behind Middlesbrough, making all chasers desperate if this game is Millwall Winning at home, then no one should doubt that the Champions League has been produced, although the league still has 14 rounds, more than 1/3 of the entire schedule, but Millwall leads the second place Middlesbrough by 16 points. So, everything is over! At this moment, we recall the interview after Brian Robson equalized by Millwall at home three months ago. The captain of the magic said: We failed to win the next game Decide the game of the league champion! At that time, everyone felt Robson was alarmist, but imagine if Millwall did not take away a precious draw at Aya Sumy Park Stadium, how would it affect the morale of the entire season? ?..."
The media always likes to predict the trend of football matches. If you guess right, you will know what you think. If you guess wrong, you will become popular.
But the newspaper in this issue of the "Daily Mail" has sold well. Richard's article has been widely recognized, and the old photo is on the cover. Three months ago at the Aya Sumy Park Stadium, Nedwig When De scored to equalize the goal, the moment Aldridge knelt and raised his arms in the sky, it was a non-player young man who made a similar action to celebrate the catharsis of the player, and Aldridge's popularity also suddenly increased.
The battle is coming, Aldridge looks at the team list and Dr. Thompson's report on the player's injury recovery in the office.
Boom!
"Please come in."
Bernd Schneider in casual clothes walked into the office, Aldridge closed the file in his hand and asked gently: "Bernd, is there anything?"
Schneider sat down across the desk and said honestly: "Boss, I think I have fully recovered. I want to start in the next game."
He has been recuperating for the past month, and recently returned to the team to participate in joint training.
Aldridge smiled, got up and poured him a glass of water, and then stood on the side of the desk with his slightly on the table. He smiled: "But I plan to make you a substitute for the next game. "
Schneider looked up at Aldridge and frowned: "But I have fully recovered."
Aldridge waved his hand and said: "I know, but the next game will be very intense, Bernd, you are an indispensable member of the team, and I don't want to take risks to deal with the fierce game after the comeback, We still have a lot of games this season, don’t we?"
"but……"
"But the next game is against Middlesbrough, right?"
Schneider nodded.
At the top of the list, this key battle, he naturally wants to play.
Aldridge stooped and asked mysteriously: "Bernd, you have been here for more than half a year. What kind of person do you think I am?"
Schneider froze, scratching his head and said, "Boss, you are a pragmatic person, a down-to-earth person, uh, a reliable person."
Aldridge shrugged: "Actually, I am also an ambitious and arrogant person. To tell you the truth, Middlesbrough, I didn't even think about it, yes, they are a mature team, But they have no potential, but our potential has only been tapped to less than half. Our future is not destined to be comparable, so what I think now is more, six months later, the opponents in the Premier League. By then The game against Manchester United and Liverpool is the real battle. Don’t listen to the media to promote the key battles and put us at the same level as Middlesbrough, which really upset me.

Bernd Schneider was teased, and he didn't expect Aldridge to have such a side.
But his ingenuity made him understand instantly, he nodded and said, "Boss, I understand, do not disturb your work, bye."
After sending off Schneider, Aldridge went back to his desk and wrote the starting lineup for the weekend game in the tactical book.
Except for replacing Beckham with Schneider in the right midfield, there is no change in the main lineup.
At a press conference the day before the game, Aldridge said low-key: This is just an ordinary league. Regardless of the result, the schedule for the league championship will really be determined in April and May.
This kind of argument made Aldridge the object of criticism by the media the next day, thinking he was too hypocritical.
But his low humility expressed his importance to Middlesbrough and his respect for Brian Robson, which won him a lot of applause.