The Rise of Millwal

This is a day worth remembering: Aldrich has taken the reins of the Three Lions. This news will soon dominate the world news rankings, reaching the top spot later today!

Without a doubt, this is Aldrich's day.

His outstanding achievements with Millwall have already made him the top contender for the England national team manager position.

However, as this "moment of triumph" finally arrives, questions follow in quick succession.

"Mr. Hall, you've reached an agreement with the FA and officially become the England national team manager. What about Millwall? Who will take over as the manager? Will Klinsmann step in?"

The reporters in the audience were most concerned about this question.

If Millwall were to change managers, it would be as sensational as dropping an atomic bomb in European football.

Perhaps, this scenario might even be welcomed by several big clubs, who are direct competitors of Millwall.

Aldrich, with a confident smile, replied calmly: "After discussions with the FA, I am taking on the role of England manager while still remaining the manager of Millwall."

The reporters exchanged glances, and a new question emerged.

"You're managing both Millwall and the England national team—how will you balance the workload? There's bound to be conflict and competition of interests here."

Aldrich nodded, smiling as he replied: "That's right. There are indeed unavoidable contradictions, such as scheduling and the allocation of energy. But I'm happy to take on this challenge. I believe I have certain advantages. Most of the England players are based in the domestic league, and for the past few years at Millwall, I've been keeping track of my opponents. At the same time, this allows me to have a good understanding of the level and playing styles of most of the England internationals. Their strengths, how to limit them—this kind of foundation provides a solid environment for my work. As for the issue of interests, I personally believe it's not a problem. The national team and the club are two very different working environments, with distinct working methods and goals. I've accepted the national team role because I simply want to lead England to success. I seek nothing more. And I can guarantee that, during my tenure as national team manager, I will treat all players equally."

The real concern regarding conflicting interests was whether Aldrich would suppress those who opposed him.

Just imagine: if Beckham were not an England international, how much would his popularity suffer? And how much would Manchester United's commercial influence decrease as a result?

That creates an unspoken web of interests.

Since Aldrich just took office, the media were willing to give him some space. He had already guaranteed his integrity, and pressing further would be seen as overstepping.

"What about the coaching staff?"

"At the moment, it's just me. I will submit the coaching staff list to the FA as soon as possible. The chairman and I have already reached an agreement. I have the authority to make the decision."

"What about the national team's goals? Your contract is for 20 months, which means you'll step down after the 2002 World Cup. What are the FA's minimum performance expectations for you in the 2002 World Cup? Quarterfinals? Semifinals?"

"Hahaha, it's too early to discuss that now. We're still in the qualification stage. I think if I can't lead England to the World Cup, I'll be dismissed immediately. So, let's talk about the World Cup in a year and a half. I hope, by that time, I'll still be sitting here as the national team manager answering your questions."

Aldrich's first day in charge wasn't about grandly declaring that he would lead England to glory, nor did he appear nervous. His demeanor won the praise of the media. He truly seemed like a gentleman of football—calm, composed, and confident, but not arrogant.

Aldrich has many challenges ahead. The reporters are also eagerly anticipating England's next match, especially with the change of leadership. Who will leave, and who will stay? What new faces will emerge in the team?

When it comes to the team roster, Aldrich was cautious and gave no guarantees. He would announce the new England squad before the next international break. Until then, he refused to reveal any names.

At the end of the press conference, Aldrich took a photo with several FA officials, including the chairman, CEO, and other key figures.

After becoming the national team manager, Aldrich's first task was to meet with the England U21 manager, former Leeds United coach Wilkinson, in his office at the FA headquarters.

Peter Taylor had just stepped down, and the U21 team was entering a new era. Wilkinson and Aldrich had crossed paths in the 95-96 season but had ignored each other due to a racial discrimination incident that had occurred at Elland Road.

The office was quite empty. Glass cabinets displayed England national team materials. As Aldrich waited for Wilkinson, he perused the player profiles.

As national team manager, there were many responsibilities aside from training and matches. He had considerable influence, from overseeing the entire youth development system to attending various public relations events. While he didn't have final decision-making power, he still had advisory and participatory rights.

For other national team managers, the more they appeared in public and got involved in football management, the more it would enhance their authority and maintain their public profile.

Aldrich had sacrificed a lot during his negotiations with the FA, something the FA was more than happy with. After all, a compliant manager was far more reassuring to them than an attention-seeking one.

The only power Aldrich sought was control over the U21 national team.

He wasn't trying to take anyone's authority, but he wanted his work to run more smoothly, as managing the lower tiers of the national team was crucial.

Four years later, Aldrich and Wilkinson crossed paths once more, but this time it wasn't on the sidelines of a match—it was in the national team manager's office, where Aldrich was the one in charge.

They shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and sat down together on the sofa in the meeting room, both smiling.

In some ways, Aldrich was almost Wilkinson's superior, though they had no formal hierarchy. If Aldrich were to publicly express dissatisfaction with the efficiency of the U21 team, Wilkinson's position would become quite awkward.

"How does it feel now, Aldrich?" Wilkinson asked.

Wilkinson had been a force to reckon with in his prime. There had been a few unpleasant moments between him and Aldrich in the past, but now, four years later, it all seemed petty. There was no real animosity between them—just some conflicting stances at a certain time, but they were never the central figures in that conflict.

Aldrich smiled faintly and shook his head. "The pressure is immense."

"Of course, the pressure is immense. Otherwise, anyone could do the job."

"Ha, you're right. I feel like you and I are similar kinds of coaches—we both put a lot of emphasis on youth development, right?"

At this, Wilkinson let out a deep sigh. He had indeed focused on youth development at Leeds United, but his successors failed to carry it forward. Only under the O'Leary generation did things start to improve, though it still fell far behind Manchester United's youth system, which once had the potential to rival theirs.

"Let's get to work. Balancing the national team and your club responsibilities must be quite demanding," Wilkinson remarked.

"Yes, it is," Aldrich replied. "But I enjoy the challenge, so let's cut to the chase. Your focus is on developing talent for the national team, while mine is on achieving great results with the senior squad. Our roles are closely intertwined since the players I use are those you've identified and nurtured. I have a few players in mind that I'd like the U21 team to focus on training and developing in the coming months. My hope is that they'll grow into key figures for the senior team in the future."

Wilkinson stared straight at Aldrich.

There was no denying it—Aldrich was essentially interfering with his work. Yet, the way he put it sounded remarkably pleasant.

In Aldrich's words, Wilkinson was the unsung hero working behind the scenes!

The players he nurtured would be funneled directly to the national team!

"If you have any promising domestic players in mind, you should let me know directly. Everyone knows you've got an eye for talent. Spotting exceptional young players early is nothing but beneficial," Wilkinson said.

"Alright. Here's the list. Take a look," Aldrich replied, handing him the paper.

Wilkinson took the list from Aldrich and glanced over it.

Carrick, Parker, Lescott, Hargreaves, Crouch.

As expected, Wilkinson smiled.

Four of these players had Millwall backgrounds, even though Parker had transferred out. He still hailed from Millwall.

As for Hargreaves, he had come from Bayern Munich's youth system.

Wilkinson smiled wryly. "What about Crouch? Do you still have faith in him?"

Crouch had been a regular for the lower-tier national teams, but last year at the World U20 Championship, England had failed to win a match, scoring zero goals, and Crouch's performance as the main striker had been awful.

Aldrich smiled. "He's still young. Failure is a valuable experience for young players. To be honest, looking at Europe as a whole, I don't think Crouch's talent or potential is anything special. But in England, he has the ability to become one of the future national team forwards."

Wilkinson suddenly said, "But your contract with the FA is only for 20 months. During that time, Crouch…"

He didn't need to say the rest—the implication was clear.

Aldrich responded calmly, "Players like Carrick and Parker won't become regular national team players in just 20 months. But now that I'm the national team manager, I want to lay a solid foundation for England's future, regardless of whether I'm still in charge after my contract ends. This is about the future of the England national team."

Wilkinson felt a newfound admiration rising within him as Aldrich spoke. On the surface, Aldrich appeared composed, but deep down, he was weighing his options.

He couldn't predict success or failure over the next 20 months. Who knew? A couple of poor qualifying results might see him sacked.

But he had to think ahead, to leave himself a way out—or at least preserve some dignity.

If he could identify and promote a few future national team players during his tenure, then at least when people looked back, they might say he made a meaningful contribution as manager.

Wilkinson agreed to Aldrich's request, and the U21 national team would focus on developing these players in the future. The two stood up, shook hands, and Aldrich personally escorted Wilkinson out.

The first thing Aldrich did after taking office was to find himself a possible "shield," a task that was now complete.

Next, Aldrich had to tackle another very important job.

He had to finalize the national team roster.

The World Cup roster was 23 players, but for regular qualifiers, the roster could fluctuate, generally around 30 players.

Aldrich didn't want the national team's lineup to change too much. Stability was the top priority; he didn't want players to be anxious, worried about losing their starting spots or even making the squad.

Only when players felt secure, knowing the coach's trust and support, could they devote themselves fully to the team without distractions.

While the final list couldn't be confirmed immediately, the general framework was certain and didn't leave much room for doubt.

With a new manager comes new decisions, but England wasn't in a state of total disarray. The core players could be counted on without much thought.