It was a semi-warm-up game for the Community Shield. Neither the Red Devils nor the Lions needed to physically engage in physical warfare. They were serious about the game, but Keane's tackle went too far.
There was originally a game without yellow cards, but when Keane tackled Lampard and injured himself, the referee showed Keane a red card before he was taken off the field on a stretcher.
Ferguson's face was ashen, he made continuous substitutions, and took all the main players off the field. He no longer had any expectations for this game.
Aldridge also continued to use two substitutions, letting Materazzi and Ferdinand come on to replace Southgate and Lampard, and Helguera played as a free man to participate in the attack to see the effect.
When Manchester United started to shrink with one less player, Millwall's positional warfare attack became less fierce.
Moreover, when the space of the two rookies on the wing was compressed by the defense, their performance was not as cool as the counterattack.
Duff plays the ball with one foot, and his right foot technique is disastrous. He seems to be unable to stop the ball with his right foot while running.
Van der Meyde dribbled the ball and dribbled it, until he had no way to go, and then he reluctantly started to take off...
Aldrich scratched his head as he watched from the coaching bench.
Although these two people have entered the first team in the new season, it will take longer to integrate into the team. Not only do their playing habits and awareness need to be improved, but their personal skills also need to be honed.
Van der Meyde sticks to the ball, and Duff's right foot is useless.
In the last few minutes of the game, the Lions fans were happy to win the Community Shield for the first time. They missed it last year and lost to Manchester United. They were extremely excited to win the cup this year as they wished.
But seeing the performance of Duff and Van der Meyde at the last moment, fans had the illusion that they were almost the same as they were in the previous counterattack.
A team of Manchester United's level, even if they are on the bench and determined to defend, is really not something that young people who are just starting out can run wild.
No matter what, at the end of the game, Millwall's players were happy to win another trophy.
The Community Shield is a continuation of last season's competition, so this trophy can be included in the awards won by Millwall in the 1996/97 season.
The fans pulled out a banner in the stands with four trophies painted on it and the words: Four Crowns.
Aldridge walked over to shake Ferguson's hand and then spoke to reporters on the sidelines.
Talking about this game, Aldridge made some formulaic remarks. After all, it was just a warm-up. There was no need to be arrogant when he won, and there was no need to get angry when he lost. He had no regrets when he lost this game last year.
After the award ceremony, the players did not celebrate much. Captain Southgate took the lead and quickly left Wembley Stadium. They went home to have a good rest and prepare for the Premier League opening game in a few days.
On August 7, after lunch, Aldridge came to the club early. The staff sent him a family photo taken before the season. He put the photo in a beautiful frame and walked into his office.
The layout of his office is simple, with a desk backed by a floor-to-ceiling window, a sofa and a coffee table in the middle, and a bookshelf against one wall. There are books about football and non-football books on them. He sometimes changes his mind or relaxes here.
, will pick up a book and read it.
On the other wall, there are three picture frames hanging on the wall.
The photos in the photo frame are team family photos before the 1994/95, 95/96, and 96/97 seasons.
As for the trophies won by the team, they are displayed in the club's honor room and available for restaurants, while some of the personal awards he won are in his home.
Arriving in front of the wall with a family photo frame inlaid with the new season, Aldrich suddenly fell into a daze.
His eyes dimly moved back and forth in front of the three photos.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door. The office door was open. Yiwen stood by the door, staring at Aldrich for a minute.
Aldrich came back to his senses, Yiwen walked to him, looked up at the photos on the wall, and said lightly: "If you feel sad when you see it, just put it away. I think the photos of the team's championship should be put on
It’s better here, at least people will feel happy when they see it.”
Aldrich lowered his head and smiled bitterly: "What's the difference? Are there no people leaving in those photos?"
Yiwen shrugged helplessly. She has always been a die-hard Millwall fan and the most loyal supporter.
Sometimes I feel bad when I think of the players who have left.
I once supported and loved them so much, but in the end they couldn't stick to this place.
Taking out a simple tool box from the bottom drawer of his desk, Aldrich hammered nails into the wall and hung the picture frame.
The fourth season is about to begin.
He admired the four photos with satisfaction. Although the old people were no longer in the new photos, there were also many faces that had remained here.
From these photos you can see the traces that time has left on them.
The players are growing, and the team is becoming stronger as they grow.
"I have something serious to discuss with you."
Yiwen sat down on the sofa, poured himself a glass of water and took a few sips.
Aldrich touched his butt to the desk and said, "Let's talk, do you need me to close the door?"
Yiwen thought for a while and said: "No, I am responsible for the club's publicity. In view of the club's recruitment policy and long-term team building philosophy, since we cannot create a sensation in the transfer market, we must have the ability ourselves."
Launching world-class superstars, you don’t deny this, right?”
Aldrich nodded and admitted without hesitation.
Not to mention whether Millwall has money to spend on superstars, but it is impossible for superstars to come here, unless they are the kind of late superstars who only have a halo, but their abilities are no longer up to the level of superstars.
"So in terms of publicity, although the club's purpose is not to highlight individuals and avoid situations where players are arrogant and superior to their teammates, but in order to enhance the club's influence and popularity, then we must do our best to build a player in publicity."
Yiwen's words made Aldrich a little confused. He frowned and asked, "Can you be more detailed?"
Yiwen said patiently: "The team won so many trophies last season. Who was the hero?"
Aldridge said of course: "The whole team has contributed, regardless of the main player or the substitute. Although the contribution is different, no one can do it without anyone."
Yiwen continued: "Who is the best player?"
"Those are the main players. They play a lot and play a lot of key games. Naturally, they are the most dazzling."
"So the problem is, in front of the public. There are many people who like Larsson, and there are also many people who like Nedvěd, Trezeguet, Shevchenko, Pirlo, Schneider, etc. The outside world is
There is a voice that Millwall does not have top stars, but these first-line stars come together to make Millwall a top team."
"Although this statement has flaws, overall it is not outrageous."
"But if we want to take the club's influence to a higher level, we must have more famous players. So I think in terms of publicity, we can implement a one-star-per-year policy!"
One superstar a year?
Aldrich looked at the ceiling with strange eyes.
This policy sounds familiar.
But he knew that this was definitely different from Real Madrid's superstar policy.
Yiwen explains her proposal in detail.
"If the criteria for superstars are other than team honors, then there is the Ballon d'Or and World Player of the Year. Although this is not a rigid indicator, most players who have won the Ballon d'Or or World Player of the Year are generally recognized.
A superstar. Maybe Millwall's players can't win this honor in the end, but at least they have to be at the top of the competition. Even second or third place is better than not being in the top three."
Aldrich nodded in agreement.
What is a superstar?
In fact, it’s not about awards, but about influence.
George Best was a superstar back then, because this guy not only had a lot of fans on the field, but also had cross-border influence in different fields, such as leading fashion, which made him a superstar.
There are many people who are good at playing football, and there are also many people who are considered top players, but not many can reach the level of superstars in terms of influence.
Of course, just as the word genius is overused, with the commercialization of football and the globalization of communication in the future, the word superstar will also be overused. Stars with a little bit of achievements dare to be touted as superstars. That is pure nonsense.
.
In the next twenty years, among the superstars in international football, the most successful will be Beckham.
In terms of football skills alone, he has a certain skill, but he does not belong to the role of the soul of the team, but combined with the commercial cross-border influence, Beckham is a well-deserved superstar. Ask a hundred people who do not watch football:
Do you know who Beckham is?
Many people who don't watch football know Beckham, but only a smaller number of people know Zidane, Figo and other superstars whose talent on the field far exceeds that of Beckham.
"The kind of publicity you mentioned is very complicated. Let's put it this way. Some players don't want to appear in the spotlight, don't like to put on a show, and don't want their bodies to be exposed too much. This leads to a decrease in their appearance rate...
..."
"I know, I know, I don't mean to force the players to change anything. In that case, you will definitely not agree. My idea is that we focus on building a player every year in publicity so that he can win personal honors.
Try to get a higher evaluation in the selection. Millwall was so good last season, but have you ever thought about how many players we will be shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or?"
Yiwen's words made Aldrich fall into deep thought again.
"At least three people. Defensive players are not valued. Even if they are shortlisted, it will be balanced. In the final selection, not many judges will vote for defensive players. Pirlo is too young. His performance on the court is the most professional player in the game.
Critics will give him praises, but the eyeball effect evaluation will not attract much attention to him. Nedved, Larsson, Trezeguet, and Shevchenko, among these four, alas, I am still too
Being optimistic, I think it would be good to have two people. Larsson and Nedvěd.”
Aldrich sighed.
Yiwen continued: "Assuming Larsson and Nedved are nominated together, who do you think has a greater chance of winning?"
Aldrich didn't want to answer this question because it made him feel uncomfortable.
"Larson."
"But there will be many judges who appreciate Nedved's performance and vote for him."
"Uh, I understand what you mean."
Aldrich stroked his forehead as he thought of the future selection for the Golden Globe Awards.
The Spanish national team, which has won three major competitions in four years, has a championship team with the Barcelona system as its core, but it doesn't even have a Ballon d'Or.
Moreover, with Xavi and Iniesta as the core, Barcelona swept across Europe in those years, coupled with the unprecedented glory of the national team, why did there not be a Golden Ball?
Are all the judges blind?
Not exactly...
First of all, it cannot be denied that Messi was incredible in those few years, and there were many judges who liked Messi.
However, Xavi and Iniesta, who have proven themselves both in the club and in the national team, both performed very well. To a certain extent, the two of them had a group of judges who liked each other, and then the two divided their votes.
This is a difficult question to choose. The judges who appreciate Xavi choose Xavi, and the judges who appreciate Iniesta choose Iniesta. The two of them have the same honor regardless of the club or the national team, and they are in the Dream Three Barcelona
, the two of them are indispensable, and no matter who the judges choose is justified, but the Spanish team has won three championships in four years, such a glorious team, there is not even a golden ball player.
"Then what do I say to my players? I can't say to Pavel: Hey, Henrik did a good job last season, he will be named Mr. Ballon d'Or soon, and the club will do its best to build momentum for him. You can be aggrieved, okay.
?”
Aldrich wanted to understand, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.
But then I thought about it. There are many players in a club who have performed well. This is a kind of internal friction when it comes to personal honors. Instead of taking advantage of others, it is more practical to win one of them yourself.
Yi Wen said: "You don't need to say anything. The club will do the publicity. Some of it is done openly and some of it is done in private. There is no need to greet the players or disturb their minds."
"What to do in private?"
"For publicity, we can communicate privately with some cooperative media, show more of the goal highlights we produced, contact some TV programs, let them do more interview shows about Larsson's performance, and then find the Gunners
Praise a lot in the newspapers... you don't have to promote the players from Millwall's point of view."
Aldrich looked at the smiling Yiwen with wide eyes, and said in surprise: "So you are a fox!" (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!
