Thanks to "The Thief" and "Shimadzu" for the reward!
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In the box at Elland Road Stadium, Leeds United chairman Richard Ridsdale had a sullen face since before the game started. This expression never changed at all. Whenever Leeds United lost the ball, he would close his eyes for about ten seconds.
Today, he was not watching the game alone in the box, but Arthur was not here today. His assistant was watching the game with him.
The game time came to 85 minutes, and Millwall's victory was no longer in suspense. The three main players went off to rest, and Leeds United did not attack and were killing time on the court.
Ridsdale suddenly said something softly, as if talking to himself.
"Alas, qualification for the Champions League next season is on the line."
In the Champions League, 1:6 and now 0:5, Ridsdale feels that 1:6 is actually negligible, because Leeds United fell in the semi-finals and lost to Millwall, which was expected by most people.
As a result, the negative impact is just too great, but the money earned in the Champions League is a lot.
But the 0:5 in the league is fatal. Liverpool and Tottenham have already played 3:1. After Liverpool wins, they will leave Leeds United 4 points behind. Ipswich is still tied. In the league
With three rounds left, Leeds overtook Liverpool, and their hopes became extremely slim.
Champions League qualification is the foundation for Leeds United’s long-term development!
The result of this game can almost declare Leeds United's final ranking range this season, outside the top four.
Ridsdale had to re-examine the strength of the team. The year before last, they were fifth in the league. Last year, they were fourth in the league. This year, there is a 99% chance that they will fail in the fourth place.
Leeds United has not stayed firmly in the top four of the Premier League as he imagined. Fighting for the fourth place is not a situation he wants to see. This is very dangerous. It is necessary to ensure that Leeds United can qualify for the Champions League.
He was already in a dilemma.
Leeds United's current team is capable of competing for the top four spots and can't compete. No one can guarantee that.
But if they don't finish in the top four in the league next season, Leeds United will be doomed!
There is no way out, we can only continue to put all our efforts into it.
Ridsdale also needs to continue to enhance the team's strength, which was put on the table for discussion during his meeting with O'Reilly yesterday.
O'Reilly is not a god. Chelsea's total investment in the past few years has been comparable to that of Leeds United. As a result, Chelsea is now heavily in debt and seems to be half-dead. Bates had to change its business strategy and found Ranieri, who can tap internal potential and keep his own rules.
Ridsdale hopes that a miracle will happen. Leeds United can enter the Champions League next season. If the miracle does not happen, he will continue to borrow money to sign up, consolidate Leeds United's league status, and go one step further to lock in the top four.
Compared with Ridsdale, the chairman who is thinking about team building, the assistant next to him is not so serious.
When he heard Mr. Chairman's words, his expression suddenly froze.
Champions League qualification in doubt?
Damn it!
It's definitely out of the question.
Leeds United play Millwall today, then Chelsea, and then Arsenal.
Fuck the London team!
Especially bloody Millwall.
The assistant still remembers the humiliation of being turned away from Aldrich two years ago.
I was cursing in my heart the Millwall bus accident and the plane crash. Someone had better set fire to the Lion King Stadium!
After the assistant cursed, he looked at the Chairman, who lowered his head and frowned in thought, and suddenly felt like crying.
Why?
Why is Millwall, a rogue team in the past, so good now?
With the world's top stadiums, big money to be made in the transfer market, championships every year, young and handsome head coaches, a lot of idols, players who are obedient and don't cause trouble...fuck you!
The ambitious chairman and the hard-working assistant are each thinking about their own thoughts, and the game in the stadium is about to come to an end.
There were die-hard Leeds United fans in the stands who covered their faces and shed tears, while the Lions fans caroused unbridled here from beginning to end.
When the game time came to the 89th minute, Aldridge turned around on the sidelines and walked towards the tunnel.
"The game was not officially over yet, but Hall left early. This was clearly a sign of contempt for Leeds United. The camera language was very tasteful. First it showed Aldridge's back, and then it immediately cut to O'Reilly's expression.
"
Generally speaking, even if Millwall beats the opponent by 10 goals, if the coach does not shake hands with the opponent and leaves early, it is either out of great love and cannot bear to see the result, or out of great hatred and has no scruples and does not even show the most basic respect.
opponent.
Aldridge obviously has no love affair with Leeds United.
After walking into the tunnel, he prepared to go directly to the interview area, ending his trip to Leeds as a matter of routine.
I visited Leeds twice in the past four days and it was not a pleasant experience, even though both games were big wins.
The Champions League eliminated Leeds United, and the league eliminated Leeds United's chance of entering the Champions League next season.
Aldridge has been coaching the team in England for 7 years, and has witnessed the last English League One champion Leeds United decline in strength and fall to a trough in the Premier League era, and then rise again to reach the peak. But this peak has crossed a turning point in these four days.
Next, Leeds United will turn from prosperity to decline!
Generally, the decline of a strong team is relatively slow, and the aging of the lineup is the most common reason for decline.
This time Leeds United fell from its peak, and the speed of its collapse was jaw-dropping. It can even be listed as a typical case of failure in the football industry. Leeds United's final end is shocking.
During the interview, the BBC reporter kept mentioning O'Reilly and wanted Aldridge to evaluate his opponent. He also wanted Aldridge to explain why he did not shake hands with the opponent after the game and whether it was related to the incident in the last Champions League game.
It was only then that Aldrich suddenly realized why deep down he resented the outside world talking, comparing and creating gimmicks between him and O'Reilly.
This has nothing to do with coaching ability, record, image and other factors, but that Aldridge and O'Reilly are not the same type of head coach at heart. O'Reilly is the type of coach he does not agree with.
Premier League coaches have a big say in signings. Leeds United's crazy investment only started after O'Reilly took office.
When the Hall family had a net worth of 200 million pounds, Aldridge only dared to ask his eldest brother for a loan of 30 million pounds. He was sober. In the football industry, you can't do without money, but you must spend money according to your ability.
The club has the support of a strong consortium, financial guarantee for development, and quick results. This is true, but it is just the performance on the field, and the economic return is definitely negative. Almost all clubs in Italy operate in this model, and they rely on having a backend.
The rich boss, the boss has money, he has no worries about food and drink, the boss has no money, liquidation
Bankruptcy. The glory days of Parma, Lazio and other clubs are short-lived. What is the essential difference between them and Leeds United? If Bates had not found a Russian financial owner to take over Chelsea and escape from the golden shell, there would be no iron-blooded blue team in history.
It will just add another failure case following the footsteps of Leeds United.
The entire Italian league has such a trend, and another result is that when these backstage bosses, even Moratti and Berlusconi, are unable to invest, the club's financial situation plummets, and the entire Serie A develops and promotes itself in the football market. In terms of brand value income, it lags far behind the Premier League.
Aldridge does not deny that there are funders who simply love football and therefore invest regardless of the cost. However, this is not a long-term way for a football club to survive. The kind of investment that relies on external funds to make a living is simply too much. Fragile.
Moreover, seven years ago, he couldn't predict what the future would be like. So what if he had the innate advantage to win over talented players? Can it be guaranteed to be successful? Whether it is successful or not, he has to work hard. If he can't achieve results, he will fulfill his promise and become a playboy. Fortunately, he succeeded and created the brand value of Millwall, giving a club a foundation for long-term development. Millwall is not counting the transfer market and makes a lot of profits every season. As long as it is stable If we maintain this momentum for a few years and secure our position as a wealthy club, Millwall will be able to continue operating in a virtuous cycle.
Thinking about Leeds United's future destiny, Aldridge didn't want to stay at Elland Road for one more minute.
O'Reilly, Ridsdale, how many Leeds fans will suffer long term in the future?
The post-match interview was perfunctory, and Aldridge left Elland Road directly and sat on the team bus waiting for the team to meet up and return to London.
The drizzle stopped, the clouds cleared and the rain dispersed. As dusk approached, a dazzling light from the sky shone through the bus window, illuminating Aldrich's face.
...
Millwall slaughtered Leeds United 11:1 in two consecutive away games, shocking England and causing a sensation in Europe!
The outside world realized that Millwall's team reached its peak during the most critical sprint period at the end of the season.
The only dissenter was Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The old Scottish man declared in a high-profile manner that Millwall will still make mistakes in the last three rounds of the league. Manchester United hopes to reverse the situation. Even if the final battle is in the final game of the league, the Red Devils will definitely defeat Millwall and reach the top of the Premier League.
Aldridge did not take a position or respond to the outside world. Facts speak louder than words.
Ferguson was just making sophistry, but it was not to attack Millwall. On the contrary, it was to prevent the Red Devils from venting their anger!
The Red Devils have set their sights on the final game of the league. What about Millwall? With three rounds left in the league, they already have double insurance. Even if they made a mistake in the first two games, the final game will be held at the Lion King Stadium against the Red Devils. , Millwall's situation is much more comfortable than Manchester United's, and Ferguson's previous claim that Millwall's two-front operation is under great pressure has disappeared. Millwall will still play in the Champions League, but the final will be after the league. Well, as for the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, Millwall can ignore it.
Leeds United went to London to play in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals. O'Reilly brought few troops, and they were mainly new faces. Most of the main players were not even included in the squad.
The media is clamoring that this is Leeds United's "battle of dignity", but the people of Leeds know in their hearts that the reality is cruel and they cannot hide their sorrow: 1:6, 0:5, where is there any dignity to talk about?
The defeated general showed no courage. Leeds United lost two games in a row. The main players who started two consecutive games would rather die than face Millwall for the third time in a week!
Leeds United's Champions League is over, and the league is 99% over. O'Reilly calmed down at this time, relieved all pressure, and prepared for next season. In this third game, he first took a training stance.
, let more young players come on stage, it doesn’t matter if they lose, I have regained some of my former glory, and admitted in an interview that I am not Millwall’s opponent, but the two defeats are not a true reflection of Leeds United’s strength. Leeds United’s lineup
He is young and still has room for improvement.
O'Reilly's remarks did not get much support from the outside world. He was just telling the truth. However, the outside world hoped that he would be more crazy and let this third game continue the war. However, Leeds United bowed their heads and recognized the reality.
Regardless of surrendering, the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals is destined to lose its original significance. (To be continued...)
