The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 114: Advancing to the Finals

When it comes to handling serious matters, Andrew has always been decisive and efficient. He didn't appear in person but instead sent a lawyer from the firm to represent Aldrich, who left with him to drive away.

The British paparazzi followed closely, ultimately catching up with Aldrich and his lawyer as they entered the local courthouse.

The paparazzi waited outside, and some even disguised themselves to sneak in and gather information.

After about half an hour, Aldrich emerged first, avoiding interviews and driving straight home.

His lawyer then made a brief statement upon coming out.

"I have filed a defamation lawsuit against Ms. Katie Price on behalf of my client, Mr. Aldrich-Hall, and we have also sought a restraining order. We have sufficient evidence to show that Ms. Price has severely disrupted my client's normal life."

The paparazzi bombarded him with questions, but the lawyer said no more.

Everyone wanted to know what the evidence was.

However, the materials had already been submitted to the court.

Later, the evidence was made public, but no one knew who leaked it.

Aldrich's phone recordings and the "raunchy photos" that Katie Price had sent him were plastered across the tabloids.

As the truth behind the incident unraveled, surveillance footage from the Green Hotel was released. It showed that Katie Price did arrive at the hotel that night, but Aldrich was never there. The ten men found in the suite admitted they were waiting for her arrival and honestly stated that they had never seen Aldrich.

Katie Price had intended to tarnish Aldrich's reputation to raise her own profile, and she succeeded; her name became almost instantly recognized as that of a girl who could charge two thousand pounds a night.

Meanwhile, Andrew was well-prepared, having arranged for all witnesses related to the incident and exerting pressure on the court to expedite the hearings.

The following day, Katie Price contacted Aldrich's camp through her lawyer, hoping for a private settlement where Aldrich would withdraw his lawsuit in exchange for her promise not to interfere with him again.

However, Aldrich showed no mercy and flatly rejected her offer.

During training ahead of the mid-week League Cup quarter-finals, the atmosphere within Millwall was somewhat odd. The players couldn't help but glance at Aldrich on the sidelines from time to time.

"Robert, are you slacking off? Two laps around the pitch, go!"

Aldrich shouted with a stern face. Pirès helplessly raised his hand and began to jog around the pitch, while the other players chuckled to themselves.

Having their manager embroiled in a scandal wasn't a good thing, especially for the mature and self-disciplined professional players. If their boss couldn't command their respect, it could create rifts in their collaborative relationships. Playing football may be a profession, but interpersonal dynamics still play a major role.

The relationship between the manager and players is often one of mentorship, ideally characterized as that between a good teacher and friend. If Aldrich was unable to conduct himself well, he would lack the authority to demand discipline from his players off the field.

A day before heading to the Molineux Stadium, Aldrich attended a press conference alone.

British reporters have a habit of asking unrelated questions, regardless of the occasion. When Aldrich's relationship with Melanie was exposed, he had merely given a few straightforward answers. However, since their relationship was kept notably low-key, there were no juicy topics for the tabloid reporters to dig into. Today, however, the focus shifted to Aldrich's ongoing defamation case.

Facing questions from the journalists coming thick and fast, Aldrich raised his hands to calm them, responding impatiently, "I will say this only once: She wants to make money, and I won't give it to her for free. So I gave her a chance to earn money, hoping she would do the right thing and stop bothering me. But she chose to slander my reputation, so I had to seek legal remedies. That's the whole story. From now on, I refuse to answer any more questions unrelated to the matches."

The journalists were eager for more details, but Aldrich remained tight-lipped. Eventually, the press conference had no choice but to refocus on football.

Manchester City had been struggling in recent years, nearly facing relegation for the past three seasons. This season, they plummeted further, remaining in the relegation zone since the beginning. Against such a backdrop, Aldrich aimed to field his strongest lineup, even away from home, as he had no reason to fear Manchester City.

The following day, Millwall set off for Manchester with renewed vigor. At Molineux Stadium, Manchester City opted to use a largely reserve lineup in order to preserve their strength for the league, knowing that while winning the cup was important, the price of relegation from the Premier League would outweigh any potential glory.

Millwall turned the tables at Molineux Stadium, securing a clean three-goal victory thanks to Trezeguet's hat trick, advancing to the League Cup semifinals with their heads held high.

The weekend league fixture was the final match of the first half of the Premier League season, where Millwall, playing at home, sent out a younger lineup and emerged victorious with a narrow win over their London rivals, Queens Park Rangers.

As the first half of the league wrapped up, Aldrich's Millwall trailed Newcastle United by eight points at the top of the table, but their debut season had been thrilling enough.

However, he began to feel a headache brewing.

The Christmas rush had begun.

Despite last season's experience, many of the players from out of town were still feeling homesick, struggling to adapt to the relentless packed schedule without a winter break.

The biggest worry was that in early January, Millwall would face Leeds United in the League Cup semifinals, two crucial matches that Aldrich valued highly. But in between, the Premier League would be fast-paced, forcing Millwall to endure a grueling second-half schedule.

On Christmas Day, Ferguson's new generation of Red Devils arrived at The Den. Cantona's return boosted the morale of the squad, and memories of the league's first matchup half a season ago were still fresh. In the festive spirit of Christmas, Millwall and Manchester United would once again deliver a show for the fans.

3:3.

Unlike the first round of the league, Millwall managed to equalize twice in the final twenty minutes after being behind the entire match, causing Ferguson to curse on the sidelines in frustration.

Aldrich's expression was somewhat grim at the end of the match.

Of the three goals conceded, aside from Andy Cole's long-range shot, two were partly the goalkeeper's fault.

Keller was not a top-class goalkeeper, and his weaknesses showed when facing a strong team.

However, young goalkeeper Butt, who had already played eight matches this season, was performing increasingly well. Although the opponents weren't strong, he consistently made spectacular saves against a slightly weaker defense, demonstrating the vital quality every goalkeeper needs: stability.

Butt exhibited that quality.

After the match, Aldrich invited Ferguson for a drink, but due to it being Christmas, Ferguson regretfully suggested they catch up next time.

To get ready for the first leg of the League Cup semifinal in early January, Aldrich decided to field a mostly substitute squad for the twenty-first round away match at Highbury against Arsenal. Under Rioch's management, Arsenal had a rocky start this season but was gradually hitting its stride, sitting at sixth place in the league standings. Though they were no longer in the title race, they trailed Millwall and Manchester United by only seven points. This, however, marked a season of failure for Rioch, as Arsenal still could not escape the dreary legacy of their past boring football. While he succeeded in stabilizing the team and reviving their fighting spirit, he failed to implement any essential changes in their tactical style.

Thus, Arsenal's defensively oriented team encountered Millwall's youthful squad, resulting in a dull 0:0 match in the second league encounter.

Millwall fell behind Manchester United in the standings by another point, as the draw against Manchester United allowed Newcastle United to benefit, widening their lead to eleven points over Manchester United and twelve points over Millwall before January arrived.

At this time, Ferguson directed all his efforts toward the league, openly attacking Kevin Keegan with sharp words.

In a moment of anger, Kevin Keegan lost his composure during a BBC interview, stating, "I really want to beat Manchester United, I really, really want to beat Manchester United..."

His tone was one of reluctance, and although he was clearly the leading side, he seemed to lack confidence, which made him a laughingstock among the fans.

Kevin Keegan resembled a top student who scored first in the midterm exam, suddenly taunted by the class monitor, saying it didn't count for much since they would surely lose first place in the final exam—the first place was reserved for the monitor—causing the seemingly good student's mentality to shift.

Aldrich had no intention of engaging in a war of words; he was focused on his own team. He aimed to give his players more rotation this season to set the groundwork for the second half.

Leeds United, ranked fifth for the past two years, faced a significant decline this season, struggling to distance themselves from the relegation zone and remaining mid-table. They were lamentably distracted by the league, while Aldrich concentrated on the cup competition.

The first leg of the League Cup semifinal took place at The Den, where Millwall seized the advantage with goals from Larsson and Nedved, winning 2:0.

Liverpool had been trailing Millwall since the season began. The lingering bitterness from their reversal at Anfield weighed heavily on their minds as they came to The Den seeking revenge. However, Aldrich's team was least afraid of facing an opponent willing to launch an all-out attack.

In a thrilling match that finished 3-2, Solskj?r scored twice and Glenn Shar's goal enabled the team to clinch a dramatic victory over Liverpool just before the final whistle. In his first season in the Premier League, Aldrich accomplished the remarkable feat of achieving a double over the traditional powerhouse Liverpool.

However, they then faced a draw against Blackburn at home.

The Millwall fans were now less concerned about the league standings.

In front of thousands, Millwall managed a 1:1 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road, advancing to the League Cup finals with an aggregate score of 3:1 over their opponents.

Their final match opponent was Aston Villa, currently ranked fifth in the league.

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