The Young Lion

One hundred and three Millwall! Go, go, go!

For neutral football fans, a derby may be sitting on the sofa with a beer in their left hand and snacks in their right hand, calmly waiting for a wonderful and intense fair game, but for the coaches and players of both sides of the derby , fans, this is a war.

Millwall needs war, and derby wars must exist on the way from a small team to a top team.

Take a look at the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United vs Liverpool, Milan derby, Italian derby, Madrid derby, El Clasico and many more.

If a giant team does not have a comparable derby throughout the season, then such a giant will be slightly bleak, such as Bayern Munich, Bayern is undoubtedly the most dominant team in German football, but from the public point of view, the same city The 1860 Derby, the Bavarian Derby, the North-South Derby, etc. will not attract strong attention from the outside world, so that Bayern itself is tirelessly shaping the national derby to attract attention. Borussia, Hamburg, and contemporary Dortmund, the national derby opponents have changed again and again. In other words, the derby tradition has continuity, instead of just picking the strongest opponent to be crowned with the name of the derby to create a sensation, strong confrontation, the game is exciting, but the connotation of the derby culture is not May appear out of thin air.

Aldridge also couldn't explain why Millwall and West Ham United are still in a state of endless rivalry. This relationship has no reason after a hundred years. It is not a mystery novel that can find clues to sort out the context , or if there is a grievance and a debt, everyone sits down and calmly talks about when will the grievance be repaid and it can be resolved.

Behind the derby, it is always based on the changes of the times, mixed with historical, cultural, political and economic factors. For example, those who understand Spanish history can more easily understand the war between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is by no means a pure football match. Contains the history of the confrontation between the Catalan nation and the Spanish ruling class, and also has half a century of political black hands behind the scenes to fuel the flames. Even though Real Madrid was founded by Catalans in its previous life, there is also Catalonia flowing through it. However, the hatred between Barcelona and Barcelona ended the political factors in the 1970s, and the strong confrontational sentiment is still continuing.

Millwall is located in London, and Aldridge feels that this is a very lucky thing. Excluding London as an international metropolis is conducive to the long-term development and rapid rise of the club. More importantly, London has many derby opponents. In terms of quality and status, the East London Derby is in line with Millwall's strength, but in the future, Millwall can compete with teams like the revived Arsenal and the rising Chelsea. In the context of the derby, the attraction of strong confrontation is only will be more prominent.

The Millwall bus arrived safely at Upton Park, home of West Ham United.

The expressions of the players were slightly nervous. After all, on the way here, they witnessed the welcoming means of the Hammer fans.

Aldridge didn't say anything to the players, just let them feel the atmosphere. Although the East London Derby is not a contest between top teams, the hot atmosphere is one of the few in England. Playing in an atmosphere is also a kind of luck for the players. If a player has played in a quiet court atmosphere throughout his career, he will definitely feel regretful when he retires.

Football is a passionate sport.

When the players put on their jerseys and headed to the field for pre-game warm-ups, they were terrified by two things.

The stands at Upton Park were packed, and Millwall fans were arranged in the south stand, separated from the Hammer fans. There were two rows of security police standing on the east and west aisles, facing the seats.

Be wary of contact between fans from both sides.

The fans of the Hammers in the stands stopped blowing bubbles and sang the team song. The fans from the east and west two big stands pointed at the south stand in unison and shouted wildly.

Your support is not as good as shit!

Millwall is dead today!

…

Originally, Roar fans would organize big-ticket members for the away game, but today Brady came to Upton Park with only a few hundred members because of the competition for tickets. They were also Millwall fans, but It is not a fan organization, and there must be members of extremist organizations among them.

In this hot and confrontational atmosphere, everyone was infected and could not be calm at all. The fans of the Hammers attacked them with insults, and they also started to fight back. The fans even started throwing objects at each other to attack each other. If the police hadn't stopped them immediately, took away more than a dozen fans from both sides, and expelled them from the field, we don't know what the situation would have turned into.

The players who were warming up on the field were also uncomfortable. The fans closest to the sidelines collectively insulted them, gave them the middle finger, and greeted their families in various ways, even with racially discriminatory remarks mixed in.

The Millwall players tried to keep their composure, perhaps the most nervous moment of their lives, and the turf under their feet made them extremely angry.

Is this a stadium?

This is simply a rotten field!

Not to mention the potholes, there are even many places that are bare. When a ground ball is passed to a teammate who is warming up, the ball can bump up and down on the ground several times. During the bumping process, the ball naturally has a slight change of direction.

Of course, this was premeditated by the Hammers. Redknapp has studied Millwall's style of play, focusing on the coordination of ground passes and cuts. It is a football style of speed + technology + team.

And West Ham United is still continuing the rough style of play of the powerful faction. They are not afraid of the bad ground. The ball flies up anyway, not rolling over the ground. The ground is uneven and potholed, which will restrict Millwall. speed.

Just imagine, on that kind of bad field, when a fast player runs, he naturally has to be careful with his feet. If one accidentally steps on a pit, he will probably sprain his ankle.

Although Redknapp is not old, at least his hair is not gray, but he has the potential to be good at calculating. This field alone can minimize Millwall's technical and tactical advantages and give the Hammers Help increase the chances of winning the game.

Aldridge, who had been preparing for this game half a month ago, naturally understood all of this.

West Ham has not maintained the turf since last week's game. The intelligence collectors he sent came to look at it every day. Aldridge knew what Lao Lei was planning in the middle of the week.

Because Schneider was injured in the match with Wimbledon, Aldridge's formation in this game has been in some trouble.

After the players returned to the locker room, Aldridge stood in front of the tactical board and pushed it lightly, pushing the tactical board to the ground.

bang

The movement made shocked the players. They were a little nervous, and naturally they were very sensitive to the noise. They looked at Aldridge and thought that the head coach was also careless.

Today, you don't need this. You may not know how deep the hatred between Millwall and West Ham United is, yes, it is hatred, it is sworn enemy, it is impossible to shake hands, it is today that I was defeated by you You will also have to pay the price. It is I who dance on your grave and still have to whip your corpse out to celebrate. This is the East London Derby. If you are frightened by the momentum of the Hammer Gang, Then I will be very disappointed, and you will not be able to achieve higher achievements. You are under pressure. When you see hostile fans with hideous faces, you may wonder: We don’t know each other, but why do you want to kill me? I want to tell You guys, a football stadium is not an opera house, welcome to the hot and brutal East London derby.

Aldridge spread his hands blankly, and the players collectively looked up at him. There was an illusion that Aldridge was now more like an iron-blooded general, and they were soldiers about to go out.

In today's game, I can't say that winning or losing is secondary, because it is more important than ever! But there are more meaningful things than winning or losing. What we want to show is fighting spirit, passion, and cruelty! Fight like a man to the end and win, the fans will regard you as heroes, as if you ruled the world, defended your homeland, opened up the country, you will be greater than Napoleon's achievements in the hearts of the fans! I have always regarded you Proud, you make me proud, but today, if anyone is timid, if anyone shrinks back on the court, then sorry, I can only say frankly: I have no reason to respect you anymore. That's it, before going out on the court , please look down at the team emblem on the upper left corner of the jersey for a minute, thank you.

After Aldridge finished speaking, he walked out of the locker room and went to the court ahead of schedule.

Many players lowered their heads to stare at the team logo on the jersey.

Like Trezeguet, he understands the meaning of Millwall to him better than anyone else. Maybe this is not his last stop, but here is a stage for him to take off. It may be hypocritical to talk about honor, but it is more practical Millwall also gave him all the fame and wealth.

Southgate is the player who understands the English derby culture best among this group of players. Although he transferred from Crystal Palace, here he has grown up completely and the door of the England national team is also open to him. It is inseparable from the trajectory after coming to Millwall.

As the captain, he said in a deep tone: Guys, today, work hard.

After finishing speaking, he stood up, and the other players also stood up. Southgate said in a low voice: Millwall!

Go! Go! Go!

The teammates said in unison.

Millwall!

Southgate was a little louder.

Go! Go! Go!

The teammates said sharply.

Millwall!

Southgate roared.

Go! Go! Go!

The whole team roared in unison.