Morning Conversations

On Friday night, Aldrich returned to his parents' home in the eastern suburbs for the night. When he got up the next morning, his mother, Amelia, had already prepared breakfast.

Even though the family remained wealthy, Amelia, who had lived as a working-class woman for half her life, still preferred to do things herself, especially household chores. She didn't mind the effort; in fact, she wouldn't know how to pass the time if she weren't a dedicated housewife.

"When are you bringing Bert and Earl over to London?" Amelia asked, placing the breakfast in front of Aldrich while pouring him some milk.

"They're fine staying with Melanie's parents," Aldrich replied casually.

"Isn't Melanie working in London?"

"Yes."

"Have you two met?"

"No."

"Then this needs to be discussed properly. You are their parents, yet you're not around your children. How can that be?"

Aldrich sighed softly and said, "I don't want it to be like this either. But while I have the rights of a father, I don't have the right to take the children. Simply put, I can visit them, but where they live and who looks after them is up to Melanie, unless my son is being neglected or raised in a poor environment."

Amelia frowned.

Such situations weren't uncommon in London, a cosmopolitan city where relationships were often complicated. It was becoming popular for single mothers to have children without wanting a partner, or for women to seek children without marriage.

She had heard about this and brushed it off, but now that it was happening to her son, it felt tricky.

Arthur came downstairs in his pajamas, yawning as he sat at the head of the dining table. He picked up the day's newspaper, and as he read, his eyes widened. He slapped the paper down on the table and cursed, "Bloody idiot!"

Aldrich turned to Amelia and smiled, "If my son is going to hear that kind of language every day, I'd rather let him stay in Liverpool."

Amelia rolled her eyes, feeling helpless about Arthur. That was just how he was—over fifty and yet still unchangeable.

Aldrich knew Arthur was upset about something he had read in the newspaper. Sometimes, this old rogue liked to dwell on trivialities. If the paper had some unflattering comments or questionable news, why not just toss it aside? But he always ended up sulking about it.

He remained silent, quietly eating breakfast. But after just a couple of bites, Arthur couldn't hold back anymore and said, "Son, why are some people so arrogant?"

"Oh? What's the paper saying now?"

"I just find it odd that Bates, that old bastard, keeps saying Chelsea will become the Roma he's building. Chelsea hasn't even won a Premier League title! What a joke! And now Leeds is temporarily in second place, and Ridsdale says they'll surpass Millwall in a few years. Talk about delusions... Back when our Lions were dominating the Premier League, I never said anything like that, did I? They really have no shame, getting bolder as they go!"

Seeing Arthur sighing heavily, Aldrich couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Arthur asked, intrigued.

"I'm just amused by how naive you are."

"Naive?"

"Absolutely."

"Are you calling me foolish?"

"Not at all. I'm merely pointing out the truth. Sure, they're shameless, but they're not proud. They're simply taking the chance to elevate their team's profile. Millwall has been doing the same thing in recent years."

Arthur looked at Aldrich, puzzled, "On the same path? I hardly ever accept interviews and I haven't made any arrogant declarations."

Aldrich chewed on his toast and replied, "They make grand appearances when their team is doing well, issuing bold statements to draw attention to their club. In a way, it's a publicity strategy. If your team is doing well but the club isn't making any noise, it will soon be forgotten. You can't guarantee your team will always perform well, so the spotlight will shift quickly. They want to create a buzz. Millwall, on the other hand, isn't just talking; we're backing it up with action. Our PR team has been working hard to establish good relationships with major media outlets, trading exclusive news for their promotion of us. Otherwise, why do you think people talk about Millwall daily? There are so many top teams in Europe, scoring goals every week, and clubs producing impressive winning streaks. Yet Millwall can claim six or seven consecutive wins and get all the attention. Do you know who Hitler's Minister of Propaganda was?"

Arthur shook his round face and said, "I dropped out after high school; I know who Hitler is, but I have no idea who his minister was. But you dropped out of elementary school, remember?"

Aldrich sprayed crumbs of bread as he laughed, wiping his mouth and saying, "Goebbels. He was a master of public relations. He said, 'If you're going to lie, tell a big one! Because a big lie often carries a certain credible power.' From a psychological standpoint, everyone tells small lies, but they don't dare tell a big one, so they subconsciously believe others wouldn't either. Thus, when someone tells a big lie, people tend to find it credible. Here we are, discussing Bates and Ridsdale's statements and calling them shameless distortions of the truth. Chelsea and Leeds are miles apart from real powerhouses. But with Chelsea's massive investments and Leeds' sensational summer signings, paired with good performances, they're telling these big lies. Some people will choose to believe or anticipate them, and even if they remain calm, they'll keep an eye on Chelsea and Leeds to see if they can succeed, waiting for their lies to be exposed. But the outcome doesn't really matter. What's important is that this attention and sustained interest is exactly what Bates and Ridsdale want!"

Arthur squinted his eyes, mumbling to himself, "Those two bastards really have a way of going about things! I thought they were just idiots, but I see now it's my ignorance."

Aldrich laughed loudly, and Arthur was just as he always was: he cursed passionately but never disguised himself. He wouldn't pretend to be highborn, wouldn't try to seem deep, and definitely wouldn't act like a gentleman.

As Arthur began to eat his breakfast, his confusion lifted, and he felt he had nothing left to be angry about, even though the Leeds United chairman's boast of being greater than Millwall still rubbed him the wrong way.

"Son, should we occasionally indulge in a little fib? Like claiming Millwall will become the greatest club in the world, the universe, and all of human history?"

A cough followed.

Aldrich laughed until tears nearly sprang from his eyes. His breakfast might be terrible, but his spirits were high.

After he cleaned up the mess in front of him and took a sip of water to clear his throat, he turned to Arthur with a smile. "Goebbels had a famous saying: the only goal of propaganda is to conquer the masses!"

Arthur, chewing on his sausage, responded, "What does that mean? How does it relate to us?"

Aldrich explained, "We're tirelessly promoting our team, making sure it stays in the conversation. Over time, Millwall will become ingrained in people's minds. Even someone who doesn't care about football might hear the name Millwall in the future and know it's a football club. No matter their allegiance, they'll have a rough understanding of Millwall. That's our goal with promotion, and it won't happen overnight; it requires time to build. Compared to those who loudly boast but can't deliver, I believe this is the right way to go."

There are all sorts of promotional tactics, and some are more respectable than others.

Just like the art of hype: some get famous through scandal, while others rise through genuine talent. Such stories play out daily in Britain. Women who gain notoriety overnight are as common as water but seldom last or achieve true success.

Arthur nodded after hearing this and said, "Son, I support you and believe you can definitely make it happen."

After breakfast, Aldrich chatted with his parents for a while before heading off to work in good spirits.

The match against Leeds United was scheduled for Sunday. Today, he finished morning training at the club and attended a pre-match briefing in the afternoon. As he was preparing to attend the pre-match press conference, the Premier League results from Saturday were released.

He wasn't concerned about the results from other teams, but others were.

Manchester United had a three-goal victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, bouncing back from their defeat at White Hart Lane.

Arsenal, however, could only manage a dull draw against Newcastle. Bobby Robson's return to the Premier League had clearly improved Newcastle's performance, and he gave Wenger a taste of his own medicine.

Before the match against Leeds even kicked off, they had slipped to third place in the league table, level on points with Arsenal but one behind Manchester United.

Aldrich attended the press conference looking revitalized; he usually appeared calm and composed, sometimes giving off an easygoing vibe, but today he seemed full of vigor.

When he walked into the conference room, the atmosphere shifted. Before sitting down, he greeted all the reporters with a smile, saying, "Hey, gentlemen, anything you want to ask? Unfortunately, tomorrow's not going to be a top-of-the-table clash anymore; Leeds have dropped a spot."

The journalists perked up; they could sense the fighting spirit radiating from the young coach.

After all, Leeds had gotten a bit too cocky recently!

Ridsdale's comments could be forgiven; as the chairman, dreaming about the team's future and painting a bright picture for eager fans is no crime.

What chairman doesn't indulge in empty promises for applause?

But Leeds' O'Leary claiming they had beaten Millwall last season and remained undefeated was a bit over the top. He seemed overly confident in his ability to handle Aldrich and Millwall.

Ferguson, Wenger, and the three Chelsea managers from recent years, along with Keegan who once competed for the title with Newcastle—who the hell dares to guarantee they can handle Millwall? Those managers typically keep a low profile and pass the pressure onto Millwall. O'Leary's words seemed like a misguided attempt to motivate his team.

Oh, Keegan had his share of bravado too, and indeed eliminated Millwall in a double cup tie that season. But what was the end result? Keegan ended up losing the league title he so desperately coveted, unable to hold his head high in front of his rival, Ferguson.

Not only O'Leary, but the entire Leeds squad was making bold claims during interviews, vowing to defeat the seemingly invincible Millwall at Elland Road.

Players like Alan Smith, Bowyer, and Kewell were all fired up.

In contrast, former Millwall players like Ferdinand, Mills, and Duff seemed to deliberately avoid the topic—perhaps out of fear or unwillingness to worsen relations with their old club.

Today, Aldrich was in a good mood, full of fighting spirit.

Yes, it's good! It's not that we're afraid of provocation; we're just worried the Premier League is full of cowards!

It had been a long time since someone had disrespected him. The last person to do so was Van Gaal.

He had forgotten how many times he had taken on Barcelona.

No matter, Leeds United was on the rise, and we were ready to unleash our full firepower in this battle!