The English Football League's forty-six rounds have co to an end, and only four teams remain to battle it out to determine one playoff champion that will ascend to the Premier League. On the sa night the league concluded, Aldrich gathered all the players at the team's training hotel.
In what is usually a serious tactical eting room, Aldrich and his coaching colleagues were dressed in suits and appeared relaxed, sharing laughs and jokes.
The players arrived one after another, each with different styles; after all, it was sumr, and everyone was in casual attire, except for a few older players like Southgate and Nedved, who dressed a bit more formally.
Aside from Van Nistelrooy and Luca Toni, who had limited appearances last season, most of the players had integrated into Millwall's club life and genuinely viewed themselves as part of this team.
Once all the players had taken their seats in the eting room, Aldrich pressed his hands down to silence the room. The players, smiling, focused their attention on Aldrich. It was hard to believe that an entire season had passed, and they were enjoying their ti at Millwall so much.
"Playing is all about winning; it's the source of our joy, and improving ourselves also ans our careers are on the rise. Plus, with our current inco levels, we may not rival superstars, but we're overall better compensated than the average top league player by over 20%."
"I was planning to summarize the season during today's eting, but I see it's unnecessary now. We won the championship, and that's the reward for our hard work over the past season, isn't it?"
After Aldrich's words, applause and cheers erupted from the players.
"I know you must be eager to go on vacation, haha, so I'll keep it short. First, based on your performances last season, I've written recomndation letters to your national federations suggesting you join the national team. Of course, many of you are still young, so even making it to the youth national teams is an honor."
At this point, many young players' eyes lit up with excitent.
They never expected Aldrich would go this far.
There had always been tension between clubs and national teams, but it wasn't exactly an adversarial relationship. After all, the more international players a club has, the bigger its fa becos. However, national teams don't pay players but bring them risks of injuries and fatigue.
In essence, Aldrich was trying to win over the players. As his team prepared for the bigger stage of the Premier League next season, he thought it better to proactively recomnd players rather than wait for national associations to notice them. This way, he could make a favorable impression and build stronger ties with the players. Why not take advantage of the situation to foster goodwill?
This was not rely insincere flattery; Aldrich wrote detailed recomndations for many players, outlining their characteristics and roles in various tactical formations, along with performance data and highlight reels. Whether his letters would be taken seriously by national federations was of little concern to Aldrich. He did his part, so he could be at peace with himself.
Aldrich continued with a smile, "Next season, I believe we can challenge for the championship trophy, but that's still a distant goal. For now, you can leave and enjoy a delightful vacation with your families. Oh, and Larson, if you don't mind, we'll have soone from the club collect the award for best player in the League One. Of course, if you'd like to stay in London a bit longer, you're welco to keep company."
Larson shook his head with a smile. The best player award was determined by the Professional Footballers' Association, and Millwall wouldn't be contending for any of the other significant awards in England.
As the players stood up and made their way out of the eting room, so waved goodbye to Aldrich, others joked around, and a few exchanged warm hugs.
Once all the players had left, Aldrich turned to Jansen and asked, "When are you leaving?"
This sumr, Aldrich intended to continue his recruitnt efforts to bolster the coaching staff at every level and implent his tactical philosophy. New coaches with an attacking mindset were essential.
Jansen replied that he would leave the day after tomorrow, as the club's sumr training camp began on July 18. "I promise the new coaches will report by the first week of July."
"Great, enjoy your vacation!"
Aldrich shook hands with each mber of the coaching staff before heading to his office alone.
Most of the hotel staff had already started their vacations, and the empty corridors echoed with the sound of Aldrich's footsteps as he walked and pondered.
The importance of coaches can't be overstated, especially in England, where the "exam-based education" system has profoundly impacted football. It's challenging to produce players with world-shattering talent here; even those who gain temporary fa often fade into diocrity once they hit the first team.
Much of the issue lies in England's training models and coaching philosophies. Even years after the Premier League dominated European football, fans rarely see distinctly talented English players, and the exceptional ones are few and far between. Many promising English youth eventually beco "well-rounded" yet lack notable technical skills, and nurous disappointnts are reported through injury crises.
Aldrich did not favor English coaches; he preferred to cultivate talent with the guidance of Dutch coaches who could truly bring players' talents to the forefront. Developing players takes ti; coaches lay the groundwork for teams' traditions and identities, which is much more important than simply scouting players in the transfer market. After all, even if Aldrich could acquire a football genius, if they were guided into diocrity, it would be a significant regret and pain.
As he pushed open the door to his office, he walked inside.
Across from his desk sat two people: Adam, the club's CEO, and Thompson, the head of the dical departnt.
Both stood, and Aldrich waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for formality among familiar faces. "I called you two here today because I need you to collaborate on sothing."
Aldrich walked around to sit behind the desk and got straight to the point. "Doctor Thompson, sports dicine erged as a field in the early 1990s in the UK, and professionals in this area are certainly scarce. Currently, our club only has five licensed doctors, and I don't think that's enough—not nearly enough."
In his thirties, Doctor Thompson was well-spoken and had an academic aura. He adjusted his glasses and replied, "Sir, I'd like to know your reasoning behind that. Last season, our players didn't experience any major injuries, and those that did were treated well, recovering better than expected."
Aldrich nodded, contemplating for a mont before responding, "Doctor Thompson, I'm not a dical professional. Over the past period, I've spent ti educating myself on this field. Please correct if I'm mistaken."
Thompson nodded. He respected the young boss across from him. His standing in the club was much higher than in many other large clubs, where sports dicine professionals faced resistance. Even if they were hired, they often took on multiple roles, like carrying players' luggage or arranging training equipnt—indicative of the traditional clubs' distrust toward new sciences. In contrast, Aldrich genuinely valued Thompson's expertise, and Thompson had enjoyed his ti at Millwall.
Aldrich voiced his thoughts, "Doctors can identify the sport an athlete participates in by examining the areas and nature of their injuries. For example, if a person's spine is unbendable, they might be a snooker player due to the prolonged upright bending position. Wrestlers tend to develop cauliflower ears from years of training and matches; herniated discs are a common concern for beach volleyball athletes; divers often experience retinal issues, while swimrs might suffer from Marfan syndro. Long-distance runners face stress fractures, shooters can develop 'yellow heart disease,' sumo wrestlers may encounter dissociative disorders, track athletes are subject to cervical spondylitis, and football players frequently experience tendinitis. If soone presents symptoms connected to most of these ailnts, they're likely a football player, Am I right?"
Doctor Thompson's eyes widened slightly as he nodded after a mont of silence.
The injury rate among football players is high, and predicting specific injuries is challenging. One could argue that football has advanced the dical field, raising awareness of terms like niscus, tatarsals, peroneus brevis, and cruciate ligants, as well as a myriad of injury nonclature that would overwhelm even the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Aldrich calmly asked, "With so many daunting injury nas, my question is simple: can our dical departnt handle these injuries? Can we provide our players with the best dical treatnt?"
Thompson's face darkened slightly as he shook his head helplessly.
The modern division of dicine has beco increasingly refined; being skilled in one area makes soone an expert. Football players' bodies can sustain injuries to every bone and muscle, including unseen parts like nerves and ligants. Relying solely on five doctors to manage that was indeed a pipe dream.
Aldrich spread his hands and stated matter-of-factly, "You see, this is exactly my point. We must expand the dical departnt to avoid misdiagnoses and improper treatnts in the future, ensuring my players' health. So, I plan to recruit fifteen more sports dicine doctors."
"Boss, that budget—" Adam interjected.
He felt Aldrich's proposal was akin to suggesting the club should build a hospital, which was a bit extre.
Aldrich turned and looked at Adam, speaking softly, "Adam, do you know how much a star player might go for in the future?"
Adam shook his head.
"I'll tell you. Ten million pounds is only an ordinary transfer fee for a player in England. True stars will fetch anywhere from twenty-five million to fifty million pounds. So, I'm not just discussing the dical departnt's importance; from a business standpoint, if a player suffers a career-ending injury, we're looking at a loss of tens of millions. If multiple players fall to injuries, it's astronomical! Keep any doubts about player values to yourself—ti will reveal the answer."
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