For neutral fans, a football derby may be sitting on the sofa with a beer in their left hand and a snack in their mouth, calmly waiting for a fair game, but for the managers, players and fans of both sides of the derby, it is a war.

Millwall need war, and on the road from small to top, derby war has to exist.

Take a look at the big clubs in the world, Manchester United vs Liverpool, Milan derby, Italian derby, Madrid derby, Spanish national derby and so on.

If a giant team does not have a comparable derby throughout the season, then such a giant will be slightly dimmed, such as Bayern Munich, undoubtedly Bayern is the most dominant team in German football, but from the public perspective, the 1860 city derby, the Bavarian derby, the North and 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 Mönchen, Hamburg, to the contemporary Dortmund, the national derby opponents have changed and changed, But the tradition of the derby is continuous, not just pick the strongest opponent can be named the reputation of the derby to create a sensation, the strong and strong collision, the game is exciting, but the connotation of the derby culture cannot appear out of thin air.

Aldridge can't tell why Millwall and West Ham United are still in a state of undying rivalry, this relationship has no reason to last for a hundred years, it is not a mystery novel to find clues to sort out the context, or there are unjust debts and owners, everyone can sit down and talk calmly about "when is the time for retribution".

Behind the derby, there is always a history of humanities, politics, economy and other factors mixed with the changes of the times, just like people who know the history of Spain It is easier to understand the war between Real Madrid and Barcelona, it is by no means a simple football game, it contains the history of confrontation between the Catalan nation and the Spanish ruling class, and there is also a half-century-long political black hand behind the scenes, even if Real Madrid was founded by Catalans in the previous life, there is Catalan blood in the body, but the hatred between Barcelona and Barcelona, Since the end of the 70s, the political factor has continued, and the strong antagonism continues.

Millwall is located in London, Aldridge feels that this is a very fortunate thing, excluding London is an international metropolis, which is conducive to the long-term development and rapid rise of the club, and more importantly, there is no shortage of derby opponents in London, today perhaps from the fame 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, and in the context of the derby, the attraction of strong confrontation will be more prominent.

Millwall's bus arrived safely at Upton Park, West Ham United's home stadium.

The players were a little nervous, after all, they had witnessed the "welcome method" of the Hammers fans on the way here.

Aldridge didn't say anything to the players, just let them feel the atmosphere themselves, although the east London derby is not a contest between the top teams, but the hot atmosphere is one of the few in England, and playing in such an atmosphere is also a kind of luck for the players, if a player has played in a quiet stadium atmosphere all his career, then he will definitely feel lacking when he retires.

Football is a hot and passionate sport.

When the players changed into their jerseys and went to the pitch for a pre-match warm-up, they were thrilled by two things.

The stands at Upton Park were packed, with Millwall fans placed in the south stand, separated from the Hammers, and two rows of security officers standing in the east and west aisles, facing their seats, alert for fans on both sides to come into contact.

The Hammers fans in the stands no longer blew bubbles or sang the team anthem, and the fans of the two major openings in the east and west moved in unison and pointed to the south stand and shouted wildly.

"Your support shit is not as good!"

"Millwall is dead today!"

Originally, when going to the away stadium, the Roar fans would organize a large number of members, but today because of the competition for tickets, Brady only came to Upton Park with a few hundred members, and Millwall fans were also around them, but it was not a fan organization, and there must have been members of extremist groups among them.

In this atmosphere of hot confrontation, everyone was infected, and they couldn't be calm at all, the fans of the Hammers attacked them with abuse, and they also began to fight back, and the fans even began to throw debris at each other to attack each other, if it wasn't for the police to stop immediately, take away more than a dozen fans on both sides, and expel them from the field, I don't know what the situation would have become.

The players who warmed up inside the stadium were also uncomfortable, and the fans closest to the stands collectively insulted them, pointed them at the middle finger, greeted their families in various ways, and even mixed with racist remarks.

Millwall's players struggled to keep their composure, perhaps the most nervous moment of their lives, and the turf beneath their feet annoyed them.

Is this a stadium?

It's a rotten vegetable patch!

Not to mention the potholes, there are even many places that are still bare, and the ball can be bumped and undulated on the ground several times when the ball is passed to the warm-up teammates, and in the process of bumping, the ball naturally has a slight change of direction.

Of course, this is premeditated by the Hammers, Redknapp has studied Millwall's style of play, focusing on ground passing and cutting coordination, and it is a football style of speed + skill + team.

West Ham United, on the other hand, continue to play rough, they are not afraid of a bad field, the ball is flying anyway, not rolling on the ground, the field is uneven, potholes, which will limit Millwall's speed.

Just imagine, on that kind of bad field, fast players run up, naturally have to be careful with their feet, in case one accidentally steps in the pit, most of them will sprain their ankles.

Redknapp is not yet old, at least his hair is not gray, but he has the potential to be calculating, and this field alone can minimize Millwall's technical and tactical advantage and increase the Hammers' chances of winning the game.

Aldridge, who has been preparing for this game since half a month ago, naturally knows all this.

West Ham have not maintained the turf since last week's game, and the intelligence collectors he sent in came to see it every day, and Aldridge knew what Ray was up to in midweek.

With Schneider injured in the Wimbledon match, Aldridge had some trouble with his line-up for this game.

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

Bang dang

The movement made the players frightened, they were a little nervous, and naturally they were extremely sensitive to the sound, they looked at Aldridge, and thought that the manager was also careless.

"Today, you don't need that. You may not know how deep the hatred between Millwall and West Ham United is, yes, hatred, mortal enemies, it is impossible to shake hands and make peace, it is that I am defeated by you today and you will pay the price, it is I who dance on your grave and still have to drag your body out and whip it from time to time to celebrate, this is the East London derby, if you are frightened and frightened by the momentum of the Hammers, then I will be very disappointed, you will not be able to achieve higher achievements, you are under pressure, you see the 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 that a football stadium is not an opera house, and welcome to the fiery and brutal East London derby. ”

Aldridge spread his hands expressionlessly, and the players collectively looked up at him, with the illusion that Aldrich was now more like an iron-blooded general, and they were the soldiers who were about to go to battle.

"In today's game, I can't say that the winner is secondary, because it's more important than ever! But on top of the victory or defeat, there is more meaning, what we have to show is fighting spirit, blood, and cruelty! Fight like a man to the last and win, the fans will see you as heroes, just as you have reigned over the world, defended your homeland, opened up your land, and you will be greater in the hearts of the fans than Napoleon's achievements! I've always been proud of you, you've made me proud, but today, if anyone is timid, someone is backing down on the field, then I'm sorry, and I can only be honest and say: I have no reason to look up to you anymore. That's it, before you play, please lower your head and stare at the team emblem in the top left corner of your jersey for a minute. ”

Aldridge walked out of the locker room and went to the pitch early.

Quite a few players lowered their heads to stare at the crest on their jerseys.

Like Trezeguet, he understands better than anyone what Millwall means to him, maybe this is not his last stop, but it gives him a stage to take off, and it may be hypocritical to talk about honor, and Millwall has given him more practical fame and fortune.

Gareth Southgate is the most knowledgeable player in his squad to understand the culture of English derby, and although he came from Crystal Palace, he has grown up here and the doors of the England national team have opened to him, all of which will not be possible without his trajectory at Millwall.

As the captain, he said in a deep tone: "Guys, today, let's work hard." ”

With that, he stood up, and so did the other players, and Southgate said in a low voice: "Millwall! ”

"Rush! Rush! Rush! ”

The teammates said in unison.

"Millwall!"

Southgate was a little louder.

"Rush! Rush! Rush! ”

The teammates said loudly with sharp eyes.

"Millwall!"

Southgate roared.

"Rush! Rush! Rush! ”

The whole team roared in unison.

Pushing the door open of the dressing room, Southgate led the way, and Millwall's lions marched out in formation like wild beasts unleashed from their cages.

PS: Thanks to "Bai Yi" for the tip!