It’s something that has been picked up on by Millwall’s fans in one of the less salubrious terrace songs. He came in and is a lovely, bubbly character.” However Lawrence goes on: “Maybe I didn’t think he was going to be like that.”Wise’s past, of course, is pocked with ugly incidents including a conviction for an assault on a taxi driver, which was overturned on appeal, and the alleged attack on his team-mate at Leicester City, Callum Davidson, after a dispute over cards Davidson was left with a broken jaw. The “little blackguard’s” worth to the Millwall team is immeasurable both on and off the pitch.David Livermore, the former Arsenal apprentice, who is probably regarded as Millwall’s most accomplished passer after Wise, is candid in his assessment “Dennis has obviously got this image,” the 24-year-old says. “And I expected Dennis to be exactly how he’s been portrayed in the press and obviously what his past has shown.”The club captain, Matt Lawrence, whose career has been revived by Wise moving him to central defence, adds: “You can’t always believe what you read about people in newspapers. “Little things like that do count,” says the erstwhile journeyman striker who has been Wise’s only cash signing, through money generated by the Cup run, in the surprisingly successful months since he was appointed. “And it got everyone up for it,” Dichio adds.Whether Wise, 37, recovers from a calf injury to lead Millwall into their first and, astonishingly, his fifth FA Cup Final may determine whether there is another champagne moment.

“This time we expect Kristal,” jokes Dichio.Wise is always bubbly, never mind the tipple. He is desperate to appear and took himself off to Rome in midweek to receive some “deep massage”, according to Wilkins, which gives him every hope of making the starting XI. Even if he’s “10 per cent fit” he wants to play in an attempt to become the first player to win the Cup with three different teams, after his successes at Wimbledon and Chelsea But it is not, Wilkins insists, about personal glory. “We’d all said our bits and pieces,” he explains, recalling the nerve-racked minutes before the semi-final at Old Trafford against Sunderland. “And then Dennis and Ray [Wilkins, the assistant manager] had a tray of pink champagne lined up for us. And we all had a quick shot and they said ‘Right boys, let’s go out and enjoy it’.”It makes Dichio chuckle It’s the essence of Wise’s managership.

Pink champagne and Dennis Wise It’s a strange combination. But so, everyone would think, is the old Menace and management But it works

Pink champagne and Dennis Wise It’s a strange combination. But it works.
The Millwall striker, Danny Dichio, who will miss today’s FA Cup final through suspension, takes up the story. NUMBERS GAME Man Utd United will contest their 16th FA Cup final today, after a Cup run involving 16 goals United’s key figure is likely to be Roy Keane, their No 16. Omen? Defeat could hasten the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and the arrival of the 16th different manager in United’s history. Millwall Millwall contested the fourth FA Cup semi-final of their history on the fourth day of the fourth month of 2004 Their winner was scored by their No 4, Cahill The opponents’ No 4, Jason McAteer, was sent off Omen? Millwall to win 4-0 in the final..

The biggest fee they have paid for a player was £800,000 for Paul Goddard The biggest fee received was £2.3m for Mark Kennedy. Millwall Have one official supporters’ club in England and one official fledgling branch in Australia. Other overseas fans’ groups include the Antwerp Lions in Belgium and the US Lions in America Average home attendance is 9,711. MONEY MATTERS Man Utd United have a Stock Market value of around £600m. Fastest-selling item this week is the Cup CD, “Oh Millwall”, with 1,500 sales at £3.99 in first three days. WORLD APPEAL Man Utd A recent survey claimed United had 50 million fans worldwide, including 12m in the UK.