Media View: Expert insight on Rotherham

Junior Stanislas’s double, his second from the penalty spot, earned the Cherries a 2-0 victory at Vitality Stadium on Tuesday as Jason Tindall’s team made it a hat-trick of successive wins.

Rotherham have collected 12 points from their 13 games since making an immediate return to the second flight having finished as runners-up to Coventry in League One last season.

The Millers have beaten Sheffield Wednesday (3-0) and Preston (2-1) at the AESSEAL New York Stadium together with winning 1-0 at Wycombe on the opening day of the season.

Paul Warne’s team also chalked up 1-1 draws against Birmingham, Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest, leaving them in 19^th place ahead of the visit of the second-placed Cherries.

Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Paul Davis who covers the fortunes of Rotherham for the Rotherham Advertiser.

ROTHERHAM UNITED IN PROFILE

Manager: Paul Warne (appointed caretaker November 2016, permanent January 2017)

Club captain: Richard Wood

Last game: QPR 3-2 Rotherham United (Championship)

Leading goalscorer 2020/21: Dan Barlaser, Freddie Ladapo, Matt Crooks, Jamie Lindsay (two)

League position: 19th

Past six league results: WLLWLL

afcb.co.uk: Sum up Rotherham’s season so far? 

PD: Rotherham are a club with a small budget in the Championship so anything outside of the relegation places is good. They aren’t in the bottom three so it has been a good start.

They were relegated from the Championship in 2017 and 2019 but what’s been encouraging this time is that they have looked pretty competitive. Before, they had to rely on good Championship teams being off their game to have much chance of getting anything.

This season, they have gone toe-to-toe with some established clubs so the standard of performance has been pretty good and that’s encouraging.

They tend to play well either in the first half or second half. They haven’t really put 90 minutes together. If they could do that then they would have a chance of finishing comfortably outside of the relegation places.

afcb.co.uk: Paul Warne (pictured above) has been in charge for four years – what are his main strengths as a manager? 

PD: He was here as a player and as a fitness coach and was a legend before he became manager and is even more so now.

He’s a brilliant bloke, a good human being and he only wants to sign good human beings. Rotherham have a group of great footballing people.

He’s a great man-manager and he has a tremendous sense of humour. Underneath the humour, there is a very serious and driven man in terms of what he wants to achieve for himself and the club.

He has completely transformed the playing operation. Back in 2016, Rotherham were in footballing crisis after three months of Alan Stubbs and one month of Kenny Jackett.

Warne had no chance of keeping them up in that first season when he took over at the end of the November but got them promoted from League One at the first attempt.

It was a brave but ultimately unsuccessful fight against Championship relegation in 2018/19 but he got them straight back up again last season.

On the budget he has and at this level, no manager could achieve more than Paul Warne has. He’s a legend in the town for a reason.

With Rotherham being in the lower reaches of the Championship, there’s always some concerns from some fans but 95 per cent of the fan-base would happily have him as manager for the next five to ten years.

afcb.co.uk: Give us a word on Shaun MacDonald (pictured above)?

PD: He’s one of the unluckiest footballers ever and one of the nicest human beings ever.

He came to Rotherham with a good pedigree but not having played a great deal because of injury.

He came from Wigan Athletic and you could tell straightaway there was a player there. But he had horrible luck in his first year when a succession of injuries and illnesses stopped him playing.

He got himself completely fit in pre-season and started superbly. He was Rotherham’s standout player in the first eight or nine games. He played in a midfield holding role and always did the right thing with the ball.

He can dig a little bit more than people realise. Out of possession, he will get his foot in or get hold of the ball. He had become a key player until Rotherham went to Stoke and he landed awkwardly after going up for a header and broke his leg.

He’s expected to be out until February. It’s a terrible blow for him and a real setback for Rotherham.

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afcb.co.uk: What’s the goalkeeping situation at the club?

PD: Jamal Blackman is on loan from Chelsea. He has come here to play games and is first choice.

Rotherham signed Viktor Johansson in the summer. He’s a young Swedish goalkeeper who had been released by Leicester City. He’s only played one game but he’s brave and crazy.

He’s already a fans’ favourite and I think he’s a long-term solution to the goalkeeping position. He’s only 21 and has time on his side. He came in for one game when Blackman was injured and was an instant hit in a 2-1 win over Preston.

Blackman recovered from an ankle injury and has been back in the side for the past two games. At the moment, it’s Blackman’s shirt and he would have to play badly to lose it. But one day Johansson will be Rotherham’s number one goalkeeper.

They signed ex-Lincoln goalkeeper Josh Vickers earlier this month. He’s come in on a one-year contract as third choice because Lewis Price retired from playing and joined Bournemouth as under-23 goalkeeping coach.

afcb.co.uk: Who is Rotherham’s one to watch?

PD: On his day, the player with the most Premier League quality would be Dan Barlaser (pictured above) who they signed in the summer from Newcastle on a full deal having had him on loan last season.

Warne describes him as his playmaker and in terms of getting on the ball, string pulling, spraying passes left and right and seeing things which other players don’t, he’s top-flight quality.

This is his first season in the Championship and when he’s on, he’s really on. He’s a little inconsistent since he rejoined but he’s a player with genuine quality. If he plays well, Rotherham play well.

afcb.co.uk: Are any players either injured or suspended against the Cherries?   

PD: They have had shocking luck with long-term injuries and have four players out at least until February – Kieran Sadlier, Chiedozie Ogbene, Clark Robertson and Shaun MacDonald.

Robertson would possibly be a first-choice centre-half and Sadlier was just starting to look good after signing from Doncaster Rovers.

Right-winger Ogbene, who they signed from Brentford, is probably the biggest blow of all. He’s the quickest player I’ve ever seen. He could probably do the 100 metres in 10.6!

When they are under pressure in games, he will take the ball from the edge of his own penalty area and take it 60 or 70 yards in no time at all and do something or win a foul. He’s crucial to the way they play and February can’t come soon enough to have him back.

afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?

PD: I’m a lifelong Rotherham supporter and it’s a privilege to cover the club. I don’t let it get in the way of my reporting and am very objective.

But I would never back against my hometown club. I think Bournemouth will win the league this season and they are a great side. They lost some players but kept some great ones.

In any other game I would tip them to win but I’ll go for a 1-1 draw.

You can follow Paul on Twitter – @paulm_davis

Officials: Geoff Eltringham (referee), Craig Taylor (assistant), Nik Barnard (assistant), Leigh Doughty (fourth official).