Notes for the New Season — Part Two: Rotherham, Huddersfield and Blackburn Wednesday, 23rd Jul 2014 14:10 In the second of a series of pre-season reports, HarryFromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums. Rotherham United, Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers are under the spotlight in today’s notes. Rotherham — Life on the Roller-Coaster ”We could just surprise a few clubs this season. We won’t make the top 10, but get ready for another roller-coaster ride and don’t forget to fasten your seat-belts. We could be in for a bumpy hairy scary enjoyable season.” The Millers achieved back-to-back promotions after beating Leyton Orient on penalties in the play-off final in May, their never-say-die mentality exemplified by their coming back from being 2-0 behind to force a shoot-out. “Our success over the last two seasons has been based primarily on how unified and committed the squad was as a whole”, “I think a lot of clubs will underestimate us this season”, “If, at the end of the season, we’re fourth from bottom, I wouldn’t be calling for anyone’s head. I’d still be very happy.” Steve Evans “It took me a long time to warm to Evans (pictured above) but, my God, I’d be gutted if he left us. I have total faith in him now. The only manager as single-minded and driven as Steve is Alex Ferguson”, “The man is who he is — love him or loathe him — but no-one can knock him.” Millers have huge faith in their manager’s drive and man-management skills, and especially in his unquenchable will-to-win mentality. “One thing is certain, and that is that he won’t keep plodding away of we don’t start well. He will keep changing things until he gets it right.” “Steve Evans is worth 10 points”, “We all know what Steve Evans management style is like. It’s either my way or the highway. If the signings knuckle down and work hard, there won’t be a problem”, “In Steve we trust. I would rather come back down with him than get rid and hope to stay up.” Getting Established “We need to get the stability that surviving in the Championship will bring next season”, “I think we’ll be on the end of a few batterings, so how we bounce back will be critical. We have spirit in abundance, provided the new signings show some resilience.” “If last year was a roller-coaster, this one will be more dramatic”, “With my heavily rose-tinted specs on, I could make a case for nine teams doing worse than us, so 15th place it is then”, “Fifteenth would be nice. If we continue with our work-rate and never-say-die attitude then who knows?” Transfer Dealings “The signings we have secured, on top of our existing squad, should give us what we need to survive”, “A lot of fans are expecting too much too soon. We have signed players we can afford.” The Millers have recruited no fewer than 10 players thus far this summer, nine of whom have previously played at this level. “Experience of playing in this league is going to be important, and proven top Championship players are expensive.” The emphasis has been on building a squad by bringing in players with a proven track record, rather than going for marquee signings. “I’m sure the style of football we have been played in the last two seasons will suit most of the new players”.
In defence, former Ipswich keeper Scott Loach, Middlesbrough full-back (and ITFC loanee) Frazer Richardson, Blackpool centre-back Kirk Broadfoot, Charlton centre-back Richard Wood and Crawley defender Matt Sadler have been signed. Midfield has been strengthened by the arrival of (another former Blues loan signing) Paul Green from Leeds, the promising young Conor Newton from Newcastle and wideman Ryan Hall from Leeds. Three new strikers have been signed. The experienced Matt Derbyshire has arrived from Forest along with “the frighteningly quick” Febian Brandy from Sheffield United and 22-year-old Jordan Bowery, who has joined “for an undisclosed record fee” from Aston Villa. The arrivals of Ryan Hall, who was jailed in 2011 for affray, and Febian Brandy have raised a few eyebrows. “Brandy is one loose cannon. I do hope Evans sorts him out, but I won’t hold my breath as nobody else has”, “The word ‘released’ seems to crop up regularly on his track record.” Paul Green was very highly praised. “He’s a solid signing and much thought of by big Mick”, “I’m surprised and glad we signed him. Paul Green is a top player.”
“The guy is a quality professional at this level. Our entire season will be built on this lad. Mark my words, as 31 he’s twice the player (Millers transfer target) Boro’s Richard Smallwood is, and he is only half a league or so from an all-out whistles and bells Paul Scholes.” Scott Loach “Loach — what a signing that is!” “I think this is a cracking signing for us. Hopefully Loach, with his experience and natural talent, can provide a bit more quality between the sticks. Loach is proven and obviously highly rated.” The arrival of our former keeper has been wholeheartedly welcomed by Millers. “I have no qualms about this at all. We cannot establish ourselves in the Championship without two good keepers”, “I hope he can find his earlier career form because he wasn’t Ipswich’s number one last season.”
“An Ipswich mate and season-ticket holder said that Jewell destroyed him. The defence was a calamity and Jewell refused to do anything about it. Then he suddenly gave Loach the chop when it was a collective defensive and managerial disaster. He never really came back.” There is widespread expectation that his new boss will bolster Loach’s self-belief. “A new start will give him renewed confidence”, “This is a great signing, and I trust that Steve Evans will instil the confidence Loach may need.” Huddersfield — Another Long Season “This squad just doesn’t have the quality for anything other than a relegation scrap. The league is looking stronger than at any time since we returned and I’m concerned”, “I can’t see anything other than another relegation battle unless we make some good signings quickly.” A quiet transfer window and a poor second half to last season have many Terriers worried. “Just before Christmas last season, we were 11th and playing some brilliant football. Everyone has agreed that the second half of last season was unacceptable.” “A good start is essential, as that is what has saved us in the last two seasons”, “The slack that manager Mark Robbins was cut by (chairman) Dean Hoyle will soon tighten up if there is a bad start”, “We will know by Christmas if Robbins can blend the squad into a winning team.” Mark Robins “I believe that Mark Robins deserves another chance. A change of manager may have brought a bit of short term relief from the poor position we found ourselves in during the second half of the season, but we would still be back at square one in trying to establish a pattern of play.” Town played a passing game with a 3-5-2 system under Robins last season, but this descended into a turgid and ineffective “possession for possession’s sake” game as form and fitness took their toll late on in the campaign.
“We are not going to be another Swansea, because our manager hasn’t the balls to get us to play that way. His version of passing football certainly doesn’t resemble the football Swansea played in any shape or form.” Another Relegation Scrap “My heart says a top half finish, but my head predicts another relegation scrap”, “It’s going to be a tough season and hard to predict anything else. I’d be happy to just finish higher than we did last season and continue moving in the right direction.” “I would look for us to be somewhere between 14th and 16th if key players stay fit. If they don’t, I think we could be in trouble. I don’t think we have any depth in the squad if we lose two or three players for a lengthy period.” “When you factor in our inactivity in the transfer market, you’d be a fool to imaging anything other than a battle at the wrong end of the table in the coming season”, “Given that we’re in the bottom 25% in terms of finances, any finish over 18th would see us over-achieving anyway.” Transfer Inactivity “Where are the signings, Town?” Notable released players include veteran midfielder Keith Southern and striker Cristian Lopez, but 32-year-old keeper Joe Murphy (from Coventry) and 27-year-old ex-Leeds full-back Lee Peltier are the only arrivals thus far on to Huddersfield’s books for the coming season. Most Terriers believe that survival this season will hang on the form and fitness of midfielders Adam Clayton and Oliver Norwood, and strikers Nakhi Wells and especially James Vaughan. “If Vaughan gets injured, we are sunk”, “If Vaughan does not get 20 goals, we are in a relegation battle.”
Terriers are weary of speculation involving Adam Clayton, with Middlesbrough, Forest and Brighton having been linked with the 25-year-old former Leeds midfielder. “If he wants to go and doesn’t share our vision, great. I wouldn’t accept anything less than £2 million and I don’t think our canny chairman will.” It may well be that the key to Huddersfield’s survival will come from the strengthening of the coaching team, with the notable arrival of former Rochdale boss Steve Eyre in a senior coaching role and former Blackpool manager Steve Thompson as Robbins assistant. “Hopefully the new back room team can help inject a little more impetus into our play and a little more fitness into our players. We proved we had a good team early on, but injuries and fitness problems took over.” Blackburn — Cautiously Optimistic “I’m looking forward to the new season. I like the balance Bowyer achieved in the latter part of last season.”, “The team that finished last season was significantly stronger than the one that started it.” Rovers found a real vein of form in last season’s run-in, finishing the season on an unbeaten 12-game run. “The way we finished last season, added to the fact that we have kept this team together are reasons for fans to be optimistic for this season”, “The aim for Rovers should be top six this season. I think top two can be achieved if we start well and lose no key players to long term injuries.” There is no doubt that supporters expect the team to be firmly in the promotion race. “It will be interesting to see how the relegated sides go next season”, “The most pertinent issue is whether the team can be injury-free for long enough periods of the season.” The Closing of a Chapter “We are finally leaving the ‘lunatics in charge of the asylum’ period behind us. We’ll have to wait and see whether this crop of players is good enough, but we do appear to be moving on at last.” There is a sense that the traumatic events of the recent past are starting to be put to bed. “It’s been such an unbelievable horror story under this lot. It’s hard to resist reminding yourself of the events we were subjected to. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I’d think it was a work of fiction.” Gary Bowyer “Bowyer has turned the side around in what are still seen as difficult circumstances, and has made some shrewd signings”, “The squad we have is very good, and Bowyer would have learned a lot from last season.”
“Bowyer has been found to be no mug in the transfer department so far during his tenure.” The feeling is that the signings in particular of midfielder Tom Cairney, followed by striker Rudy Gestede during the campaign galvanised the squad and contributed to their strong late season run. The manager has been deliberate in his transfer dealings, having identified the need for a “utility defender, central midfielder and additional striker” to strengthen the squad at the start of the transfer window, without spending heavily. One In, One Out “There is huge work in the summer to slash the wage bill. It will be easier said than done.” Gary Bowyer’s comment that “this club needs another three windows before the squad is back where it should be” struck a chord with many Rovers. The emphasis has as much been on departures as it has been on arrivals. “We all know the transfer budget. It’s one in, one out.” Rovers have parted company with strikers David Goodwillie, former Blues loanee DJ Campbell, attacking midfielder (and former ITFC target) Alan Judge and holding player Dickson Etuhu, substantially reducing their wage bill. New terms have been agreed to keep on midfielder David Dunn, full-back Tommy Spurr and the left-sided Markus Olsson, and former Blues striker Jordan Rhodes agreed a contract extension to 2019.
Two strikers have joined, ex-Leeds player Luke Varney and former Doncaster frontman Chris Brown, while Alex Baptiste has joined on a season-long loan from Bolton to cover the problematic right-back position, with Todd Kane returning to Chelsea after his loan spell last season. Fans were hopeful that promising Manchester United defender Michael Keane would sign for them after a successful loan spell, but this is unlikely now. The 21-year-old has travelled with United on their pre-season tour, and Cardiff are poised to outbid Rovers should he leave Old Trafford. Jordan Rhodes “We seem to go round and round the Rhodes merry-go-round”. The contract extension signed by the former Blue sparked the familiar debate about his wider contribution, but the vast majority of Rovers are delighted with this news, especially given the partnership he is forming with Rudy Gestede. “The most important signing of the summer”, “Rhodes signing a new contract is great news and it now ends any speculation of him leaving”, “It wards off any interest in him, and whacks a couple of extra millions on to any future transfer fee.”
There was some anxiety with rumoured bids from Everton and Norwich in May. “Norwich normally always pay over the odds for useless strikers.” However, the consensus was clear: “I don’t know how anybody can seriously consider this to be anything other than good news for the club.” Message Boards The busiest Rotherham forum is Millers Mad. The most informed Huddersfield message board is Down at the Mac , while the most active Blackburn forum is the BRFC Supporters Internet Site. On Friday, the spotlight will fall on the three remaining Lancashire teams of Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, and whatever is left of Blackpool. You can read Part One of Harry’s Notes for the New Season here.
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