We May Just Be Ugly Enough To Stay Up - Notes for Rotherham Friday, 6th Feb 2015 10:08 by HarryFromBath Harryfrom Bath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game by delving into their forums. “Steve Evans is not building a dynasty here. It’s all about the here and now. Expect more signings, more highs and more lows before the season is out”, “I have no idea what the plot of the play is and the cast changes daily”, “It’s a rollercoaster, but it’s making me ill.” A 4-2 win over Bolton last Tuesday week and a 1-1 draw at Charlton last Saturday have improved the mood of Millers immensely. Prior to this, they endured a run of 15 games which yielded just one win. With eight draws included in this run, some see the issue as one of turning these into wins. “I think that finishing fourth from bottom will be an achievement and that is what we’re aiming for. Anything else would be a bonus. Fans expecting us to challenge for the top half need to get into the real world.” The Millers are currently two places and three points above the relegation zone. “Just a few years ago we were playing in an athletics stadium in Sheffield with crowds under 4,000, and witnessing some of the worst football I have known from a Rotherham team. Are things really that bad?”, “We may just be ugly enough to stay up. So, we need to get ugly.” Steve Evans“The thing I admire most about Evans is his honesty”, “To sack him would be so much of an injustice to a man who has brought so much joy and success to this club”, “Evans isn’t my cup of tea, but in the absence of any sensible alternative I will stick with him.”  The former Boston United manager strongly divides opinion among Millers. “I reckon his management style is Marmite. Evans decides early on whether a player will buy into his style or kicks against it. If it’s the latter, he gets rid of him”, “Like it or not, there can only be one boss.” “We are frustrated with some of his player recruitment, his ability to deal with certain players, his general behaviour in interviews or on the side of the pitch, but it doesn’t mean we want him sacked”, “He is annoying in so many ways but I’m staying on his side to see if this works.” “The bloke is the biggest tinkerer since Barry Fry.” His critics don’t like his operating style and his “rather gung-ho transfer policy”, “He is just shuffling the cards and taking a gamble that the strategy will work”, “It seems that if a player doesn’t immediately deliver, they are out.” “Naming and shaming players won’t get them back on track. Look how the Crawley players reacted when he left”, “Evans is a man who bears grudges”, “Perhaps this is his ceiling. He’s a very good lower league manager whose use of loans and rapid player turnover produces results.” The Revolving Transfer Door“We need stability”, “We have wasted so much money on players coming and going. Now the smoke signals in the New York Stadium indicate that the cupboard is nearly empty”, “The money was there, but it was wasted on dross. Becchio, Wordsworth and Paul Taylor wouldn’t have come cheap.” “Two promotions in two seasons have meant that we have had no time to build the right kind of squad for this season”, “This season is being treated as an all-out last-gasp short-term exercise in which we won’t have our own players, whichever division we’re in.” Rotherham have used 27 outfield players in the course of their last eight games, nine of whom left in the January window either on loan, as transfers or being returned to their parent clubs. Five of the six January arrivals have arrived on loan. Many Millers feel that this approach creates instability. “I watched a good squad of players last season with a never say die spirit, which needed a couple of signings to make us a competent Championship side. Instead we see the whole squad dismantled and replaced with a bunch of journeymen with no affiliation to the club or the fans.” Charlton 1 - 1 Rotherham“When I heard we had conceded late on I was dejected, but to hear we had then equalised was pure delight.” The Millers earner a point at the Valley when Danny Ward’s injury time equaliser cancelled out Jordan Cousins’s 83rd minute opener. “The never say die spirit gets us out of jail.” “Come on Millers, let’s pick up the pace. Attack”, “After a bright opening 10 minutes we seemed to lose our way again. We reverted to the ponderous passing game which gives opponents all the time in the world in which to organise their defence.” “If we had been sharper in front of goal, we could have won, although Charlton fans might be thinking the same.” The consensus was that a draw was fair, but Millers were disappointed that the team were unable to maintain the tempo of their convincing win four days earlier over Bolton. Rotherham 4 - 2 Bolton“What a night. The team had a purple patch and could have been 7-0 up at one point had we put the chances away”, “I was absolutely knackered having to keep getting up and cheering the goals. We are simply not used to it”, “Great stuff and please, please, please stick to what we’re good at.” “Has anybody any remote idea of when we last scored four?”, “We had a team out with a hunger to succeed”, “It just shows what a bit of self-belief and confidence can do. It was beautiful to watch, a truly fantastic, memorable night. Here’s to more of the same.” “That had been a long time coming.” The Millers overran a lacklustre Wanderers side to take a 4-0 lead with less than an hour played. Fans attributed this success to playing attacking football at a high tempo, playing people in their natural positions and using the full width of the pitch. “All four goals were quick breaks. Since when did we break with pace or numbers like that?”, “We had two defensive midfielders, but Paul Green’s shackles came off. Running from deep caused confusion and asked Bolton another question.” “See - playing 4-4-2 with two proper wingers will win you more games at home than you lose. The whole team was excellent”, “We looked more balanced with a right-footer crossing from the right and a lefty on the left”, “We had players in the positions they felt most comfortable in.” CollinRichardsonMorgan (c)ArnasonFryersNewtonGreenSmallwoodPringleSammonDerbyshire
The starting XI Evans used in both the Bolton and Charlton games showed a change of emphasis from previous matches. They stretched play with wide players operating on their natural flanks and having two strikers to aim for. “We sound decent when we go for it.” “We did drop deep at times and give the ball away poorly, which has been a theme this season”, “I was a bit annoyed about the substitutions. We were misplacing passes and looking a bit tired at the 70-minute mark. It needed a replacement or two to break up play and bring on fresh legs.” The two late goals Bolton scored could have been avoided had Evans reacted more quickly with his substitutions, but Millers were happy that he brought on attacking replacements rather than shutting up shop. “Not bringing on an extra defender and inviting Bolton on was a good move.” Rotherham 0 - 2 Bournemouth“The real test of the rollercoaster is today. Bournemouth have broken records and hearts during this season.” Having dumped Rotherham out of the FA Cup in the third round with a 5-1 win, the Cherries returned two weeks later and Millers were understandably nervous. “On the stroke of half-time they score with a header from a freekick”, “We could have conceded from three freekicks in the first 15 minutes”, “This is scary. We have improved no end on the Cup game but you just have to fear every time they come forward.” “It’s a shame that we had five new players in the team when playing the league leaders.” Supporters felt that the team gave a better showing than in the Cup game but they were up against a better side. “If Evans had Eddie Howe’s transfer kitty, I guess we might get that goal scorer we all want.” Fans were happy with the team’s positive play. “It’s refreshing to see that we are running directly at them and having shots”, “When we got the ball, we seemed to be a bit more direct than we have been in many games. We were trying to get forward rather than passing the ball from side to side.” “Is there a sniper in the crowd?”, “Take nothing away from Bournemouth. They were the better side, but why do they have to resort to blatant cheating?”, “I counted five clear dives by Callum Wilson today as he seemed to go down every time he was tackled and did not win the ball.” Defence“Failure to clear in the box cost us against Bolton and Charlton. It’s a common theme”, “The defence held its own against Bolton until two silly mistakes.” Millers are happy with a defence which has been solid this season, even though it has failed to keep a clean sheet in the last eight games. “We need a quality centre-half who can score 10 goals a season from corners.” Fans would like to see the defence offer more than just solidity. “We need someone with pace at centre-half”, “The full backs Evans wants to bring in will be young and much quicker than the ones we have used.” “Some of Adam Collin’s shot stopping has been second to none this year and kept us in games.” The 30-year-old ex-Carlisle keeper is well regarded, and “is one of, if not our best player. He makes great saves and commands his box well. He has made a few errors but does a lot more good than bad.”  “The lack of pace and poor intervention by Morgan and Arnason at centre-back leave Collin exposed sometimes”, “Collin was at fault for the second Bolton goal, where a simple punch would have sufficed”, “Collin is a good goalkeeper keeping Scott Loach out, thank God.” “Frazer Richardson is a weak link. He’s like Joe Skarz [the Millers’ former left-back, now with Oxford], who works hard but who isn’t good enough. He is ponderous in attack and lacks pace.” The 32-year-old former Boro right-back “tends to aim for areas when under pressure rather than playing to feet”. “Richardson grew into the Bolton game after a brilliant recovery.” His tackling is praised, but there is one recurring theme when the former Ipswich loan signing is discussed. “He has no pace whatsoever and is not up to it when dealing with pace and trickery”, “He’s too slow.” “Jack Hunt looks a player.” The 24-year-old joined on loan from Crystal Palace last week and came off the bench against Charlton into the right-midfield slot. “He looks excellent, sort of in a James Tavernier mould. He can really attack and deliver into the box”, “He has pace and is a good crosser.” “Hunt is an exceptional and very good defender, good going forward”, “A Forest fan [where he was on loan earlier this season] said he was excellent in his first few games but went off the boil. He was surprised he was coming to us”, “He seems committed to running at defences as often as possible.” “Craig Morgan has been poor against Bournemouth and for some time, He’s sadly out of this depth in this league and not leading the team as a captain should.” The 29-year-old former Preston centre-back “was out of position and beaten for pace for recent Blackpool and Birmingham goals.” “Morgan lacks pace but does the no-nonsense defending to a high standard”, “His heading, tackling and interceptions against Bolton were to a high standard. They played into his hands by playing it in the air a lot, but the ball still had to be won”, “He’s solid but slow.” “Zeki Fryers looks a good signing. His class also seems equalled by his lack of match fitness.” The 22-year-old left-back is on a month’s loan from Crystal Palace. “He had a difficult debut against Bournemouth but an impressive game against Bolton”, “He has awareness of how to play the role.” “Fryers is very quick and we must use his pace. He made a few lightning breaks against Charlton and interrupted a Charlton break on the other flank”, “He has good technical ability”, “He won a number of tackles against Bolton and brings height and physicality. His pace and directness created a goal.” Kari Arnason“Arnason is the best centre-half we have and although he makes mistakes, he’s better than the others.” The 32-year-old former Aberdeen man “is the only defender at the club who can pass a ball and bring it calmly out of defence”, “He thinks quicker than most of our squad when in possession.”  The Iceland international “makes elegant breaks out of defence and we have another attacking option when he links with the strikers in that way”, “Some of the slide-rule passes Arni delivered were sublime, along with his turning Bolton attackers in circles.” “He has been the root cause of gifting goals. He was caught on the wrong side of a Bournemouth striker and it cost us. This isn’t the first time he hasn’t done the basics”, “One of the reasons he gets caught in possession is due to the lack of movement in front of him.” Central Midfield“The problem is not just scoring - it’s the entire final third of the pitch. We can break well, but a firewall pops up and says ‘you must go back or sideways’ as soon as we get to 30 yards out, and we oblige willingly”, “We lack a playmaker at this level.” Paul Green“Paul Green looks his age. His legs are slow, he’s not fit enough to last 90 minutes and his judgement is poor”, “I don’t think he’s good enough for Championship level football. He seems to lose the ball and miss big chances”, “He can be tidy and get stuck in, but often holds on to the ball too long.”  The 31-year-old former Leeds player “had his best game for the Millers” against Bolton. “Green is still prone to daft mistakes for such an experienced player, but his energy and drive was as good as they have been all season”, “He got on the end of a lightning break to score our third.” “Green supports Smallwood in a positive forward-thinking manner rather than merely sitting in front of the back four.” The former Ipswich loan signing has been criticised for his finishing. “He has been guilty of missing some massive chances for us.” Richard Smallwood“That was a Herculean performance by the Smallster.” The 24-year-old former Middlesbrough man “is a superb tackler. He either wins the tackle or gets a toe in to disrupt the play. He ushers opponents into safe areas every time the ball is near him. What a player to have in the team.”  “The less you notice a holding midfielder in the game, the better. We would be a weak proposition in the middle without him”, “Smallwood is there as an option for a pass when we are playing out from the back”, “Most people don’t see what he does on the ball let alone what he does off the ball.” “Smallwood was awesome against Bolton”, “He kept snapping at their heels, playing with true grit”, “This was the Smallwood I wanted to see, not shackled in the back as he has been recently but driving us forward, passing and tackling brilliantly higher up the pitch”, “He never put a foot wrong.” Wide MidfieldThe balance of the team was greatly improved by playing Conor Newton and Ben Pringle on their natural wings against Bolton. They worked as a unit and offered a direct threat, unlike the now-departed Paul Taylor who “was running down blind alleys and wasting opportunities”. The Ipswich man has fans and critics. “Taylor is frightening when he goes at teams with pace. He runs into blind alleys but at least he gets forward and drags players with him”, “You could see team mates complaining to Evans about him wasting opportunities and over-running the ball.” “Adam Hammill looks an improvement on Taylor.” The 27-year-old Huddersfield loan player “is lively and quick, with two good feet. Less lollipops, dummies and releasing the ball quicker, and he will be a good player”, “He could do with tracking back more and getting Fryers to overlap on the left.” “Conor Newton is looking a very good signing. The young lad “has real composure on the ball”, “His pace and strength give us something we haven’t had”, “I love his bravery, impudence and energy”, “It’s good to see somebody right-footed who can cross the ball without having to cut inside.” The 23-year-old former Newcastle man “is more creative than Smallwood or Green”, “Newton has looked like he wasn’t petrified to try something different”, “His attacking intent is something we have been missing all season”, “It looks like the apple has finally dropped.” Ben Pringle“Get a ball on to Pringle’s beautiful left foot, and he will deliver.” The 25-year-old former Ram “ran the show against Bolton, probing, linking and making us into a side. His finish from a beautiful cross [for the Millers first] was incredible”, “His decoy run for Derbyshire’s goal was sublime.”  “His pinpoint deliveries and 20 yard screamers have given us all plenty to cheer”, “Pringle looks to be the kind of lad who just wants to be playing football, attacking and causing chaos”, “Unfortunately he’s not blessed with the natural athleticism to compete consistently at this level.” “The crucial element for Pringle was the shape of the team and who he plays with. If there is an intelligent player behind and alongside him they will create the space for him because he lacks pace. Find him that space and he will hurt teams. He can’t do it himself because he’s too slow.” Strikers“I think Evans tried to make us solid this season and stop us conceding goals, but I don’t think he thought we would struggle to score goals.” Rotherham have scored just 26 league goals in 28 games. “If only we could score goals.” “We have played well all season and we are not mid-table due to a lack of composure in front of goal”, “Play a settled strike force for three or four games in a row. We might actually surprise ourselves and score some goals.” Jordan Bowery has featured from the bench in recent games. “I think Evans saw a big quick striker available from a top side and worth a chance. He has looked lost when we have seen him.” The 23-year-old former Aston Villa man “makes no impression when taking pressure off the defence”. There has been little said about Danny Ward, the 24-year-old player who has arrived on loan from Huddersfield at the start of January. Ward missed the Bolton win, but “created a lot of space for himself” against Charlton. “Didn’t have much impact but made a crucial contribution with his goal.” Matt Derbyshire“I am so glad Derbyshire scored against Bolton. Hopefully he’ll be the player we need now.” The 28-year-old former Nottingham Forest striker has only managed two goals this season. “He had next to zero impact in the Charlton game, as is fairly usual”, “  “Derbyshire’s movement off the ball is top drawer. I feel that we are very fortunate to have him in the team”, “He certainly has pace”, “He has started running between central defenders, pulling them out of shape for Sammon to come deep and link up.” He is regularly praised for his movement. “Based on the chances he has had and missed, Harry Redknapp’s missus would be in double figures by now”, “He missed an open goal from a yard against Bolton.” His lack of goals has been criticised but some Millers blame the manager. “He will never get sharpness playing once every three weeks.” Conor Sammon“Sammon couldn’t control a single ball in the warm-up and he moved to do some shooting practice, missing all six attempts on an empty net and all that under no pressure.” The loan signing from Derby has started the last three games since recently moving on from his Ipswich loan spell.  He has quickly generated comment. “I don’t get this signing at all”, “He has little quality to offer”, “He lacks every single attribute we need in a striker”, “Game fitness does not improve footballing skills and this chap has none”, “He’s not far off being a fish - both try to avoid the net at all times.” “Sammon won’t get many goals, but that isn’t his job. It is to win the ball, bring others in and stretch the pitch by pushing the defensive line back. We need a striker like that to generate space for the midfield”, “He’s a battering ram type of forward with a bit of speed about him.” “Sammon looks like a pub player. He plays like a pub player and contributes very little. He can’t win headers, he can’t score goals, his movement is poor, he does not anticipate crosses and his link play is poor”, “He has no pace, aerial strength and poor control. He is not a goalscorer.” Millers’ Views on ITFC and the Game“We’ll have a clearer idea of how good we are after the Ipswich match.” After two decent results, many Millers feel that Saturday’s game will be an opportunity to assess if real progress is being made. Some sense that we they might be playing us at a good time. “Ipswich have been labelled recently as being a little 'flat'. Maybe we can take advantage?”, “Ipswich look to be running into a bad spell”, “I’ve got a mate here who is an Ipswich fan and he says they are poor at the moment - 1-0 Millers.” “I have a feeling we could get three points on Saturday. We have a bit of confidence after the last two results and it would set us up nicely for a positive run hopefully. I'm convinced if we can pull away a little we could stay there. Should be a decent crowd we need to get behind the team.” “A point would be an excellent result if we can defend for 90 minutes and not give them any freebies”, “I would like to predict a win but we have a poor record against them so I will moderate my enthusiasm by predicting a 1-1 draw”, “I feel this will be a bridge too far, 0-2.” WebsitesThe busiest Rotherham message board is Millers Mad. Some interesting comments can also be found on the quieter Millers Banter.
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