In the sixth of a series of pre-season reports, HarryFromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums, looking here at how things have progressed for the newly-promoted Millers this summer. All of the teams in the division will be covered between now and the start of the season.
"Is anyone else feeling the lack of excitement around what's going on at the club? Some of the signings we have made so far are underwhelming and we are getting linked with young loan players from the same division when we should be looking to fetch young players permanently from lower leagues.”
"Not getting relegated is the aim of the season”, "It's going to be a tough season without a doubt, and we will soon see if the players old and new are up to it”, "I hope some positive things are going to happen in next few weeks because right now I’m not looking forward to this season at all.”
Rotherham fans knew that this season would be an uphill battle once the dust had settled on their League One play-off final win over Shrewsbury in May. They have great faith in manager Paul Warne but many are apprehensive about him staying faithful to the core of his promotion-winning squad.
"I can understand Warne wanting to give the team that got us promoted a go. Reward success, hard work and maybe uncover a gem good enough for the Championship to sell on but on the flip side if you know a player isn't up to standard, why give him a chance and potentially cost us points?”
"Warne is doing the best he can with his tiny budget”, "I'm just glad we have some sort of plan for a change, with a manager that knows what type of player he wants and what he wants to achieve with them. We've had too many headless chicken performances in the past from our managers.”
"Warne has to work within an uncompetitive budget, get wholehearted players that fit his team structure and focus on us working as a unit. Frankly we can't afford to take big gambles on proven Championship players. They will be out of our price range unless their career is plummeting.”
"I hope we buy wisely with the future in mind, keep faith with Warne whatever and see the whole project as steady building, even if that involves another relegation fight in short-term”, "There is a good chance our signings will be Championship standard once they have had Warne’s treatment.”
The 45-year-old former Millers’ striker replaced Kenny Jackett as caretaker-manager in November 2016 before taking on the role permanently in April the following year. Fans appreciate his ability to spot talent and work with a tiny budget, and many want him to remain even if the side do struggle this season.
"Warne is spot-on with what he is doing and realistically this is our only way forward with the big boys in the Championship. My biggest fear is losing him if we do well next year. If the worst happens and we go down again we have good League One players ready to give us a chance to yo-yo back up.”
"There are a lot of poor players earning big money in the Championship, players we need to treat with a very long barge pole. Cherry-picking in League One is a much sounder plan”, "We can't sell our players at Championship prices because we don't have any. We'll have to develop them.”
"We can't afford a Championship team so we'll have to make one.” Warne has added two players from Blackpool, defender Clark Robertson, 24, and 25-year-old striker Kyle Vassell. Full-back Billy Jones has also arrived from Sunderland, the 31-year-old free transfer arriving on a two-year deal.
"Robertson is a big centre-half who was Blackpool’s Player of the Season last year. He could turn out to be a superb signing and by the look of Vassell’s record he was never given a chance until Blackpool. One goal every 2.5 games is not bad for his age and if you look at videos he definitely has potential.”
"Vyner has been very highly thought of with all the clubs he has played for.” Right-back Zak Vyner has also arrived on a season-long loan from Bristol City and he is seen as a replacement for Town’s Josh Emmanuel who had a hugely successful time loan last season at the New York Stadium.
Warne has largely kept his play-off winning starting XI together, losing only the three loan signings who have returned to their parent clubs. Goalkeeper Marek Rodak (to Fulham) and midfielder Richie Towell (to Brighton) have left along with Emmanuel and their two positions are seen as the most urgent to fill.
"I really hope we push the boat out and get a quality midfielder who can influence a match.” Many expect that the loan market will help Warne cover any deficiencies in the squad. "Maybe Uncle Neil can help us with that”, "Will Mr Warnock be the cavalry with a signing or two for us?”
Rotherham have played two non-league and two Austrian teams thus far and have fielded makeshift sides in each game as Warne has used them to try out ideas. Their first friendly against league opponents sees former manager Neil Warnock and his Cardiff City team visit the New York Stadium tonight.
It is possible to piece together a starting XI for the Millers’ opening game against Brentford based on the core of the side which triumphed in the play-offs along with the summer additions. Former Town keeper Lewis Price has featured in pre-season but he is expected to eventually be a bench option.
Although lacking in experience, fans are happy with the balance of the side. Full-back Billy Jones has yet to feature but his experience could benefit the backline, while striker Vassell has had a strong pre-season, scoring a hat-trick in their most recent game, a 4-1 win at Stocksbridge Park Steels.
"We are what we are, and that for me at the moment is a yo-yo club. In other words, one of the leading lights in League One and a very small fish in the Championship.” Survival is the be all and end all for Millers this year, and with this comes a plea for everyone to be realistic in their expectations.
"Where do we go from here? What is our actual ambition? Don't ask me as I for one don't know the answer. At a push we could probably manage seventh from bottom of the Championship but where do the supporters or club hierarchy really expect us to finish?
"I ask this as without serious investment do we really think a top half finish is possible? One thing concerning me is the natives getting restless if we do get off to a bad start. Warne will be jettisoned and we will be back to square one with the usual merry go round of out of work managers.”
The busiest Millers’ forum is Millers Mad.