Rotherham Tough Opponents as Town Look to Get Back to Form Friday, 6th Feb 2015 12:38 Town boss Mick McCarthy expects Rotherham United to be tough opponents as the Blues look to get back to form when they make their first ever visit to the New York Stadium on Saturday. The Blues have won just one of their six games in all competitions since the turn of the year. McCarthy admits that the recent drop in form is a concern but points out that the Blues are still fourth in the table, just three points behind leaders Bournemouth and Derby in the other automatic promotion place, and two off third-placed Middlesbrough. “Of course, but I don’t sit and worry about it,” he said. “We discuss it, what we can do to improve it and look for reasons why. “We’ve had a fantastic season so far, we’re three points off the top. Because we’ve had such a good run, everyone gives me the stats, we’d lost one in 20 and now we’ve won one in six, but we’re still three points off the top. “There are times in a season when that happens and it happens to everybody else, it’s just how you recover. But we’ve a really tough one at Rotherham on Saturday to try and recover.” He says the Championship remains as unpredictable as ever with last weekend’s results illustrating the point. “The league is bonkers, isn’t it? Look at it last weekend when the bottom teams all did well. “Wigan came here and got a point and will have thought it was a really valuable point, but then they find out that Millwall have won and Blackpool won as well. “And it’s the same at the top. The other week when results didn’t go well, you looked at it and Bournemouth lost, Norwich only drew and the teams behind us only drew, Wolves only drew, Brentford lost. “We’re not going to win them all. It’s how you cope with that and whether you get so up or down with the results. And we try not to, I certainly don’t.” McCarthy, who celebrates his 56th birthday on Saturday, is confident that Rotherham, who are currently 20th three points off the drop zone, will stay up, despite having won just once in their last seven games in all competitions. “Absolutely, 100 per cent,” he insisted. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Rotherham won’t be in any danger. In fact they’ll be mid-table to the top end. “TC and myself watched them against Bolton and they absolutely bashed Bolton [4-2], and at Charlton on Saturday they played well there and should have won the game [it was a 1-1 draw]. “They’ve got Frazer Richardson playing for them, they’ve got Paul Green playing for them, Conor Sammon, all lads who have been with me and know what we’re about. “And I’d have to say Rotherham were like that. They were 4-4-2, they worked extremely hard, they’ve got some good players, Matt Derbyshire playing up front with Conor, who looks like he’s on his game. Ben Pringle’s back in the team. They’re a handy outfit, I have to be honest.” One of McCarthy’s players from his time at Wolves, winger Adam Hammill, recently joined the Millers on loan. “I remember when we played Huddersfield down here and James Vaughan missed a penalty and we ended up beating them 2-1,” the Town manager recalled. “Adam Hammill was playing then, they were playing wing-backs and he was playing really well at the time. “But for whatever reason it’s just not gone right for him this and last season with Huddersfield. So, I know all about him, he’s very capable and he’s one of those that has something that might pull it out of the bag at any time. “Rotherham are a good side and the stadium is brilliant. Last Tuesday was the first time I’ve been there and I was stunned by it when you think about the old place, Millmoor. “I played a lot of my football at Millmoor and the new ground really is a beautiful stadium. They’ll stay up, no problem.” He added: “They’re very competitive, combative, they play their football when they can. “But they get after you, they make you work. They did here. They played well here. I know we got off to a great start, a bit like they did against Bolton. “We were 2-0 up [after six minutes] and it was difficult for them to recover. But they played well in that game. There have been a lot of changes in personnel, but they are a capable team.” Given the recent downturn in results McCarthy may be considering one or two changes of his own. Striker Daryl Murphy, the Championship’s top scorer on 18 goals, will certainly come back in up front alongside David McGoldrick with Noel Hunt set to drop to the bench. In midfield, Teddy Bishop could start on the right having replaced Paul Anderson in that position at half-time a week ago. Cole Skuse and Kevin Bru seem likely to continue in the centre with Jay Tabb or perhaps Stephen Hunt on the left. At the back, the Town boss will probably stick with his usual backline of skipper Luke Chambers at right-back, Tyrone Mings at left-back and Christophe Berra and Tommy Smith in the centre. Bartosz Bialkowski will be in goal. Rotherham have a concern regarding right-back Jack Hunt. The on-loan Crystal Palace man has a heavy cold. Midfielder Lee Frecklington is likely to be back in the 18 after a hernia problem, while Jack Barmby has returned to his parent club Leicester. The Town game comes at the start of a difficult month for the Millers but manager Steve Evans says matches against the likes of the Blues are a reward for winning promotion from League One last season. “I said way back in July that if people want to know what winning at Wembley was about, just look at the games in February — Ipswich, Blackburn, Derby, Wolves and Watford,” he told the Rotherham Advertiser. “We are in terrific form if you are one those clubs, you are not looking forward to playing Rotherham. “Ipswich and Blackburn are two former Premier League clubs. Ipswich are flying high under Mick McCarthy and Blackburn have been in great form at Ewood Park, but we are confident.” Overall, the Blues have won 13 of the previous games between the sides, all of which have been in the league, seven have ended in draws, with the Millers having won five. In September at Portman Road, strike pair Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick netted in the third and sixth minutes as Town took their winning run to four games via a 2-0 home victory to move up to fourth in the table. Murphy nodded home from close range following a corner, before McGoldrick smashed a strike into the net from 25 yards. Last time the teams met on Rotherham turf was back in August 2004 when the Millers were playing their games at their former home Millmoor. Two Shefki Kuqi goals either side of half-time gave the Blues what was their first away win of the season with the home side rarely threatening as Town cantered to third place in the Championship table. The Rotherham squad includes former Blues keeper Scott Loach - who is currently on loan at Peterborough - and ex-loanees Conor Sammon, Frazer Richardson and Paul Green. No member of the current Town squad has played for the Millers, but academy coach Alan Lee had a successful spell with the South Yorkshiremen between 2000 and 2003 and fitness coach Andy Liddell was briefly a player and caretaker-manager there late in his career. Saturday’s referee is Gavin Ward from Surrey, who has shown 83 yellow cards and five red in 32 games so far this season. Ward’s most recent Town match was the 2-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Stevenage in August 2013 in which he booked only Paul Anderson. Squad from: Bialkowski, Kenny, Chambers (c), Mings, Parr, Berra, Smith, Clarke, Skuse, Bru, Bishop, Tabb, S Hunt, Ambrose, Anderson, Stewart, Murphy, McGoldrick, N Hunt, Sears.
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