Alex Neil is facing weird Millwall FC issue - It may affect promotion hopes | OneFootball

The Lions' 25/26 season has started with a somewhat strange contradiction

Alex Neil is dealing with an unusual concern that could threaten to derail what many believe to be Millwall's strongest promotion push in years.

Since the Lions' appointment of Neil last December, the club have shown impressive signs of progress under the Scottish manager - who previously guided Norwich City to the Premier League and Sunderland out of League One.

However, their 25/26 campaign has started with a somewhat strange contradiction that will surely have supporters scratching their heads.

Disregarding the Carabao Cup, while their away form remains perfect with wins at Sheffiled United and Norwich City, The Den has seemingly become a bit of a soft touch.

Millwall's record at The Den could become a big concern

Millwall's home record has become something of an anomaly in the Championship - losing their opening two fixtures at The Den by a combined scoreline of 5-0.

This is obviously a stark departure from their traditional fortress mentality given The Den's reputation as one of the most intimidating grounds in English football.

Losing 3-0 to Middlesbrough set the tone for what has started to become a troubling pattern. Despite dominating the first half and creating several clear-cut opportunities, Neil's side fell apart after the break as Hayden Hackney, Alfie Jones and Delano Burgzorg all found the net.

The follow-up home fixture against Wrexham didn't go much better. The Red Dragons' 2-0 win marked their first in the second-tier since 1982 - as Millwall again failed to take their chances.

Neil's post-match comments in both games were similar, and he stated after the Wrexham defeat, "Possession doesn't win you games. Amount of shots doesn't win you games. Being clinical, making good decisions wins you games. Today, we didn't do that well enough."

Former Watford and Birmingham City striker, Troy Deeney, has described to talkSPORT the atmosphere at Millwall's home as "intense" and noted how "horrible" it can be for visiting players. It seems as though Boro and Wrexham found a way to deal with it.

This hasn't gone unnoticed by Neil in the past, who admitted in October last season that playing at The Den "has to boost momentum for us" and that they've "always relied on The Den as a large return for points." In 24/25, Millwall won 12 league games out of 23 at home, conceding just 19 goals.

Alex Neil's promotion ambitions face genuine scrutiny

The timing of this little home form crisis could hardly be worse for Neil's long-term aims at Millwall, given he now has to wait till the 22nd of September for the Lions' next home league game.

He's been clear about his intentions to build something good at The Den, and outlined how the project at Millwall differs from his previous promotion campaigns at Norwich and Sunderland - describing it as a "longer-term" build that requires "season upon season" improvement.

But it goes without saying that home form issues threaten to undermine this patient approach - as you obviously can't afford to drop points regularly at home if you want to get promoted.

Evidence from last season supports Neil's concerns about the importance of home form to get promoted. The Lions finished just two points outside the playoff places in 8th position.

Before winning the playoff final with the Canaries in 14/15, they had lost an equal number of home and away games (5, 10 in total) across the normal 46 game season.

The fact that Millwall have struggled to convert dominance into goals at home - while performing perfectly on their travels - could mean both players and supporters will expect disappointment at The Den if it carries on after the international break.