3 Matt Hamshaw replacements Rotherham United must consider ASAP | OneFootball

Football League World looks at three potential candidates who Rotherham United should consider to replace Matt Hamshaw

Rotherham United have announced the sacking of Matt Hamshaw on Wednesday morning in a desperate bid to save their League One status with just nine matches remaining.

Supporters had been banging the drum for Hamshaw's departure from the AESSEAL New York Stadium for some time, with the Millers having spent much of the campaign battling against relegation to League Two, and the 44-year-old was finally relieved of his duties in the wake of Tuesday night's harrowing 5-0 thrashing away at Peterborough United.

Rotherham have won just two League One matches since claiming a shock 1-0 victory over leaders Lincoln City all the way back in November, and they appear increasingly likely to return to the fourth-tier of English football for the first time in 13 years.

The South Yorkshire outfit are now positioned in 22nd place, with six points separating the Millers from Wigan Athletic in 20th at the time of writing.

It's little surprise, then, that Rotherham have made the decision to part ways with Hamshaw as they desperately fight to stave off the intensifying threat of relegation, and with that in mind, Football League World has taken a look at three potential candidates who the Millers should consider to succeed the ex-Derby County coach.

Alan Sheehan

The first available manager who Rotherham should plot a serious advance for is Alan Sheehan, with the former Swansea City boss remaining out of work five months on from his sacking in South Wales.

Sheehan enjoyed a blistering spell in charge of Swansea on an interim basis towards the back-end of the previous campaign after stepping up to replace Luke Williams, in which the Welsh side claimed 24 points from 13 games to secure a respectable 11th-placed finish.

The Irishman was promptly rewarded with a three-year contract and significant backing in the summer window, which saw the likes of Ethan Galbraith, Adam Idah, Marko Stamenic move to the Swansea.com Stadium in an effort to push on to top-six contention, though Sheehan failed to deliver on expectation.

He was sacked in November after Swansea sank to 18th in the table, but was linked with the then-vacant Oxford United job at the turn of the year before Matt Bloomfield was appointed.

That means Sheehan would represent an arguably ambitious candidate for Rotherham, and the Millers could struggle to sell it to the ex-midfielder.

However, there's little denying that this would be a seriously exciting appointment to oversee a long-term project of change and upwards direction.

Noel Hunt

Alternatively, Rotherham could look towards a manager who has already taken charge in League One this term in Noel Hunt as he remains without a club following his departure from third-tier rivals Reading.

The ex-Royals attacking star was appointed at the Berkshire outfit after Ruben Selles' exit in December 2024, having previously earned his stripes overseeing the club's U21 set-up.

Surprisingly, Hunt came agonisingly close to guiding Reading into the play-offs with no financial resources to speak of and a young, makeshift squad at his disposal amid off-field peril under Dai Yongge, which had brought the club's very existence into grave threat.

But Hunt would fail to kick on after Reading came under fresh ownership in the form of Rob Couhig's long-awaited takeover and saw himself dismissed at the Select Car Leasing Stadium after chalking up only three league victories by late October, with the Royals looking over their shoulder nervously at a potential relegation battle.

Hunt's sacking came at the right time for Reading, who are now bidding to be upwardly-mobile and contend for a Championship return in the not-too-distant future, although you would fancy the Irishman to give Rotherham a fighting chance of survival.

His proven track record of working with young talent and on a minimal budget renders him a viable option beyond the current campaign, too, and despite his time at Reading ending on a sour note, he still has a promising future in the dugout.

Ryan Lowe

The third and final potential candidate is Ryan Lowe, who was recently in charge of fellow relegation-threatened third-tier outfit Wigan before being sacked last month.

Lowe's stock has fallen from his days at Plymouth Argyle alongside current Bolton Wanderers boss Steven Schumacher, who is attributed for much of the Pilgrims' success during the duo's time at Home Park together, as spells with both Preston North End and Wigan flattered to deceive.

It's unclear exactly where Lowe will go next, and it's worth noting that his pragmatic style of play has earned criticisms over recent years.

He wouldn't represent the most glamourous appointment by a long stretch, but considering where Rotherham find themselves at this moment in time, the job may be short of takers and the Millers are in need of someone capable of going in, taking the situation by the scruff of the neck and stripping back to basics to collect instant results and buy-in.

Survival is all that really matters right now, and while there would be reasonable concerns surrounding Lowe's long-term viability, he could be the firefighter that the Millers are crying out for before May rolls around.