Rotherham United told to eye ex-Sheffield United man after Mat Sadler snub | OneFootball

FLW's Rotherham fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's latest setback in their search for a new head coach

Rotherham United have undergone major changes behind the scenes following their relegation to League Two.

It was a disastrous campaign in which the Millers finished 23rd in the table, 11 points adrift of safety.

Lee Clark departed at the end of the season after only arrived as Matt Hamshaw’s replacement in March, leaving the club without a head coach.

Steve McClaren was brought in last month to take over as the League Two side’s new head of football.

But he has yet to appoint a replacement to Clark, with Matt Sadler turning down the opportunity to take over the first team squad.

With the players expected back for pre-season in the next couple of weeks, Rotherham will be hoping to fill the vacancy in time for their return to training.

Rotherham urged to take head coach appointment gamble

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When asked about the club’s failure to appoint Sadler, FLW’s Rotherham fan pundit Tom Eyre claimed that it’s not too surprising that he turned the move down as he wouldn’t fit the style of play McClaren wants to implement at the club.

However, he is concerned that we’re quickly closing in on pre-season and a decision has yet to be made on who will take over the first team, suggesting it doesn’t reflect well on the Yorkshire outfit.

“I think overall the decision to not appoint Mat Sadler as manager is kind of to be expected,” Eyre told Football League World.

“I don’t think he suited McClaren’s style that he wants to implement in the club, so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for him to have been brought in.

“However, it is now two managers, both out of a job, that have turned us down, so it’s not looking good for Rotherham on that end.

“It doesn’t feel like Rotherham are truly making good steps forward, if any steps, it’s a real lull period and fans are rightfully annoyed at what’s going on behind the scenes because it feels incredibly unorganised.

“And two weeks until players are in the building, it’s not a good look.”

And when asked about who should become the next head coach, Eyre claimed it’s time to take a gamble on someone like Justin Cochrane, or perhaps Alan Knill following his exit from Sheffield United.

“Personally, I don’t see many managers available that are as good or potentially better than the ones we did have in store,” he continued.

“So, for me personally, I’d look at maybe more youth-based coaches.

“Someone like Justin Cochrane, who is with the England squad, is someone who I have been a fan of for a while.

“He’s obviously with the England squad, so I’m not saying he’s a realistic candidate, but someone of his ilk.

“Or perhaps going the other way, someone like Alan Knill, someone who already has been with the club, didn’t do too well, but it was during a really patchy period.

“Went away, had a lot of experience with Chris Wilder at Sheffield United, and has now been let go by Sheffield United, so another opportunity to really make a name for himself as the number one guy.”

Rotherham will be hoping that the next head coach can guide the club back to League One at the first attempt after their relegation to League Two.

It was a difficult campaign for the Millers, who have suffered the drop for the fifth time in 10 seasons.

It remains to be seen who will take over, with Sadler the latest person to turn down the opportunity.

The 41-year-old is out of work after departing Walsall in March after nearly three years in the role.

He previously signed for Rotherham in 2014, but he failed to make a single league appearance for the club, which led to loan stints at Crawley Town and Oldham Athletic before exiting permanently in 2015.

McClaren was appointed as head of football in May, and he is playing a key role in the appointment process.

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Rotherham need to act before pre-season begins

McClaren has had a month to find a new head coach since taking over at Rotherham, and this Sadler setback is a bad omen for how his time at the club is going to go.

The players are likely to be back in the next couple of weeks, and it would be quite a bad start to the new campaign if someone isn’t hired by then.

The pressure will be on McClaren the longer this goes on, and perhaps now is the time for the Millers to go for someone like Knill, or Cochrane.

If Rotherham want to be contending for promotion straight away, then they need to be better organised than this, otherwise they risk stagnating in the fourth tier.