IN MANY respects there were two sides to Matt Taylor’s Rotherham United career. It was his undoing.
Despite several excellent home games, the Millers’ poor away performance resulted in his dismissal as manager on Monday.
Despite his best efforts to brush it off as someone else’s accomplishment, Taylor’s debut season as Championship manager was a triumph, as he finished in 19th place. The team had not consolidated in the second division since 2016.
This season, he could have been able to repeat the feat. More than the four-point margin of safety that prompted Chairman Tony Stewart to declare, “We had to act now to give ourselves the best possible chance of retaining our Championship status,” it seemed more like the way the team lost its last two away games in particular and the amount of games altogether this season.
Two victories and nine draws from 27 away league games—in which 47 goals were scored and 14 were given up—cannot be salvaged.
The heaviest defeat, on Saturday, was 5-0 away to Watford. The most difficult one to accept was probably the previous one, which was 2-0 at previously unbeaten Sheffield Wednesday.
And yet, it was like seeing a completely different team to watch them draw with Ipswich Town, win at home against Norwich City and Coventry City this season, or destroy West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers the previous year.
Although some supporters use the term “clubs like Rotherham” to belittle those who criticise them, it is impossible to overlook their financial constraints in a league where several teams get Premier League funding while others pretend to be.
However, claiming poverty has its limitations.
While Christ Tiehi was a success, Taylor smashed the Millers’ transfer record twice. Sam Nombe, who costs more, has not yet achieved the same level of success.
Due to his severe injury history, he frequently had to juggle finding a suitable center-back partner.
However, it was made worse by the quantity of free agents he attempted to add to his team. No one ought to have been taken aback. Three-game weeks was too much for Sean Morrison, Tyler Blackett, Sam Clucas, and Daniel Ayala to handle.
Richard Wood was cruelly let go because, at 38, it was unreasonable to expect him to remain a regular; nevertheless, Morrison and Grant Hall, who had trouble staying healthy, were awarded new contracts. Since then, Morrison five league games have seen Hall start one.
Taylor was very Yorkshire in the way he called a spade a spade, but you had to wince occasionally at his candour about his players’ shortcomings.
There was no disagreement when he said that the Hillsborough loss had caused him to lose faith in some people; the only thing to debate was whether this was better kept in the locker room or in his thoughts.
Despite his slightly aloof manner, he was a pleasant Lancastrian who was assimilated into the community and knew the Yorkshire way of life, showcasing his impressive cricketing prowess against Penistone.
Stewart has to choose between a temporary solution to continue in this position and another promising young manager who might push his team to new heights.
You can see both sides, much as with Taylor’s career at Rotherham.
Leave a Reply