For the first time in four seasons, Rotherham United managed to stay in the Championship the previous season.
The Millers had actually played in a different division for the previous six seasons, either getting promoted from League One or relegated from the second tier, when the current campaign began. As a result, over the summer of last year, there was a lot of excitement at New York Stadium as many fans anticipated a season of peaceful consolidation. That is not at all what has happened.
The South Yorkshire club is deeply rooted in the mud as the 2023–24 season comes to a conclusion. They have only won three games this season and are presently at the bottom of the table. There are just 17 games left, and they are a whopping 12 points outside of safety. They are priced at 1/100 on Oddschecker, which compares odds and free bets from all the major bookmakers, making them an almost likely drop.
What specifically has gone wrong this season, then?
The reason the team finished the previous season in the Championship was due to Matt Taylor. The longtime former manager Paul Warne left to join the bright lights of Pride Park at the beginning of the previous season, and was replaced by the former Exeter City boss. When Taylor took charge, the team was sitting pretty in eighth place. This was The Millers’ greatest opportunity in four years to hang onto their second-tier standing. And in spite of a few setbacks, the youthful manager was able to guide the team to safety, as evidenced by their 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in their penultimate match of the season.
Rotherham made significant summer investments in several experienced candidates. Twice they shattered their transfer record: once to get former Wigan Athletic
But after Rotherham lost their opening day match to Stoke 4-1, all of the optimism quickly vanished as they threw away leads in their following three games, managing just one point. There would be more letdowns after that. Taylor lost his job as a result of a 5-0 thrashing at Watford and a 2-0 setback to local rivals Sheffield Wednesday back in October. However, what transpired after his departure was far more disastrous.
It took owner Tony Stewart an eternity to locate a replacement for their departing manager, demonstrating that the decision to fire the 42-year-old was a snap judgement without any backup plan. In fact, Stewart became noticeably drunk on live TV during a 1-1 draw against Leeds at home on Sky Sports, embarrassing both the club during its hunt for a new manager. Things have gone downhill ever since.
Despite being mentioned as possible replacements for the New York Stadium bench, players like Nathan Jones, Steve Evans, and Gary Rowett were not signed by the team. Indeed, the Jones duly turned down the offer that was put up after watching the Millers secure a goalless draw away at Birmingham at the beginning of December. Ultimately, the team chose former Wigan manager Leam Richardson, an unimpressive pick that did not sit well with the home crowd.
To exacerbate the situation, however, owner Stewart declined to support his new boss during the January transfer window. The team didn’t make any additions until the day of the transfer deadline, when Andy Rinomhota,
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