Rotherham United Chairman Tony Stewart told the Official Site that he is ‘thrilled to have Paul Warne’ as the Rotherham Manager
‘Paul,’ he said, ‘shares the culture of Rotherham United. He understands what the club is all about. He has really put the ‘Rotherham DNA’ back to the top of the agenda, and you can see it instilled in his players when they go out onto the field.’
Paul Warne has been involved with the Millers since 1999, although he did ‘drift away’ to Oldham and Yeovil before finding his way back to South Yorkshire for a second time in 2009! Three years later he hung up his boots and joined the back room staff, was fitness coach and had a couple of times as caretaker joint manager before being made the permanent manager in April 2017. Under his first season he returned Rotherham to the Championship and although we dropped down again to League One it wasn’t for want of trying. He’s got a good group of lads together and I’m sure will be building a good squad for next season.
When Tony Stewart put Warney in charge there were a lot of fans who thought it was ‘the cheap option’ – maybe it was. But does that make it the wrong option? When Warney appointed his book room staff mostly made up of players who he played at Millmoor with, some fans thought it was ‘jobs for the boys’ – but those boys did well for Rotherham United when they played for us and are doing the same now they are Warney’s staff.
I do think that all the players who play under Paul Warne for Rotherham United will always have a bit of Rotherham’s DNA with them even when they’ve left the New York Stadium. That they will always have a bit of Rotherham in their hearts.
Am I being too sentimental? Maybe I am – but it’s post one season and pre another and I think I can afford that bit of sentimentality before we have to start thinking of the scramble to sign players, who our opponents are for next season, who we will get in the Checkatrade Trophy (is it still called that?) etc.
