Rotherham United Head Coach Leam Richardson told Radio Sheffield that he was ‘very disappointed with the first half’ after today’s game away at Preston.
Speaking after the three-nil loss he said, ‘We know what moment we are in here and I’ve known since I first came in that the team is in transition which is showing both on and off the pitch. But the people I feel for at the minute is obviously the fans. It’s their club and they love and breathe it every single day and we’ve got to represent ourselves a lot better than what we are doing.’
The first two goals today were both defensive errors, which isn’t the first time this season, and that really is something we should have cut out months ago. It’s as though we go one down and we get pulled into making the same mistake again, not closing down players, being second to so many balls, not having anyone in space to pass too.
‘Our confidence levels have been very low,’ the Boss said, ‘but it’s my job to put a team out there and to try to give them an identity to compete at this level. It’s frustrating because we’re having to chop and change with injuries etc but you try to do the best you can.’
Ed Note – What is the ‘etc’ I wonder.
‘I’ve told the players and the staff that there’s nobody else coming in to help, we’ve got each other and it’s either go out with a whimper or give an account of ourselves. The last three weeks it hasn’t represented me very well, hasn’t represented themselves very well so we’ve got to come together and make sure that for the next seven games we do that. We’ve got to learn, both on and off the pitch, where we are as a football club. We’ve got to have meetings with the Chairman, with Karen (the Finance Director), with Paul (the Chief Operating Officer) to make sure we are all on that same page to move forward.
‘But we do know the issues and pitfalls that are in front of us. Day by day we will be as positive as we can with the moment that we’re in.’
The Millers were missing three key players today – Sean Morrison, Peter Kisoso and Tyler Blackett who Leam Richardson says are ‘all injured’.
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Liam Richardson Unable to get a tune out of the millers in 20 odd games in charge has limited options due to injurys but cannot find a system for the players available. Players playing out of position little pace in the team creates problems around the pitch. Lack of protection to a fragile defence that is easily penetrated doesnt help matters. The changes at half time improved the shape and ballance of the team but threatened little as Preston eased off the pressure. The Rotherham Coach has to find some answers from the fragile squad he has inherited but thats what good coaches do, a true test of the ability needed and if he has the ability to resond.
But haven’t we been playing players out of position for a good few seasons now? Seems to me we haven’t been recruiting the players we need for the positions we have to fill. And, I agree, we have got a fragile squad and possibly more than fragile defence.