Rotherham United’s new Head Coach Leam Richardson said that he ‘chose’ to have time off from managing when he was sacked by Wigan Athletic just over a year ago.
But now the forty-four year old is back and says that it is the ‘love of football’ that’s done that.
Speaking to the Official Site the Millers new Boss said, ‘I’ve seen Rotherham from afar after competing against them many times and they epitomise hard work and success and, coming as a neutral, the crowd and the fan base are fantastic.
So what brought him to Rotherham?
‘You see yourself at a certain level and I’ve worked at many football clubs experiencing many success and you want to continue that in your career and Rotherham are part of that,’ he said. ‘The level is fantastic in the Championship albeit we find ourselves in a place at the moment that is going to be hard work and something that the players and staff are going to have to commit too every day. I’ve never shone away from any challenge in my life and this is one of them that we will address quickly, meet head on and learn a lot about each other but we will certainly do it with enjoyment, hard work and endeavour.
‘I’ve watched Rotherham a couple of times live this year and in the last ten days or so I’ve caught up on many games so I know the squad very well and I’ve worked with a number of them and we’ve got some senior players here and some really good talent to go with that.
‘The Championship is probably one of the most competitive leagues in Europe. You look at the teams that came down, the teams that came up and that’s made it really competitive this year. But it’s a challenge we can go forward with and certainly the players and staff know that and it’s really exciting. They are a real honest group of people and together we will commit to each other and within that we’ll get a better outcome.
‘We want a possession based team, you want to run hard, score goals, have many final third entries and it’s entertainment so you want your team to be the best version of themselves and represent the badge that you wear and the community that surrounds it. That won’t happen overnight, it’s a transition. It’s always a work in progress is a football club.
‘This is a football club who have had successes, then there’s the stadium and where they are as a football club and it’s one football club that goes along steadily without being something else and are very comfortable and honest in their own skin. And they want to evolve so it’s a great challenge.’
