RUFC – Warney Building A Team Or A Family

Vital Rotherham on:

Vital Rotherham on:



Rotherham United Manager Paul Warne is hoping to build a team who will, at least, hold their own in League One next season.

Warney is building a team for the future. He’s already told us he wants young players, players who are ambitious, players who he expects to be at the club for more than one year. I don’t think anyone will be thinking they are coming here for an easy ride because he will be challenging his players and demanding their best. Most of all he wants players who are going to buy into his dream.

We aren’t really sure what Warney’s dream is – we know the Chairman has been dreaming of ‘big’ things since we moved into the New York Stadium. But the Millers Boss hasn’t actually told us about his own dream, what he wants from this job.

For weeks he told us that the Manager’s job was one he didn’t want and he was only doing it until someone else was found. He then got the job until the end of the season and still insisted it wasn’t something he wanted to do much beyond that. He managed, started to put a side out who he was proud of, started to look at who might come in for next season and perhaps realised that if he was doing all that then maybe he could give it a shot.

To be fair, when the decision to give Warney the job on a years rolling contract the fans were pretty divided after all, he was only a fitness coach. On the other hand, who else was out there who knows Rotherham United better than Paul Warne? Not many I’ll be bound.

As I said, he’s told us what type of players he wants, mostly young who he can make into Millers with the odd ‘oldy’ in there too to balance things up and help on the pitch when he’s on the sidelines.

He’s also said he doesn’t want many players in his squad. No-one better than him will know how to keep these players fit and hopefully free from injury if we do have a small squad.

Up to just Warney has brought in just two players – central-defender Michael Ihiekwe and midfielder Darren Potter – but we understand there are more to come while also that a couple have ‘slipped through the fingers’.

Whatever you think of Paul Warne he will do his best for Rotherham United, even though he’s not from these parts he’s made himself seem like he is.

I actually don’t think he’s building a team as much as a family. Already a family man he talks with pride about them and I hear that same note in his voice when he talks about Rotherham United.

That can’t be a bad thing. After all we all know that come hell or high water you always do the best you can for your family.