Rotherham United will start this coming season in the Championship. Let’s take a quick look at some of the teams we will be playing . . .
Middlesbrough
Formed in 1876 Middlesbrough turned professional twenty-two years later and although reverting back to amateur status in 1892, they turned professional permanently in 1899. The club won promotion to the First Division in 1902 and moved to Ayresome Park the following year. 1924 saw the ‘Boro relegated and then for the next few years they seemed to yo-yo between Division One and Two with the low time of the club coming in 1966 when they were relegated to Division Three for the first time in their career although they were only there for a season. After financial difficulties in the mid-1980’s the club once again found themselves drop to Division Three which, if not for a board member getting together a consortium ten minutes before a deadline, they could have found themselves out of the Football League all together. After a few more ups and downs the club were founder members of the Premier League.
Last season ‘Boro finished in fourth place in the Championship playing Coventry in the play-offs, losing one-nil on aggregate. Rotherham and Middlesbrough have met forty times in the league since 1954 with the Millers winning twelve of those to ‘Boro’s nineteen. The last game the pair were involved in was at the New York Stadium on May Day 2023 when the visitors had to play the whole of the second half with ten men after Anfernee Dijksteel was sent-off on the stroke of half time. The only goal of the game came just after the start of the second-half when Hakeem Odoffin let fly from twenty yards out to see the Millers safe and another season in the Championship.
Since 2000 ‘Boro have had seventeen changes in the dugout which include former Millers Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder while Michael Carrick has been in charge since October 2022.
Ground – Riverside Stadium
Nickname – ‘Boro
Manager – Michael Carrick
Millwall
Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885 a resolution was passed for the club to drop ‘Rovers’ from their name in 1889 and add ‘Athletic. As Millwall Athletic they were founding members of the Southern Football League and moved to The Den in 1910. Dropping ‘Athletic’ from their name Millwall were invited to join the Football League in 1920. In August 1993 Millwall moved to The New Den, which was the first new football stadium constructed for a professional team in London since 1937 and the first all-seater stadium built after the ‘Taylor Report’.
Finishing in eighth place in the Championship last season, Millwall and the Millers last met on New Year’s Day 2023 at the Den when Tom Bradshaw scored twice and an own goal from Cameron Humphreys saw the hosts win three-nil.
Since the turn of the century the Lions have had eighteen changes in managers at the Den which include Ray Harford, Dennis Wise, former Rotherham manager (though short-lived) Kenny Jackett, Ian Hathaway and since October 2019 Gary Rowett has been at the helm.
Ground – The Den
Nickname – The Lions
Manager – Gary Rowett
Norwich City
Founded in 1902 Norwich went into voluntary liquidation during the First World War reforming in February 1919 and joined the Third Division of the Football League a year later. In the 1933/4 season the Canaries were promoted to the Second Division and moved to Carrow Road in August 1935. Relegated at the end of the 1938/9 season and then the suspension of league football due to the Second World War plus a year of poor results saw City having to seek re-election to the league. 1959/60 saw Norwich promoted back up to the Second Division with the 70’s seeing them yo-yo-ing between the First and Second Divisions. At the end of the 1984/5 season the Canaries became the first English team to win a major trophy (they beat Sunderland in the final of the League Cup) and then get relegated. Norwich did get back to the top tier of English football with their highest position in the Premier League with their highest position being third in the 1992/3 season. Yo-yoing between the top two tiers and were relegated from the Premier League for the sixth time at the end of the 2021/2 season. Last season Norwich finished in thirteenth place with sixty-two points.
The Millers and Canaries have met forty times in the past, thirty-four of those in the league which Norwich have won fifteen to Rotherham’s nine. The pair last men in April 2023 at Carrow Road which was goalless.
Since the turn of the century the Canaries have had twelve different managers including Glenn Roeder, Paul Lambert, Chris Hughton, Alex Neil, Daniel Farke, Dean Smith who was dismissed in December 2022 with David Wagner taking over in January 2023.
Ground – Carrow Road
Nickname – The Canaries
Manager – David Wagner
Plymouth Argyle
Founded in 1886 as Argyle FC they went out of existence eight years later only to reform in 1887 as a sports club named Argyle Athletic Club. In 1903 the club joined the Southern League as Plymouth Argyle winning the title in 1913 and entering the Football League in 1920 as a founder member of the Third Division eventually winning promotion to DivisionTwo at the end of the 1929/30 season.
1950 saw them relegated but they were back in Division Two again two years later but were down again in 1956.
Arguably the most memorable moment in Argyle’s history was in March 1973 when more than thirty seven and a half thousand people saw them play a friendly against Brazilian side Santos FC who included Pele in their line-up. The following season saw them back in Division Two but 1977 saw them relegated again. The 1990’s saw them up and down. 2001/2 saw them win the Division Three title with a club and league record of 102 points. 2004/5 season saw them promoted to the newly named Championship. 2010 saw Argyle relegated and the following season they went down again. Twice Plymouth got to the Play-Offs in recent years losing in the final in 2015/16 to AFC Wimbledon. The following season they were promoted to League One and again in the 2021/20 season after being relegated the season before. Last season saw Plymouth were champions of League One seeing them promoted with a game to spare.
Of the seventy-two previous meetings between the Millers and the Pilgrims Rotherham have won twenty-eight times with Plymouth one less. The last time the pair met was at Home Park in February 2022 which saw a Michael Smith goal on the sixty-third minute for the visitors the only goal of the game.
Former Miller Bobby Williamson was Argyle’s Manager for the 2004/5 season and was followed by Tony Pullis, Ian Holloway then Paul Sturrock for the second time in 2007. Five more managers followed before Ryan Lowe took over in 2019 and in 2021 Stephen Schumacher was appointed.
Ground – Home Park
Nickname – The Pilgrims
Manager – Stephen Schumacher
Preston North End
Originally founded as a cricket club in 1863, Preston were a founding member of the Football League and were the first League Champions in 1889. In the same year the team also won the FA Cup so were the first club to win the ‘double’ and winning both became known as ‘The Invincibles’. They also won the league the following year but their last major trophy was an FA Cup Final win in 1938. Coming nearer to the present time Preston won the Second Division in 1999/2000 season and won the League One Play-Off Final at the end of the 2014/15 season. Last season they finished in mid-table in the Championship with sixty-three points.
Of the fifty-six league games the Millers and the Lilywhites have played against each other Rotherham have won twenty to Preston’s fifteen. March 2023 saw the pair last meet when Tom Cannon Preston in front only with Hakeem Odoffin equalising on thirty-five minutes at the New York Stadium. But the visitors took all three points in added on time at the end of the first half-time thanks to a Ched Evans strike.
Ryan Lowe took over the manager’s hot seat in December 2021 taking over from Frank McAvoy. Before this Alex Neil, Simon Grayson, Graham Westley, Phil Brown and Darren Ferguson had the job.
Ground – Deepdale
Nickname – The Lilywhites
Manager – Ryan Lowe
Queens Park Rangers
QPR were founded in 1882 becoming a professional team seven years later. Their first promotion was in the 1947/8 season as Champions of the Division Three South spending four years in Divison Two before being relegated at the end of the 1952 season. March 1967 saw them become the first Third Division club to win the League Cup a season that also saw them promoted. The following season saw Rangers promoted to the top division but after just one season saw them back in Division Two. After being promoted as runners-up QPR started the 1974/5 season back in the top flight and the following season saw them end up in second place in Division One, one point behind Liverpool. In the 1976/7 season QPR had their first foray into Europe and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup losing to AEK Athens, two years later they found themselves back in the Second Division. 1982 saw them reach the FA Cup Final losing to Spurs in a replay and the season after saw them back in the top flight. Two years later QPR were back in the UEFA Cup losing out on away goals to FK Partizan in the second round. At the end of the 1995/6 season QPR were relegated from the Premier League to Division One with them being relegated to League Two in 2001. The end of the 2003/4 season saw them go back up to League One as runners-up. Financial problems plagued the club and they had numerous managers in a few years but eventually the club were back on a high and gained promotion to the Premier League in April 2011. They yo-yoed between the top two tiers of English Football but have been back in the Championship since the 2015/16 season.
Rotherham and QPR have met twenty-three times in all competitions, both winning eight games apiece. The pair last met in March 2023 at the New York Stadium which saw Jordan Hugill score twice, once from the penalty spot before a Jamal Lowe penalty on eight-three minutes halved the deficit. But on the stroke of full-time a Hakeem Odoffin goal gave Rotherham a three-one win.
Since 2001 the Hoops have got through twenty-one managers including former Millers, Mick Harford (twice) and Neil Warnock. The longest staying man in the hot seat was Mark Warburton who was there from May 2019 until the summer of 2022. Michael Beale took over from him followed by Neil Critchley before Gareth Ainsworth arrived in February 2023.
Ground – Loftus Road
Nickname – The Hoops, The R’s
Manager – Gareth Ainsworth
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