Boss Leam Richardson understands angst of Rotherham United supporters

His new club, who do battle at Norwich City tomorrow, are heading for the Championship drop and it will be next season, following a summer of player departures and arrivals, before his influence will be truly felt.

Rotherham are on a run of eight successive losses and some supporters have vented their dismay on social media over the lack of progress during a year that began with high hopes following last term's second-tier survival.

Richardson said: “Every manager should be judged after three, four transfer windows and a certain period in the club.

“I have got probably as many frustrations as fans because I have not been able to ‘be myself’ yet and play in the way I want to play.”

Chairman Tony Stewart this week publicly declared his faith in the head coach for a 2024/25 League One promotion push.

Richardson was appointed in December when Rotherham were already eight points shy of safety. Injuries have plagued them all season while the new man says the fitness levels of the players he inherited from the reign of predecessor Matt Taylor aren't high enough.

"Very rarely have we filled the bench,” Richardson said. “We’ve had 64 per cent availability within the squad for a large period, which is not enough.

“We have to be nearer 100 per cent to compete at this level. Once we drop below it, we have not got the ability to compete Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Wednesday.

“It’s not for the want of trying. We are fixing and mending.”

The division's bottom club tomorrow face play-off contenders who had been unbeaten in six matches before they had Borja Sainz sent off at Middlesbrough on Wednesday night and went down 3-1.

Among the Millers absentees will be right-back Lee Peltier, winger Shane Ferguson, wing-back Cohen Bramall and centre-backs Tyler Blackett and Grant Hall.

There is the possibility that captain and central defender Sean Morrison will be declared fit after a calf issue.

The Canaries will be without their top scorer, 12-goal winger Jonathan Rowe, as the 20-year-old winger has suffered a hamstring injury that is set to sideline him until the final few games of the campaign.

“It's a blow, obviously, for us and for him,” said boss David Wagner. “He is a big player for us. He is still super-young but he has done fantastically so far.”

City overturned Sainz's red card on appeal and the winger is eligible to play tomorrow.

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ONE TO WATCH

Josh Sargent’s 18 outings this season have brought him 11 goals, including six in his last seven matches. The 24-year-old attacker joined the Canaries from German side Werder Bremen in 2021. Born in Missouri, he is an established USA international, with 23 appearances for his country to his name.

FORM GUIDE

Norwich: DWWDWL

Millers: LLLLLL

PAST MEETINGS

Sep 2, 2023, Championship: Millers 2 Norwich 1

Dexter Lembikisa, Jordan Hugill

Apr 10, 2023, Championship: Norwich O Millers 0

Nov 5, 2022, Championship: Millers 1 Norwich 2

Ollie Rathbone

Feb 20, 2021, Championship: Norwich 1 Millers 0

Oct 17 2020, Championship: Millers 1 Norwich 2

Freddie Ladapo

OPPOSITION BOSS

David Wagner took charge of the Canaries in January 2023 and has them in play-off contention. A striker in his native Germany in his playing days, the 52-year-old has done well in English football in the past, leading Huddersfield Town to the top flight in 2017. He worked with Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund before moving to England in 2015. Between leaving Huddersfield and his arrival at Carrow Road he managed Schalke and Young Boys.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Charles Breakspear is in his 11th year as a referee and usually operates in League One and League Two. His last experience of Rotherham came in the Paul Warne 2021/22 third-tier promotion push when the Millers saw off Oxford United 2-1 in April at New York Stadium. The Surrey official's 27 games this term have seen him issue 137 yellow cards and eight reds. Saturday's fixture is his first Championship appointment of the season.

THE ODDS

Norwich are heavy favourites at 1/3 while the Millers are priced at 7/1. A draw is 7/2. Forty-one matches between the clubs since 1960 have brought ten wins for Rotherham and 19 for the Canaries.