Can any Rotherham United players hope to get new contracts under Leam Richardson? The boss gives the answer

Richardson will have already made up his mind on some members of the relegation-bound Championship squad he inherited from sacked Matt Taylor in December and they will leave in the summer.

But others are being given the run-in to the campaign to convince him they have a part to play for the Millers in League One next season, the head coach revealed.

“We've still got nine games to go, we've still got a period of time to work together,” he said. “I've worked with them for only a short period, really.

“Everybody reverts to type so it will be interesting to see what certain types are and whether they want to be part of what we want to do going forward.”

Among the players Richardson is likely to want to keep are midfield man Ollie Rathbone and midfielder/centre-half Hakeem Odoffin. Both are approaching the expiry of their three-year deals but Rotherham can activate 12-month extensions.

Midfielders Jamie Lindsay, Sam Clucas and Cafu, centre-halves Sean Morrison, Grant Hall and Tyler Blackett, right-back Lee Peltier and winger Shane Ferguson are all out of contract shortly and the majority of those are set to depart.

Richardson faces the difficult task of keeping some players motivated when they haven't won in 2024 and know that the drop is coming and suspect they won't be asked to remain at New York afterwards.

The head coach instigated an improvement when he was appointed in December but playing standards have slipped recently and the last two matches have brought 5-0 losses at Coventry City and Norwich City.

Conditions at the club's Roundwood complex, where the two playing surfaces have been left unusable at times by poor drainage, haven't helped the situation.

“The mindset is everything,” Richardson said. “We have to come in every day and work as hard as we possibly can with the facilities that we've got - get out on the training pitch and get good habits and try to help each other as much as we can.”

Next up for the Millers are Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town at New York and the boss acknowledged that his men must step up when he was quizzed about the need for a strong display at yesterday's pre-match press conference.

“I totally agree,” he said. “Apart from the last week or so, the performances have been at a level. The results have dipped for a number of reasons. The players need to represent themselves and the fans really well.”