How Wayne Carlisle reacted to being asked to replace Matt Taylor and what he's expecting from Rotherham United against Leeds United tonight

The assistant manager's close pal, Matt Taylor, had just lost his job as Millers boss and someone was needed to hold the fort while the Championship club searched for a successor.

Carlisle had no hesitation in stepping up along with coaches Scott Brown and Dan Green and the trio will be at the helm when Leeds United are the visitors to AESSEAL New York Stadium tonight.

"We're employees and the decision for myself, Dan and Scott to stay was one made by the club," the interim chief said. "Yes, we are friends with Matt but we are employed by the club. Our job is to stay in place, be professional and do the best job we can."

With Rotherham in the bottom three, Taylor was sacked following a 5-0 defeat at Watford in the final match before the international break on Saturday November 11.

Head of recruitment Rob Scott, who has been spearheading the hunt for a new man, made contact with Carlisle at the start of this week to check that he was prepared to be in the hot-seat for this evening's Sky-TV-televised Yorkshire derby.

The caretaker leader: "Rob spoke to me and said, as it stood, the club were still looking for a replacement and was I happy to take it (the Leeds game) on if that was the case? I said: 'Yeah, of course.'

Many of the squad were given downtime in the first week of the break and have been back at the Millers' Roundwood base since Sunday.

"We haven't changed a whole lot," said Carlisle who has expressed his interest in taking the role permanently. "We haven't felt the need to. In this situation, the biggest thing for the players is consistency.

"We've tried to affect their mindset. Obviously they'll have disappointment, they'll have uncertainty. We've tried to steady the ship on that front. In training, we've worked the way we normally work."

"With regards to how long we'll be in this position, I'm not quite sure. I'm enjoying it, we're all enjoying it. We're making the best of it and we're happy to be in place for as long as it takes to find the right person for the job."

The Millers, who are in midweek action at Hull City on Tuesday, have drawn up their shortlist and are ready to interview their chosen candidates.

In the meantime, Carlisle is backing his players to respond to the embarrassment of Vicarage Road 13 days ago against a Leeds side who are third in the table.

"You're dealing with professional athletes and they have pride," he said. "No-one was happy after Watford. I hope the club don't see that again and I know the players will be out to prove a point.

"Opposing teams don't enjoy coming to New York Stadium. We've got to make sure that continues.

"We talked about it on Wednesday. It's a Yorkshire derby, it's live on TV, it's a Friday night under the lights. If those things don't get you up for a game, nothing will."