MATCHDAY CENTRE: Jackett backs Odemwingie and his young squad
But after seeing his rock bottom side slip to their tenth defeat in 11 Championship games, the Millers chief accepts that results have to improve rapidly.
Odemwingie will sit out the next three matches for the red card flashed for his ugly challenge on Leeds defender Liam Cooper which left a youthful Rotherham size to try to save the game with ten men.
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Hide AdJackett said: "Peter put his arm up to protect himself but I can see why the referee has done it so we can't have any complaints if he has seen it that way. Peter is not an over-aggressive or malicious person.
"It was a younger group on the pitch at the end and they showed heart and no little ability either and I was pleased with that.
"We didn't start that well, we weren't aggressive enough, but we grew into it and that progression was good. Ultimately it's about results. We've put ourselves in a bad position in the league very early in the season. The mentality, the appetite and the change has to come to build a future."
Richard Wood's late header, his second goal in three games, had threatened to pull the match out of the fire after Leeds had been coasting at 2-0 at half time.
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Hide AdRotherham were also left to rue Dominic Ball's late miss in a goalmouth scramble.
"I thought it was in, they were a couple of bites of the cherry and then it sat up for him (Ball), it was on his right foot as well," added Jackett.
"We showed commitment with ten men and we need to show that with 11 from the start of a game."
The club will today know more about the extent of the injuries to Greg Halford (ankle), Lee Camp (knee) and Joe Newell (hamstring).