Looking for answers...Part two of our questions put to Rotherham United this season

IN the second part of our series, we look back to an interview printed exclusively in the Advertiser at the beginning of December with Rotherham United chief operating officer Paul Douglas.

Before this interview, we asked Millers fans on social media what you thought were the big issues surrounding the club, and put your responses to Douglas.

Here was how he viewed the state-of-play at that time:

SUMMER RECRUITMENT

YOU could argue that recruitment this summer, as we speak, hasn't got us where we hoped it would but this year was always about key, experienced players complimenting younger players coming through.

Who could have forseen Jonson Clarke-Harris having a cruciate injury, Kirk Broadfoot having a back injury, Lee Frecklington's problems and Tom Adeyemi being in and out of the side? These were spine-of-the-team players who have not been able to get on the pitch as much as we'd liked. 

As a result we've had to ask lads to do jobs that they're not quite ready for, but that doesn't mean they won't be. It's an unforgiving league but the young players are benefiting from this season

As a football club, certainly under Tony Stewart's stewardship, we have tried in every single window to strengthen the team.

TRAINING GROUND

WE want to improve it and we've had positive discussions with the people at Parkgate but these aren't small matters. We hope they continue to be positive but if that doesn't work out then we will consider alternatives.

One thing for sure is that the chairman i committed to improving the training facilities for the football club.

We want to make it more of a campus type arrangement where players can eat and have areas for relaxation, pre-habilitation, rehabilitation. These things are all there in a fashion but we want it to be a higher standard. We see that as a necessary investment.

MANAGERIAL TURNOVER

WE’VE never signed up a manager where our intention was anything other than to improve and get better. There hasn't been any journeymen appointed to keep us ticking over. Anybody who has supported this club in the last eight years knows that. Tony has always strived to improve us and get us further and further up the league pyramid. 

And do you know what? Nothing has changed. 

Football is like that. There's no end in sight, it's a journey you're always on, trying to improve, and every now and again some of your best plans don't come to fruition.

As long as you don't believe you've got it all right and can learn from your mistakes and you get on then I think that's the best people can expect.

NEIL WARNOCK

WE can all look back on these things with a different theory of how we'd approach it.

Being involved at the time, you do what you think is best.

I don't think there's a fan out there who believed that keeping Neil Warnock would have been a bad thing. 

You can't blame Tony or anyone else for trying and if that process took longer than it might have done, so be it.

It was only done because there was a chance of keeping the guy here and I can't think of one supporter who wouldn't have voted for that.

Having gone on as long as it did, it did set the process of player recruitment back a bit and made it more difficult, but I still think we signed some good young lads, I really do.

SUPPORTERS’ CRITICISM

I HAVE nothing but respect for all our fans and their opinions and we don't get upset by people getting upset with us. They are entitled to be.

I'm not going to preach to supporters, it's the last thing I want to do. 

Football support is an emotional thing and people hurt inside, their pride hurts. I can tell them, honestly, that nobody's pride hurts more than Tony Stewart's. 

Anybody taking a fair look at it would see that under Tony's stewardship there has never been a time when we've settled for just ticking over. No disrespect to a lot of other clubs, but there are many who are just happy to be in the Football League and in existence rather than having a go at it. That's never been Tony's approach. 

Have we made mistakes along the way? Of course. But we'll keep trying and I'm convinced that the vast majority of our fans know and appreciate that, although that doesn't mean they're not feeling a little bit of pain because of recent events.

We're working hard to make sure they can get back enjoying their visits to the New York again and when they watch us away.

THIS SEASON

NO ONE has given up on it, I can assure the fans that no-one has taken their foot off it here. 

We're frustrated and upset at how things have panned out but we're not despairing by any means and we're convinced we will move on.

You can read part one, from July last year, by clicking here.