The qualities the new man must have ... chairman Tony Stewart tells The Advertiser what he's looking for in the hunt for the next Rotherham United manager

Paul Warne left for Derby County today, dropping down from the Championship to League One to end his near-six-year spell in charge at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Stewart wants a similar character to take charge of the Millers, having learned valuable lessons when he turned to the departing boss in November 2016 following the 39-day reign of the previous incumbent.

"We needed to make changes after Kenny Jackett came and went so quickly," the chairman said. "That was a big shock but he probably did us a favour. It made us think about the type of manager who is good for us.

"Do we want a merry-go-round manager who goes from club to club? No. The first things I look for in a manager are intelligence and communication skills.

"He has to be able to communicate not to just with me but with everyone else at the club. Players come from all walks of life. You can't treat them all the same.

"He has to have experience of handling players, although not necessarily as a manager. We saw how well it worked when Paul Warne stepped up from fitness coach. 

"I like a young manager. Why young? Because I don't like old habits. Old habits can be bad habits."

The loss of 49-year-old Warne is a blow to Rotherham, but Stewart is confident the club can continue to prosper without the man who won a trio of promotions from League One and had guided them to eighth spot in the Championship this term.

Having failed to survive in the second tier in their last three attempts, the Millers have looked comfortable at the level this time around.

"In life, you've got to have positivity," Stewart said. "I like enthusiastic people. I can enjoy their company. When it's sunny and someone says 'but it's going to rain tomorrow' ... I can't live with people like that. I'm ambitious.

"I don't single out the manager. Everybody plays their part. Good recruitment has been a major factor in this season and the coaching has been tremendous.

"We have more football staff than we've ever had. I welcome that. If we're going to hit heights we've never reached before we need professional, motivated people. It's not just a job to them, it's part of their lifestyle. They're good, intelligent, enthusiastic characters.

"We've lost a big jigsaw piece but the picture is still there. We've got to find a new piece and put it in place.

We've got the squad, we've got the recruitment, we've got the backroom staff. It's working. Will it keep on working? Why not? We have to carry on and not feel the ripple. We had three seasons in the Championship before Paul Warne."