Booming phone time signals a new era for Rotherham United manager Matt Hamshaw

The man whose work in professional football over the last 13 or so years has primarily took place on the training ground, working on tactics, skills and drills, now has a much wider brief as the boss of Rotherham United.

Man management, picking and dropping players, communicating with supporters, they’re just part of the deal.

The full flush of a close season in the transfer market is another task and Hamshaw, two months into the job, is experiencing the sort of summer that became commonplace for Paul Warne, the man he worked with at Rotherham and then at Derby County.

"The phone is a lot hotter than it is when you’re a coach, as I found out while I was on holiday,” the 43-year-old told the Advertiser.

"My wife kept giving me the dead eye but she understands. She has been with me the whole way through my footballing career so she knows there is always phone calls and conversations.

"For instance, we got in from our meal one night and I was on the phone to a guy I have worked with a long time. That’s part and parcel of football and you have to make sure you don’t miss a call because a call could lead to something good.”

Born in Rawmarsh and a lifelong Miller, the task of steering his home-town team is more a pleasure than a pain.

“Excited? Overbearing? I wouldn’t say it’s overbearing. I would say that I'm excited,” he said. "It's an exciting time moving forward.

“I can't sit here and say we're going to have a pre-season and everything is going to be hunky-dory. There are things that might take longer than I would like. We'll see how that develops over the summer and the season.

"Look, it's just important that we're all in it together, that the fans stay together."

Hamshaw has absorbed plenty of knowledge since he started out as a trainee at Sheffield Wednesday.

His professional playing career took him to Stockport, Mansfield, Notts County and Macclesfield.

He then cut his coaching teeth back at Rotherham in the youth set-up before moving up to first team coach under Warne, winning promotions.

When Warne went to Derby County three years ago, Hamshaw followed him there in the same role and tagged on another promotion from League One.

With a big stadium and hefty support, it goes without saying Derby are a much bigger club with grander ambitions.

The Rams found themselves in the lower reaches of the Championship last season and Warne was eventually dismissed in February.

Hamshaw stepped in as interim manager and oversaw a 1-1 draw with Norwich City that ended a run of seven straight losses before his inevitable departure paved the way for his big chance at Rotherham.

"The pressure at Rotherham is exactly the same as Derby,” he says. “I know people won’t believe that but at whatever football club and whatever job you’ve got there is always pressure to perform and deliver.

"Obviously I’m not talking out of turn saying they have a lot more fans. There were probably a few more voices and there were a lot more people above us than there is at Rotherham, so that was different to manage, but generally people are aligned and want their club to be successful and want to help you to succeed.

"Obviously there comes a point if you’re not delivering then everybody knows what happens in football.”

In some ways, living away from Derby got him away from the day to day “noise” that surrounds a football club.

That won't be the case back in South Yorkshire.

"I live just outside Rotherham. There are a lot of Rotherham fans (I meet) when I got for a walk or a run or get in my car to go to the club,” added Hamshaw.

"You just set yourself standards, sometimes not achievable, but that’s just how I am and it is probably what has made us successful these last few years.

"I’m excited to be back.”