​New man, new methods, bode well for Rotherham United's Christ Tiehi

The 25-year-old French-born midfielder has been a positive in an arduous season so far, a consistent performer capable of making a contribution in defence and attack.

While the £400,000-plus Rotherham spent to bring him from Czech Republic side Slovan Liberec in the summer has looked decent business, Tiehi believes he has untapped potential that can help the club’s predicament.

The arrival of a new coach, with a new voice and new ideas, could be beneficial to a player who is no stranger to a relegation scrap having played on loan for Richardson’s old club, Wigan Athletic, last season.

“My first impression of the new manager is that he wants to play more football, and that’s the type of football I like,” Tiehi told the Advertiser. “I spoke with a few guys at Wigan too and they talk good about him. I want to get to know him more and work with him to help the club to stay in the league.

“I’ve had some games this season where I wasn’t really really good but I think I did well in most of them. I feel like I can do more to help the team and take more risks to do that. Once I get to know the manager he will help me to progress more and be better than before because I think I can get more goals.”

A free midweek without a game has finally given Tiehi and his team-mates a regular run of days on the training pitch with the new gaffer after weeks of uncertainty following the departure of Matt Taylor.

“I think everyone was a little bit sad when the manager got sacked,” said Tiehi. “It was a tough moment because we didn’t know what was going on and which manager the club would bring. Now he’s here, we’re happier and we just want to work together.”

There are no "gimmies” in the Championship for the Millers. Unlike in League One, in the the second tier they are underdogs in just about every fixture, not least in Saturday’s trip to leaders Leicester.

“This season is different than my last with Wigan,” added Tiehi. “The standard is very high. I believe in my team-mates and how we work and how we talk to each and what we do on the pitch too.

“The problem when you’re down in the table sometimes is you think everything is against you and you talk about the referee and everything but to stay in the league we have to do more to improve ourselves. I still feel confident. We just need to get a win and once we get that then the atmosphere will change.”