Bleak words from boss Lee Clark about the danger of Rotherham United becoming a non-league club

The Millers were in the Championship only two years ago, but their drop to League Two has already been confirmed this term and there may be even darker days ahead.

Clark, who took the-hot-seat last month, has made it clear to Rotherham's hierarchy how bleak the future could be and has called for a full-scale rebuild, whether he remains in charge or not beyond his nine-game contract that expires after the final two matches.

“One-hundred per cent, people at the club are conscious of that,” he said about the prospect of the Millers losing their EFL status. “I've stated that to everybody behind the scenes. If this season was to be repeated - even though you've already gone down a league - you'll go down again. And if you go down to the National League and this season was to be repeated, you'd go down again.”

The boss pointed the finger at an unsustainable injury list as a huge factor in the club's plight and, without going into much specific detail, talked of other major issues that have led to the slide.

“As a manager, you accept that you're not always going to have a fully-fit squad to pick from,” he said. “But more times than not since I've been here there have been more players in the treatment room than available to me. If that's the case, no matter what level of football you're playing at, you're not going to to be successful, you're going to have relegations.”

The Geordie is adamant that Rotherham must sign players who are less prone to spending time in the treatment room and who can handle the rigours of a 46-match season.

“I think everyone's realised that this year cannot be repeated,” he said. “We haven't recruited players with robustness and there are things not happening in the right way behind the scenes to keep these players fit.

“You know, it's not even just keeping them fit, they've got to have the robustness where they can go for a full game on a Saturday, a full game on a Tuesday and a full game on the following Saturday.

“They're the type of players we've got to have. There's plenty of those players out there. We've got to be able to find a group of them who can do that.

“Up until the Leyton Orient game (a 2-0 away win last Saturday), I wasn't able to make tactical substitutions. Players were on limited minutes, players were picking up injuries, players were fatiguing quickly.

“As a manager, you're hamstrung straight away. Even before the game kicks off, you know that you're going to have to change things because players can't last.”

There has yet to be any word from Rotherham on whether Clark will be invited to stay in his role next season.

Regardless of his fate, the 53-year-old is planning a review of procedures following the last-day trip to Wycombe Wanderers on May 2.

“Whatever type of season you have, whether it's good, indifferent or bad, you always have a debrief at the end of it,” he said.

“We'll be having a debrief as a staff to talk about where we think things have gone wrong. Some are really obvious. Then you make sure that you put practices in place where it cannot happen again.”

Clark believes he is the man to lead a revival and said of his gloomy forecast National League forecast: “I can assure you that if it’s still me in charge it won’t happen”