Chairman Tony Stewart on the possibility of a Rotherham United sale

The chairman was talking this afternoon on the day he made former England boss Steve McClaren head of football in a bid to reverse the club's fortunes after the slide from the Championship into League Two.

The Swiss-led Bridge Football Group have shown an interest in the Millers and the Advertiser understands that other outside parties are monitoring the situation at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

When asked whether he saw himself staying at Rotherham in the long term, Stewart, who has turned 80, initially joked about his age, laughing: “If I keep living!”

He went on stay to me: “I wouldn't have been talking to Steve if I had thoughts of jumping out.

“But I have to put it to you, Paul, if somebody to came to you tomorrow and said ‘I'm going to double your wages’, you might not be at the Advertiser for much longer. I think that's the same for everybody. You never say never.”

Stewart rescued the Millers from administration in 2008 and has been at the helm ever since.

After years of success, the Millers have endured three successive difficult seasons, but the chairman has been re-energised by the arrival of McClaren who was boss of the national side in 2006 and 2007 and has also managed the likes of Middlesbrough, Derby County, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers.

The new man's first task will be to bring in a head coach to work with him.

Stewart believes that the club will soon be looking upwards again now that they have such a respected figure running the footballing operation, and he also believes that a mass exodus of players who have reached the end of their contracts offers an ideal chance to make a fresh start.

“I'm excited that we've filled a gap,” he said. “We've brought in more expertise. I feel that we can have a good shot at it next season.”

It took time for McClaren to decide to come to New York and the chairman liked how many questions the 65-year-old was asking, even though it held up the deal until two and a half weeks after the close of the 2025/26 campaign.

“You prepare, and we're preparing well,” Stewart said. “We're preparing late, but that's down to Steve. I like that. Let's walk to the goal, not run to it. We've got time to prepare. There are still things we need to talk about. We know we've got a head coach coming in.”

“Fourteen players leaving, that gives us an opportunity. Steve and the new head can give us a reset and get us kicking on again. What I want to do is to get from here back into League One and continue climbing.

“We're not about being residents in League Two. Part of my discussion with Steve is that we are quite clear that we are ambitious.”