Derby answers. But still so many questions ... David Rawson's Rotherham United fan column

Action between Rotherham United and Barnsley at Oakwell. Picture: Jim BrailsfordAction between Rotherham United and Barnsley at Oakwell. Picture: Jim Brailsford
Action between Rotherham United and Barnsley at Oakwell. Picture: Jim Brailsford
​THE Barnsley performance felt like an answer to a few things.

​One: is this side good enough for the play-offs?

You see, you could have argued that Leyton Orient and Stevenage pulled us down to their level. That those games were grinds as a result. Not after Barnsley. We played with as much energy and drive as we have. And it worked. For five minutes. Then Barnsley took control because they were better organised, better coached and more determined than us.

Leyton Orient and Stevenage are our level.

Action between Rotherham United and Barnsley at Oakwell. Picture: Jim BrailsfordAction between Rotherham United and Barnsley at Oakwell. Picture: Jim Brailsford
Action between Rotherham United and Barnsley at Oakwell. Picture: Jim Brailsford

Two: where are we headed?

Barnsley, you can see, are a work in progress. If we'd scored, there's a chance they'd have come apart. But you can see what they're aiming for. Direct, front-foot, smart football. Players who don't yet know their limits and are keen to find them out.

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Every player in our team knows that this is their level, or strongly suspects it. Our so-called “big players” – Raggett, Rafferty, McCart, Clarke-Harris, Kelly, Wilks – are solid third-division players and that's that. Whatever they used to be, whatever they might have once thought they'd become, that's what they are. And that's okay. Plenty of successful sides have that experienced “old head” who knows the league and wants one last go at the one above. But a team full of them? There's no foundation there for the future. It's a one-off, one-shot-of-the-dice thing. If it doesn't work – and it isn't working – a complete rebuild is needed.

Again.

Three: can this manager turn it round?

He'll try. He'll give it all he's got. And we know what it looks like.

Plan A is put as many of the best players we have on the pitch and hope they figure something out. Plan B is ship a load out and bring a load in and hope that the next lot figure it out better.

But is it worth it? To play catch-up in January is expensive. If it's a couple of players, then maybe. But we're six or seven players short. Yes, the overall standard in the league this year is poor and, yes, the gap isn't that big, but the general level of performance is so far off what’s needed that even if we have a transfer blitz, could we get where we want to be?

Or do we write this season off and start to plan a more structured rebuild?

And, if so, is this the right management team to lead it?

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