Farewell, Leam Richardson ... reflections on the head coach's brief reign at Rotherham United

It was one of the Rotherham United boss's most regular phrases during the four months he spent in charge at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

“Since I came into the building ...” The head coach had walked into a club with problems and, as Championship relegation became ever more certain and then finally confirmed, it was his way of saying it wasn't all on him.

Not a lot of it was, to be honest. Things had gone wrong during the reign of his predecessor. Richardson was up for the challenge when others had given the opportunity a swerve.

He always said he knew exactly what he was getting into. I don't think exactly he did. The rebuild Rotherham require is even bigger than he originally envisaged.

That responsibility isn't his any longer. He was relieved of his duties on Wednesday and at around the same time his successor was being announced just after 10am the 44-year-old was at Roundwood clearing out his desk.

The news came as a surprise yet not a shock.

The Millers had appointed him in December, already with an eye on League One as they were eight points adrift at the foot of the second tier.

An initial upsurge in performances followed but, bit by bit, that slipped away, leaving a trail of defeats and uninspiring displays from an injury-hit squad always lacking in numbers and, in certain areas, also in character.

There were 18 losses and only two wins in his 24 matches until Rotherham owner Tony Stewart decided change was required.

The chairman, while the Millers were sliding towards the drop, had re-emphasised that Richardson was the man for next season, but that was before the ignominy of successive 5-0 defeats, at Coventry City and Norwich City.

Part of the reason Stewart had sacked previous boss Matt Taylor was because he was “embarrassed” by the manner of losses at Sheffield Wednesday and Watford.

“Leam hasn't embarrassed me yet,” said the chairman as he issued his vote of confidence.

But then came the events at the CBS Arena and Carrow Road and, so, the ground under the head coach's feet began to shift.

Many fans feel he should have been given the summer and a proper transfer window; a significant amount don't.

The fact that he failed to stir enough passion in supporters didn't help him. New York had become a limp, restless place and the empty seats were a portent for reduced season-ticket sales for next term.

His track record - promotions at all of his former clubs as a manager or number two - suggested he was the right man for the job. He was a solid appointment; not an exciting one, maybe, but an eminently sensible one.

Press conferences were a chance for Richardson to engage, to enthuse, to win the crowd, but that wasn't his way - partly, probably, by choice. He never wanted to give anything away.

It led to a lot of cliches, a lot of ‘leadership speak’, a lot of repeats.

In front of the cameras and voice recorders, he wasn't the best version of himself - see what I did there? - and that was frustratingly at odds with his personality in private where he was chirpy and quick-witted, the kind of bloke you'd have a beer with.

The few times he did publicly open up and speak from the heart, he came across all the better for it. He should have done it more.

A major problem for him was, he took charge when there was so much of a relegation campaign still to negotiate.

His aim was to nurse the club through to the close of the season while holding on to and nurturing what little spirit there was.

But there were so many matches, so many obstacles - some inherited, like poor recruitment and a divided camp, some rearing their head on his watch, like a lack of eagerness to play - that it became impossible.

The last few months developed into a damage-limitation exercise being carried out with many players not of his choosing, some with attitudes not of his liking.

That he consistently praised those who kept making themselves available suggested he was less than enamoured with a proportion of those who didn't.

Particularly at away games, he could only stand and watch while his reputation, that had been 15 years in the making, took a hit.

Could he have done more to keep some players on board? That's a six-million-dollar question.

Drainage issues at the Roundwood training complex meant Richardson was a head coach who couldn't always coach. He was more of a manager anyway.

The director-of-football experiment was over almost before it had begun and he was involved in far more than just preparing the squad for matches.

Throughout, there were issues behind the scenes lingering on from events prior to his arrival. His three-year contract wasn't the only thing he signed with the Millers. There were also a lot of leaving cards.

“I guarantee things will get better,” he said after the shame of Coventry. They would have, most probably, next term in a division below. But, in the here and now, they hadn't.

Thus, the end came with three games of the season left.

Another of Richardson's favourite sayings involved an analogy about football being like a clock face.

“It comes round and it's your turn to press the reset button,” he'd say. “It's Rotherham's turn to press the reset button and go again.”

Cruelly ironic, then, that time would run out so quickly for him.