Injuries everywhere ... Rotherham United are in good company, says Matt Hamshaw
ROTHERHAM United manager Matt Hamshaw is stressing that the Millers aren't alone when it comes to injury setbacks this season.
The boss takes his League side to Mansfield Town tomorrow lacking more than half a dozen first-team contenders and the opposition have an even bigger headache as their list of absentees stretches into double figures.
Hamshaw says that clubs in all divisions of the English professional pyramid are being hit hard by their number of missing men.
“The problem would be if we were on our own in this position,” he said. “Every manager I've spoken to is having the same issue.”
Rotherham held an internal probe into their crowded treatment and came to the conclusion that their training methods and the pitches at their Roundwood base weren't to blame.
Mansfield went through a similar process last week and claimed that a crowded schedule in the early stages of the 2025/26 campaign was responsible for their threadbare options.
Hamshaw understands Town’s views on the strain imposed on players, saying: “The intensity of games is greater, the distances that people cover are longer, the speeds that they're getting to are faster, everybody's a bit stronger.
He added: “Whether that is fixture congestion, too many games in the season, I honestly don't know. That's way beyond my pay scale. It's why you have squads.”
The Millers are without strike quartet Sam Nombe, Martin Sherif, Kion Etete and Josh Kayode, midfielder Shaun McWilliams and centre-halves Thomas Holmes and Sean Raggett.
In addition, centre-back Lenny Agbaire and midfield trio Kian Spence Josh Benson and Hamish Douglas have also been sidelined for significant periods.
Kayode, after three years of injury misfortune, signed new one-year terms in the summer and there is a misconception among some fans that he is paid only if he plays. His contract contains a basic salary and is incentivised so that his wages rise in line with his number of appearances.
Rotherham slipped into the drop zone last weekend and have yet to put a point on the board away from home.
Hamshaw is looking forward to the day he finally has most of his main men at his disposal.
“We have to make sure that as a group we stay united and get through this bit of a tough time,” he said. “When players come back, we'll look like a different organisation, a different unit.”