Matt Hamshaw: the rapid rise from Rotherham United media suite to boardroom

New permanent Rotherham United manager Matt Hamshaw. Picture: Kerrie Beddows

THE setting was somewhat grander than it had been a fortnight earlier.

Then, when Matt Hamshaw was being unveiled as Rotherham United's manager until the end of the season, proceedings took place in the AESSEAL New York Stadium media suite, with the iffy hot-water dispenser gurgling away in the background.

Now, as the same man was accepting three-year terms to be the permanent boss, the scene was the top-floor plushness of the boardroom with its panoramic views of the pitch and rows of gleaming silver tea and coffee jugs and pristine white cups.

‘Take the job for eight games and we'll see if we like each other,’ had been the gist between club and former coach as Hamshaw stepped into the vacant hot-seat.

Four matches and three wins later, it turns out they like each other.

A three-year deal: good for the new man, great for the club, brilliant for fans who have loved the feeling of their club coming back to them.

Amid the formality of the surroundings, Hamshaw cut a relaxed figure. He's fresh to the role, still learning about its extra demands, but very much in control of what he's doing now and what he wants the future to look like.

There were no false promises, no fake rhetoric, no season-ticket-selling spin. "What's the aim for next season?" I asked him. "To be the best team we possibly can," he replied.

Nicely dodged, Mate.

His time as a Millers coach saw him win three League One promotions. His subsequent spell at Derby County brought a fourth and also the offer (politely rejected) of a coaching role from a Premier League team.

He's ready for management, ready to manage a club that is in his blood.

One of the keys to success at Rotherham United is to embrace its flaws as much as its qualities.

Hamshaw knows the club, appreciates the supporters - after all, he is one himself - and just gets what it's all about.

The Millers don't have to be perfect, they do have to have passion.

“Every time a fan walks to the stadium I want them to think that this day could bring the best memory they've had,” he said.

He stayed for a while afterwards, swapping stories with journalists, sipping tea from one of those white cups, a man in a rush to achieve but in no hurry to leave.

A local lad in charge of his local side. What a fit that might turn out to be.

Go well, Hammy. A town, your town, is behind you.