'No player safe at Rotherham United,' declares Lee Clark

The Geordie has a short-term deal at AESSEAL New York until the close of the run-in and it has yet to be reveal whether he will stay on to lead the rebuild.

But he is increasingly talking as if he will still be here next season and says that no-one is guaranteed a place in the squad for the 2026/27 campaign.

He plans to plunge some youngsters into League One action in the remaining matches until May 2’s final day and give them a chance to stake their claims.

“There are opportunities,” he said. “There are four games and I've got to plan as if I'm going to be here next season.

“Some of those lads who haven't had chances, they'll get an opportunity because I've got to make a judgement. The lads who are under contract, it doesn't mean that they're part of the future as well. Everybody's playing for their future no matter what.”

A large number of players whose deal are expiring will exit the club next month and Clark will recommend that others be advised that they should seek new employment if he doesn't feel they can meet Rotherham's needs.

After four defeats and a draw, he is desperate to put his first victory as manager on the board but has more important priorities concerning him.

“I want to win, I hate this losing feeling, it's horrible,” he said. “There's no better feeling than a winning dressing room as a player or a coach or a manager. It's special.

“However, I've got to look at the bigger picture. So I might be putting players in who might not be ready. If they're younger, they might not be at the level we need them to be.

“We might not get the results. I haven't got to worry about my win percentage and all that, that's irrelevant to me. I've got to now look at these four games thoroughly.

“Is anybody prepared to stand up and say ‘I want to be part of Rotherham United's rebuild, I want to be part of Rotherham United's future’? If they put their hands up and go out and play, they can be a part of it. I'll soon know if I have a squad or a blank piece of paper.”

Clark is continually fielding questions about whether he will be remaining in S60 and extending his partnership with the Millers' chairman.

The Advertiser asked him yesterday: “The conversations you're having with Tony Stewart, is the prospect of you being here next season part of them?”

He replied: “It hasn't been defined, it hasn't been a direct question. You've got to plan. I would be unprofessional if I didn't plan in terms of meeting with the recruitment people at the club and also speaking about pre-season - what we're looking at, timescales, dates et cetera.

“You've got to have that prepared, you've got to have that ready, rather than just me and the chairman sitting down on May 3 and him saying to me ‘Do you want to stay’ or ‘We'd like you to stay?’ and I'm like ‘Oh yeah’ and I'm scattering around all over.

“That off-season, especially for a manager, spins around so quickly. There are things in place for that.”

The Advertiser followed up with: ”Do you get the feeling that Tony wants you next season?”

Clark responded: “It's all positive. He's been really positive for me when we speak after the games and when we've met up. When I met him many years ago, he made a big impression on me, as did the board of directors. And it's still the same.

“We have a real strong relationship. I think us Geordies and Yorkshiremen are the same. We say it how it is, we're straight to the point, we don't sugar-coat anything. So we know what each other's looking for.”

Clark and Stewart first encountered each other in 2012 when the former was interviewed for the New York hot-seat and impressed the latter, even though the job eventually went to Steve Evans.

There has daily contact between the pair since the 53-year-old's March 18 arrival and they have helped each other through the pain of the drop, which was confirmed by Tuesday's defeat at Wigan Athletic.

“I'm lifting him, he's lifting me,” Clark said. “I meet him most weeks and I talk to him every day, whether that's via a text message, WhatsApp or a phone call. He knows what my thoughts are and what can be done and what's required. He's on the same page.

“He's obviously frustrated. He's put a lot of money into the club, so what's happened will not be easy for him. We've got to have resilience. What has to be delivered now is a group of players who are going to show the same level of commitment as the successful teams of the past.”