Rotherham United and the uncertainty of the retained list
DEPARTED boss Lee Clark is far from the only person waiting for confirmation on their future at managerless Rotherham United.
Well over a dozen players have also yet to hear whether there is a chance that they will be at AESSEAL New York Stadium next season when the relegated Millers embark on their first season in League Two since 2012/13.
Clark, who was given a short-term deal in the hot-seat in March, had made decisions on all of the men who are coming to their end of their contracts in the expectation that he would be confirmed as the permanent boss after last Saturday's final-day match at Wycombe Wanderers.
However, he has been unable to deliver any news to the 15 affected pros as there has been no news yet from the club on whether his initial nine-game stay will be extended.
That leaves senior pros like Joe Powell, Josh Benson, Cameron Dawson and Jordan Hugill in limbo.
Rotherham have a deadline to work to as they must inform players by the third Saturday of this month whether offers will be put on the table.
That gives them ten more days to hit the May 16 cut-off point.
The full list of men whose deals are expiring is Powell, Benson, Dawson, Hugill, Sean Raggett, Zak Jules, Reece James, Dru Yearwood, Liam Kelly, Shaun McWilliams, Jack Holmes, Duncan Watmore, Josh Kayode, Ciaran McGuckin and Ben Hatton.
The Millers hold 12-month extension options on Benson, Yearwood and McWilliams.
It is unclear, for now, who will make retained/released decisions if Clark isn't kept on.
Rotherham, like all other EFL clubs, must submit a list to the league that, among other things, includes:
- players who are out of contract this summer and have been offered a new deal
- players who are still under contract beyond this summer (including those where an extension clause has been trIggered)
- players who are out of contract this summer and have not been offered a new deal
Contracts generally end on June 30 so wages will be paid by the Millers until then.
Many of the 15 players are likely to leave while loanees Dan Gore, Jamal Baptiste, Harry Gray, Gabriele Biancheri and Lino Sousa have already gone back to their parent clubs.
That leaves the next boss - who may or may not be Clark - with a huge rebuilding job after a season to forget.
The Millers are still talking to former England head coach Steve McClaren about a role at New York above managerial level.