The Advertiser asked Lee Clark if he thought he would be Rotherham United boss next year
NEW manager Lee Clark has stopped short of saying he expects to be with Rotherham United beyond the end of the season but admits he is “loving” being the manager of the Millers after spending four years out of the hot-seat.
The 53-year-old former Huddersfield Town boss has the job at AESSEAL New York Stadium until the end of the campaign and he and chairman Tony Stewart will then get together to reach a decision about what comes next.
Clark had only positive things to stay about his time in S60 when quizzed by the Advertiser about whether he could see himself still being at the helm next term.
“Well, I don't want to speculate,” he said on Thursday. “All I'll say is that I've absolutely loved my time here and I am still loving it. I thought it was a great club from the outside. Once I've been in it, I can see that it is a great club.
“It's had a very, very difficult season, but someone's going to have the opportunity to rebuild it and have a reset on numerous things. I couldn't have had a better welcome from the supporters, the chairman and the board, the players and the staff.”
The Geordie, who hadn't worked since a spells abroad in Oman and Sudan in 202, was given a short-term deal for the League One run-in on March 18, by which time Rotherham were staring relegation in the face. Their survival prospects haven't improved in his four matches in charge and the drop to the division below is virtually certain.
During his short-term tenure, Clark is performing his duties as if he will still be in charge during the 2026/27 campaign.
“I've got to behave in a way to keep the club running in the right way,” he said. “That's what I'm doing. You've got to start looking towards next season because seasons come at you thick and fast. I can't just look to the nine games and just walk away on May 3 with nothing having being planned for pre-season and potential recruitment.
“I think that that's the way you have to do it. Even though it's all about the nine games, you have to have a professional mentality. I have that. That's the way I work.” His comments suggest that he would be more than happy to extend his stay in South Yorkshire if Stewart gives an indication that he'd like the partnership to continue. The pair get on well and are in regular contact.
“I speak to him every single day,” Clark said. “We have a great relationship. He's so open, he's so honest. His passion for the club is massive. I see him face to face and we meet for a cuppa or I just give him a phone call.
“We talk about different things. We talk about how the team has done previously, how we're looking forward to the next game, what can happen further down the line. Those conversations are being had every day.”
He reiterated that he is already performing his role with one eye on next term and is involved in talks over recruitment, the retained list and pre-season planning.
“I'm speaking to people behind the scenes,” he said. “The phone's been non-stop with calls from agents who I hadn't heard from for many, many years! That's normal practice.
“You've got to do these things just to give the club a chance because, whatever happens come May 3 onwards, if things aren't put in place, you're starting the new season behind the rest of the league.”
Clark, who has moved from his family home in Newcastle to base himself in Rotherham for his six-week tenure, also repeated how much he is enjoying being a manager again.
“I'm loving it,” he said. “That's why I'm so positive still about what we're trying to do. So, without saying that I want to stay beyond the nine games or ‘let's take it’ (the job), all I can say is that the people here have made my stay so far very good so far, with the exception of the main thing, which is the results.”