The mid-season marks ... how every Rotherham United's player has done so far in this Championship campaign
ROTHERHAM United are approaching the halfway mark of their Championship campaign.
The December 10 home clash with Bristol City and the trip to West Bromwich Albion the following Saturday will have seen them play every team in the division once, before starting the reverse set of fixtures on Boxing Day with the visit of Stoke City.
Many players have shone, some have done better than expected and some so far haven’t had the season they would have wanted.
The Advertiser’s PAUL DAVIS hands out his ratings.
GOALKEEPERS
Viktor Johansson
21 appearances
It says everything about the standard of the Swede’s performances that a goalkeeper of the quality of Josh Vickers can’t get a look-in in the league. As a shot-stopper, he’s as good as anyone in the Championship. His kicking has been found wanting on occasion but the rest of the game has more than made up for that. Breathtaking saves at times have kept the Millers in matches and won them points.
Rating: 9/10
Josh Vickers
Two app
His low mark is a reflection of his lack of action, not a comment on his displays in two EFL Cup ties. We all know how good he is. But The Viking is in his way.
Rating: 5/10
DEFENDERS
Grant Hall
16 apps
Captain Richard Wood calls it the “get-out pass” and no-one plays it better than the Middlesbrough loanee. Hall is calm in possession and finds his man rather than hoofing the ball forward only for the opposition to send it straight back. Reads a game well and lacks nothing in physicality too. A tough, solid defender.
Rating: 8/10
Lee Peltier
17 apps
Manager Matt Taylor loves the Liverpudlian and just wishes the 35-year-old was ten years younger. A class operator who has been excelling at this level forever. Always in the right place, always making the right decisions. He might need resting now and again to keep him fit. His experience and know-how are vital to the Millers.
Rating: 8/10
Richard Wood
19 apps, four goals
The goals have dried up since that amazing early-season spurt but the club’s longest-serving player continues to make light of his 37 years. A leader, an inspiration, a fearsome competitor. The legs aren’t quite what they once were. Everything else is in excellent working order. The old warrior remains Rotherham’s biggest threat at set-pieces.
Rating: 8/10
Cameron Humphreys
15 apps
The former Manchester City youngster is one talented lad. Loves to have the ball at his feet and usually does something with it. There were one or two loose passes earlier in the season but he has cut them out in recent games. Is also showing more of an appetite for the uglier side of the game. Outstanding in the derby win at Sheffield United. Only a chequered fitness record stops him receiving a higher mark.
Rating: 7/10
Wes Harding
23 apps, one goal
Taylor thinks Harding has been the Millers’ most impressive defender this season, which is high praise indeed. The most important player in the squad. Comfortable on either side of a three-man defence and also on both flanks as a wing-back. Versatility and consistency in equal measure. Great engine, great mobility, great attitude.
Rating: 8/10
Jamie McCart
Seven apps
Has looked decent in his cameo outings. Suffered a pre-season injury and now finds other players ahead of him. Yet to start a league game. His mark is a reflection of the frustrating start to his Rotherham career rather than anything he’s done on the pitch.
Rating: 5/10
MIDFIELDERS
Dan Barlaser
23 apps, two goals
The playmaker, the string-puller, the pass master. Playing as well as he ever has in a Miller shirt, and that is some going in the second tier considering how good he’s been in League One in the past. Doesn’t just glide through games, gets stuck in as well. A harder worker than many people realise — the GPS data backs that up. Gets caught in possession now and then but even the great quarterbacks get sacked from time to time.
Rating: 8.5/10
Ben Wiles
21 apps, two goals
It took a while for him to shake off Burnley’s bidding and get going but was showing welcome signs of being back to his best before the Championship’s World Cup shutdown. That ‘number 10’ role behind the striker gives him a bit of room to work in and suits the game of a direct, dangerous runner who can see a killer pass. Great to see him scoring again.
Rating: 7/10
Ollie Rathbone
21 apps, two goals
Has handled the step up to the Championship so well. The same impish, buzzing, all-action, non-stop presence he was in last term’s League One promotion push. Always probing in possession, always pressing out of it.
Rating: 8/10
Scott High
13 apps
No league starts tell the story of the Huddersfield Town loanee’s spell at AESSEAL New York Stadium so far. Looks neat and doesn’t give the ball away but other midfielders have been offering more.
Rating: 5/10
Jamie Lindsay
18 apps, two goals
Too much time spent on the bench sees him lose a mark. The Scot will have hated not starting. Got himself back in the team last month and has since been the effective, abrasive presence we all know he can be. No-one gets an easy time against him. Strangely, has always looked a better player in the Championship than in League One. Does a lot of his best work without the ball. That’s meant absolutely as a compliment.
Rating: 6/10
Hakeem Odoffin
Eight apps
A big, willing competitor who has done his best work away from home where he has been used by the Millers as a physical shield. An excellent night at Stoke City showed what he can do defensively and there were a couple of key moments at Coventry City when he kept out the Sky Blues. Hasn’t been able to move the ball on fast enough to have an impact in attack.
Rating: 6/10
WING-BACKS
Brooke Norton-Cuffy
17 apps
A monster of an attacker to say he’s only 18. The Arsenal youngster beats opponents on the inside and outside and has the pace and strength to keep them at bay once he’s done the tricky stuff. Can be caught out defensively but that’s something the Millers will be working on. On fire at the start of his loan spell before dipping physically during a brutal run of games and finding himself on the bench.
Rating: 7/10
Peter Kioso
Five apps
Taylor likes him and appears to trust in him more than he does Norton-Cuffy. The former Luton Town man is strong and agile and has looked really good when he’s played. However, a succession of injuries have blighted the opening months of his Rotherham career.
Rating: 5/10
Cohen Bramall
21 apps, one goal
Opponents can’t live with him when he uses his speed to its full advantage. If there’s a faster player in the division. I’ve yet to see him. Has the energy to match his swiftness and makes an impact in both halves, although his tackling can be on the rash side and his decision-making isn’t always the best. Puts in a good cross, which makes it frustrating when he doesn’t deliver as well as he can. With more concentration and consistency he could be frightening at this level.
Rating: 7.5/10
Shane Ferguson
13 apps
Injuries have led to frustrating amounts of time on the sidelines. Looks after the ball better than anyone in the Rotherham squad and nobody puts in a cross quite like he does. Lacks the ‘legs’ these days to have a 90-minute effect as a wing-back but that sweet left foot is still capable of making a big contribution.
Rating: 6/10
Tolaji Bola
Two apps
Another player to be hit by injuries and has had to wait until the international to show his new manager what he can do in training. Just two substitute appearances this season, both prior to Taylor’s arrival. A real athlete — he ran the fastest mile (five minutes three seconds) of all the squad in pre-season testing at Roundwood.
Rating: 5/10
FORWARDS
Chieo Ogbene
18 apps, six goals
League One couldn’t hold him and neither can the Championship when he’s ‘on’ it. Lethal pace and trickery. So valuable to the Millers because he takes them deep into opposition territory and keeps them there. Top scorer since moving from the right flank to down the middle.
Rating: 8/10
Conor Washington
21 apps, three goals
Not quite Chieo quick yet still very nippy. No-one puts in a bigger shift than the summer signing. Turns lost causes into live ones. Not the biggest, but knows how to use his physicality to unsettle defenders. Knows himself that he should score a few more goals.
Rating: 7/10
Georgie Kelly
17 apps, three goals
The fans’ favourite is raw and still coming to terms with the demands of the Championship after leaving part-time football in Ireland, but he’s a natural scorer who is a real threat in the penalty area. Has made a big impact as a substitute and been less effective when he’s started. His winning goal three minutes after coming on against Huddersfield Town is one of the stories of the season.
Rating: 7/10
Tom Eaves
15 apps
Hit by a pre-season injury that stopped him building any momentum, then it took a while for the rust to go when he came back. Made a better contribution in the matches leading up to the international break but has yet to earn the right to start regularly. His Millers career won’t really get going until he bags that elusive first goal.
Rating: 5/10
Josh Kayode
One app
Just a single substitute outing in the EFL Cup before heading out on loan to League MK Dons where his game-time has been restricted by injury.
Rating: NA
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MAIN MEN
Viktor Johansson is the only player to play every minute of all 21 league games.
Ben Wiles and Dan Barlaser are the only outfield players to start every league match.
lDan Barlaser and Wes Harding are the only players to feature in all 23 league and cup fixtures.