Why Rotherham United new boy Thomas Holmes has a reason to be grateful to Paul Ince

Paul Ince was in the Reading hot-seat at the time and stressing to the fledgling centre-half the need to be more vocal.

Holmes, a raw kid starting to make his name at the club he'd supported since boyhood, felt he was already stepping up in that area.

“I remember that season under Ince,” he says. “He was very much on to me about talking. He used to bug me because I felt like I already was talking. I used to talk to the lads near me, like the full-backs et cetera. They'd say: ‘Oh, he does talk.’

But Ince was taking a wider view.

The manager's point was that he wanted the whole pitch to hear me,” Holmes continues. “When he put it like that, it was a bit of a ‘penny drop’ moment. I started to step a bit more into it, I became more of a leader.”

Ah, a leader. Rotherham United boss Matt Hamshaw was in the market for one of those in the closing stages of this summer's transfer window after assembling a young squad and Holmes duly agreed a year-long loan at AESSEAL New York Stadium on deadline day.

Things hadn't been working out for the 25-year-old since a move to Luton Town and, after spending most of his time as a pro in the Championship, he was more than willing to play in the division below in a bid to revive his fortunes.

“I had a really good call with the gaffer,” Holmes says. “I really liked what he was about. He was very personable. He said that this was a place that I could come to and really kick-start my career again.

“I feel like I have a lot to give, a lot to show, a lot to prove still. He was really pleased that that was what I was saying, I was pleased with what he was saying, so it was a bit of a done deal after that.

“He said there's been a lot of change from last season, a lot more younger lads, which I think can be a really positive thing for a club, just as long as it's managed correctly and everyone's working in the right direction.

“He said that I'd once been that young player and had stepped in and played a lot of games. He sees me as someone who can bridge the gap and come in with experience to help the younger lads.”

We're talking at the club's Roundwood base on his first proper day of training last Thursday. He's a tall lad, well spoken with a deep voice and a rounded accent that comes from his West London roots.

“Is it Tom or Thomas?” I ask. “Holmesy,” he grins.

Two days later, he would be named Man of the Match for a wonderfully accomplished debut in the 1-0 New York win over Exeter City. He was dominant in the air, strong in the tackle, clever in his passing and, yes, he led.

Holmes made his Reading debut as a 17-year-old and, two years later, established himself in the side, going on to make well over 100 appearances before a January 2024 switch to Luton who were then a Premier League outfit.

He was loaned straight back to the Royals for the rest of that campaign and that's when his problems began.

“I fractured my back in a tackle,” he says. “Then I went on loan in the second half of last season (from Luton to Belgian side FCV Dender) and had to miss a lot of football due to injury again.

“It's been very stop-start. I was explaining all this to the gaffer here. I think he could see that I was at a bit of a crossroads. I just wanted something fresh. This is probably the hungriest I've been. When you go away, you miss the EFL. I definitely felt that itch to get back and show myself and my quality.”

He doesn't forget his debt of gratitude to Ince who can also count Inter Milan and Liverpool among his former teams.

“My communication improved under him,” he says. “I found my voice. It does take time because you need to know what to shout. You can't just shout for shouting's sake. You need to understand what you're doing and that comes with playing games. I've lived that, I've experienced that, so I know what the younger lads are going through here.

“I'm a big believer in the person before the player. The older lads in my time have spoken to me off the pitch more. I feel like, that way, you gain a better understanding of the person: whether they need a bit more encouragement, whether they need a kick up the arse. Everyone's different and I feel like the stuff away from the pitch is very important. Then you can take that on to the pitch.”

Holmes played 20 times for Luton in the first half of last term but was then a victim of a managerial change that saw Matt Bloomfield replace Rob Edwards and found himself heading to the top division of Belgian football.

“It was a bit of a lonely experience,” he says. “It was a really weird one because I felt like I shouldn't have gone on loan in the first place. That was the manager's decision. There was a lot of change in that January window and the move happened quite late. I didn't think it was quite right. However, that's what the club wanted so I had to respect that.

“The gaffer in Belgium signed me and said I'd be an important part, but then I didn't play. I had a slight injury issue that was recurring and I decided that I needed to get on top of that to put me in the best position for this season.”

Other clubs were vying for his services but he was delighted to choose Rotherham as his home until next May. He's been staying at Aston Hall Hotel while searching for his own place in the area.

“I'm quite lucky in that I don't have responsibilities like a wife and kids et cetera,” he says. “It's quite easy for me to just pack the bags, go out on the road and head up the M1. Whatever I do, I throw myself into it.”

Sitting on a bench in his club-issue gear of red top, black shorts and white socks in Roundwood's interview room, he's quite serious in his demeanour but friendly at the same time.

He'd done a bit of training two days earlier after making the three-hour journey from Luton the night before. The session he'd just completed had been his first full workout and a further chance to bond with his new teammates.

“When you move, it is a bit daunting,” he says. “Every challenge is different. Going into a Belgian dressing room is very different to coming into this type of dressing room. Being in the Reading dressing room is very different to this dressing room. It's fresh every time.

“Everyone's dead nice up here. It's my first time up north. The short time that I've been here, I've loved it so far. Everyone's super-friendly and really welcoming.”

I joke that he'll be ‘slumming it’ in League One but there's no trace of elitism in his answer: “I'll play anywhere, I just love playing footy, it's not a case of levels.

“I just wanted to get to a place where I felt like I was wanted. It had been a while since I'd had that. Whatever the level, I'm happy as long as I feel that sense of belonging. I'd like to think that I can impart some knowledge. Communication is a skill in itself. I know I've been brought in to lead.”

Ince, a few years ago, must have spotted Holmes' potential to do just that: he made him, aged just 22, Reading's vice-captain.