Neil Harris reveal shows extent of Millwall U-turn: View | OneFootball

Millwall have had a very poor season by their standards.

They are one of the longest-serving teams in the Championship, having been in the second tier since their promotion from League One in 2017.

They started the season with Gary Rowett in charge, who had been in the hot seat since 2019. However, he was replaced by former England U20 manager Joe Edwards as results spiralled; Edwards' own time at the club had not gone to plan, though.

Edwards’ time in charge of Millwall was short-lived

Edwards was appointed manager of Millwall in November, taking over from Rowett in what was his first role as first team manager at a club.

Under Rowett, Millwall were a team known for their physical style of play - being defensively compact, winning their duels and working hard.

But he was sacked, with the club wanting to go in a new direction with how the team wanted to play, having somewhat stagnated as a whole after failing to reach the play-offs last season.

For Edwards, it was always going to be a difficult task. In his previous jobs, Edwards had been known for implementing a more progressive, possession-based style of play, which Millwall’s players were not suited to.

Unfortunately for Edwards, he was sacked as Millwall manager earlier this week, after just four wins from 19 games and that style of play not bringing a solid run of results.

Edwards’ appointment was always going to be a long-term one, but he was not given enough time to stamp down his way of playing. His job was undoubtedly made harder by the squad he inherited.

Millwall’s hierarchy then decided to re-appoint Neil Harris, who was manager at Cambridge United most recently.

He started the season in League Two with Gillingham, but was sacked in October, and he then jumped up to League One with Cambridge. He has now managed to go up yet another division to rejoin the Lions.

Harris resigned from his first stint in charge at Millwall in October 2019, after winning just two of their opening ten league games of the season.

But Harris’ first reign in charge of the club was far from unsuccessful overall.

A club legend as a player, having made over 350 appearances, he brought the club back to the second tier at the second time of asking in 2017, before making them back into a consistent Championship side.

Harris now comes back to a Millwall side in a relegation battle, a similar situation to when he took over the first time.

The re-appointment of the 46-year-old has shown that the club have decided to completely revert to playing the way they used to before Edwards: they'll be scrappy, fighting for second balls, making the Den a difficult place to go.

The club have given him an 18-month deal, indicating that this is not a short-term fix and that the possession-heavy, progressive style just isn't for them.

When comparing the two, Harris had obviously been at the club for a longer period of time than Edwards - but the owners will be looking at his higher win percentage in particular, and hoping he can replicate those kinds of results that helped him keep them in the division up until his departure.

Edwards’ appointment was ambitious and had the club wanting to play more of an attractive style of play. Reverting to Harris is the ultimate U-turn, yet a demanding Championship battle for survival has brought them to this point. From now on, it's about substance rather than style.