Opinion: Why Rotherham United should opt against appointing 43-year-old as next manager | OneFootball

Opinion: Why Rotherham United should opt against appointing 43-year-old as next manager | OneFootball

Icon: Football League World

Football League World

·27 September 2022

Opinion: Why Rotherham United should opt against appointing 43-year-old as next manager

Article image:Opinion: Why Rotherham United should opt against appointing 43-year-old as next manager

With Paul Warne having surprisingly departed Rotherham to take up the main job at Derby, it has left Rotherham somewhat in limbo currently.

It is the first time in six years that they don’t have Warne at the helm and they have to find a new manager who won’t take them down to League One and can keep them in the Championship.


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Under their previous boss, they could never quite keep in the second tier but they could always rely on the manager to at least drag them straight back up again from League One when they did drop down. He did it on three separate occasions – but it’s now a case of where do they go from here?

10 simple facts that every Rotherham United fan should know – But do you?

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Article image:Opinion: Why Rotherham United should opt against appointing 43-year-old as next manager

ROTHERHAM UNITED WAS OFFICALLY FOUNDED IN WHAT YEAR

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If they pick the wrong man, they could sink like a stone and not get out of League One again. Make the right call though and they could finally stay in the second tier for longer than a campaign. Warne had them firing and looking lively in their opening games to this season, so the signs are promising for whoever does come in.

One of the main men linked with the vacant role currently is Dean Holden.

Whilst it might be a decent appointment in terms of the fact he will be looking to prove himself again and it could be a long-term appointment in the same mould as Warne, there are plenty of warning signs that he isn’t the right man for the job.

For starters, just have a look at his managerial record to date. He’s only managed two clubs so far for starters and they are Oldham and Bristol City. Only the latter of those two teams has given him second tier experience and even that was for just over 40 games. Holden then doesn’t even have a season’s worth of Championship experience under his belt.

The issue is that experience might be their best bet here. They want someone who can ensure they at least stay up this season and appointing a bit of a wildcard like Holden could backfire tremendously. He isn’t well-versed in football at this level and might struggle to get results out of the team. His last stint with Bristol City produced 18 wins but 18 losses too and led to a win rate of 44%. At Oldham, that dropped to three wins in 15 and 20%.

As with any job though, you have to start somewhere. There are the makings of a decent enough manager there and appointing a young boss with the potential to thrive and prove themselves could work expertly. For what Rotherham need though, it just doesn’t seem the right fit at this moment in time for the club.

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