Rotherham United replacing Steve Evans with ex-Oxford United boss would be a real coup | OneFootball

The Millers are without a permanent manager, and Des Buckingham could be the perfect replacement for Steve Evans.

Rotherham United have recovered their season over the course of the last three matches, and a perfect nine points from that time has seen the threat of relegation eradicated.

Despite this, it's been a campaign to forget for the Millers as they returned to League One for the first time in two years, and supporters will be looking forward to 2024/25 coming to an end and a huge reset in the summer.

Matt Hamshaw has come in on an interim basis in recent weeks to help the South Yorkshire outfit push away from the bottom four following Steve Evans' sacking following a 4-0 defeat to Crawley Town, and he has been crucial to their recent success.

However, Rotherham are searching for a new permanent manager once this season comes to an end, with the likes of Paul Warne already on their radar, while their caretaker boss could also be handed the job, but an out-of-work League One promotion winner from 2023/24 may just be the perfect man to take charge at the New York Stadium.

Des Buckingham could offer Rotherham United a fresh direction

Oxford United sacked Des Buckingham in December, with the decision looking to be a confusing one at the time as the U's were just above the relegation zone in the Championship and he had helped mastermind promotion from the third tier the previous campaign.

Gary Rowett has come in and done a decent job at the Kassam Stadium since, but the threat of the drop has never quite been alleviated and the final five matches of the season are sure to be nervous ones in OX4.

Their former boss has spent the last four months out of management, and Rotherham must pounce on his decision to wait for a job this summer, with the 40-year-old able to offer a style of football that has not been on offer at the New York Stadium for the last few years.

Warne enjoys his teams playing with an extremely rigid style that can often leave a lot to be desired when going forward, with set-pieces and crosses often relied on to find goals. But this does mean that his sides are defensively strong, especially in League One, as was seen with Derby County last season.

But, Buckingham enjoys watching his side playing expansive and attacking football that aims to please supporters and after a tough couple of years, this is exactly what Millers fans need.

Rotherham United must allow their next manager to build a legacy

After consistency under Warne, it was always going to be difficult to replace him and the last few campaigns have been turbulent for Rotherham.

Buckingham can help provide the stability that the Millers have lacked recently, and his calm persona on the touchline is exactly what is needed following on from Evans' time with the club in the last 11 months.

His experience with the City Football Group while managing Mumbai City in India also makes him an interesting proposition, with it clear that those high up in football do rate him and at just 40, his future is still bright.

With Rotherham's season effectively over, they have plenty of time to decide who comes in to replace Evans on a full-time basis, but they would struggle to do much better than bringing in Buckingham this summer.