"I don't buy it" - Rotherham United: Lee Peltier takes aim at Steve Evans after Barnsley defeat | OneFootball

The former Millers defender took to social media after Rotherham United's 2-0 defeat to Barnsley

Rotherham United suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley on Friday night, a defeat which hasn't gone down too well with supporters, or ex-players for that matter.

The Millers were expected to be in contention for promotion this season under Steve Evans after some impressive summer business, but things haven't quite clicked so far this season, and they currently sit in the bottom half of the table.

Lee Peltier, who was released by the Millers in the summer after the club's relegation to League One, was clearly unimpressed by what he saw from his former side as they were defeated at Oakwell, and he took to X to aim a dig at Evans in the aftermath of the defeat.

Lee Peltier aims dig at Steve Evans after Rotherham's defeat to Barnsley

The 2023/24 campaign was a miserable one for Rotherham United, and they were relegated to League One after finishing bottom of the Championship table on just 27 points, 24 points away from safety.

Evans took over at the New York Stadium in mid-April and did see an improved end to the campaign, but he told his recent newspaper column for the Rotherham Advertiser how the last couple of seasons have negatively impacted the way his side have started the 2024/25 season.

He told the Rotherham Advertiser: "We're still fighting ridiculously hard to overcome two years of negativity before my return – training-ground blames, a lack of passion, a culture of losing et cetera."

This clearly irked Peltier, who was a member of the squad for those two years, and he took to X to bite back after their derby defeat. He said: "Suppose this result is because of the last two years, I don’t buy it."

It's easy to see why the former Millers defender was annoyed with Evans' comments, as the squad changed massively over the summer, with experienced players like Peltier, Sean Morrison, Jamie Lindsay, Shane Ferguson, Sam Clucas, Tom Eaves and Cafu all departing to be replaced by younger players.

Plenty of supporters were in agreement with Peltier's post, with many suggesting that they shouldn't have released him at the end of last season.

The 37-year-old is currently a free agent, and it remains to be seen whether he'll return to professional football, but with a wealth of EFL experience, he could certainly be a useful asset for someone.

Steve Evans is starting to come under pressure at Rotherham United

The Millers have won just one of their last four games, leaving them in the bottom half of the table and supporters voiced their displeasure at full-time at Oakwell.

Chants of "sacked in the morning", and "you're not fit to wear the shirt" echoed around the away end, and it's clear that if things don't improve quickly, the Millers risk losing too much ground to mount a play-off push, and finishing in the top six should have been seen as a bare minimum this season.

Evans is much-loved at the New York Stadium thanks to his exploits while in charge of the club previously, but things haven't been good enough this season and the 62-year-old will be aware of that.

With no league game for two weeks, it gives Evans some time to reflect on what's been a substandard start to the season, and he'll certainly be hoping for an upturn in results otherwise his job will be under threat.