"It wouldn't surprise me" - Exclusive: Sky pundit reacts to big Tony Stewart decision at Rotherham United | OneFootball

The Millers have made the local lad their permanent boss.

Joe Jacobson thinks that Rotherham United's decision to give Matt Hamshaw the job on a permanent basis will be one that eventually pays off for them.

The man from Rawmarsh has been in charge at the AESSEAL New York Stadium after the Millers parted ways with former boss Steve Evans. Hamshaw's impact was instant, picking up nine points from his first four matches as an interim boss.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that the club's ex-assistant had been given the job permanently, and now he will be looking towards what Rotherham can do next season, with nothing much left to play for in this campaign.

United's chairman, Tony Stewart, spoke highly of his newly appointed first-team boss. "Matt Hamshaw hasn’t just impressed us with performances on the pitch, but also with his ambition and passion for the club off it, which comes across clearly every time we speak or he is interviewed by the media," stated Stewart.

"His association with this football club is well-documented and his knowledge and understanding of what our supporters want to see from their team is unrivaled through his connections as a coach here previously and his lifelong support as a fan."

Matt Hamshaw appointment expected to pay off for Rotherham

Former League One stalwart Joe Jacobson, who now works as a Sky Sports pundit, has exclusively told Football League World that he thinks the decision to hand the reins to Hamshaw is a good one by the Rotherham hierarchy.

"I think Matt Hamshaw knows the club, he knows the area, he's been in a couple of weeks and has done okay," Jacobson said. "I just think, with where Rotherham are at, they need a bit of stability. They had someone in Paul Warne who was there for a number of years, and had success because he was there for a long time.

"They eventually changed to Steve Evans who likes to go in and shake things up, bring his own players in and doesn't stay anywhere for the long-term. He's not a vision manager, he's not someone that is going to put a five-year plan in place. Maybe they've changed that now and think that Matt Hamshaw is the right man for that.

"So I don't think it's risky at all. I think you've got to give this guy a summer window. They've got a bit of an aging squad, Rotherham, but they've got some good players so it wouldn't surprise me if they were up their next season."

Rotherham have the potential to push for a Championship spot

The Millers are the yo-yo club of League One and the Championship. They've bounced between the divisions nine times over the last 11 years, and for six seasons straight, from 2016/17 to 2021/22, they went from one to the other, season after season.

They aren't some outsider who would be out of place in the second tier. Getting back to that point is where their priorities lie, and, if you look at the squad that they have, they have players who could certainly help them towards that point.

There's a strong list of those who have won promotions at various levels in the past five seasons. They also have a former League One top scorer in Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Not all the ingredients are there at the moment, as this season has proved, but there's certainly a strong base that they can build something quite tasty with.