PW removed the wage bill - not bad players or bad people. JCH was frozen out as he would have been on a good wage.

He was a woeful manager in a league where good managers make a difference - and what happened.

In this league - if we're fit we win - because even against the top of the league the match was described as lacking quality.

If a "good" manager had taken over with 60% of the season left - they would not capitulated so badly - and the squad he "inherited" was due to Warnock - and the budget to buy "championship" players was totally inappropriate.

Nothing against the guy at all but this league is not a test as better teams would punish our defence and stifle our attack. Just can't see the quality of our squad becoming stronger only flattered in a weak league.

Bornamiller wrote:

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PW removed the wage bill - not bad players or bad people. JCH was frozen out as he would have been on a good wage.

He was a woeful manager in a league where good managers make a difference - and what happened.

In this league - if we're fit we win - because even against the top of the league the match was described as lacking quality.

If a "good" manager had taken over with 60% of the season left - they would not capitulated so badly - and the squad he "inherited" was due to Warnock - and the budget to buy "championship" players was totally inappropriate.

Nothing against the guy at all but this league is not a test as better teams would punish our defence and stifle our attack. Just can't see the quality of our squad becoming stronger only flattered in a weak league.

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 The facts on JCH's career to date really speak for themselves. 

Why you think he was one of our higher earners I don't know.  We gave him a one year deal after he had missed almost a whole season with injury.  He was hardly hot property, and we had brought in Moore, Proctor and Ball which suggested he wasn't likely to be the main man.  In the end we got a wage off the payroll that we weren't getting a return on.

With Frecklington we got a fee for a player who no doubt was a higher earner who had effectively four months on his contract who was prone to injury.  Seems like a good bit of business to me.  No offence to Frecklington who I was always a huge fan of, but while we have been winning every game we have played recently he has missed Lincoln's last three matches because they are nursing him through with an injury problem which tends to suggest we got that one right.

You seem to measure success by whether or not we can thrive in the Championship.  That is a really, really difficult thing for us to do.  Teams with modest budgets are struggling to do it, and some teams with massive infrastructure and massive budgets also find it difficult.  I am critical sometimes of the mismatch between what Tony Stewart says he thinks we can do, and the opportunity that he he gives to people to actually achieve it.  I think though that the problem is that he sets the bar and expectations too high.  On any view, with our turnover and budget we are going to find the Championship a very, very tough ask.  Survival in the Championship is hard enough for us, never mind pushing upwards through it.

Personally I think with hindsight we erred when we dismissed Redfearn.  To me we might well have come down that season (although all was not lost) but would have been better off in the long run.  The Warnock miracle, which was great while it lasted, was ultimately quite damaging to us in the longer term.  Although Stubbs got lots of things wrong he had a nigh-on impossible task.  Jackett quickly recognised the same thing.  Warne, despite what you say, had absolutely no chance whatsoever.  The team was out of its depth and the cupboard was bare by the time he got it.

Having said that, the Barnsley model that many people so admire seems not to be working very well for them.

I wasn't in favour of Warne getting the job in the Summer.  Not because of last season, but because he said he wasn't sure he wanted to be a manager and wasn't qualified to be one.  I think it is unarguable though that this season he has done a very good job.  If he hasn't been given enough money to work with as we were all told he would be, that isn't really his fault.

I wonder what you would have us do if we went up?  Would you prefer that we accept that relegation is likely and try to build something and stick with it even if we struggle (as Burnley did with Dyche in the Premier League)?  Or would you prefer that we try and get instant investment into the club (maybe foreign ownership or breaking FFP Rules if needs be) to get a kick on?  I am genuinely interested to know where you are coming from.  I don't really know myself what the answer might be.  I think I am probably resigned to a reality that is that we naturally sit in a space alongside Barnsley, Wigan, Burton, maybe Peterborough as well, which is bottom half of one league and top half of another.  

 

Its a bit like crying over spilt milk all this JCH stuff. He's gone.

He had a chance at Coventry, was let go because,allegedly, he didn't have the right attitude…(ring any bells). He was given a chance at Peterborough, he didn't take it. They gave him a chance at Oldham, he didn't take it, allowing for his long absence with injury, he was given more than a sporting chance with us and he didn't produce anything like the type of fortitude that a club like ours needs and we can't afford to carry prima donnas. He was given chances at Southend, Bury, MK Dons, and Donny, on loan and clearly didn't show enough for any of them to want to persevere with him.

The lad is very very lucky to be given another chance at Coventry. Good luck to them and to him but we can't carry him any longer.

I was upset that the club got rid of Frank Casper, my favourite player back in the day, but players come and they go as do chairmen and managers, and we have to accept it.

Here here, Hillborough. He was probably worth taking a punt on back then, (a costly punt at that) but it didn't work out, now he's gone home to Coventry where he began. Good luck and farewell.

I'm not sure there is enough evidence to say our management team lack the skill to develop young players. Our squad age has come right down, most players are what 26 and under? - look at how much better they are now from the beginning of the season. This development takes time. As for Yates and the like coming through, they can only work with what talent the youth setup is bringing through, which is in essence a Steve Evans throw enough at it until some stick exercise - I know I've seen it in similar academy type environments. How are the Rotherham boys doing in the JPL - does anyone know?

I'm with Smiler on a lot of what he says and what Born says above with the 1 year from now scenario. I really think the club should use this upturn in form to come out and say what they're building for long term strategy behind the scenes, it's been very quiet for a long time.

I agree L1 is another world in terms of quality, but at the minute we're the top 4 of that (and could be better?), the wage bill I'm presuming is more now within our means. The team are giving eveything they can for themselves, one another, the management and the supporters. What more could you ask? Warney was a leader by example on the pitch, he's served under some good managers, he's an intelligent bloke, both in football terms and man management - all he needs is experience to add to that. Would be nice to hear more technical analysis of a game though rather than vague sweeping statements, but this is a criticism of all managers really.

If indeed we do step up again, we neither have the financial clout, infrastructure or anything else for sustainability. That's a sad reality of football today, the gaps between leagues grow year on year. Its a chicken and egg, the Rotherham public wont go to watch a team getting beat every week (Championship or not), but likewise we need that support as it's part of jumping the gap.

T71 wrote,

'I'm with you on this. I'm pleased were we are but it's not edge of your seat football. Nobody can dispute JCH has the ability to play higher, none of our other strikers have. Team is picking it's self at the moment. But were's Purrington, Hinds. Can't believe Ihiewke is playing left back. Love us to get to the play-offs then we've got to win games. See how Warney goes about it. ' End of quote.





I hope that we can move on and discuss our chances of continuing our unbeaten run in League 1. Who's going to say that we cannot get automatic promotion this season? We have team players in our current squad. They are each playing for a shirt and each other. Without naming any individual player I would use the analogy of square pegs and round holes. The square pegs have to be fashioned if they are to fit into the round holes. Very often it's not possible.


UTM!

Keeping my fingers crossed for a bury win tonight and Wigan have a nightmare with 4 sent off losing 8-0

Izzy would have stayed at the club if Stubbs had stayed because he brought him to the club to carry the ball to Wardy who scored 1/2 at that time but that's history now.

JCH earned the penalty and scored it ( winner ) today.....he ( JCH ) probably did have a attitude problem with PW as he JCH was frozen out when the useless Yates got game time.

Can we ban all this talk about JCH, one its boring to read, and two he's a poor footballer. Anyone would think we'd let Messi go out on loan.