Having played full-back, centre-back, central midfield and even a half a game as a goalkeeper for the Millers, Neil Richardson is in a good position to be judging others.
And with his boots hung up, the 46-year-old is making the most of it, working as a scout across the north of England for Premier League giants Liverpool.
His role is vital to the club as his duties include watching future opponents, potential signings, players out on loan at other clubs and potential stars of the future.
And although Richardson, who wore the red and white of Rotherham between 1988 and 1999, did not get out of the lower divisions as a player, his experience of the game still allows him to make judgment on players destined for higher things.
"I'm scouting for Liverpool in the northern areas, anywhere from up to Newcastle over to the north west," he said. "I used to work for Tottenham and the guy who was in charge of scouting went to Liverpool and he took me across there.
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| Neil Richardson was a Wembley winner for Rotherham in 1996 |
"Sometimes we do match reports on future opponents, but most of the time we are doing player reports on players playing at first-team level and I put my opinions across to the head scout about what I think of them.
"It's just experience from playing the game and what I took from playing and judge from that. Because you've played the game and experienced it, it gives you more of a solid opinion.
"The club get a group of scouts together and you look at the players you want to watch, we just keep a check on these players and how you think a potential signing could be.
"A lot of players are signing from abroad and I don't actually go abroad, so I'm not involved in scouting potential first-team players too often.
"It's everything that you look at, it's the whole package. You have to judge whther they think they can make the move up to the Premier League and with it being Liverpool it's also the top four.
"It's a very tough call to say whether they could make it. You never go just once, anyone can have a worldy once or a nightmare once, you have to judge them over five or six games, so you have to go more than once."
One of Richardson's most notorious games for the Millers saw him end up in goal and then get sent off in a crazy 2-1 defeat at Shrewsbury which involved Ronnie Moore's men losing keeper Bobby Mimms to injury in the first minute and finish the game with eight men.
That was a harrowing day for the Sunderland-born defender, but it gives him some experience of what goalkeepers go through, though despite his short tenure as number one, he would never get the final say on signing a goalkeeper.
"We look at all the players, but because the goalkeeper is a specialist position the goalkeeping coach will come and have the final say. But I do have limited experience!" he joked.
Richardson is a regular visitor to the New York Stadium and was present to watch the Millers' 1-0 win over Wolves as well as the pre-season clash with Leicester.
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| Alex Revell's performances have impressed Liverpool scout Richardson |
And he has seen enough to think the Millers will be okay this season, with one man getting particular praise.
"The players are working ever so hard, they are an honest bunch of lads and they are going to be hard to beat," he added. "They deserve all the credit they get. That's a very hard division, but I hope they have enough to be okay, but they can't afford to rest on those two wins, they have to keep going.
"I like Alex Revell, he does a lot of work for that team that sometimes goes unnoticed or without praise. He's an honest lad and I quite like watching him."
Perhaps Revell should start looking at houses on Merseyside.
