Rotherham slumped to the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday after a resounding 3-0 defeat at Derby.
Things have not gone according to plan since Neil Redfearn took over three weeks ago and he still waits for his first win.
That maiden success was never on the cards against the Rams and after an afternoon to forget, the mood in the camp is low.
Here are five things we learned from the game at the iPro Stadium.
 |
| (image credit: www.dcfc.co.uk) |
It's hard when the game plan goes to pot
When you go to a side who had won six of their last eight games and are in confident mood, it's important that you arrive with a game plan. Having had an intensive week on the training ground Redfearn opted to change his side around and deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with the intent to be difficult to play against and frustrate the Rams. That was a sensible option given the two side's contrasting fortunes this season, but it lasted only seven minutes as Andrea Weimann gave the hosts an early lead. A full week of planning gone in less than 10 minutes. As soon as that early goal went in their was an air of inevitability about it all and whatever Plan B was, it had little effect. Redfearn said: "We
just set ourselves up to play a certain way, we wanted to be difficult to play
against and difficult to beat but to be fair as soon as they get their tails up
obviously that plan goes out of the window."
Conceding on the stroke of half-time will always hurt you
Of the many things things that the Millers have struggled with this season, conceding of goals at crucial times has been one of the most costly. They were at it again at the iPro as they shipped a second goal on the brink of half-time for the fourth time this term. Having weathered a first-half assault, it looked like they were going to go into the break just 1-0 down. That is not to say a second-half revival was on the cards, but going in with just a goal deficit would have allowed Redfearn to get into his men and maybe set-up to have a go after the break. As it was Jacob Butterfield's fine strike killed off any hopes, no matter how small, of a Millers comeback.
Short-term pain, long-term gain
While Evans picked up seven points from his final four games in charge, the common train of thought is that Redfearn has inherited a squad of players that, on the whole, simply aren't good enough to survive this season. The new boss has been at pains to emphasise that there will be no quick-fix to the Millers as he tries to implement a new style of play. That means, that as bad as it was for the Millers against the Rams, this may not be the nadir and the potential is for it to get worse before it gets better. The balance between getting results in the toughest of leagues against changing the culture of the club is one that Redfearn has to find quickly. New additions will be vital, but even then, it will be a long road for the Millers to reach their end goal.
Rotherham fans will not accept a side that shows no heart
Arguably the best traits of the two most successful eras in Rotherham's recent history - Ronnie Moore's side at the start of the century and the 2013/14 team - was their fighting spirit and refusal to ever give up. Unfortunately that sort of spirit was not on show against the Rams and the Millers sank without trace. While most Millers fans would accept being beaten by a better team, none of them will accept the lack of heart and desire that was on show at the iPro. Redfearn has called his men out on it, branding it "not acceptable" and even if Middlesbrough are too good for them on Tuesday night, the fans will want to see their side put a full shift in.
Lack of quality
As well as spending all week working on a plan to neutralise Derby, Redfearn has been trying to improve their quality in the final third. However, they were unable to transition that on to the field as, along with their lack of fight, they were undermined by a lack of quality in the final third. Whenever the Millers did get into promising positions they were let down by a poor deliveries and final ball. Their inability to create one corner - which would arguably have represented their best chance of scoring - says everything about their quality in the final third, with all nine of their crosses being cleared by a Derby defender. The Millers had six shots on goal, none of them threatening, and they produced nothing of note as an attacking force after a 52nd minute shot from Danny Ward drifted wide. It's back to the drawing board.
