After a
dismal start to the season Rotherham boss Steve Evans was glad of the
international break when it came last week.
Having
seen his side lose four of their opening five Sky Bet Championship games,
conceding 13 goals in the progress, the fortnight’s respite from action could
not have come at a better time.
But with
just a few days until the Millers return to action at Charlton, here’s what
might have been in Evans’ in-tray over the last week.
Assessing Greg Halford’s mental state
Having been so publicly stripped of the captaincy just seven games into the job must
have been difficult for Greg Halford to take. Evans said that Halford took it
well, but the former Nottingham Forest man must have felt a bit sheepish in the
wake of the decision so it is up to the boss to ensure he is in the right frame
of mind to perform if called upon. Of course, now he is no longer wearing the armband, Evans may pull
Halford out of the side, but if he is to play a part in turning Rotherham’s
poor start around, he has to overcome the disappointment fast and prove people
wrong.
Round the clock work on the back five
Arguably
his biggest priority, especially after the arrival of Lee Camp last week, Evans
has got to address his defence after their shambolic start to the season. No
team in the Football League have conceded more than the Millers’ 13 and that
number could easily have been doubled. Camp’s arrival should provide some
stability in the penalty area, but this time has to be used profitably. That
includes Evans deciding whether he sticks with Halford and Danny Collins as a
centre-back pairing or tries a new combination. Whatever he decides, this week on
the training ground has to lay the foundations for a tighter, more compact
defence when the season resumes on Saturday.
Clearing the niggles up and getting players fit
There
have been 14 changes made by Evans in the opening seven games and injuries have
played a big part of the inability to keep an unchanged side. Evans will hope
that the break will enable injured players to shake off their problems and
players lacking in match fitness get up to speed. Joe
Mattock’s return will be particularly key at left-back, new skipper Lee Frecklington has to
overcome a dead leg and Frazer Richardson’s ankle injury is also a concern. But
the biggest one of the lot may be getting young defender Farrend Rawson fully
over his groin injury.
The break
will also allow the likes of Chris Maguire, Lewis Buxton, Joe Newell and
Emmanuel Ledesma to fine tune their fitness so they can put in a sustained
90-minute performance.
Working out his best XI
It was
always going to be the case with some many summer arrivals, but Evans appears not to have worked out his best XI and as with last season, there have been multiple changes
in the opening month of matches. Not winning, of course, is conducive to
swapping players around, and injuries have been an issue as discussed above, but now is the time for the boss to work out who is
best where. There have already been four defensive combinations in the opening
seven games alongside constant tinkering in midfield, while the game at Charlton
will see a third goalkeeper of the season. As things stand, Matt Derbyshire and
Jonson Clarke-Harris appear to be the settled front two but everything else,
other than Richie Smallwood and Buxton’s position, is up in the air.
Any more movement in the squad?
Although
Evans brought three players in on transfer deadline day to take this summer’s recruitment drive up to 15, Wednesday’s opening of the loan window may tickle
the Millers boss’ fancy. The Scot concluded that some of his players weren’t up
to the job in the wake of the depressing defeat to Fulham last week and he may
decide that further reinforcements are necessary. A striker surely the tops the
priority list if there are to be more incomings.
And with
the loan window re-opening will Evans allow players to leave? Jordan Bowery
appears to have no more credit left in the bank, having been left out of the
last two matchday squads, while Richard Wood has yet to feature this season.
Jerry Yates is a young striker who’s development will probably require some
first-team games at some point soon and he could be another sent out on loan.
