Middlesbrough v Rotherham: Five things to look out for

Things don't get any easier for Rotherham on Tuesday when they head to high-flying Middlesbrough.

The Millers are now bottom of the Sky Bet Championship after a disappointing day at Derby at the weekend and they head to the Riverside looking for a first win against Boro since 1966.

Here are five things to look out for.

What are the lessons learned?

If Rotherham wanted a second chance at visiting a promotion-chasing side and coming up with a plan to get something out of the game then they are in luck, as they visit Middlesbrough just three days after the horror show at Derby. Redfearn had worked all week on setting the Millers up in a 4-2-3-1 formation at the iPro Stadium with the intention of stifling Derby and making themselves hard to play against. But that went out of the window after just seven minutes as the Rams got an early goal and there was no way back from there as the Millers were swatted aside. Having seen that plan go so wrong, and lacking even more cutting edge in the process, what lessons will Redfearn have learned about how to set his side up at the Riverside? Would he back his side to keep Boro at bay or will he adopt a more attacking policy. 

Millers response to Redders' riot act

Having being called out so publicly by Redfearn in the wake of that Derby defeat, where the Millers were branded "not acceptable" and accused of hiding, all eyes will be on what response they will offer in the north east. Although the game is another difficult one, where not many people would offer much hope of winning, there is a definite need for the Millers to show some fight, some heart and some spirit that was so plainly missing at Derby. At the moment there seems a disconnection between the fans and players and putting in an honest and hard-working shift will go some way to putting that right. The Millers may well be outclassed and outplayed against a quality-laden Boro side, but there is no excuse for them to be outfought.

Selection issues

After the display on Saturday, it would be fair to say that no one is assured of their place in the side against Boro and some of them may only get the shirt by way of lack of viable alternatives. Farrend Rawson is back in the frame and should come in at centre-half Tony Andreu will have eyes on earning a recall after being left out of the matchday 18 at Derby. Paul Green is likely to earn a start in midfield after he impressed Redfearn at the weekend, while there "maybe" a chance of much-needed reinforcements arriving ahead of kick-off. Whatever happens, there are likely to be some changes.

The air of inevitably

It has been spoken about so much before and events at Derby did little to buck the trend, but Rotherham really need to start offering some sort of resistance in games like the one they face tomorrow. While the two sides are pretty much incomparable in terms of quality, the Millers have to be able to get closer to their opponents and provide more of a match than they have in their Championship days so far. Clichés like Rotherham's season not being decided by games like this are all very well and good, but consistently returning pointless from them means they then come under huge pressure to get something out of the games that will decide their season. A defeat tomorrow will see Saturday's game with Ipswich taking on huge significance and that is a dangerous thing.

Is there any hope of Middlesbrough having an off-day?

Time to clutch at straws, but there is a chance that Middlesbrough's tough schedule could catch up with them. They recorded a famous win at Manchester United in the Capital One Cup last Wednesday, but needed extra-time and penalties to do that. They then had to work hard to do the Millers a favour and beat Charlton at the weekend, having to wait until the 60th minute to break them down before flexing their muscles in the last half-hour. With another game so soon, the Millers have to hope that Boro might just be flagging. The Millers could also take some heart out of seeing Bristol City win at the Riverside this season and Fulham earn a 0-0 draw - a result most people would snatch your hand off for.