The international break could not have come at a better time for Rotherham as they look to resurrect their season after a run of five defeats in six games.
While boss Neil Redfearn may be grateful of the respite from matches he knows he can ill-afford not to make use of the two-week break if his side are to avoid being cut adrift at the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship.
As we approach the halfway point of the hiatus, here are four things that might have been in his in-tray during the time off aside from working out how to score more and concede less.
Restore
the players' confidence
Redfearn
has said on a number of occasions post-match recently that the
Millers' confidence is fragile – unsurprising considering their run
of results. The manner of their defeat against Ipswich must have
dented their self-belief even further and it is the manager's responsibility to
gee his players up and ensure they are in the right frame of mind for the trip to Elland Road. Paul Green may need particular attention following his horror show against Ipswich, which led to him being booed by his own supporters. Ultimately there is nothing better than winning to build confidence, but Redfearn needs to find a good starting point.
Get the dead wood out the door
It may well be the case that Redfearn needs to lose a few bodies in order to get some new ones in, but even if it isn't, he has spoken of his desire to send up to four of the current squad out. On the face of it there seems to be a plethora of options that Redfearn could get rid of namely Jordan Bowery, Chris Maguire, Emmanuel Ledesma, Greg Halford and Aidy White. Carrying so many passengers in a battling squad cannot be constructive, especially if they are unhappy at their lack of game time. The squad overhaul needs to begin.
Sort Greg Halford situation out one way or the other
Halford's time at the Millers appears to be over after a reported fall-out with Eric Black. Redfearn looks to have backed his number two and frozen him out since taking over, much to the Millers' highest earner's chagrin. Halford is regularly active on Twitter and has recently suggested that he is a victim of broken promises - relating to his playing position and other things. If this is the case, then Redfearn needs to decide whether that affected his early-season performance and quickly assess whether he can still be an asset to the side. If not, he has to be one of the four that leave the club.
Get some bodies through the door
The boss has already admitted this week that he needs to "crack on with it", but it really is imperative that the squad has fresh blood in it going into the Leeds match on Saturday. The Millers are trailing several out-of-contract players this week, including Stephen Hunt, Steven Kelly and Simon Lenighan, and Redfearn needs to assess which ones are good enough to improve what is already at the club and then who is fit enough to make an immediate impact. Having had a horror run of fixtures in the lead-up to the international break, it looks more favourable after the resumption, so the Millers have to be at fighting strength if they are to get their season up and running.
