IF there’s one team who suffer from travel sickness in the Championship, it’s probably Millwall.
The Lions have picked up just two points on the road so far this season and are without an away win since the start of March. They might be feeling a bit dizzy after facing two long-distance trips in the space of just four days this week.
Gary Rowett’s side return to The Den with a point from their matches against Blackburn Rovers and Rotherham United, with many fans still feeling incredibly frustrated that they’ve not seen their team win on their travels in their last 13 competitive matches. It’s seen them drop to 16th in the table, which is well below where they were expected to be at this point in the campaign.
In theory, returning to The Den after an arduous run of away fixtures is a good thing, even if it’s less than 72 hours after their 1-1 draw at the New York Stadium. However, Middlesbrough will likely provide a much tougher test than many would’ve predicted them to as recently as a week ago.
That’s because Boro opted to part ways with manager Chris Wilder on Monday morning after a disastrous start to the season. He left the club in 22nd place when he departed just two days after their 1-0 loss away to Coventry City.
Millwall boss Gary Rowett sympathises with the former Sheffield United manager, but he claims that this is simply how the managerial roundabout works for clubs that are expected to challenge for promotion to the Premier League.
“People don’t realise that most of us managers have been around the block for a while,” he told NewsAtDen.
“We know how it works. If you don’t get results, particularly at places where there’s an expectation level, then at some point that usually leads to a manager losing their job.
“I can’t really comment on what’s happened up there because I don’t know, I’m not up there. All I can say is that Chris is a really good guy, I really like him, he’ll bounce back into management whenever he wants to, I’m sure.
“I’m pretty sure also that he’ll be disappointed that they started as poorly as they have. If you look at the likes of West Brom, Middlesbrough, and even the likes of ourselves to a certain degree, we’d have hoped to have been a little bit higher up the league at this point in the season, but particularly those two clubs, when you look at their capabilities.
“Chris is a good guy, I’ve got a lot of time for him and hopefully he’ll get back in whenever he really wants.”
Millwall have seen this story before, as recently as Wednesday evening in fact. Their match against Rotherham was Matt Taylor’s first in charge of the Millers, having joined from Exeter City around 24 hours earlier. However, Middlesbrough are yet to appoint a new permanent manager, with Leo Percovich set to take charge of the the first-team when they travel to The Den tomorrow afternoon.
It makes the Lions’ job a bit harder, although it’s far from impossible. The Uruguayan set up Boro’s team on Wednesday night as they beat Birmingham City at the Riverside Stadium thanks to Chuba Akpom’s early goal. It gives Rowett’s men something to work with and prepare for, even if there is an air of uncertainty.
The visitors’ approach shouldn’t be any different, however, as they are certain to stick with their preferred 3-5-2 formation this weekend. There’s significant pressure on the likes of Ryan Giles and Anfernee Dijksteel to provide width in the team, with Akpom and Fulham loanee Rodrigo Muñiz set to lead the line together.
It does cast some doubt over Millwall’s approach, with Rowett changing away from his preferred back five against Rotherham in midweek. The Lions boss said that he had “nothing to lose” by making the change, but refused to rule out reverting to a 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 and matching Boro’s shape.
As was the case on Wednesday, Rowett will have his entire squad available except Ryan Leonard, who’s still recovering from a hamstring injury. Millwall are hopeful that he can return to training in two weeks’ time, having missed their last seven Championship games.
The Lions left Charlie Cresswell and Scott Malone out of the squad for their last match, so it remains to be seen whether they will return to the team on Saturday and who might drop out of the side if they do.
Millwall predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Long; McNamara, Hutchinson, Cooper, Wallace; Mitchell, Saville; Burey, Flemming, Bennett; Voglsammer
Match odds: Millwall 13/8 Draw 21/10 Middlesbrough 17/10
Last meeting: Championship (March 12, 2022): Millwall 0-0 Middlesbrough
Photo: Millwall FC