SHAUN Hutchinson believes not having the same kind of expectations as other clubs is a benefit to Millwall as they look to climb the Championship table.
The Lions secured just their fourth league win of the campaign when they defeated Ipswich last weekend.
Aston Villa and Ipswich have already sacked their managers this season, with several others under pressure.
Millwall confounded the odds last season as they just missed out on the play-offs.
Hutchinson said: “We don’t really have expectations like some teams who are constantly checking how far off the play-offs or top two they are, and if they’re not in the top six at Christmas then the manager is under threat.
“Here at Millwall we just take things game by game. Even last year we would just look at who we had next, that’s the best way to be.”
This Saturday, Millwall make the trip to Brentford, who saw their manager Dean Smith move to Villa, Thomas Frank taking over at Griffin Park.
Millwall lost 1-0 to the Bees in last season’s corresponding fixture, and Lions fans have snapped up the full away allocation this weekend.
“Playing there last year was a great occasion and unfortunately we didn’t get the goal for them,” Hutchinson said. “They all want to be there for that first away win of the season. It seems to take a while every year.
“We just need to go into it with the same mindset as we’ve had the last couple of games. If we can start picking points up away from home, and we know how strong we are at home, then you really do shoot up that table.”
*Read a long interview with Shaun Hutchinson in today’s Southwark News – including why there was no panic despite a run of eight games without a win, marking “animal” Jake Cooper in training, why Millwall is “a club like no other”, and much more.
Image: Millwall FC