GARY Rowett wants to ensure that Millwall keep their fate in their own hands against Blackburn Rovers by being bold and brave on the final day.
Millwall boast a two-point lead on the chasing pack, but a draw against Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side coupled with wins for Sunderland and West Brom would see all three sides level on points after 46 games.
At that point, the Black Cats would boast the best goal difference of the trio, allowing them to leapfrog the Lions into the top six, while the Baggies could do the same if they win by a margin of two or more goals. As a result, it is imperative that Rowett’s men pick up all three points at The Den this afternoon to avoid relying on results elsewhere, as the teams below them will be ready to pounce on any mistakes they make.
“When you get to this stage of the season, you have to be aware of everything, including goal difference,” the manager told NewsAtDen.
“If you go into the last two minutes and a draw gets you in the top six, it might be a decision to not throw on three extra attackers and leave yourself open. It’s those decisions on the pitch that you have to think about.
“You have to assess what’s worth the risk and what’s not worth the risk. There’s no right or wrong, you’ve just got to try and make good decisions.
“I’d always rather have that information, I’d always rather know where we are in the game than not know. Sometimes you find out that everyone else is winning comfortably and you have 45 minutes left, so you think ‘you know what, we’ll make the changes at half-time rather than wait until 70 minutes into the game.’
“All those little bits of information are crucial. You still concentrate on the game and on what you need to do to win, of course, but I’d rather have as much objective information as I can to make good decisions.”
Photo: Millwall FC