The ‘higher ups’ made the decision to sack Steve Evans as Rotherham United manager, after a poor season was emulated in a 4-0 loss to lowly Crawley Town.
Tipped as play-off team, the Millers have failed to live up to any pre-season hype. After poaching Evans from Stevenage to make him the Rotherham United manager towards the end of last season, the club spent big to bring in top-level quality, along with some of Evans previous players.
Despite positive recruitment, Rotherham have simply not performed, with the club sat in 16th position and nowhere near the perceived promotion charge.
With rumours of toxicity in the dressing room circulating, Rotherham have acted quickly to appoint former coach and local boy, Matt Hamshaw, as interim for the remainder of the campaign.
With this season effectively over for the Millers, who should they be looking to be the next Rotherham United manager?
Luke Williams
Former Notts County boss Luke Williams has been out of work since being sacked by Championship Swansea City in February.
A progressive appointment, Williams would bring a different style of football to Rotherham, but one that could suit the pedigree of those in the playing squad, with most having played at the top end of the league, or in the Championship.
Prior to taking the job in Wales, Williams led Notts County out of the National League, before helping the side to become an established League Two side in the following campaign.
Williams had interviewed for the MK Dons job in March, so is clearly open to ambitious team below the Championship. Rotherham want to be promoted sooner rather than later, whilst Williams lacks League One experience, he has promotion pedigree and an ambitious trajectory.
Paul Warne
Williams would begin a new era for Rotherham, whilst appointing former boss Paul Warne would be reverting to type, he is a name you can’t ignore.
Paul Warne’s Record at Rotherham United (per FotMob)
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | PPG |
| 270 | 112 | 58 | 100 | 1.46 |
Miller’s owner Tony Stewart has a tendency to reappoint former managers, so Warne will no doubt be on his shortlist.
In League One, Warne has been hugely successful, taking the Millers up on three occasions and Derby County up once.
In this division he has all the tools to do so again, where fans will worry is with his record in the league above. Every time Warne took Rotherham to the Championship, he also brought them back down.
A divisive appointment, but one on the shortlist for certain.
Ian Evatt
Ian Evatt has been without a job since leaving Bolton Wanderers in January. The former Blackpool player has built a reputation for playing a certain style of football, one that would hugely differ from Rotherham’s current way, but one that could benefit them.
Evatt has two promotions on his CV, taking Barrow up from the national league in 2020, and Bolton into League One in the following year. His time in the league has been positive, with two play-off finishes, and an EFL Trophy under his belt.
Some fans would worry that his use of ‘non-negotiables’ and strict playing style could mean a team with no flexibility. Others could worry that his inability to finish the job at Bolton, with them losing last season’s play-off final, could be repeated here.
The former defender is said to be taking time before choosing his next job but one with the ambition of the Millers could attract him.
Despite doubters, Evatt created a winning culture at Bolton that allowed them to excel at a faster rate to the top end of the table, back him here and he could potentially better that.
Matt Hamshaw
Matt Hamshaw has been appointed interim Rotherham United manager and if results turn in the right direction in the next nine games, his name is automatically in the hat.
Rotherham born and bred, he joined the club in a coaching capacity in 2012, before becoming youth director in 2015.
From there he became Paul Warne’s assistant in 2016, holding the job before following Warne to Derby County in 2022. When Warne was sacked, Hamshaw held the role of interim there, before leaving as John Eustace was put in charge.
Hamshaw is know in and out at Rotherham and as a local boy, could be a fan favourite. Should he get a tune out of this squad, he could be deserving of his chance.
