Sky Sports pundit David Prutton believes former boss Paul Warne and ex-Swansea City Head Coach Luke Williams are the frontrunners for the vacant managerial post at Rotherham United.
The Millers have endured a torrid return to League One following their relegation from the Championship last season. They appointed Steve Evans for a second stint in April last year, tasking the former Leeds United boss with achieving immediate promotion.
This sparked a summer of change amongst the playing staff, with no fewer than 14 new arrivals last summer. However, they won just once in the opening two months of the campaign.
Rotherham never really recovered and have been languishing in the middle or lower end of the table ever since. This culminated in growing calls for Evans’ head, which was finally confirmed on Sunday, one day after a humiliating 4-0 home defeat against Crawley Town.
Prutton Makes Case For Warne Return
Paul Warne spent nearly six years in charge of the South Yorkshire-based team between 2016 and 2022, earning three promotions from League One. He left to join Derby County in September 2022, eventually earning another promotion from the third tier last season.
The 51-year-old departed Pride Park in February and following Evans’ dismissal, was immediately linked with a return to the AESSEAL New York Stadium. It’s a view shared by David Prutton, who told Football League World:
“It was going to be a season of challenging for promotion, wasn’t it? But unfortunately, it’s not quite worked out like that because Steve Evans and the club have parted ways.
“He’s a legend in those parts and always will be, even though obviously this last partnership didn’t quite work out. Paul Warne is one that jumps out given his history, but not just that. They’re not signing someone for history, they’re signing someone for the ability to get them motivated and promoted, which Warne could do well.”
Continuing, the former Nottingham Forest midfielder also threw Luke Williams’ name into the hat:
“With Luke Williams, as you saw with his Swansea City side and Notts County before that, he’s got coaching ability as a number, and as a coaching staff, he’s got coaching ability on his own merits and I think he would be a very, very viable option.
“It’s a strange one, given it’s this stage of the season, given the fact that there are single digits of games left, but that is why I’m intrigued as to who comes next.”
Writer’s View
Paul Warne makes sense and achieved good success during his previous stint with Rotherham. He was in charge for three promotions from League One, but also oversaw three relegations from the Championship. He would clearly do a good job, although the Millers have proven with Evans that it may be a case of ‘never go back’. Williams would probably be the better option from the two.
