After
such a great start we now go into our last match (of six) in September still looking for our first league points this month. This
run of form is atrocious and understandably Chris Wilder's position
has been questioned as a result (see here
and here
for two interesting contributions to the debate). It is in this
climate of unrest that we make our first ever trip to Rotherham's
hilariously-named New York Stadium.
And,
as has been the case with many clubs before them (with one striking
exception...), Rotherham appear to have benefited immensely from
moving into a shiny new home, winning three of their four
home games this season, scoring ten times so far. In fact,
Rotherham's transformation since last year has been so remarkable
that it almost seems as if we will be facing a different
club entirely. The Millers must have struck oil in the summer, with the club establishing themselves as pre-season title favourites after
bringing in a raft of big-money signings and a manager who knows how
to spend his way to promotion. That, of course, is the delightful
Steve Evans of Boston and Crawley infamy, currently serving a
six-match
stadium ban for 'using abusive and insulting words and behaviour
with a reference to gender'.
And
the Millers do appear to have hit a slight blip since Evans received
his ban. They lost their 100% home record to Rochdale (who,
incidentally, were also the first side to beat us in a league game at
the Kassam) and then drew with whipping boys Barnet last weekend.
Currently sitting in twelfth, this expensively-assembled side have
arguably under-performed so far this season and are certainly
beatable.
As
for team news, Rotherham are likely to hand a debut to new loan
signing Bob Harris and striker Alex Revell is suspended after being
sent off against Barnet. For ourselves it will presumably depend on
whoever is fit. Jake Forster-Caskey will be a welcome return to the
squad following his illness and his return will hopefully ease the
pressure on Peter Leven, who has been rushed back into action in
recent matches.
There
are plenty of connections between the two sides, with two casualties of
Steve Evans' revolution at Rotherham now plying their trade at the Kassam.
The first of those is Michael Raynes, who made 33 appearances last
season for the Millers. His recent form is patchy, so perhaps a
chance to impress against his former employers will be just the boost
he needs to get himself back on track. The other is Strength &
Conditioning coach Alasdair Lane, who has been tasked by Ian Lenagan
with improving fitness at Oxford, having previously worked in a
similar role at Rotherham.
The
final, and most notable, link is manager Chris Wilder. Wilder was a
bit of a journeyman as a player, but the one club he can be most
associated with – apart from Sheffield United – is Rotherham.
Wilder spent four years at Millmoor in the early 90s, making over 100
appearances for the club. For all of us I hope this next return is a
happy one.
FURTHER
READING: As well as the
aforementioned Chris Wilder articles, this from Paul Beasley at Rage
Online seems a
pretty accurate reflection of the mood amongst the fans at the
moment. Compare and contrast that to this
video about the current mood in Rotherham.
Also This Weekend
Also This Weekend
The
youth team entertain Yeovil Town on Saturday in the Football League
Youth Alliance South West. The young U's are currently in good form,
coming off the back of three wins, while their opponents have
struggled somewhat this season, suffering early losses to Torquay and
Hereford.
On
Sunday the ladies welcome Keynsham Development to Roman Way. They are
currently second in the league, behind Keynsham Town, and in
excellent form, having won their last five matches. They beat a
strong Forest
Green side in their last home outing to move them into second
place, following it up on the road with a win over the University of
Portsmouth. The ladies reserves currently lead the Southern Region
Division One North with a perfect league record so far, but face a
stern test this weekend with a trip to second-placed Stony Stratford.
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