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Rotherham sack Matt Hamshaw, with interims appointed following 5-0 defeat to Peterborough

Rotherham have decided to sack Matt Hamshaw, with interims since appointed following the 5-0 defeat to Peterborough.

His departure comes after almost a year in charge, following Tuesday night’s 5-0 defeat away to Peterborough United.

The Millers, who currently sit 22nd in League One and are six points from safety with nine games to play. Dale Tonge, Richard Wood and Andy Warrington had immediately been put in interim charge, then a few hours later, Lee Clark was announced as their new manager until the end of the season.

According to Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko), Rotherham are said to be keen on Grimsby boss David Artell as their long term target.

Rotherham baffle fans as they announce surprise unexpected replacement for Matt Hamshaw

CLUB STATEMENT:

Rotherham United can confirm that the club has parted ways with first team manager Matt Hamshaw.

Following last night’s defeat at Peterborough United, the Board has informed Matt that the difficult decision had been reached to relieve him of his duties with immediate effect,

It is with a heavy heart that we end our affiliation with an individual who has a strong historical connections and a clear passion for Rotherham United, but with the club currently six points from safety in Sky Bet League One, it was deemed necessary to take action to give the team the best possible opportunity of preserving our divisional status in our remaining nine games this season.

The process to appoint a new first team manager is under way and updates upon its conclusion will be communicated on themillers.co.uk at the earliest possible opportunity.

The interim period will see Dale Tonge, Richard Wood and Andy Warrington oversee first team matters.

The club will be making no further comment at this time.

Matt Hamshaw has penned an Open Letter to Millers fans…

To the supporters of Rotherham United.

I feel compelled to write to you following today’s news that my time as the manager of our club has come to an end.

I want to start by saying that it has been a huge honour and I am sorry that it hasn’t turned out the way we all wanted it to this season.

I will be forever grateful to the Chairman and his Board for affording me the opportunity to put on the Rotherham United badge and lead this club as the manager. From the very first time I had that chance to do that away at Northampton Town last year, I recognised the privilege of my position and tried to approach every single day in the job with 100% commitment and in a way that our fans and my family would be proud of.

Sometimes, no matter how much want and desire you have, football can be cruel and things don’t work out.

I will always look back fondly on the memories that we managed to create together, and while I wish there had been loads more, days like that night in Northampton, the South Yorkshire derby win at Barnsley and, more recently, a great afternoon at Exeter stand out as highlights and memories that I will cherish as someone who will forever be a Millers fan.

I have felt as though we have made small strides in a big transitionary period for the club, but not nearly as big as I’d have liked. There have been a number of challenges that have hampered the positive changes that we have tried to make on and off the field with injuries being the obvious headline, but I don’t want to sit here and write excuses. I know the game and I understand how and why we have reached this point today, but it doesn’t mean that I am any less gutted that it hasn’t worked out.

I made a continued promise to try and deliver football that our fans would be proud of, and whilst we have done that on occasion, I am very much aware that the defeat last night and the manner of it was anything but a representation of the DNA I wanted this team to deliver. I know that and the lads do, too.

It has been a pleasure to walk through the doors at Roundwood and work with some incredibly talented individuals both on the playing side and among the staff at the club. I want to thank them for their support throughout my tenure. As much as it has been a privilege to be the manager here, as someone who loves coaching having the chance to work with talented young players like Dan Gore and Harry Gray to name just two has been fantastic and we have been fortunate as a football club to have them represent our badge.

The last couple of months have been tough. They have taken their toll on all of us as staff, players and, most importantly, fans. I have been guilty of allowing that to extend into my personal and family life and I want to extend my gratitude to them for their patience in standing by me even in the darkest moments.

I will never lose my love for this football club and, as I said in my interview last night, I will without doubt be among the Millers fans in the stands again one day. I also appreciate that, for some, that will not be something they want to hear but I am confident that after a chat with any Miller on the terraces, they would agree that I wasn’t unsuccessful in this role through a lack of effort and determination.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the club for this opportunity, their permission to post this letter and to those in the fanbase who wanted this to work out as much as we all did.

Hammy

“There were things coming at me from the crowd tonight and I fully understand that,” Hamshaw said, per Peterborough Today.

“I don’t want pity or sympathy, but I don’t like hearing I don’t care, because I do. I’m a Rotherham lad and hopefully I am in charge at Lincoln, but if I’m not I will wish the club all the best.

“We were nowhere near good enough tonight. We looked scared and we lacked confidence. It was a shocking first half as we didn’t give ourselves an opportunity against a Peterborough team who have also been lacking in confidence.

“We had a 20-minute spell at the start of the second-half when it looked like we might get back into the game but then we killed ourselves. It’s difficult to defend any player after that as we didn’t lay a glove on them for 70 minutes. We needed more aggression and more tempo, but we made it too easy for them.

“I didn’t see it coming. We gave a very good Bolton side a game on Saturday and we probably should have won, but this was poor.

“I knew it was going to be a tough season, but I didn’t envisage it turning out like it has. We’ve had too many players out for too long. Three lads fell sick on the way down here.

“If we play like this we will go down. If we believe we are down we will be, but I still believe we can get out of it. If we can get our players back we will be okay. We all have to believe though.”

Here’s how fans reacted after Rotherham sack Matt Hamshaw, with interims appointed following a 5-0 defeat to Peterborough…

@Chris_Sando: Assuming Neil doesn’t want another great escape, then Darren Ferguson for me. #rufc

@ReeceRUFC05: David artell or darren ferguson would he my top 2 choices. Just dont se us getting them tbh #rufc

@smith98_josh: Whoever the next appointment is, it CANNOT be Richard Wood. We can’t afford to go into L2 with another inexperienced manager. Get a proper manager in and his own staff, get rid of this lot and then hopefully the people further up leave asap as well. #rufc

@OliverDarnell2: Nigel Pearson #rufc

@smith98_josh: 3/4 months too late and we’re probably already down. Time for the people above him to go as well. Disgusting how his management team have been allowed to stay. They’re part of the problem.

@rufcmiller89: Right decision. 2 months 2 late. Any club like us would have spent last few weeks thinking this might happen and scouting replacements…. I suspect we’ll end up giving it kit man till end of season then a 3 year contract #rufc

@__IrufcI__: Thank FUCK for that

@miller83862: 6 months too late, this relegation is on the board

@Kean2910: Thank fuck but to late… next tweet TS is selling up please

@sh4unh__: And i can bet we arnt on the front foot and havent got any irons in the fire already ..cos they was hoping he’d work. I bet its Tonge, Wood and Warrington till end of season! #rufc

@JakeEllams1705: Sack the manager but keep the same coaches who clearly don’t have a clue either, board clearly have no one lined up otherwise the lot would be out the door. Shite. #rufc

@RUFCLuke: Should have happened months ago we held on for too long it wasnt working and never would have he would have seen us to national league.

@LMcVann44: Could have stopped up if we did this at the right time, could yet still if we make the right appointment. Wouldn’t shock me if we go manageress until next season though way we’re run. #rufc

@rossseddon: It’s a good start. Now time to shift these muppets that put the shirt on every week!

@Hannn_95x: So very sad this didn’t work out for MH 😢 & wish him all the best for the future but, it 100% needed to happen & should have happened a lot earlier than this in my opinion to give us any chance of survival, too late imo. #rufc

@HazRufc: A few month too late, let’s not drag our feet appointing the next manager, you’d have hoped the club have been talking to managers in recent days/weeks for when the trigger was pulled. Hopefully get this appointment right #rufc

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