Dale Tonge sees Rotherham United leaders emerging
Rotherham United assistant manager Dale Tonge says a leadership group is emerging naturally on the club's pre-season tour of the Algarve.
The Millers have headed to Portugal for the next stage of their pre-season preparations ahead of the August 2 League One visit of Port Vale which marks the start of their 2025-26 campaign.
For manager Matt Hamshaw it as a chance to stamp his mark on the squad he took over for the final eight matches of last season, initially as caretaker. Former player Tonge only returned in the summer as part of his backroom team.
But it is not just the coaches who are looking to make an imprint, and Tonge says leaders are already emerging.
"There's not necessarily a leadership group in terms of what's been set yet but they've come to the fore," Tonge, who began his playing career at hometown club Barnsley, told the MIllers’ official website.
"It's been really good for us as a staff to see those players come forward.
"They've been driving training, they've been driving the standards – they're at the forefront and you can hear them talking, encouraging the young boys, because we've got a lot of young boys out here.
"You get to see character, you get to see what personalities they have because maybe they weren't allowed to do that as much in previous years."