Rotherham United are happy to admit Lee Clark is a "left-field" choice, but the former Huddersfield Town manager said he would not have joined had he not believed he could save the club from relegation.

The Millers are six points adrift of safety with nine League One matches to play.

Clark says he is "laser focussed" on those nine matches after both parties agreed on a contract which will cover just 44 days.

The former Newcastle United midfielder has been out of English league football for nine years, and management full stop since the end of his second spell with Sudanese club Al-Merrikh in 2022.

So to say he was a surprise choice to succeed Matt Hamshaw is an understatement.

When it was put to chief executive Paul Douglas that it was a left-field choice, he simply replied: "Yep," but the move had been more than a decade in the making after Clark was unsuccessfully interviewed for the job before the appointment of Steve Evans in 2012.

"When I spoke to the chairman, Paul and the board they left a lasting impression," said Clark, now 53.

"I moved to various different other clubs and don't ask me why but I just kept looking out for how Rotherham were doing and was delighted the success they had under Paul (Warne) and Steve.

MERRY MILLER: New Rotherham United manager Lee Clark – the former Huddersfield Town boss – has joined on a deal until the end of the season to try and stave off relegation.. Picture: James Hardisty.

placeholder image — MERRY MILLER: New Rotherham United manager Lee Clark – the former Huddersfield Town boss – has joined on a deal until the end of the season to try and stave off relegation.. Picture: James Hardisty.

"I was really impressed by the conversations I'd had with them and I'd seen what they'd built in terms of this stadium because I'd managed against them at the other ground.

"Whenever I came to the football club – whether to manage another team or watch a game – I loved the passion of the fans.

"It's my second time being a manager in Yorkshire and the people are so genuine, they love their football and hopefully I can replicate what I did the first time round."

That he did not seek a longer contract suggests that whatever anyone else thinks, Clark genuinely believes he can keep the team up.

SHORT-TERM DEAL: Rotherham United chariman Tony Stewart has given Lee Clark the manager's job for just nine games (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

"If I had wanted that conversation (about a longer deal), I'm sure the chairman would have been open to that," he said.

"(We said) we'd both go from now till the end of the season and then reassess. That was totally fine by me. It gives me a laser focus on 44 days, just over six weeks, nine games.

"Get the job done and then we will sit down and go from there.

"I met the board after the decision about the previous manager on Wednesday. I wouldn't have come to the meeting if I didn't think I could do it.

"It's imperative that the club stays up. It's a tough challenge, of course, but we certainly can do it.

“We have 27 points to play for. We're aiming for all 27."

Any reservations the board had about Clark's time out of the game were outweighed by his experience of successfully fighting relegation.

"I've been in this predicament a couple of times at Bury – I kept them in League One, with Kilmarnock – I kept them in the Scottish First Division, with Birmingham – in a completely different set of circumstances in the Championship," said Clark.

Douglas added: "It's a different challenge trying to keep a team up. We've done this before. We did feel Lee's experience in similar circumstances would be a key factor."

Clark will be assisted by the existing coaching staff.