Rotherham United: Paul Warne keen to recruit players with ‘something to prove’

In his comparatively successful time at Oldham Athletic, Johnson – whose former clubs include Barnsley – spoke about providing a “home for the unloved”.

He gave several players on the periphery or unwanted at other clubs – and quite often possessing a sense of unfinished business or something to prove at a certain level – a craved-for chance and several flourished.

When you are not blessed with a bottomless money pit, managers have to be dexterous in their recruitment. If you cannot afford the best players, you must sign the best individuals. Your dressing room must be a core strength.

The main narrative of the Millers’ summer so far has revolved around the exit of two huge players and personalities in every way during the Warne era in Michael Smith and Michael Ihiekwe.

In comparison, their new signings have arrived with limited fanfare, in truth.

Seasoned observers may recall how there was little song and dance when Smith arrived at the club from Bury in January 2018.

A sign saying ‘ journeyman lower-division striker’ might as well have hung around his neck at the time. But it was a move which worked out rather well.

With Smith now gone – and also Freddie Ladapo – Tom Eaves and Conor Washington, two been-around-the-block forwards whose second-tier record has previously been patchy, are likely to be handed the stage and the chance to settle a score.

Peter Kioso, who found it tough to become a regular at Luton, and Cohen Bramall, whose career has had its bumps in the road, have also been brought in and will not be short of hunger in their quest to establish themselves in this division either. Both will give a rush of energy across the backline too.

The same applies to Cameron Humphreys, forced to rebuild in Belgian football after being shown the door by Manchester City. Another who is no slouch and is a good age as well.

Warne said: “I love athleticism and like to be able to play a high line and press from the front. You cannot do that if your back three or four are slow.

“I want to recruit athletic defenders and people – which suits us as a football club – who may have had a ‘wobble’ or are maybe at a crossroads and something to prove. I like those players.

“The ones we have had who were those sort of players do well. Chieo (Chiedozie Ogbene) was at a crossroads and Smudge (Michael Smith) was. He’d had 68 clubs in three years!

“We want those sort of players who want to find a home with something to prove – who live right and train hard.

“We try and filter ones who we think just want to do kick-ups in training.

“They aren’t the sort who thrive in this place.”

Following the club’s third successive promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking under his watch, Warne’s sense of relief was palpable after a tense denouement to 2021-22.

As was his overwhelming feeling of pride, with the Millers’ feats topping everything else in terms of his previous accomplishments in his view. Most would concur.

Now, they are back on in familiar terrain and wrestling with the same old problem. How to survive – let alone consolidate – in the second-tier.

Just as Warne’s boyhood club Norwich City have metamorphosed into a club who split their time between the Premier League and Championship, the Millers regularly yo-yo between two divisions, but without the financial wherewithal of the Canaries.

Warne dryly added: “It is a hell of an achievement, but isn’t much to look forward to either, is it?

“I am a Norwich fan and every time they go up, fourth from bottom is an achievement and they never make it. They come down, they go up, come down and go up.

“When it is so long, fans can take it until they lose hope. The season we’ve had with going up automatically and winning a trophy gives the fans some hope that maybe this year we can kick on a little bit. But the league is a joke...”

The fall-out of Covid may mean that many Championship clubs don’t waft their cheque books as wantonly as they have done previously, but it’s still hardly a level playing field for the Millers, whose budget is likely to be the smallest in the division in 22-23.

Warne and his recruitment team have no choice but to box clever ahead of the second half of the summer window when things can and do change, eventually.

Warne added: “Recruiting is really difficult and you have to hold your nerve.

“We can get good players in and ones who want to improve or ones with experience who want to be part of it, but sometimes you have to wait a little bit longer.

“You have to be realistic with your targets. You don’t get the first draft of players, that’s really it. Players are like: ‘hang on a second, I’d like to come’, but they get a Preston or a Luton. That is what happens.”