Tony Stewart pinpoints 'main reason' for Rotherham United relegation and opens up on Matt Hamshaw decision
Tony Stewart responds to Rotherham United’s relegation to League Two with candid statement
Rotherham United chairman Tony Stewart believes “unprecedented” player availability issues are the main reason for the club’s relegation to League Two.
A 3-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic last night (April 14) confirmed Rotherham’s relegation to the fourth tier, a division they have not competed in since 2013.
Lee Clark’s side delivered an abject display to hammer home the final nail in the coffin, although hope of survival had already faded among the majority of fans.
Stewart has insisted there will be a full investigation into the club’s persistent injury woes, although has conceded they are not the sole reason for on-pitch failures.
Player availability issues
In a candid statement issued via the club’s website, Stewart said: “A full post-mortem of the season will be required and I can assure that you a huge amount of introspection which takes into consideration every element of the football club is already underway.
“The headline of those investigations will, absolutely, be into how and why we have encountered such unprecedented difficulties in regards to player availability, injuries and the subsequent rehabilitation of those same individuals.
“Without question, this topic has reared its head with such frequency this season that it goes down as what I consider to be the main – but not sole – reason for our relegation. In all my years in football, I have never witnessed anything like this campaign whereby squad availability throughout the course of the season has been so poor and it would be neglectful of us not to thoroughly deep-dive the root cause of why this has happened.
“We must look at why players who were recruited as a result of the consistency at which they were able to perform in this regard have not been able to do so here at Rotherham United. As I have already mentioned, operations and practices throughout the football club will be reviewed – as they always are in the summer – but a real emphasis will be placed upon diagnosing the issues on the injury front this season, and providing a viable long-term solution which will mean that we do not face a similar situation in the future.”
Decision to axe Matt Hamshaw
Stewart rolled the dice in an attempt to arrest Rotherham’s struggles in late March, dismissing boyhood Millers fan Matt Hamshaw as manager and hiring Clark as his successor on a short-term deal.
The wielding of the axe yet again placed Rotherham’s track record with managers under the spotlight, as the club have now had five figures at the helm since Paul Warne’s exit in 2022.
Stewart said: “There has, understandably, been a considerable amount of discourse regarding the departure of Matt Hamshaw, its timing and how that creates a bigger picture of the club changing the individual in the managerial hotseat with some regularity over recent years. I should begin by saying that is not by design. There are huge financial implications associated with the appointment and dismissal of a manager – and often their staff – which impact massively on a club of our size which we insist upon running sensibly.
“Following on from the successes of the end of the 2024/25 campaign, everyone within the football club felt as though Matt had earned the opportunity as a result of his credentials as a person and coach to take the team forwards this season. I genuinely don’t believe that we could have entrusted an individual who had more passion for this football club than Matt and we were all excited to see him put that into practice every day in the role.
“We could see and feel that from him and the group of staff he assembled around him, all of whom had a real connection to and affinity for Rotherham United. We collectively built and tweaked structures within the football operation which would give Matt the utmost chance to be a successful long-term appointment and end a cycle of managerial changes over recent years.
“We backed Matt as best as the club could allow throughout the season and afforded him backing both financially and emotionally, but importantly, with as much time as possible to try to correct the course of the ship. It is important we don’t lose sight of the performances which gave us great reason for optimism such as the 3-0 dismantling of soon-to-be-champions Lincoln City, a nine-game unbeaten run and a thoroughly entertaining 7-2 triumph over Salford City, to name but a few.
“I will not disclose the intricacies of what was an honest conversation on both sides upon us parting ways, but, there was a strong collective belief that the injury situation was the main – although not sole – reason for our inability to consistently produce performances like the aforementioned.”
Hamshaw’s successor Clark recently took aim at the commitment of some of his players and Stewart has conceded the “spirit, desire and heart” seen previously in choppy waters has been lacking.
Financial matters
Stewart has also spoken frankly regarding financial matters, acknowledging the recent release of the club’s accounts laid bare the increasing difficulty of operating a club.
However, the 81-year-old has vowed the club will continue investing “every single penny” they can afford into reversing their fortunes.
He said: “Across all levels, the football landscape has reached a point whereby it requires more and more financial strength to keep pace with other clubs, some of which I would argue are not being run with the long-term interests and stability of those particular institutions in-mind, and are instead being bankrolled by owners who are chasing immediate success.
“I am not criticising the way in which others choose to operate their businesses, that is entirely their prerogative, but I have said from the outset that I will never put this football club into anything like the financial dangers that it has experienced before.
“It is a volatile industry and one that we hope will be improved by the incoming football regulator as soon as the new calendar year, when we hope our approach in regards to sustainability is rewarded by new policies and practices which punish overspending. As we have done since day one of me becoming chairman in 2008, we will continue to invest every single penny that we can afford to in an attempt to re-establish the momentum which has produced such great success for this football club over the last 14 years.”
Championship ambition
Rotherham’s chairman has also laid out his ambition for the planned revival of the club to result in an eventual promotion back to the second tier.
He said: “Whilst we are immensely proud of where we have been and what we have achieved, we can no longer concentrate attention on our historical accomplishments. We must fully focus on moving forwards and what the future looks like for Rotherham United. That – as disappointing as the fact is – will be in League Two.
“We will deal with the facts of the here and now and do so with the same vigour and drive which helped Steve Evans to set the wheels in motion back in 2012 upon our return to Rotherham. The circumstances are different and it won’t be easy, but I ask that you stick with us as you always have done. The older generations of Millers fans are perhaps somewhat better-versed in seeing us at this level of football, but that ‘understanding’ which we are grateful for, does not change the fact that our ambitions are to be in the Championship.
“We have work to do to climb back to those heights and appreciate how difficult that will be to achieve. What it does mean is that we recognise an immediate urgency to cultivate a culture centred around hard work and determination both on the pitch, off it and in the boardroom and combine that with the evolution of a number of practices which will improve our long-term prospects.
“Sincerely, I am sorry that this, our centenary year, which promised so much, has played out the way it has, but I ask that you take this communication in the spirit it is intended as a heartfelt acknowledgement of where we have gone wrong and a powerful statement about our vision for the future and how that needs to look to get us once again moving in an upwards trajectory.”