Paul Warne - ‘My job is under threat’ admits Rotherham United manager

Warne, a novice in the top job when he reluctantly stepped up on a caretaker basis to lead the Millers, has overseen two promotions and two relegations in three eventful seasons at the New York Stadium.

But no win in six and just one from the last nine games has left the Millers teetering on the edge of the Championship’s relegation zone.

The relentless nature of Championship football in the coronavirus era – Saturday-midweek for three weeks on the trot – is only making the challenge of shifting the momentum even harder.

Asked by The Yorkshire Post if he felt secure in his job, Warne admitted: “I’m not feeling great about it, why would I?

“As soon as the owner losers trust in me – it’s the same with players to a certain extent, once you lose trust in a certain player you find faults, and it’s difficult to get that trust back – so as soon as the owner has lost trust in me then that’s my time’s done.

“Whether I think I’m overachieving, whether I think being out of the bottom three is good or not, it’s not what I think, it’s what the owner thinks.

“I give everything I can as I have from day one. The same amount of pressure was on me day one at Burton as it is the next game.

“The pressure hasn’t changed, the fact I’m four years older and wiser in the job probably has.

“If you go and lose three, four, five games on the spin you’re job’s under threat, that’s the world we live in.

“We cannot work any harder, we get the best out of the group that we possibly can. I protect all my players and staff from criticism and everything is put at my door, I understand that.

“I’m big enough and brave enough. I think I have a good relationship with the chairman, however I don’t want that to go toxic.

“So if he isn’t happy with what I’m doing then he’ll tell me. He’s not shy in coming forward.

“If we don’t win football games I’d be naive to think I wasn’t under threat. It’s been a great honour, I’ve really enjoyed it, and I will continue managing this club as long as I can.”

Context is required. Rotherham have one of the smallest budgets in the Championship and yet are above Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

Take a look at the top of League One and Hull City, Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth are in the top half.

“We attack training, we attack every game, we’ve never gone into a game trying to sit behind the ball and hang on – apart from maybe first 20 minutes against Watford,” continued Warne.

“We’ve always tried to be positive, that’s the way we are and the way we will continue to be. We’re fun loving guys and we live for the next match.

“I think we’ve got a really good group. If we can get a little freshened up in January then I’ll look forward to the second half of the season.”

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