Saturday Interview: Sharps and Millers have a point to prove after capitulation

'Spineless and unacceptable' were the words used by the manager to describe his team's midweek performance in public; other adjectives will have been employed in private.

For nearly 60 minutes, the door remained closed as players and management discussed where the season will go next.

The Millers had surrendered in, arguably, their biggest game of the season. A victory against second-placed Bournemouth would have lifted them back into the top three but now, as they prepare to visit bottom-of-the-table Darlington, the stakes have been raised even higher.

Captain Ian Sharps knows, possibly more than anyone, there is a point to prove.

To make matters worse, manager Ronnie Moore says there are no 'leaders' in his side, no 'real captains.'

Sharps was shown the door by Moore at Tranmere Rovers four years ago and does not want it to happen again.

"Proving yourself to people is a part of life, not just football," he said. "Hopefully, what happened this week will be a turning point for everyone.

"Everyone had their say in the dressing room and, hopefully, it has sorted a few things out. There was no ranting and raving, no teacups being thrown; it was a serious discussion.

"We are still fourth in the table so we are not the worst team in the world but we have got to keep a level head and remember that we are still good players."

Born in Warrington, Sharps, 29, spent over 10 years at Tranmere and had made around 200 appearances for the club prior to Moore's appointment as manager in summer 2006.

"I was out of contract in the summer when Ronnie arrived and he soon decided that I was not for him. Obviously, when he turned up as a Rotherham manager again this season, it was a bit worrying for me because you don't want to have people taking over who don't rate you as a player.

"But he made it clear from the start that everyone had a clean slate and, true to his word, he has given me a chance and I have played every game so far. Whether that is still the case come Saturday night, I don't know yet."

A cult hero at Rotherham after previously impressive spells with the club as both a player and manager, Moore had come back to fill a gap created by the departure of Mark Robins to Barnsley.

His challenge was to maintain the club's status at the top of the table rather than pull a side away from danger which, in professional football, is more often the case for a new manager.

"He is very different to Mark Robins and, whether that is a good or a bad thing, we will only know at the end of the season," said Sharps. "But there have been no rifts in the changing room and he has done nothing wrong to any of the players.

"When he first arrived, he let things ride for a while, but now he is starting to put his mark on the team. I guess there will be a few changes to the side this weekend."

The Millers will be gunning for revenge against Darlington after suffering a home defeat to the Quakers last month. " We have a point to make after getting beat by them at home," he said. "That was a big shock, a real coupon buster, and it was down to us playing badly.

"All our games are big now and good teams don't lose two on the trot. We need to bounce back and bounce back well."

Sharps's time with the Millers has been a roller-coaster ride with two spells in administration bringing three separate points deductions.

In his first season, the Millers started on minus 10 points and were pulling out of trouble until further cash problems forced the sale of two key players.

After being relegated to League Two, the Millers mounted a promotion push only for 10 points to be deducted in March when the club entered administration again.

At the beginning of last season, the Football League imposed a 17-point penalty on the club for exiting administration without a CVA. Under Robins, they still shook off that setback and finished mid-table.

"Since I arrived at the club, we have been docked 37 points," Sharps reflected. "I can't complain because I knew the situation when I chose to come here but it definitely felt good to start this season on a level playing field for the first time."

Bad weather in recent weeks has led to a staggering seven postponements for the Millers with the absence of undersoil heating at the club's temporary home, the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, not helping matters.

Yet promotion to League One is still in sight and plans to move to a new stadium back in Rotherham were confirmed by chairman Tony Stewart at the start of the month.

"This club has a bright future again and hopefully going back to Rotherham will lift everyone in the town," said Sharps.

"I would certainly like to be a part of that future but I am out of contract this summer and nothing has been said about a new deal. Hopefully, I will get a different decision from Ronnie Moore this time around."