50-year-old would be good fit for Rotherham United even after QPR disaster: View
Gareth Ainsworth may have failed at Queens Park Rangers, but an appointment at Rotherham may make a whole lot of sense..
The search for Rotherham United’s next manager has been uneventful, with little to no speculation on potential candidates.
Several former managers have ruled themselves out of contention, narrowing down the pool of potential hires.
Gareth Ainsworth could be a good fit for Rotherham United, as he has experience managing a club with low expectations and a limited budget.
The search for Rotherham United’s next manager has entered its second week, and there is precious little speculation to report on.
Matt Taylor lost his job after just 13 months in the dugout, with a 5-0 defeat at Watford being the final straw after just two wins from his opening 16 Championship matches in 2023-24, leaving them in the relegation zone.
For a job that should be an attractive one for a manager, there has been little inkling of who actually wants to take the reins at the New York Stadium.
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Veteran boss Neil Warnock seems to have ruled out making a comeback to football before February 2024, another ex-Millers manager in the form of Steve Evans seemed to play down any interest from his former club – interest that has now cooled reportedly – whilst John Eustace has been an individual that the club are keen on, but that interest isn’t mutual from the 43-year-old’s side.
Ex-Rotherham defender Chris Wilder is another who has been ruled out of the running, so a number of the supporters’ first-choice picks can now no longer be considered – that will narrow down the pool of contenders as well.
Per the Rotherham Advertiser, Tony Stewart wants someone who has recent experience of the second tier of English football, which rules out the kind of hire that Taylor was 13 months ago – a young up-and-coming manager who had only been in the lower reaches of the EFL pyramid.
That would mean that it would have to be someone that has managed in the Championship recently, and the realistic list of potential hires doesn’t look the most promising.
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Nathan Jones and Dean Smith would likely not take the job, Sabri Lamouchi would be a rogue choice but probaby not a bad shout, whilst Gary Rowett appears to be another who is in no rush to return to management with the first job on the table.
One man however who may fit exactly what Rotherham need is a man named Gareth Ainsworth, who had a bit of a disaster at Queens Park Rangers, but there were a number of factors for that.
Why would Gareth Ainsworth be a good fit for Rotherham United?
At the time in February, Ainsworth was an understandable selection to a degree from the Hoops hierarchy – the club were on a downward spiral and Neil Critchley’s stint as Michael Beale’s replacement did not go well at all, so to turn to a fan favourite who had a good record on paper was a no-brainer.
There was the chance though that the relationship Ainsworth had with the passionate R’s fanbase though could sour if performances and results were not good enough, and even though he kept QPR in the second tier last season, overall it just wasn’t good enough.
For one though, Ainsworth got little to no funds to really bolster his squad over the summer, and it was clear from a short period of time that the flair players that had done so well in recent seasons such as Ilias Chair and Chris Willock were not going to be as effective in his style of play.
Rotherham though would possess a different challenge – one that is probably more in the 50-year-old’s comfort zone.
For 12-and-a-half years, Ainsworth was the manager of Wycombe Wanderers, taking the Chairboys from League Two to the Championship, winning two promotions in the space of four seasons to facilitate a return to the second tier for the Buckinghamshire club for the first time in their history.
Wycombe held their own in the Championship but were relegated in 22nd position in 2020-21 – a season in which Rotherham finished a point and a position behind Wanderers, and Ainsworth’s good work continued for the next two seasons as he got the club to another play-off final and then a ninth-placed finish.
Ainsworth is used to getting the best out of a club with low expectations and not a big budget, and compared to most of the Championship and despite breaking their transfer record twice over the summer, the Millers are still among the bottom clubs when it comes to finances.
His direct style would work at the New York Stadium too – it is a results business at the end of the day and whilst fans would like to see free-flowing, attacking football, there is nothing wrong with going direct to Jordan Hugill and making things happen that way.
Ainsworth could create that siege mentality at the South Yorkshire outfit, and whilst he’s not got the best record on paper from that time at QPR, he still has a massive point to prove and this could be the perfect chance.
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