Boro travel to south Yorkshire to try and scupper the escape dreams of Neil Warnock's former club, Rotherham. Kick off at the New York Stadium is at the early 6pm tea time start. You can tune in for free if you are season card holders tonight but no UK match passes can be bought because the game is live on SKY.
Rotherham watched Derby County get trounced 3-0 last night at Preston. Rooney's Rams cannot buy a win at present and The Millers are now poised for a great escape, four points behind but with three games in hand. Mind you, south Yorkshire neighbours Sheff Wed are now on the same points but have also played three more games.
So, in other words this game is huge for our opponents and they will every motivation in the world to try and complete the double over us having hammered us 3-0 at the rearranged Riverside fixture back in January.
I wonder whether the hurt and humiliation of that defeat will sting Boro out of our decline and into a response tonight.
Q: We are going to Rotherham playing in a fixture that means a lot to our opponents, rather than a dead rubber, can that bring out the best in our players?
NW: There will be nowhere to hide. So if anyone is going out there to hide they will get a rude shock. Because they are fighting for their lives. So the next two games in particular will be as difficult games as we will ever have. And it is interesting because you can also still find out things about players in those circumstances against teams like that, that are fighting for their lives. You need strong characters, you need people to stand up and be counted. So, it will be interesting for me seeing how we compete, who wants it and who doesn't.
So, clearly there could still be an opportunity for maybe a couple of players to play their way into the manager's long term plans. I wondered just how much of a change-around Warnock foresees. Are we about to see a wholesale clear-out?
Q: You have talked recently of doing a lot of transfer business. Some fans are concerned about whether we are about to turn around most of the team or are we still building around a core of players here at the moment?
NW: No, I am happy with the core. I think we have got a really good nucleus now. But it is not rocket science when you look at the team sheet and the subs that we have got. We've lost quite a few players in the last 12 months. We have got loan players here that are coming out of contract at the end of the season. We have got players out of contract. You know... we are going to lose, I don't know how many it is... but six or seven players, aren't we? So, we have definitely got to look for more than I envisaged.
But at the same time it is quite exciting because the areas that we have got I am quite pleased with. I don't think we can get better in this league. So, I have got to really look to make sure I get the right ones to fill in the gaps.
Can we avenge that defeat and do serious damage to The Millers Great Escape? It will be the south Yorkshire side under all the pressure. Boro have to find motivation to go out and seize the initiative and take the points tonight.
In a week where football fans everywhere have suffered a real trauma lets make our own small statement of intent out on the pitch.
Come On Boro stop the rot and make this a Six O'Clock Special
Rotherham watched Derby County get trounced 3-0 last night at Preston. Rooney's Rams cannot buy a win at present and The Millers are now poised for a great escape, four points behind but with three games in hand. Mind you, south Yorkshire neighbours Sheff Wed are now on the same points but have also played three more games.
So, in other words this game is huge for our opponents and they will every motivation in the world to try and complete the double over us having hammered us 3-0 at the rearranged Riverside fixture back in January.
I wonder whether the hurt and humiliation of that defeat will sting Boro out of our decline and into a response tonight.
Q: We are going to Rotherham playing in a fixture that means a lot to our opponents, rather than a dead rubber, can that bring out the best in our players?
NW: There will be nowhere to hide. So if anyone is going out there to hide they will get a rude shock. Because they are fighting for their lives. So the next two games in particular will be as difficult games as we will ever have. And it is interesting because you can also still find out things about players in those circumstances against teams like that, that are fighting for their lives. You need strong characters, you need people to stand up and be counted. So, it will be interesting for me seeing how we compete, who wants it and who doesn't.
So, clearly there could still be an opportunity for maybe a couple of players to play their way into the manager's long term plans. I wondered just how much of a change-around Warnock foresees. Are we about to see a wholesale clear-out?
Q: You have talked recently of doing a lot of transfer business. Some fans are concerned about whether we are about to turn around most of the team or are we still building around a core of players here at the moment?
NW: No, I am happy with the core. I think we have got a really good nucleus now. But it is not rocket science when you look at the team sheet and the subs that we have got. We've lost quite a few players in the last 12 months. We have got loan players here that are coming out of contract at the end of the season. We have got players out of contract. You know... we are going to lose, I don't know how many it is... but six or seven players, aren't we? So, we have definitely got to look for more than I envisaged.
But at the same time it is quite exciting because the areas that we have got I am quite pleased with. I don't think we can get better in this league. So, I have got to really look to make sure I get the right ones to fill in the gaps.
Can we avenge that defeat and do serious damage to The Millers Great Escape? It will be the south Yorkshire side under all the pressure. Boro have to find motivation to go out and seize the initiative and take the points tonight.
In a week where football fans everywhere have suffered a real trauma lets make our own small statement of intent out on the pitch.
Come On Boro stop the rot and make this a Six O'Clock Special
