Rotherham United F.C.

Rotherham United

Full name	Rotherham United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Millers
Founded	1888
Ground	Don Valley Stadium Sheffield (Capacity: 25,000)
Chairman	Tony Stewart
Manager	Ronnie Moore
League	League Two
2009–10	League Two, 5th
Home colours Away colours

Rotherham United Football Club (nicknamed The Millers^[1] or The Merry Millers^[2]) are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history. Their current home strip is red and white; their away kit is light blue with white trim. The club play their home games at The Don Valley Stadium whilst the new stadium which is in process now is built.

The club have spent the majority of their history in the Football League's third tier, though their most recent success came in the early 2000s when they found themselves competing in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. They have also enjoyed recent success including reaching the play off finals at Wembley Stadium in May 2010. They are amogst the favorites yet again for Promotion in the 2010/11 season.

The club's manager is club ledgend Ronnie Moore, who was previously a long-serving player and the clubs most sccesfull ever manager. the clubs captain is currently to be decided for the 2010/11 season.

History

The first Rotherham United kit (1925)

The clubs roots go back to 1870.^[3] when the club was formed as Thornhill Football Club (later Thornhill United).^[3] For many years the leading team in the area was Rotherham Town F.C., who spent three seasons in the Football League while Thornhill United were still playing in the Sheffield & Hallamshire League. By the turn of the century, however, Rotherham Town had resigned from the Football League and gone out of business; a new club of the same name later joined the Midland League.^[3] Meanwhile, Thornhill's fortunes were on the rise to the extent that in 1905 they laid claim to being the pre-eminent club in the town and changed their name to Rotherham County For a period both clubs competed in the Midland League, finishing first and second in 1911-12. Over time it became clear that to have two professional clubs in the town was not sustainable. Talks had begun in February 1925 and in early May the two clubs merged to form Rotherham United. Days later the reformed club was formally re-elected under its new name.

The now familiar red and white was adopted around 1928 after playing in amber and black. but there was no improvement in the club's fortunes: in 1931 they again had to apply for re-election. Immediately after the Second World War things looked up. After adopting Arsenal-style white sleeved shirts, United finished as runners-up three time in succession between 1947 and 1949 and then were champions of Division Three (North) in 1951. Rotherham reached their highest ever league position of third in the Football League Second Division in 1955, when only goal average denied them a place in the top flight after they finished level on points with champions Birmingham City and runners-up Luton Town. The club held on to its place in Division Two until 1968 and then went into a decline that took them down to Division Four in 1973. In 1975 they were promoted back to the Third Division winning the championship. The Millers won the division three title in 1981. Not only did the Millers pip one of their neighbours, Barnsley, to the championship but the double they recorded over Sheffield United helped send them tumbling into the fourth division.

Rotherham had a dismal first half of the 1981-82 season but a surge after the turn of 1982 saw them emerge as surprise promotion contenders for the first time in nearly 30 years. This was the first season of 3 points for a win rather than 2 in the league, and in the end they missed out on promotion by a mere 4 points by finishing seventh. They have not finished this high ever since.^[4] The highlights of this campaign were undoubtedly their two meetings with Chelsea. Firstly the Millers thrashed the Londoners 6-0 at Millmoor before triumphing 4-1 at Stamford Bridge in the return in front of just 11,900 fans. This exciting but ageing team, which included the attacking talents of John Seasman, Tony Towner, Rodney Fern and Ronnie Moore could not maintain this level of performance, however, although it was something of a surprise to see them relegated again the very next year. By 1988, United were relegated to the Fourth Division but were promoted a year later as champions.

During the 1990s Rotherham were promoted and relegated between the Football League's lowest two divisions and they slipped into the Fourth Division in 1991, just two years being promoted, but reclaimed their status in the third tier (renamed Division Two for the 1992-93 season due to the launch of the FA Premier League) by finished third in the Fourth Division in 1992. They survived at this level for five years, never looking like promotion contenders, before being relegated in 1997.

In 1996, Rotherham United made their first trip to Wembley, beating Shrewsbury 2-1 to win the Football League Trophy, with two goals from Nigel Jemson giving Rotherham the win. This day was one of the proudest and most histric days with over 20,000 Rotherham United fans followed the club to the final at Wembley. In 1997, just after relegation to Division Three, one of the clubs greatest ever players Ronnie Moore took charge of Rotherham United and became the clubs greatest and most successful manager. His first season ended in a mid-table finish and then his second in a play-off semi final defeat on penalties to Leyton Orient. It was third time lucky in 1999-2000 as Rotherham finished as Division Three runners-up and gained promotion to Division Two. They were favourites to be relegated in 2000-01 season, but surprised many by finishing runners-up in Division Two and gaining a second successive promotion to Division One. They beat Brentford at a sold out Millmoor 2-1 with Alan Lee scoring the historic goal on one of the most historic days in the clubs history. During this highly successful campaign, Rotherham also comfortably beat Premiership side Southampton in the FA Cup.

Rotherham managed to remained in Division One for four seasons, their most successful of which was the 2002–03 campaign. The Millers were in contention for a play-off place, but dropped off near the season's end to finish 15th, their lowest position all season. During their time in the Championship they managed some historic wins including a two wins against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, a home win against West Ham United. The 2nd season saw them finishing 17th with the highlight of the season been a 1–1 draw with Arsenal in the League Cup at Highbury.

During The 2004-05 season, the club struggled and spent most of the seaon bottom of the league and the club was bought by a consortium called millers 05 who caused many problems to the club including relegation, and Ronnie Moore resigned during the campaign. Mick Harford took over as Millers manager but was sacked after a run of 17 games without a win, to be replaced by Alan Knill. Early in 2006 it was announced that the club faced an uncertain future unless a funding gap in the region of £140,000 per month could be plugged. An eleventh hour intervention by a consortium of local businessmen kept them in business.^[5] The final match of the 2005-06 season, home to MK Dons, was a winner-take-all relegation showdown where a scoreless draw kept Rotherham up. Rotherham United began their second successive year in League One with a 10-point deficit as a result of the CVA which saved the club from liquidation. the club pulled the points back but by the end of February, the Millers sat 13 points adrift of safety, making the threat of relegation almost inevitable. This resulted in Knill being sacked on March 1, with Mark Robins becoming caretaker manager. Robins's position was made permanent on 6 April 2007,^[6] but he was not able to save Rotherham from relegation. The Millers spent the majority of the 2007–08 season in the automatic promotion places but in mid-March 2008 it was revealed that Rotherham had again entered administration and would be deducted 10 points.

Local businessman Tony Stewart then took over as Chairman for the 2008/09 season and took the club out of administration which resulted in a 17-point deduction.^[7] and been forced to leave Millmoor for the Don Valley Stadium, their home of over 100 years, after disputes with the landlords.^[8] The Millers had an impressive season under the new regime, quickly wiping out the point deficit and being in contention for a play-off place. Rotherham were also involved in two cup runs, reaching the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Final, and the Carling cup last 16. This included victories over higher league opposition in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City and Leeds United. Mark Robins kept the majority of the team together from the 2008/09 campaign whilst bolstering his squad with the signings of Tom Pope, Adam le Fondre, Nicky Law, and Kevin Ellison who were all regarded as big name signings. The 2009/10 season started well including a win over Derby County in the cup. The next week saw the millers narrowly losing 4-3 to West Brom after extra time. Manager Mark Robins then departed to rivals Barnsely with John Breckin who left the millers on Wednesday 9 September. To the fans delight club ledgend Ronnie Moore was reappointed manager on Friday 25 September 2009. Jimmy Mullen was later confirmed as his assistant. Ronnie was previously a player and later the manager of the club, taking them from the third to first division and established them there for four years. In January 2010 it was announced that the Guest And Chrimes site had been purchased and would be the new home of the club within two years with a new 12,000 seat stadium. Ronnie led the club to their first ever play off final and first trip to the new wembley stadium. This game ended in a 3-2 loss in what was a thrilling final. Despite the loss it was a very memorable day in the clubs history.

Stadiums

The club's traditional home is Millmoor in Rotherham. On one side of the ground is the site of the new Main Stand which is unfinished. It was hoped that the 4,500 capacity which is single tiered, all seated and covered, would be completed sometime during the 2006/07 season, but this did not come to fruition until the ground became disused in 2008. On the other side of the ground is the Millmoor Lane Stand, which has a mixture of covered and open seating. Roughly each section on this side is about a third of the length of the pitch. The covered seating in the middle of this stand looks quite distinctive, with several supporting pillars and an arched roof. Both ends are former terraces, with several supporting pillars and have now been made all seated. The larger of the two is the Tivoli End, used by home fans. It was noticeable that the pitch slopes up towards this end. The ground also benefits from a striking set of floodlights, the pylons of which are some of the tallest in the country at approximately 124 feet high. The club left for the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield in 2008.

As of the 2008–09 season Rotherham United relocated to the Don Valley Stadium in nearby Sheffield. The stadium has a total capacity of 25,000 making it one of the largest grounds in League 2. Apart from Brighton it is the only league stadium to have a running track around the pitch.

In January 2010 the club announced that their new stadium would be built on the former Guest And Chrimes Foundry site in the town centre.^[9] The stadium is planned to open within the next two years with an initial capacity of 12,000, later expansion to 16,000 being possible. [5] Preparation work on the site began in February 2010 to make way for the foundations to be put in place and for the old Guest and Chrimes factory to be knocked down to make way for the Stadium. n the 13th April 2010 the first drawings were shown and showed the stadium will single tiered bowl on three sides with a two tier mainstand. The concourse will also be at the back of the stands in a similar fashion to MK Dons stadium:mk.

Board of directors and ownership

• Chairman: Tony Stewart:^[10] Tony Stewart
• Vice-Chairman: Terry Stewart
• Chief Executive: Paul Douglas
• Operations Director: Julie Hunt.
• Commercial Director: Steve Coakley
• Financial Director: Karen Thomas.

Players

As of 23 June 2010.^[11]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Andy Warrington 2 DF Dale Tonge 3 DF Jamie Green 4 MF Danny Harrison 6 DF Nick Fenton 8 MF Jason Taylor 9 FW Tom Pope 10 MF Nicky Law 11 DF Stephen Brogan 15 MF Kevin Ellison 16 MF Paul Warne

No. Position Player 20 FW Ryan Taylor 30 GK Jamie Annerson 39 FW Adam le Fondre — DF Luke Ashworth — DF Ryan Cresswell — DF Tom Newey — DF Johnny Mullins — MF Grant Darley — MF Marcus Marshall — MF Mark Bradley — FW Tom Elliott (On loan from Leeds United)

Team management

• Manager: Ronnie Moore
• Assistant Manager: Jimmy Mullen
• Goalkeeping Coach: Andy Dibble
• Youth Team Manager: Steve Thornber
• Physiotherapist: Dennis Circuit
• Sports Physiotherapist: Ian Bailey
• Centre of Excellence Manager: Tony Morton

Notable former players

The following players have made appearances for their respective national sides or made significant contributions to football at the club level.

See also Category:Rotherham United F.C. players.

Club records

• Record League victory: 8-0 v Oldham at Millmoor, Division 3 North, 26 May 1947)
• Record Cup victory: 6-0 v 6-0 (v Spennymoor Utd, FA Cup 2nd Round, 17th Dec 1977, v Wolves FA Cup 1st Round, 16th Nov 1985, & v King's Lynn, FA Cup 2nd Round, 6th Dec 1997)

• Record defeat: 1-11 v Bradford City, Division 3 North, 25 August 1928)
• Record home attendance at the Millmoor: 25,170 vs Sheff Utd, Football League Second Division, 13 December 1952
• Record home attendance at Don Valley Stadium: 6,184 vs. Exeter City (2 May 2009) Football League 2^[12]
• Record league points : 91, Division 2, 2000–01
• Record league goals: 114, Division 3 (N), 1946–47
• Record League goal-scorer: Gladstone Guest, 130 league goals, between 1946–1956
• Record Cup goal-scorer:
• Highest league scorer in a season:
• Most goals in one match: 5 by Jack Shaw Vs Darlington, 25 November 1950
• Most capped player: Shaun Goater (18 caps for Bermuda)^[13]
• Record appearances: Danny Williams, 459 league matches, 621 total matches
• Youngest player:
• Record Transfer Fee: £160,000 for Alan Lee
• Record Fee Received: £850,000 from Cardiff City for Alan Lee
• Record Gate Receipts: £106,182 Southampton FA Cup 3rd Round, 16 January 2002

Managers

Club honours

FA Cup

• Fifth round - 1952–3, 1967–68.

Football League Cup

• Runners-up - 1960–61

Football League Trophy

• Winners - 1995–96

• First team to score in a League Cup Final - 1961 vs Aston Villa
• First team to win a Penalty Shootout in the FA Cup - 1991 vs Scunthorpe United
• Most games won in a single month - 9 wins in February 1982
• First ever black professional footballer - Arthur Wharton

Famous fans

The Chuckle Brothers were named as honourary life club presidents by former chairmen Dennis Coleman. The brothers are lifelong supporters and maintain their close support of the football club and attend games whenever possible and appear to do the clubs half time draw at Don Valley on sevral occasions.^[14]

Premierleague and World Cup 2010 final referee Howard Webb is a Rotherham fan.^[15]

Chris Wolstenholme who is bassist for popular British band Muse is a Millers fan and has appeared on stage in a home shirt on some occasions.^[16]

Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes actor Dean Andrews is a lifelong Rotherham United fan.^[17]

Jamie Oliver adopted Rotherham as his 2nd team during filming of his ministry of food series. He appeared at a game in a Rotherham united shirt.^[18] After the game he cooked up some food for the fans outside the stadium.

Sponsorship

The clubs shirt manufacturer is Carlotti, with the club having a sponsor for both the home and away kits. The Home shirt is sponsored by local shopping centre Parkgate Shopping. The Away shirt is sponsored by stadium advertising company Sport Identity. Both backs of the shirts are sponsored by Perrys car delaership.

References

External links

• Official Site