The time was right for Millwall to part company with Gary Rowett

By Jake Osgathorpe

Football

Thu October 19, 2023 · 1y ago

Millwall have announced manager Gary Rowett has left the club by mutual consent, and the time was right.

The Lions are 15th in the Sky Bet Championship, just three points off the play-off places. Yet Rowett admitted that “the time just feels right to part ways”.

Assistant manager Adam Barrett and first-team coach Paul Robinson have taken charge on a temporary basis while the search for a permanent replacement goes on.

#Millwall Football Club can confirm it has mutually agreed to part company with first team manager, Gary Rowett.

Please find the full statement, as well as quotes from James Berylson and Gary, below.
— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) October 18, 2023

After taking the reins in October 2019, Millwall have been a constant feature in the play-off picture under Rowett's guidance.

But it was their final day collapse last season that is perhaps most memorable - throwing away a 3-1 lead against Blackburn when knowing a win would guarantee a top-six finish.

It was a bitter blow after a very strong season in which they ranked as a play-off ranked side, according to the underlying data.

Some backwards steps have been taken in that department this season though.

Creating chances has been an issue for Millwall this season

While their record of W4, D3, L4 may look like a solid enough start to the new campaign, we have to factor in the relatively kind opening 11 games.

They have only faced four of the current top ten, and just one of the pre-season promotion favourites.

The fact that they rank as the fourth-worst team in the league according to expected goals (xG) despite such a schedule is worrying, and suggests that results would have continued to go against Rowett's Lions.

Only the current bottom three in the division have a worse attacking process through 11 games than Rowett's men (0.93 xGF per game), so the early signs were there that a change was needed if Millwall were to get in and among the top-six conversation again.

Millwall host third-placed Preston in Saturday's early televised fixture, and victory could start a push towards the right end of the table despite the uncertainty in the dugout.

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