Club: MillwallLast Season: 16th
Recent History: Since 2007, two major things happened at Millwall to see them secure some much need stability and relative success for such a small club. The introduction of John Berylson as Chairman and the subsequent appointment of Kenny Jackett as manager have seen the Lions progress on and off the field. Since their play-off win in 2010 against Swindon, Millwall have consolidated their position in the Championship.
Their first season (2010/11) back in the second tier of English football saw them finish in an impressive 9th position and Kenny Jackett’s impressive management style and outlook looks to be paying dividends.
Manager Profile: It’s quite annoying to find it difficult to dislike a Millwall manager but the former Watford and Swansea boss, unlike many Millwall fans, is articulate, sensible and successful. Jackett has an eye for a decent loan signing (Harry Kane) and pounces when he needs to in the transfer market (Henderson and Keogh). Without Jackett, Millwall would still be in League One.
Summer Transfer Activity:In: Maik Taylor (Leeds/ Free); Scott Malone (Bournemouth/ Undis); Chris Taylor (Oldham/ Free); Karleigh Osborne (Brentford/Free)
Out: Chris Hackett (Northampton/Free); Josh McQuoid (Bournemouth/Undis); Hameur Bouazza (AC Omonia/Free); Jordan Stewart (Released); Tony Craig (Brentford/Free)
Expected Line-Up: Taylor, Smith, Osborne, Lowry, Malone, Henry, Abdou, Trotter, Henderson, C.Taylor, Keogh
Expected Tactics/Formation: We should fully expect a standard 4-4-2 from the old-school Kenny Jackett, but it works well for them. At times, the Lions can be quite an attractive team to watch with a number of players who are comfortable on the ball and willing to pass the ball around but at the same time can mix it up when they need to.
What the fans are saying: Due to the lack of human evolution down Zampa Road, to get a true coherence of what their fans thought about the upcoming season was difficult. I popped down to the Early Learning Centre though to pick up some crayons – which when I managed to stop them sticking them up their noses – they drew a picture of consolidation. They seem to be happy where they are, how they are run and who they have on the pitch. They know their place.
Verdict: A season-long, mid-table battle to claim the ‘Number One in South London’ between ourselves and the Bermondsey lot is probably the best both clubs can hope for this season and I expect both sets of fans will be happy with that. A comfortable 12th place finish awaits Millwall.
Compiled by: @WSS
Comments
This had me in tears!
I'd be over the moon with 12th!
Would ya? ; )
Millwall will be hovering above or below mid table this year.
Berylson is also a good owner .Fairly low profile but is suportive of his manager .According to the SLP he is personally bankrolling the Shittu move .
Should be mid table again .
Hearing how he played last night we won't miss him. A striker is needed desperately.
I don't really think they will go up, but may flirt with the top ten places at some stage in the season.
So, unless we're ten points adrift & actually lose to you lot I can't ever see us turning on him.
I read that Jackett is trying to evolve the squad - last year we played some great, slick passing football - but got lost a bit when the previous season's player of the year, Mkandwire, got injured, and we lost other key players for long periods.
Hence our rather up and down season - never in the relegation mire, but sometimes looking nervously over our shoulders, before pulling 17 points clear with the inspired signings of Lowry and Keogh, and the loans of Maik Taylor and Kane.
Charlton fans may snort at this...but I think we're trying to do, and are in many ways achieving, what Charlton set out to do in the early to mid 90s.
Back then Charlton were small fry in this division, with smaller gates than we get now, even after returning to the Valley - but year on year they got stronger.
Not by signing superstars or appointing name managers, but by being steady and trusting a decent manager to get on with his job.
In Berylson we have a great chairman who backs the manager, a manager who is one of the best in the league at going about his business quietly and efficiently, and a club that is growing on and off the pitch.
Next season won't see promotion excitement, but I don't think it will see relegation nervousness either. But we will be making more small steps to becoming stronger and stronger at this level and maybe pushing towards bridging the gap to the play offs...taking advantage of the mess that bigger clubs are getting themselves in.
I honestly believe we are currently the most focused and stable of all the south London clubs - and having lived through the awful period that was 1996-1998, where we finished in our lowest position since the 50s and went into administration whilst Palace & Charlton enjoyed one of their greatest periods that's good enough for me.
I reckon 13th.
He was a great addition, but was actually used as a sub in nearly all games.
The signings that really turned it around for us were Lowry, Taylor and one of the best front players in the Championship - Keogh. Plus the return to form of Abdou, Robinson and Henry.
Was gonna say - you really despise us...this comes across as mild mick taking.
Had no idea he started that many games. It didn't feel like that.
Keogh was the big difference, as was Taylor in goal.
Not saying Kane wasn't an excellent loan, he was...but he wasnt our Messi.
Doubt there were even that many in the ground and some of those would have been Brum fans. 9000 home fans maybe.
The things I noticed the most in the turnaround was the confidence that Taylor restored to the defence, Abdou's energy in midfield, the total transformation of Henry into an outstanding and committed player, plus Keogh's intelligence.
Kane seemed more like a decent cameo feeding off of that. Let's get it right - without the addition of Lowry, Taylor and Keogh then Kane would have been a young kid out of his depth in a struggling team low in confidence - ie he wouldn't have saved us single handily - as seems to be popular opinion amongst people who really didn't attend a Millwall match!
A Birmingham City fanzine described it as a kind of ground zero for English football. They said it shamed Aston Villa and their so called hostile reception.
The reason I mention that is all Millwall fans take more pride in things like that than in stats etc. Palace and Charlton have topped our gates for years - but I bet you now, and I'll honour this in court, £1,000 that if you asked fans from clubs up and down the country who had the loudest, most partisan, home support out the 3 we'd win by a landslide.
So, who gives a fuck if only 5,000 were there...it was a great bit of support that others can only try and replicate with balloons, banners or drums.
Present company accepted of course.