grafikhaus
Kraft durch Freude
So we meet The Millers after over four years since our last match – and just one point will see Chris Wilder’s Blades notch up 200 league points with Chris in charge.
Rotherham were denied a win at Blackburn on 10th November by a late Bradley Dack equaliser but have lost only one league game in the last eight (including six draws).
After many years of playing at Millmoor, in The Millers moved to Don Valley Stadium for the 2008-09 season and played there until New York Stadium was completed in 2012.
Games at Millmoor were usually, er, interesting such as being in the packed Millmoor Lane beside the ground as the friendly locals greeted us with bricks and other similar missiles.
It was on 6th October 1979 when United beat Rotherham 2-1 at Millmoor in the Third Division with goals by Jeff Bourne and Barry Butlin. United fans on their ‘kop’ – The Tivoli End – caused a pitch-side perimeter wall to collapse.
On 21st April, 1984 United were promotion-bound in the old Division Three when they played away at Rotherham. The game was drifting towards a 0-0 stalemate until Bob Atkins scored a late screamer, sending thousands of Blades fans at the Railway End into raptures. The season ended with The Blades in third place, pipping Hull City (who also had 83 points and an equal GD of +33) by virtue of having scored more goals. That season ended with Hull needing to win at Burnley on 15th May by three goals to overtake the Blades. Hull were 2-0 up at one stage, but couldn’t get that elusive third. Remembered on S24SU here. Keith Edwards scored 33 goals for us in the league that season. Including all 4 at home to Gillingham and two hat-tricks. He also scored four in the FA Cup and two in the Milk (League) Cup.
Recent-ish meetings:
Relegated to Division One in 2016-17 and promoted back to The Championship last season means we really haven’t played The Millers very often in recent years. Our first meeting was in 1951 and Saturday is only the 31st league meeting between the clubs.
Full history v Rotherham
Our League record v. Rotherham is:
Home: P: 15 W: 10 D: 1 L: 4 F: 28 A: 19
Away: P: 15 W: 7 D: 5 L: 3 F: 28 A: 18
The last time we met Rotherham, we won 1-0 at Bramall Lane on 4th April 2014 in League One:
We had lost the corresponding fixture at The New York Stadium earlier in the season 1-3.
These were grim times indeed for The Blades. This defeat was David Weir’s sixth game in charge and he only had four more games at Bramall Lane before Chris Morgan took temporary charge for three games before Nigel Clough took charge. The Blades would finish this 2013-14 season in seventh place in Division One – seven points outside the play-off positions. Rotherham however finished in fourth place and would gain promotion to The Championship after beating Leyton Orient in the play-off final at Wembley (2-2 a.e.t., 4-3 on penalties).
Happier times all round on 16th September 2003 when Neil Warnock’s Blades trounced The Millers 5-0 at Bramall Lane.
The previous season, United had suffered triple heartbreak in the ‘Triple Assault’ season. In this season (2002-03) The Blades triumphed 2-1 at Millmoor on a rain-soaked Friday night game – 28th Feb. 2003 – shown live on Sky:
On Tuesday 16th March 2004, United played out a 1-1 draw at Millmoor in front of 9,793. Jack Lester had put the Blades ahead early in the second half with a penalty. This game was in League Division One – the second tier. It would become ‘The Championship’ the following season (2004-05).
For me, one other game against The Millers stands out. On Saturday 22nd December 2001, United played Rotherham at Bramall Lane in the old First Division (now The Championship). 22,749 saw us play out a 2-2 draw with Patrick Suffo scoring a stunner at the Kop end. (this was three months before ‘The Battle of Bramall Lane’ when Suffo played his last game for The Blades).
Championship Table:
The Blades are currently in fourth place, while Rotherham are 19th.
Full Championship Table
Form Guide:
Based on the last six league games, The Blades sit in 15th place – just above Rotherham in 18th.
Full Championship Form Guide
Rotherham Top Scorers:
The Manager:
Paul Warne joined Rotherham as a player in 2009, where he played over 250 games. With the resignation of Kenny Jackett on 28th November 2016, Warne was appointed caretaker manager and became a permanent appointment – on a one-year rolling contract – on 13th January 2017.
Significant other:
In 1983, Rotherham United stalwart Paul Stancliffe (‘Stan The Man’) joined The Blades and would play 278 games before being released by Dave Bassett in 1990. Here is Paul defending at home to Bristol Rovers on 3rd September 1988. United won this game 4-1 in Division Three and it was the first home game of the 1988-89 season, the excitement reflected in the crowd of…9,586
This article sponsored by The Rotherham Bugle. Well, not really.
Rotherham were denied a win at Blackburn on 10th November by a late Bradley Dack equaliser but have lost only one league game in the last eight (including six draws).
After many years of playing at Millmoor, in The Millers moved to Don Valley Stadium for the 2008-09 season and played there until New York Stadium was completed in 2012.
Games at Millmoor were usually, er, interesting such as being in the packed Millmoor Lane beside the ground as the friendly locals greeted us with bricks and other similar missiles.
It was on 6th October 1979 when United beat Rotherham 2-1 at Millmoor in the Third Division with goals by Jeff Bourne and Barry Butlin. United fans on their ‘kop’ – The Tivoli End – caused a pitch-side perimeter wall to collapse.
On 21st April, 1984 United were promotion-bound in the old Division Three when they played away at Rotherham. The game was drifting towards a 0-0 stalemate until Bob Atkins scored a late screamer, sending thousands of Blades fans at the Railway End into raptures. The season ended with The Blades in third place, pipping Hull City (who also had 83 points and an equal GD of +33) by virtue of having scored more goals. That season ended with Hull needing to win at Burnley on 15th May by three goals to overtake the Blades. Hull were 2-0 up at one stage, but couldn’t get that elusive third. Remembered on S24SU here. Keith Edwards scored 33 goals for us in the league that season. Including all 4 at home to Gillingham and two hat-tricks. He also scored four in the FA Cup and two in the Milk (League) Cup.
Recent-ish meetings:
Relegated to Division One in 2016-17 and promoted back to The Championship last season means we really haven’t played The Millers very often in recent years. Our first meeting was in 1951 and Saturday is only the 31st league meeting between the clubs.
Full history v Rotherham
Our League record v. Rotherham is:
Home: P: 15 W: 10 D: 1 L: 4 F: 28 A: 19
Away: P: 15 W: 7 D: 5 L: 3 F: 28 A: 18
The last time we met Rotherham, we won 1-0 at Bramall Lane on 4th April 2014 in League One:
We had lost the corresponding fixture at The New York Stadium earlier in the season 1-3.
These were grim times indeed for The Blades. This defeat was David Weir’s sixth game in charge and he only had four more games at Bramall Lane before Chris Morgan took temporary charge for three games before Nigel Clough took charge. The Blades would finish this 2013-14 season in seventh place in Division One – seven points outside the play-off positions. Rotherham however finished in fourth place and would gain promotion to The Championship after beating Leyton Orient in the play-off final at Wembley (2-2 a.e.t., 4-3 on penalties).
Happier times all round on 16th September 2003 when Neil Warnock’s Blades trounced The Millers 5-0 at Bramall Lane.
The previous season, United had suffered triple heartbreak in the ‘Triple Assault’ season. In this season (2002-03) The Blades triumphed 2-1 at Millmoor on a rain-soaked Friday night game – 28th Feb. 2003 – shown live on Sky:
On Tuesday 16th March 2004, United played out a 1-1 draw at Millmoor in front of 9,793. Jack Lester had put the Blades ahead early in the second half with a penalty. This game was in League Division One – the second tier. It would become ‘The Championship’ the following season (2004-05).
For me, one other game against The Millers stands out. On Saturday 22nd December 2001, United played Rotherham at Bramall Lane in the old First Division (now The Championship). 22,749 saw us play out a 2-2 draw with Patrick Suffo scoring a stunner at the Kop end. (this was three months before ‘The Battle of Bramall Lane’ when Suffo played his last game for The Blades).
Championship Table:
The Blades are currently in fourth place, while Rotherham are 19th.
Full Championship Table
Form Guide:
Based on the last six league games, The Blades sit in 15th place – just above Rotherham in 18th.
Rotherham Top Scorers:
The Manager:
Paul Warne joined Rotherham as a player in 2009, where he played over 250 games. With the resignation of Kenny Jackett on 28th November 2016, Warne was appointed caretaker manager and became a permanent appointment – on a one-year rolling contract – on 13th January 2017.
Significant other:
In 1983, Rotherham United stalwart Paul Stancliffe (‘Stan The Man’) joined The Blades and would play 278 games before being released by Dave Bassett in 1990. Here is Paul defending at home to Bristol Rovers on 3rd September 1988. United won this game 4-1 in Division Three and it was the first home game of the 1988-89 season, the excitement reflected in the crowd of…9,586
This article sponsored by The Rotherham Bugle. Well, not really.
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