Kenny Jackett talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Rotherham United boss Kenny Jackett has highlighted that experience will be key for his side as they look to climb off the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table.The Millers’ manager admitted that the squad’s younger members will have a part to play as he looks to turn his team's fortunes around in the second tier, but explained that certain areas of the side will benefit from the inclusion of the club’s elder statesmen, as shown by Richard Wood’s involvement in last weekend’s clash with Reading.
“He [Wood] got Man of the Match last week and I thought he played very well. A player with his experience is needed there in what is quite a quiet and young back four,” Jackett told www.themillers.co.uk.
“We’ll see how the defenders that are here develop and react, but yes, you do need experience in the Championship particularly at the back.
“I think you can sometimes have some younger players up front and it works okay and a sprinkling right through, but going through the spine of your team and particularly at the back you do need experience.”
Jackett will make just his second appearance in the dugout in Millers’ colours this weekend as the club travel to Portman Road to face Mick McCarthy’s Tractor Boys but says that whilst Saturday’s opposition must be respected, it will be up to Rotherham United to determine their own fate.
“We have every respect for Ipswich, they’re a terrific club with a very good team and manager but we have to worry about ourselves and our own team,” he continued.
“They’re a strong side and if you’re looking at Ipswich as a club they’re an established Championship club that have had aspirations of getting into the Premier League, a division they’ve been in many times.
“Whoever you look at in the Championship, you have a tough game coming up and we’re identifying what we need to do to improve all the time and that’s 99% of my thinking.”