Rotherham United Manager Paul Warne was on iFollow Millers press duty ahead of Saturday’s South Yorkshire derby with Sheffield United.
The Millers travel to Bramall Lane to take on the lead leaders and will be backed by a sold out travelling contingent.
Warne is under no illusions of the task facing his team, with team news also discussed in the press highlights below.
Warne on having a full week to prepare for the weekend’s game…
“It is always nice to have a week without a game because it gives you more time to prepare. Obviously it is the same for Sheffield United, so it isn’t an advantage.
“We were able to give the lads an extra day of which was nice and we needed the extra time to prepare, because we’re playing – I think – the best team in the league.
“You get more time with the players and help them work on a few extra things that we though needed tweaking.
“You see the lads in a less emotional environment, which I think helps.”
Warne on Cameron Humphreys, Tolaji Bola and Grant Hall…
“I think Grant Hall is less likely to feature. Cam and Tolaji Bola are back in contention, though.
“We’ve got Grant on the periphery and Peter Kioso still a little bit off, but aside from that it is a fairly healthy group.
Warne on team news…
“We’re in a good place going into the weekend. My only concern is T, he’s come back today and fit on all the tests, which just don’t know how his body will react. That’s my only honest concern.”
Warne on Richard Wood’s Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month nomination…
“It is a great achievement and thoroughly deserved, he has been excellent. What is sad, is that if you take away his goals, he wouldn’t have been nominated, because defenders rarely get the recognition they deserve.
“For Woody to get nominated is brilliant, I’m really pleased for him and proud of him to. He continues to be an amazing servant for this club.”
Warne on the defensive record so far…
“We were talking about Sheffield United earlier today, they’ve only conceded one at home, which is really impressive, but I think we’ve only conceded two at home.
“It is really pleasing, Viktor and the backline have been excellent. Everyone has played and part and will play a part and that is imperative of a squad.”
Warne on Cohen Bramall…
“I thought we’d signed a really good player when he came from Lincoln. We want to encourage him to be positive all the time.
“He’s a real threat with his pace and his ability to cross a ball, which is a big asset for us.
“One of the most important things for Cohen is similar to Chieo, we have to manage his workload, because the high intensity runners can be a little more fragile.
“I think if we can get game time into him, we’re in a good place.”
Warne on the chemistry of the team continuing to progress…
“I think it’s improving all the time, it’s obviously not exactly where I want it to be, but no manager is ever 100% happy.
“We could do a meeting now and I could ask the lads to answer a question I’m adamant they know the answer to and they won’t know.
“Positive results help, so if you’re playing well and the messages are getting across to the lads, you can feel like you’re on a roll.
“There’s still things we’d like to improve on, but again, that is football and we’re always striving for utopia.”
Warne on Sheffield United…
“It is a big challenge. I’ve watched Sheffield United against Sunderland and Reading, they could have won both games even more convincingly than they did.
“They are playing with the same sort of charisma they were when they won promotion to the Premier League.
“They have a great mix of youth and experience, who are dynamic and have real quality. I think they way they play is really good, I love Paul, Jack and Stuart as a coaching staff. They are down to earth lads who make their team play with a swagger.
“In the last 20 home games they’ve lost one, so we know it is going to be a big challenge. We’ll need to be at our absolute best, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”