Norwich supporter Paul Warne leads resurgent Rotherham to Carrow Road

Rotherham boss Paul Warne was born in Norwich and grew up supporting the Canaries. On Saturday, however, he’ll be sat in the away dugout at Carrow Road as the Millers face a daunting test against the Championship leaders.

The 47-year-old had a 16-year playing career, featuring for the likes of Wigan Athletic and Mansfield Town. However, he spent the vast majority of his time at Rotherham, where he made over 230 appearances between 1999 and 2005.

12 years after leaving the New York Stadium as a player, he returned as their permanent manager. The Millers have since yo-yoed between the Championship and League One, with the club either being promoted or relegated in every season since Warne took charge. However, the board have stuck by their man and may finally start to reap the benefits.

Rotherham are currently sat 21st in the table, one point above rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the last relegation place, but with at least one game in hand on the three teams below them in the table.

While the South Yorkshire side are undoubtedly in the midst of an intense relegation battle, there is increased hope that they may be able to maintain their place in the Championship for the first time since 2016.

Inconsistency has been an issue and is ultimately the main reason why the Millers are so near to the drop zone. They’ve managed to pull off some fantastic results recently, taking Everton to extra-time in the FA Cup and picking up wins over the likes of Middlesbrough, Derby, and Preston in the league.

Building on those performances has been incredibly tough for them, having lost their last two games against Cardiff and Bournemouth.

It won’t get any easier for the Millers either, as they face league leaders Norwich on Saturday afternoon. For Warne, this is not just a chance to test himself against one of the best teams in the division, but also to challenge his boyhood club in their own backyard.

Despite suffering relegation from the Premier League in devastating fashion last season, the Canaries are once again flying in the Championship.

They’ve extended their lead over second-place Brentford to four points and have won their last two games by an aggregate score of 6-1.

A recent dip in form saw them pick up just two points from games against Middlesbrough, Millwall and Swansea, but Daniel Farke’s side are once again proving why they’re the bookies’ favourites to win promotion back to the top flight.

For Rotherham to stand any chance of picking up a result on Saturday, they’ll have to silence Norwich’s scintillating attack.

While Teemu Pukki has been unable to replicate his unbelievable goalscoring form from 2018/19, he’s still found the back of the net 14 times in just 26 appearances.

Emi Buendia has scored the same amount of league goals this campaign as he managed in his last two seasons combined, as well as notching up eight assists. Both were on the scoresheet in the Canaries’ last two games against Stoke and Coventry.

The Millers have a star man of their own, however, with Matt Crooks picking up the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month award for January.

The 27-year-old has been transitioned from a midfielder to a striker in Warne’s 5-3-2 formation, scoring three goals in two games against Stoke and Middlesbrough last month.

While the former Northampton man may not be as clinical as the likes of Pukki and Buendia, his strike partnership with Michael Smith may be enough to trouble the Canaries’ defence.

Rotherham head into this clash as heavy underdogs and a win at Carrow Road looks incredibly unlikely. Nonetheless, the likes of Middlesbrough and Millwall have shown it is possible to frustrate the Canaries and press them into making mistakes.

Warne will undoubtedly learn from those games and do whatever it takes to pick up a result, even if it comes at the expense of the team he supports.

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