Fan Focus: Millwall fan Stephen is predicting a score draw for the Lions at Sunderland!

20/04/2024 07:00

Ahead of today's game, we spoke to Stephen Jones from That Millwall Podcast to discuss the return of Neil Harris, as well as Duncan Watmore and George Honeyman!

Once again, we start by discussing a managerial departure.

What were the key factors behind Joe Edwards' dismissal?

Results under Edwards simply weren't good enough.

His determination to play his style of football and do it 'his way' when it clearly wasn't working saw the club drop to within a point of the bottom three and left the board with no real choice but to sack him.

I do have some sympathy with Edwards as he was brought to the club with the remit of completely overhauling us but without the tools to really do so.

Overall, I think it'll be seen as a bad move by the board and one that's unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

The man to replace Edwards was Millwall legend Neil Harris.

What did he change in order to improve results?

The club needed someone to come in and put a bit of fight and toughness into the players and in all honesty, from who would've been available at the time, there was no one better to do that than Harris.

Although some of the fans were sceptical after how his previous stint with us ended, he's taken seventeen points from ten games, which includes an unbeaten record at The Den since his arrival.

He knows what it takes to play at Millwall and it's certainly showing, especially at home.

Millwall are pretty much safe from relegation, six points clear of the bottom three.

Were you genuinely worried at any stage?

Yes!

Before Harris' appointment, there were real concerns that we were heading for the drop, as the club looked shot to bits from top to bottom.

Even as recently as two weeks ago, there were big fears of relegation after back to back defeats to Rotherham and Huddersfield. At the time, it looked like the 'new manager bounce' had come to an end and we'd had the stuffing knocked out of us.

Thankfully, two home wins in a week seem to have almost certainly taken us to safety.

Considering Millwall almost reached the playoffs last season, what do you think has gone wrong during 2023/2024?

As a football club, we've had a rotten twelve months.

From missing out on the 2022/2023 playoffs to the shocking and tragic passing of our long-term owner John Berylson to losing the stability of Gary Rowett and appointing the inexperienced Edwards, it's been hectic off the field.

On the field, we've a squad of players who are among the oldest in the Championship (based on average age).

In my opinion, we've recruited poorly in key areas and at times (as I mentioned earlier), asked a group of players to try and drastically change the way they've played for a long time, in a way they just weren't able to do.

It's been a shocking season for the club but we seemed to have steadied the ship in the nick of time.

You signed Japhet Tanganga and Michael Obafemi on loan in January.

What did they bring to the table?

We took a risk when signing them, as with both having not played much football within the last year or so, we were banking on getting them fit in order to add obvious quality to our squad.

Tanganga is a Rolls Royce of a defender at this level, and for me he'd get into the majority of the teams in the division now he's fully fit.

He's been an excellent addition to our back line - he's comfortable on the ball, he reads the game very well and is just an excellent defender.

Now fully fit, Obafemi is also showing his quality at this level.

It's taken a while to get him up to full fitness but he's added the pace and power in forward areas that we were lacking before his arrival, and he's also scored a couple of goals along the way.

Both are an improvement on what we previously had in their respective positions and they've helped us to edge away from the bottom three in their own ways.

I'm always intrigued to see how our old friends George Honeyman and Duncan Watmore are getting on.

How would you summarise their seasons?

Honeyman has had a very good season. He's a real grafter, which is exactly what Millwall fans expect from those who put on the shirt.

He's been asked to play in a position that's perhaps not his best (wide right) under Harris but we can't fault his effort and commitment to the cause, and he's likely to finish as runner up in our 'player of the season' awards, behind Ryan Leonard.

Sadly, his season may well be over due to injury but there's still hope at the time of writing that he may make the trip to Sunderland this weekend.

Watmore, much like Honeyman, is a real grafter. He's just not as consistent and his fitness is an ongoing issue.

On occasions, he looks like an absolute world beater, but then will go a run of games where he's ineffective. However, he's someone that's great to have around the squad and he does pop up with the odd goal here and there.

Who are the players you think will cause Sunderland problems?

Michael Obafemi, who's been excellent as a lone striker in the last two games, has real pace and power and will be looking to add to his goal from last Saturday.

Elsewhere, Zian Flemming is always a name that pops up as an attacking threat. He's been quiet in recent weeks and will be desperate to get on the scoresheet, I'm sure.

Tactically, how do you expect Neil Harris to approach the match at the Stadium of Light?

Much the same as we set up most weeks.

It's likely to be a 4-2-3-1; very solid from front to back and perhaps aiming to play a bit on the counter.

We've made a habit of being quite defensive away from home and I don't see that changing on Saturday, which will suggest we'd be happy with a point, and I think Harris would take that now if offered it.

As I mentioned previously, with Obafemi in the side, we have real pace up front to get in behind and are likely to look for him to provide an outlet and bring other players into the game.

Which players are missing and who do you think will start?

We'll be without Murray Wallace on Saturday and possibly George Honeyman as well.

However, the majority of our players are now back to full fitness, so Harris will have a strong squad to choose from.

I think we'll line up like this:

Sarkic, Leonard, Tanganga; Cooper, McNamara, Mitchell; Saville, Longman, Flemming; Honeyman (or Watmore, depending on injuries), Obafemi.

Sunderland are unbeaten in our last five Championship matches against Millwall.

What's your prediction for the final score?

It's that time of the season where games tend to mean less, with many clubs having nothing to play for.

Sunderland are confirmed to be in the Championship next season so perhaps won't be quite 'at it', which would be ideal for us as we're not mathematically safe just yet.

I don't see the unbeaten record mentioned being broken this weekend but I can see us coming away with a point, which I think would see us over the line.

Sunderland 1 - 1 Millwall