Stoke City v Millwall

the potters
TODAY’S VISITORS
MILWALL FC
After four years under the charges of the experienced Gary Rowett, Millwall
are embarking on a new adventure under a fairly new head coach and there
are sure to be plenty of twists and turns ahead for the Lions.
14
LAST MATCH:
millwall 1
huddersfield 1
16/12/23, The Den
EFL Championship
NEXT UP:
millwall v
qpr
26/12/23
The Den
EFL Championship
The South London club sat 15th in
the division when Rowett left The
Den but the fixture list has been
tough on new head coach Joe
Edwards, meaning Millwall have
dropped to 20th in the table.
Play-off chasing Sunderland have
been welcomed to South London
since Edwards’ arrival and the
Lions have also faced off against
automatic promotion hopefuls
Ipswich Town and Leicester City.
The Lions have amassed five points
since Edwards’ appointment,
although their tough run of fixtures
tells a story of its own, and with
the January transfer window fast
approaching, the new head coach
will have the opportunity to make
changes to his squad as he sees fit.
“This one is talking about bringing
in players to make an impact,” the
37-year-old recently told the South
London Press. “For those ones
who can really make an impact
then you’re normally talking about
players who have been elsewhere
in the first half of the season and
really standing out.
“It then becomes a really
competitive market. You get other
clubs that, sometimes if they
have a bigger budget, are able to
trump you.
“There are other situations like the
rate of injuries continues to grow –
across the board. Therefore clubs
have got players in their squad that
although they are not getting loads
of game time – I’m sure the player
would want to get out and play –
some managers will simply just be
scared to leave themselves short.”
The turn of the year sees the
fixture list, on paper, ease a little
for the Lions although the typical
nature of the Championship
applies with any team able to beat
another on a given day.
Last season the Lions departed
the bet365 Stadium with
maximum points thanks to Zion
Flemming’s solitary strike.
The Potters’ last three points
against the Lions in ST4 came in
March 2022 when Jacob Brown
and a George Saville own-goal
were enough for the three points.
Jack Bonham also denied Jed
Wallace from the penalty spot that
very same day.