Rotherham sack manager Stubbs after 13 league matches

Rob Conlon
Alan Stubbs: Manager leaves with Rotherham bottom

Alan Stubbs: Manager leaves with Rotherham bottom

Championship strugglers Rotherham have confirmed the sacking of manager Alan Stubbs.

Former Hibernian boss Stubbs was only appointed during the summer but he has found life south of the border in the Championship tough, winning just one of his 13 league matches in charge.

The Millers have conceded 32 goals in those games and a six-match losing run means they are already six points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table.

Stubbs’ last game in charge was Tuesday night’s 4-2 defeat at Birmingham and he departs along with assistant manager John Doolan and first-team coach Andy Holden.

A statement released by the club on Wednesday afternoon said: ”Rotherham United have parted company with first team manager Alan Stubbs, assistant manager John Doolan and first team coach Andy Holden with immediate effect.

”Following a board meeting this morning it was felt that a change of first team management was needed to give the club the best possible opportunity to preserve our Championship status.

”The club would like to place on record our thanks to Alan, John and Andy for their effort and professionalism, and we wish them well for the future.

”The board have now started the process of appointing a new first team manager. The club will be making no further comment at this stage.”

Rotherham won an unlikely battle against relegation last season after parting company with Neil Redfearn in February and appointing Neil Warnock until the end of the campaign.

Warnock, now in charge of the Millers’ Sky Bet Championship rivals Cardiff, kept the club up comfortably in the end thanks to an 11-game unbeaten run and turned down the chance to remain as manager at the New York Stadium.

Stubbs was appointed in the summer, fresh from winning the Scottish Cup and ending the club’s 114-year wait for the trophy, but has won only one match as Millers boss – a 1-0 home success against Brentford in August.

The 45-year-old lost nine of his 13 league games at the helm, as well as overseeing an EFL Cup defeat to League Two side Morecambe.