By Millwall Fans, for Millwall Fans.
Millwall take on Coventry City at The Den this afternoon in their second match of the Championship campaign.
The Lions will be looking to get back to winning way after their defeat against Sheffield United last weekend.
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BY KIERAN HILL
Jamie Shackleton: Millwall’s answer to Ngolo Kante?
Jamie Shackleton is the second player of whom Millwall have loaned out from Yorkshire side Leeds United and will hopefully become a key player for the Lions this season before moving back to Leeds next season. The 22-year-old has a lot of valuable traits in which he can hopefully use to bolster the Lions’ play-off push, in this article I will delve a bit deeper into what “Shacks” can bring to SE16 this season.
Shackleton is known for his pace and high-level fitness, with Joe Urquhart of the Yorkshire Evening Post writing that “his feet scarcely seem to touch the turf when he skims across it”.
Versatility
One thing in which Rowett has tried to do with certain Millwall players in the past is attempting to get them comfortable with playing in multiple positions. For instance, Murray Wallace often filled in at Left-Wing back last season when Scott Malone was injured, even though Wallace is by trade a centre- half.
With Shacks, he has already proven at Leeds that he can play in various positions. He is originally a central midfielder, which is where he has played so far for the Lions, however, if we ever need cover in either full back positions, he has played at both right back and left back for Leeds previously. This could be an extremely useful asset for Millwall for Gary Rowett to utilise, as both of our current starting full backs can be injury prone and will most likely not be able to play all 46 games this season.
Experience
Despite the fact that Shackleton is just 22 years old, he comes into the side having played some of the highest-level football out of the whole squad. The 22-year-old has made 41 Premier League appearances, with 13 of those coming in the season where they finished mid-table. There is no doubt that Shackleton is more than ready to take the Championship by storm!
When it comes to the saying “don’t fall in love with a loan player” a certain Daniel Ballard comes to mind, however, there is potential that Jesse Marsch may allow us to keep Shackleton next season, seeing as the defensive midfield role is somewhere in which Leeds have invested a lot of money in this summer, signing the highly rated American Tyler Adams as well as ex Bayern Munich defensive midfielder Marc Roca. Therefore, the hopeful thing for us Millwall fans is that Marsch may decide that he no longer needs the likes of Shackleton in the side.
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Millwall have signed Andreas Voglsammer from Union Berlin.
The Lions have now made seven signings this summer in what has been a very impressive and productive transfer window.
Voglsammer will wear the number 21 shirt for the South London club after signing on a one-year deal with an option of a further 12 months.
After signing, Voglsammer told Millwall’s club website: “I’m very happy and proud that I am here. Everything is new for me right now, so I have to see what the next few days will hold, but I’m happy and looking forward to getting going at a new club.
“My agent called me and told me that Millwall were interested. The first contact was actually a few years ago, so we’ve stayed in touch since then. This is the perfect timing for me to be here now.
“I will always give 100% and my best, and wear my heart on my sleeve. I’ll give everything to be successful, not only for myself but for the team.
“I’ve heard that the fans are the loudest in the League! I am looking forward to hearing them when I score a goal or we win a game. It’ll be an honour to play in front of them for this football club.”
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BY OLLY TOMLIN
Millwall host Coventry City at The Den this weekend in their second home Championship match of the campaign.
The Lions head into the game in SE16 on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane last weekend.
One of the players that Millwall will need to look to limit the threat of is Viktor Gyökeres.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion striker has scored 19 goals in 48 appearances for the Sky Blues and was their top goal scorer last season as well.
Coventry City has only played one game so far this season – which was against Sunderland which resulted in a draw so far this season and their home ground was deemed unplayable last weekend.
Millwall come off the back of the 2-0 loss against the Blades – where they played a 5-2-1-2 formation and will need to play fluid football to try to beat the Coventry city high press.
My prediction for this game will be a 2-1 win to the Lions with Afobe Honeyman getting the goals and Gyökeres scoring for the visitors.
Here’s what Coventry City fan Victoria Oakes had to say about their hopes for their fixture against Millwall:
How do you expect it to go for your club this season?
We felt fairly optimistic on the approach to the season, being unbeaten in pre-season and hopeful that we could carry on the season by season growth under Robins. The recent issues with the pitch and first home game being postponed has tempered that a little but we are looking to improve on last seasons 12th spot.
Do you have the right manager?
Definitely. He has turned around a team who were spiralling towards non-league football and made us a competitive Championship team. Having to do this whilst dealing with the various off-field issues around the club has been incredible.
How’s your transfer business?
Quiet this summer. As a positive, we have so far lost none of our key players and hopefully this will still be case when window shuts. We would have liked to have added a bit more depth, as that cost us last season but we have brought in a few loans and have some youngsters coming through and so we will see how they all do.
Key Player?
We have a few key players. As a result of his injury we have seen just how much we really miss O’Hare. Gyökeres is a key player with his goals, strength and general play.
Who do we need to watch out for and why?
At this stage of the season we are really looking at players like Hamer and Gyökeres again, following on from last season. We are waiting to see who else is going to step forward this season. Another player to watch out for is Godden, his goals to game ratio is up there with the best. If we can keep him fit and playing it will make a big difference to our season.
What formation and style of play do you play?
Under Mark Robins we are a footballing side, which has made the matchday experience more enjoyable, if not sometimed frustrating when we don’t get the results to match the play. Last season we primarily played wing-backs with a box midfield and one striker up front, with O’Hare playing the number ten role behind the striker. Sonetimes we will go with a second striker alongside O’Hare too. With O’Hare out injured there are a few options for Robins but he likes to stick to the system and so unlikely to be anything radically different.
What are your fans like and what do they expect of the players?
We have a lot of long suffering fans with our highly publicised difficulties in recent times. Our main expectation of the players is that they will show commitment to the cause, which under Robins has given us some recent success. As with all fanbases we have a range of fans but generally we just enjoy following our club and using humour to cope with the various trials and tribulations thrown at us.
How do you think the game will go and a prediction for the result?
In recent times we have had a reasonable run of results at the Den and so hopefully that will continue. Our disjointed start to the season makes it difficult to assess where we are. I think will be a tight game with probably a goal or two in it and with my optimistic Coventry hat on predict 2-1 to the Sky Blues.
Thanks to Sky Blues Fan TV for the answers, a link to their Twitter page is below:
https://mobile.twitter.com/skybluefanstv1
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Millwall are reportedly in advanced talks with Blackpool over the signing of Shayne Lavery.
The Lions are looking to boost their attacking options and Lavery looks like he could be heading to The Den.
The Blackpool Gazette reckon that Millwall are on of a number of Championship teams interested in a deal for the Northern Irishman.
But Football Insider are reporting that the Lions are in advanced talks with Pool to bolster their strike force with the signing of Lavery.
It is yet to be revealed whether the deal will be a loan or a permanent one but Lavery has played just 27 minutes so far this season.
Lavery was Blackpool’s top scorer last season with 10 goals in a season where he had a few injury problems – meaning that number could’ve been higher had he have stayed fit.
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Millwall suffered their first Championship league defeat of the new campaign as they lost 2-0 against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
The damage was done in the first twenty-two minutes after Iliman Ndiaye put the hosts ahead after seven minutes before Sander Berge doubled the Blades lead in the 22nd minute.
Bartosz Bialkowski kept the Lions in it when he saved Oli Norwood’s penalty just before half time.
Millwall came out like a different side in the second half and were unlucky not to pull a goal back when efforts from Mason Bennett and Scott Malone were blocked.
Malone cut back on the left hand side and his strike look destined for the top corner but for a great bit of defending before Bennett’s strike was blocked inside the box.
Millwall continued to try and force their way back into the game but couldn’t quite muster up that goal that would’ve made the game very interesting going into the final ten minutes.
The Lions face Coventry next weekend at The Den and will be looking to get back to winning ways.
MOTM – GEORGE SAVILLE – The Lions midfielder worked so hard in the midfield.
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Millwall take on Sheffield United this afternoon at Bramall Lane in their second match of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Lions beat Stoke City 2-0 on opening day and will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce against the Blades.
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BY KIERAN HILL
Charlie Cresswell: A loanee who’s a fan favourite after one game?
“DUH DUH DUH DUH, CHAARLIE CRESSWELL”
Charlie Cresswell is a 19 year old centre back of whom is currently playing for the Lions, however originally belongs to rivals Leeds United. Cresswell had the dream competitive debut against Stoke City last Saturday, netting twice from centre-half in a 2-0 win, leaving his name on the lips of many Lions fans this week.
In this article, I will delve deeper into the reasons why Leeds loaned him out, his history in England’s youth system and also the role in which I feel he can play for Millwall during this season which we hope to push towards the Playoffs.
Why would Leeds loan him out?
It seems odd that Leeds United would choose to loan out such a talented youngster when their defence is clearly the weakest part of their team, and very nearly led to them getting relegated from the Premier League in the 2021/22 season. I feel that the reason as to why the Yorkshire based side decided to loan out Cresswell is simply because they feel that a year in the second tier of English football will greatly help his development and will mean that next season he can come straight into the first team at Leeds, rather than having to slowly introduce him due to the massive step from youth football to Premier League. However, speaking to Leeds United fan Sam Rosten, he claimed that he feels Cresswell is “more than ready” to be introduced to the Premier League already, and from what we saw on Saturday, I am sure the majority of Millwall fans can agree with that statement!
England Experience!
On 2 October 2020, Cresswell was named in the England under-19 squad. He made his debut for the under-19s in a friendly match versus Scotland at St George’s Park, scoring in the first half as England went into half-time with a 3–1 lead. However, the game was abandoned during the interval after a member of the coaching staff tested positive for COVID-19.
On 27 August 2021, Cresswell received his first call up for the England Under 21 squad. He made his debut for the side as a substitute in a 3–1 win over the Czech Republic on 11 November 2021. This experience playing for the Three Lions shows that he is a high quality youngster and therefore means that a future England first team call up may not be out of the question. England experience can never be a negative when it comes to playing Championship football.
Charlie Cresswell has also featured in Leeds United’s Premier League side on five occasions, and whilst they struggled defensively Leeds United fan Sam Rosten claimed that he looked “competent and not at all nervous”.
How he fits into the Millwall setup
As seen on Saturday, it does not appear Charlie Cresswell will struggle getting the Millwall fans on his side during his loan spell this season, however every player must be able to work within a system, even when you are a teenager who scored a brace on your debut from centre-half.
I believe he will play on the right side of a back three, with Jake Cooper in the middle of the 3 and either Shaun Hutchinson or Murray Wallace on the left side of the back 3 (depending on Hutch’s fitness) this will make us extremely hard to break down defensively, seeing as the Hutch, Cooper and Wallace are all proven to be some of the best centre-halves in the Championship based on the last couple of seasons, and that combined with the youthfulness of Cresswell may just put us in line to have one of the (If not THE) best defence(s) in the whole division!
With question marks arising over Danny McNamara’s future with the Lions, is Cresswell the final piece of the jigsaw of whom could lead us to play offs?
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Millwall travel to Yorkshire on Saturday to face Sheffield United in their second fixture of the 2022-23 Championship campaign.
The Lions got off to a flying start last weekend with a 2-0 victory against Stoke City at The Den.
Charlie Cresswell – who is on loan at Millwall from Leeds United – a major rival of the Blades – scored both in the win.
Sheffield United lost on opening day as they were defeated 1-0 against Watford at Vicarage Road – Joao Pedro with the only goal of the game for the recently relegated Premier League side.
Millwall have a good record when it comes to this fixture after doing the double over Paul Heckingbottom’s side last season.
The South London club beat the Blades 2-1 at Bramall Lane and 1-0 at The Den – Jake Cooper scoring the winning goal on both occasions.
But that’s not been a one off recently, the centre-back has been in superb form against United – scoring five goals in six games against the Bladesman.
The Championship fixture kicks off at 3PM this Saturday, August 6 at Bramall Lane.
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Millwall are out of the EFL Cup after a 1-0 defeat at the Abbey Stadium against Cambridge United.
The U’s go through to the second round following a goal from Liam O’Neil just after the hour mark – after his strike flew into the bottom corner.
The Lions started well and had half a chance when Tom Bradshaw’s strike flew over the bar from a tight angle. That was to be the end of his night after he came off after suffering a muscle injury during the attack.
The first half was a half of few chances and it wasn’t until the second half that the game livened up – Isaac Olaofe hit the side netting moments in.
Cambridge went ahead when O’Neil’s strike found the bottom corner with twenty-nine minutes of the game remaining.
George Honeyman was sent off moments later when he received a second booking and will now miss Millwall’s trip to Bramall Lane this weekend.
Millwall’s best chance fell to Olaofe who won the ball high but couldn’t find the back of Will Mannion’s net from a one-on-one.
That’s how the game finished and the Lions full focus turns to the Championship starting with Sheffield United on Saturday.
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