Alex Neil has made sweeping changes to his Millwall side following their 4-0 defeat to Coventry City at The Den on Wednesday night.
Seven new faces come into the starting XI, with Ryan Leonard, Zak Sturge, Femi Azeez, Ballo, Massimo Luongo, Will Smallbone, and Josh Coburn all starting.
Those making way are Wes Harding, Joe Bryan, Camiel Neghli, Aidomo Emakhu, Luke Cundle, Derek Mazou-Sacko, and Mihalio Ivanovic, who all drop to the bench.
Only Steven Benda, Jake Cooper, Tristan Crama, and Billy Mitchell keep their places from the side that was heavily beaten by the Sky Blues.
⚽ Football Fans: Know Your Rights – Avoid Arrests & Banning Orders! 🏟️🚨
Are you a football fan who loves the matchday experience? Whether you’re in the home end or following your team away, it’s crucial to understand the laws that can impact your game-day experience.
In this special edition of That Millwall Podcast, host Micky Simpson sits down with Robert Perkins from Football Law Associates, a specialist solicitor in football arrests, banning orders, and fan rights.
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🔴 What You’ll Learn in This Video:
✅ Football Banning Orders Explained – What they are and how they affect fans
✅ What Happens If You Get Arrested at a Match? – Know your rights in police custody
✅ Cocaine & Alcohol Laws at Football – The truth behind new regulations
✅ Pitch Invasions & Pyrotechnics – What could get you banned?
✅ Police Surveillance & Facial Recognition at Matches – Are you being watched?
✅ Social Media & Football Violence – How posts can be used against you
🚨 Did you know? A single mistake – like stepping onto the pitch, throwing an object, or unknowingly carrying 0.1 grams of a banned substance – could land you with a criminal conviction and a multi-year football banning order.
⚠️ Don’t Risk It – Know Your Rights!
If you’re a match-going fan, this video is a must-watch. We break down everything you need to know about football policing, the Football Spectators Act, and how to protect yourself from unfair bans.
🔗 SHARE THIS VIDEO with your football mates so they don’t get caught out!
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This video is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice. Always consult a qualified lawyer if you need support.
Romain Esse has agreed to a new long-term deal with Millwall.
The 19-year-old forward from Lambeth had entered the final year of his current contract, raising concerns that rival teams might snap him up. However, those worries have now been put to rest with Esse’s commitment to stay at The Den.
Esse, who is involved with the England U20 setup, is widely regarded as a future star. His potential has already started to turn heads, and he is expected to attract interest from bigger clubs in the coming years. So far, Esse has scored four senior goals, all of which have come away from The Den—at Middlesbrough, Coventry, Portsmouth, and most recently Bristol City in Millwall’s second game of the Championship season.
Having been on the fringes of the first team for the past two seasons, this campaign is set to be his major breakthrough. Esse has started all three of Millwall’s Championship games so far this season, signaling just how highly head coach Neil Harris values him moving forward.
Millwall do not disclose the length of their long term deals.
Millwall’s Championship season began in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 defeat at home to Watford, decided by a late goal in a thrilling encounter at The Den.
The match was marked by an emotional tribute to former Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, who tragically passed away at the age of 26 over the summer. Both sets of players and fans came together to honor his memory before kick-off.
First Half
The Lions started brightly, with Joe Bryan delivering dangerous balls into the box and Tom Bradshaw drawing a foul from Francisco Sierralta, resulting in an early yellow card for the Watford defender. However, Millwall failed to capitalize on the subsequent free-kick, setting the tone for a frustrating afternoon.
Despite Millwall’s strong start, Watford began to assert themselves midway through the first half, with Moussa Sissoko dominating the midfield. The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Edo Kayembe’s looping corner found its way directly into the net, catching Millwall goalkeeper Lukas Jensen off guard and giving the visitors the lead.
Millwall nearly responded immediately, but Bradshaw’s header went wide and George Honeyman’s effort hit the post, with Ryan Porteous clearing the rebound off the line to preserve Watford’s advantage.
Second Half
Millwall’s misfortune continued after the break, as George Saville was denied by the woodwork from a Honeyman free-kick. Then, in the 55th minute, Watford doubled their lead through Giorgi Chakvetadze, who unleashed a stunning 30-yard free-kick that left Jensen with no chance.
Refusing to surrender, Millwall pushed forward, and substitute Aidomo Emakhu injected some energy into the side. Emakhu’s cross in the 74th minute found Duncan Watmore, who fired in off the crossbar to pull one back for the Lions.
The momentum was firmly with Millwall, and they completed their comeback two minutes from time when Watmore scored again, slotting home George Saville’s pass to level the match at 2-2.
However, the home side’s joy was short-lived. In the dying moments, Watford substitute Rajovic headed in a deflected cross to snatch a 3-2 victory for the visitors, leaving Millwall to rue their missed opportunities and defensive lapses.
Follow all the action from The Den as the EFL returns.
The Lins are at home to Watford today as the Championship season kicks off. Millwall will pay tribute to former goalkeeper Matija Sarkic who tragically passed away during the summer aged just 26.
Welcome to That Millwall Podcast 2024/25 Championship Prediction League!
Calling all Millwall fans and Championship enthusiasts! It’s time to put your football knowledge to the test and join our exciting 2024/25 Championship Prediction League. As we gear up for another thrilling season in England’s second tier, we’re inviting you to showcase your predictive prowess and compete against fellow supporters.
How It WorksEach week, participants will predict the outcomes of Championship matches. Points will be awarded for correct predictions, with bonuses for exact scorelines. The league will run throughout the entire 2024/25 season, giving you plenty of opportunities to climb the leaderboard.Rules
Points System:
3 points for a correct score prediction
1 point for a correct result prediction (win, lose, or draw)
Predictions:
You can submit your predictions up to one hour before kick-off
Feel free to change your predictions as many times as you like until the one-hour cutoff
Deadlines:
Predictions for each match close one hour before the scheduled kick-off time
Late entries will not be accepted, so make sure to get your predictions in on time!
Why Join?
Test your Championship knowledge
Compete against other Millwall supporters
Weekly and monthly prizes up for grabs
Grand prize for the overall season winner
Bragging rights among the Millwall faithful
Sign Up Now!Don’t miss out on the fun! Registration is now open for the 2024/25 Championship Prediction League. To sign up, simply:
Fill out the registration form below
Create your unique username
You’re all set!
Fill out the registration form
Create your unique username
You’re all set!
The new Championship season kicks off on Friday, August 9th, with Blackburn vs Derby and Preston vs Sheffield United headlining the opening fixtures. Make sure you’re registered and ready to submit your first set of predictions before then!
Watch out for the Prediction videos and podcast each week.
Millwall are set to be without Shaun Hutchinson for another few weeks.
The Lions club captain has not featured since he scored the winner in the 1-0 win at Bristol City on New Year’s Day.
Speaking to the South London PressMillwall head coach Joe Edwards confirmed that the former Fulham defender was still a ‘few weeks away.’
“Hutch is still a few weeks away, I think he is aiming to rejoin training properly in the next couple of weeks and see how that goes.
“Then it is a case when we get him back out on the training pitch, of building him back up. We have to be quite conservative in how we build him back up, given what has happened to him.
Hutchinson has been a huge miss for Millwall, having made just nine league appearances all season. The Lions have won eight games in the Championship this season – Hutchinson started in four of those underlining his importance to the side.
“Hutch is club captain and very experienced – he knows what it takes to play for Millwall. And even in this recent period, which has been difficult for us as a group, Hutchy has shared his experience with a lot of the younger and newer players – that this club has been in tougher times before, that you kind of have to step up and face it.
“My most successful period here as the coach was that Christmas period where Hutch played well against Norwich and then again against Bristol City. He was a big part of what that backline was doing – he is a big miss, for sure.”
Adam Barrett looks set to take charge of Saturday’s clash with Southampton.
The Lions have been without a manager since Gary Rowett left the club on October 18th.
Assistant manager Barrett has been in caretaker charge since Rowett’s departure and has so far taken charge of three games, Drawing two against Preston and Watford while losing one to Blackburn Rovers.
A number of names have been linked to the job most notably, Kevin Muscat, Michael Beale, John Eustace and Neil Warnock.
The latter is reportedly set to make a sensational return to Loftus Road after QPR sacked Gareth Ainsworth following their 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester – their sixth defeat in a row.
Bristol City have also parted ways with their manager Nigel Pearson. It has been reported that both clubs are interested in some of the names on Millwall’s shortlist.
Interviews have already taken place with more scheduled for this week. It is still not known what the timescale is for the Lions hierarchy to make an appointment. They have said that they are determined to carry out at comprehensive search before naming their new boss.
The Lions have two more matches, against the Saints on Saturday and then Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough next weekend before the international break.
Millwall are back on their travels this afternoon as they head to Watford looking to extend their unbeaten away run.
The Lions are unbeaten in their last four away games – taking four points from the last two. They head to Watford looking to bounce back after a 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn in midweek.
You can follow all the action with Alex Grace in our live blog.
Gary Rowett has left Millwall after he and the club ‘mutually agreed to part company”
The former Birmingham, Derby and Stoke manager leaves the club three days short of his four year anniversary. He was the second longest serving boss in the Championship, behind Coventry’s Mark Robins.
Lions chairman James Berylson said “We greatly appreciate Gary’s efforts throughout his time in charge and he departs with the best wishes of everybody connected with the club. While my time working directly with Gary has been short, I have thoroughly enjoyed all our interactions and feel that he leaves us having enhanced the club’s on-pitch status during four successful years in charge.”
Rowett himself said in the statement. “Firstly, I would like to thank the fans for all their support during my time at the club. The atmosphere they create is truly unique.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed being manager of Millwall and depart with a feeling that the club has progressed during my tenure. As is sometimes the case in football, the time just feels right to part ways.
“I would like to thank John Berylson, James, Steve Kavanagh, Alex Aldridge, my backroom staff, and everyone behind-the-scenes for their hard work and support.
“Finally, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the players, who I thank for the blood, sweat, and tears they have put into their efforts. It has been a successful and enjoyable four years.”
Anyone who is not associated with the club or anyone who doesn’t follow Millwall will look at this and think it’s a strange decision. However, any of us that follow the club will not be surprised. The only thing that has surprised me is the timing of the announcement three days before the end of the International break.
Looking back on the last four years, Millwall have improved. I don’t think there is anyone who will say that Rowett has not taken the club forward. A team that used to be a bit of floater between the Championship and League One are now an established top half Championship team.
Rowett took the team on from where Neil Harris left off in 2019. The last four years have been successful. The League finishes of 8th, 11th, 9th and 8th show just how close the Lions have come and how consistent the former Burton manager has made the club.
He leaves with a record of 196 games, 76 wins, 57 draws and 63 defeats. That’s a win percentage of 38.8. You compare that to Kenny Jackett and Neil Harris who both had long stints in charge. They both managed to secure win percentages of over 40 – however, both had two seasons in the third tier.
Rowett will go down as one of Millwall’s most successful managers in the second tier and rightfully so. He has done very well to get the club into play-off contention year after year considering the budget and the standing of the club in the middle of their Championship rivals.
People will ask where did it go wrong? For me, it was the Blackburn game at the end of last season. That took a lot of out not just the team but the manager too. He has not been the same since that game. He has not looked the same, the energy was not the same and the motivation looked to have gone slightly and it only takes that motivation to fall tiny bit for the wheels to come off.
This season started so positively with that win at Middlesbrough on the opening day but things have turned quite a bit since then. The 4-0 defeat to Reading in the League Cup followed by the Norwich game and what happened at Carrow Road left everyone waiting to see when not if there would be a change in the dugout.
In terms of what happens now, the club say “a comprehensive recruitment process is underway.” This is only the sixth time in the Berylson ownership of Millwall that they have had to search for a new manager. If you look at previous five recruitments the club have always taken their time before making these appointments.
Adam Barrett is taking caretaker charge until a new manager is appointed. I would say this decision was taken due to the fact we are now heading into a three game week – a sign that this process may not be that quick and that the club will take their time appoint a new manager.
