Under-pressure Ian Holloway faces the possibility of following in the footsteps of his predecessor and being pushed through the exit door by Boro.
Steve Lomas was never the popular choice at Millwall due to his West Ham connections and got the boot just days after Boro inflicted a 2-0 win on the Lions at The Den last season.
Holloway got the job and managed to lead the league strugglers to Championship safety, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely he’ll manage to repeat the trick this season.
Livid Millwall fans called for Holloway’s head in the final stages of their side’s 2-1 defeat at Rotherham on Saturday, a relegation six-pointer that left the London club six points adrift of safety.
The manager was set to discuss the current plight with chairman John Berylson before the squad made the trip to Teesside today.
And despite insisting he’s still the right man for the job, Holloway will realise he’s got his work cut out ahead of games against promotion chasing Boro and Norwich City.
Millwall manager Ian Holloway
“Results are what it’s all about and I’m not getting them,” he admitted after the defeat at the New York Stadium.
“The fans then turn on me but I’m glad they’re turning on me and not my team.
“Everybody is under pressure and that’s where football is these days. I’m in the results business and if I’m not getting them we will discuss that as a club.”
Shocking images emerged of Millwall fans clashing with police as their side threw away a one-goal lead at Rotherham.
The Lions have now won just once in their last six and lost three of their last four, yet Holloway remains positive of pulling off a great escape.
“I’m always a total optimist and it’s a good job I was last year when we stayed up,” he told News at Den.
“I still am optimistic because there was no difference between us and them (Rotherham).
“It tests you and at the moment we’re finding it very, very difficult to get the right results. And that’s all of us.
“So I understand how the modern-day fan feels and normally you can have an effect the more noise you make.”
He added: “I believe it’s me who can turn this around but if other people don’t then that’s outside of my control.
“If a group of supporters had the button, they’d have probably pushed it.
“We’ve got to deal with that. The press will write things and the pressure seems to be building and building in the Championship, which is the hardest division of them all.
“I’m not talking about speculation and all of that nonsense now. I’m preparing for Middlesbrough away and Norwich at home.
“I still believe we’re a great club who will stay up in a very tough division.”
Boro have history when it comes to getting managers the chop in the Championship. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by Cardiff in the wake of a 1-0 home defeat to Aitor Karanka’s side earlier this season while Steve Kean and Henning Berg were both shown the exit door at Blackburn after suffering losses against Boro.
Paul Ince was also in trouble at Blackpool when Boro recorded a rare victory at Bloomfield Road last season. Indeed, the Guv’nor was given his marching orders just a week later.
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