Rotherham United: No timescale on Warne and Breckin as Millers draw up boss shortlist

The Millers are to compile a six-man shortlist after receiving 46 applications already, with more expected to arrive.

Yet chairman Tony Stewart told The Star he is in no rush and would be prepared to leave club legends Warne and Breckin, both former Rotherham players, at the helm even into the New Year if the right candidate doesn’t emerge.

“We’ve got them together because we want to be able to take our time and look at the applicants properly,” he said.

“I think by next week we will have a shortlist and that interviews will begin the week after next. We normally go for six names.

“The media is good for us in this respect. When they report that we’re taking our time, people have time to think and reflect. There are probably managers out there who haven’t thrown their name into the hat yet. When they know we’re consciously taking our time, then more names will come in.”

Fitness coach Warne was handed the reins on a temporary basis after last week’s shock resignation of Kenny Jackett, who quite after just five matches, and Warne made former assistant manager Breckin his No 2 on Monday.

Stewart added: “We’ll shortlist first and then go for probably three interviews. Given what’s gone before, we’ll certainly take our time choosing our next manager.

“With Paul and John, we have a young man who is well liked at the club and a stalwart who is well liked as well. The combination is interesting.

“Paul has seen all the games we’ve played over the last few seasons and John has seen most of them, so they’re aware of the type of football we play.

“We’ll take our time and look and see. We’re not in a hurry to make a knee-jerk reaction to Kenny Jackett leaving. We wish them well. Whether it’s two, three, four games or longer, time will well.

Neither fitness coach Warne, aged 43 or Breckin, 63, want their interim roles to become permanent, but they are prepared to help out for as long as Stewart asks them to.

“We’ll look at it match by match. While they are together, we’ll still be doing our elimination, if you like, of managerial candidates.

“If they win on Saturday and if, during the window of looking for the next manager, they win three on the trot or the football becomes exciting and we’re seeing something there, who knows? I wouldn’t rule anything out.

They’re a safe pair of hands. They’re both very conscientious. They’re Rotherham United people. If they were to, let’s say, surprise us all, I think that you’d want to give them more opportunity. Whether that extended to more matches or until Christmas or longer, we’d discuss it.

“It would be a bit like Roy of the Rovers, local lads working together. We have a job to do. People have put their name in the hat and, to be right with them, we need to look at and assess them.”

Meanwhile, the Millers have responded to alleged racist abuse of young attacker Izzy Brown on social media by releasing a statement saying: “The club take such allegations very seriously and operate a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination.

“We have passed on information to the police and the club will comment further only following the result of police investigations.”

Rotherham are assisting a police investigation into flares being thrown from the away end on to the pitch during last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Burton Albion.

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