Rotherham United: Paul Warne looking to strike the balance to end away day woes

Paul Warne admits he is struggling to find the right balance as he battles with Rotherham United's seemingly incurable travel sickness in the Championship.
Rotherham United's Joe Newell is unlikely to play against Nottingham ForestRotherham United's Joe Newell is unlikely to play against Nottingham Forest
Rotherham United's Joe Newell is unlikely to play against Nottingham Forest

The Millers have lost four games from four on the road this season, making it 29 in a row since they last won away from home in this division.

They have competed well in all-but one of them this term but have never had enough to get anything out of them, losing at Brentford, Leeds, Wigan and Aston Villa.

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Warne's mindful approach has seen him set up his side to stay in the game for as long as possible and he has come under some criticism for deploying those tactics.

He is perhaps still scarred by the opening-day mauling at Brentford, where he played with two strikers and lost 5-1, and is reluctant to be on the end of any more whippings.

And because of that, he is still searching for the right balance in defence versus attack.

'If I had the answer, we would have picked up a few points already,' Warne conceded ahead of another tough-looking trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

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'In every game we have been really competitive, I thought we did well against Villa and it could have been 1-1.

'We always set up to stay in the game and more often than not we throw the kitchen sink at the end.

'There is a lot to be said for throwing the kitchen sink, you create chances but you don't half leave yourself open.

'We will prepare the lads the same way we always have and hope we get some luck earlier in the game.

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'If I went two up front and lose a man in midfield against Forest it could cause us all sorts of troubles.

'I don't think we will get anyone saying, 'That's good Warney went two up front, we lost 7-0 but it was enjoyable'.

"So we have to do what is right for the team and we think will get us points.

'We need to get the balance between being cautious and being too gung-ho and hopefully somewhere between the two will start picking us up some points.'

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Warne is likely to be picking from the same squad, with Clark Robertson (groin), Sean Raggett (knee) and Darren Potter (Achilles) all long-term casualties.

Joe Newell is also still struggling with a troublesome hip injury, with Warne saying it would be a risk for him to play at the City Ground.