Is this a make-or-break run of games coming up? Millwall boss Rowett has his say
Gary Rowett has downplayed the significance of Millwall’s next run of fixtures as they come up against four of their play-off rivals in their next five fixtures.
The Lions start off that sequence at fourth-placed Blackburn Rovers tomorrow night before hosting Middlesbrough, in the final top-six berth, on Saturday.
They follow that up with a Den date against Huddersfield Town, who occupy second spot but have played more matches than all of the clubs in the Championship promotion picture.
Luton then follow an away match at Stoke at the start of April.
“I don’t think it really matters who we’re playing at what time,” said Rowett. “If you look at this season then probably our most disappointing performance was against Peterborough.
“Some of our better performances this season have come against the top sides, and so therefore I don’t really think who we play matters so much. That’s not me being dismissive – in any way, shape or form – because they are all good, talented teams and doing very well.
“But the question for us is, can we get results? Can we get through this international break and come out the other side of it in a reasonable position? If we can then fantastic and we can start having a different conversation with five or six games left of the season to go.
“It genuinely has just been ‘let’s see where we can get to at Blackburn’. I’ve not even thought about the next period of games.
“Of course when you look on paper, from the outside, then it looks as if this is an important period with teams above us. But we’ve got to turn up every game and do everything we can to try and win the games. That is as simple as it gets at the moment.
“Training and preparation is literally turn up, do a light session – give them as much information without taking away the energy – and let’s roll on to the next game.”