Gary Rowett gives verdict on his old club Millwall appointing Alex Neil as new boss

Gary Rowett is backing Alex Neil to give Millwall “real stability” after the Scot became the club’s third head coach in the space of 15 months.

Rowett opted to step down as Lions manager in October 2023 and returned to The Den for the first time on New Year’s Day, his new club Oxford winning 1-0.

It ensured a losing start for Neil, who was confirmed as Millwall’s new boss on Monday.

Rowett said: “I think he’ll give the club real stability and in the shape they want to move forward in, which is to develop some younger players, keep improving all the way, and be a seasoned Championship side.

“If that’s the model and the role, I am sure he will do that really well.”

Rowett had four years in charge at Millwall but they have since had a fairly swift turnover of head coaches.

Asked if he was surprised at the rate of change, Rowett said: “Yeah but in a way, I suppose, you can blame me for that.

“Me leaving in the first place meant that they had to make a decision.

“When you’ve been somewhere for four years and played a similar way for four years, no matter the level of success, you are always going to want to change and want something different and hope that different works.

“But if that different doesn’t work, then sometimes you are a little bit further back than where you started. That’s not anyone’s fault. The football club has had to react to that, and them being a Championship club is important. Them getting the chance to kick on again is key.”

Rowett guided Millwall to four consecutive top-half finishes, twice with a chance of reaching the play-offs going into the final day.

“I got a better reception than I expected,” he said. “It was really respectful. A bit of banter, a few people by the side of the bench winding me up all game, but I expected that. They did that to me when I was the manager.

“Naturally as a manager, when you go back to your former club, you are always trying to prove yourself. There would have been some Millwall fans who felt that I had run my course and there would be some that didn’t want me to leave. That’s football. You are always trying to prove yourself. The day you stop doing that is the day you should get out of the game.”