Murray Wallace on ‘shock’ of Gary Rowett leaving Millwall – and why Lions squad won’t let it affect their Championship campaign

Murray Wallace is confident that Millwall’s squad will not allow Gary Rowett’s departure to impact their Championship season.

The Lions are in the process of finding a new manager after the experienced former Stoke City, Derby County and Birmingham City chief left by mutual consent in the middle of last week.

Glaswegian Wallace signed for the South London club in the summer of 2018 on a free transfer from Scunthorpe United and it is a sign of stability that he has only played under two permanent bosses – Rowett and predecessor Neil Harris.

Wallace described himself as “shocked” when the news broke that Rowett was stepping down just a few days shy of four years in the Den hotseat.

“It felt like it came out of nowhere,” Wallace told the South London Press. “Especially over the international break, we’d had some good training sessions and were building up to the Preston game – going through tactics and team shape.

“He was taking all that, so you think it is business as usual. To hear the news that he’d left on mutual terms was a bit of a shock for all of us.

“I was watching a bit of TV and it was actually my wife who said: ‘What’s this? Has Gary Rowett left?’ I said: ‘No, you’re joking’. Then you go on social media and the WhatsApp groups to find out what was going on, because it was so unexpected. You couldn’t really believe it.

“It is part of the process of being a footballer – managers chop and change quite a lot. I suppose we’ve been quite fortunate that we’ve had Gary for such a long time.”

Rowett was the second longest-serving manager in the Championship behind Coventry’s Mark Robins, who has been at the helm for more than six years.

Only Nigel Pearson, at Bristol City, has clocked up in excess of two years out of the bosses in England’s second tier.

Millwall twice finished eighth under Rowett as well as ninth and 11th – each time amassing more than 60 points.

“It definitely was a successful period,” said Wallace. “He had a clear plan and ideas about what he wanted from the team and what he wanted to do.

“He has progressed the club to be that team that can be up and around the play-offs and challenging for them. The results speak for themselves – from the position when he took over to where we finished in the league, unfortunately just missing out in the past couple of seasons. He knew the players he wanted and the ethos he wanted around the club. He got Millwall, as a club – what it was all about.

“He wanted those hard-workers and fighters – that aggression in his team. He made things very simple for us, that’s when you sometimes get the best out of players when you’re very clear on what they need to do. He did very well.”

Wallace is only four appearances off 200 for Millwall and has 443 senior outings under his belt in a career which started in his native Scotland. The defender, who turns 31 in January, has seen most of what football can throw at you.

“Some of the younger lads might be a bit unsettled if it is their first manager change,” he said. “It’s something they have got to learn about.

“As well as Gary has done with us, and as much as we enjoyed playing under him, the way we are looking at it now is that it’s almost a fresh start for everyone. It can be an exciting time, to reset and go again.

“While we respect the job he has done, we acknowledge that we’re a good group of players that have been building every year and we’ve brought in some more good quality players again this year.

“It’s ultimately down to us to put in the performances and get the results.”

Rowett’s assistant Adam Barrett has taken over in a caretaker capacity and is being assisted by Paul Robinson, first-team coach.

Barrett joined the Lions, initially in a development coach role, in March 2017.

“It helps having someone who understands the club,” said Wallace. “Ads has been here for so many years. I’ve been blessed in my career that so many of the managers and staff I’ve worked with have been former defenders.

“I’ve always had that guidance from people who have played hundreds of league games.

“He has a lot of great knowledge that he can pass down.”

Millwall head to Watford tomorrow aiming to extend their unbeaten away record to five matches.

The Lions have drawn three out of their last four on the road, Zian Flemming’s excellent strike earning a 1-1 draw at Preston North End last weekend.

“It is difficult to go to a team that is going well in the league and whose confidence is up,” said Wallace. “I know their last couple of results hadn’t been great but it gives them even more motivation.

“It was always going to be a tricky one and we had a difficult start, going 1-0 down straight away. We had the character and fight to stay in the game – to get level.

“After we equalised we felt the game was there for us.

“I suppose a point was a fair reflection but we were hoping for a little bit more.

“We have got real belief in the squad and that we can go and get a good result anywhere we go.”

Wallace could reach a double century of Millwall games before the end of November.

“I’ve been loving my time here and it helps when you are playing a lot of games,” he said. “Long may it continue.

“The fanbase get behind you and they appreciate a lot of attributes that are part of a defender’s game – hard tackles and stuff like that.”

PICTURES: BRIAN TONKS