Rowett: Millwall players hated not having fans at games

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has described how having no fans affected him and his side during lockdown.

Empty stands returned to The Den last season after a brief spell with supporters in the stands last autumn. And the Millwall manager says his players found it hard to adjust to not having their support.

The Lions manager said: “It was pretty horrendous – not like being a nurse in Lewisham hospital – but bad.

“From the players point of view and mine – and I watch football matches every night in my flat – if you’re in an elite professional sport, is there an atmosphere when you walk out. You accept that you have an elation – or those horrendous feelings [when you lose]. And it’s the extremes you like.

“Against Derby, in the first game we played after lockdown started, we had momentum.

“We walked out and I was dreading it. It felt like a testimonial game or a friendly every week.

“We were able to do our jobs as footballers, in the way some people weren’t during lockdown. But the players hated it.

“We did get used to the silence. We did try everything. We felt we needed noise but [when we tried that] the players said it did not feel like the atmosphere of having fans there – so we turned it off.

“I personally didn’t enjoy it at all last season. I don’t want to sound ungrateful but that was the case.”

Infections also caused havoc.

Rowett added: “That said there are not many scenarios in a playing squad of 24 players when suddenly four or five are not there. Some players may still be affected – it’s hard to know.

“With the 1-0 win at Huddersfield – I got a test and had to isolate with the rest of the coaching team – [captain] Alex Pearce and Shaun Williams took over. Alex said he never felt so high after the game – and never felt so low after the 3-0 home defeat by Bristol City in the cup four days later.

“It gave them a sliver of what it’s like to be me every week.”