Rotherham United are expected to fall short in their hopes of recruiting David Artell as their next permanent manager.
The Grimsby Town boss has been previously tipped with a short move west to the New York Stadium, having put his Mariners side in a strong position to finish in the League Two playoffs on top of their previous cup heroics earlier in the season.
Artell Dodges Millers
According to Alan Nixon via his Patreon page, Artell is likely to pass on the opportunity to manage Rotherham in League Two next season despite his boyhood connections with the Millers.
Having grown up in the town and played for the club as a defender around the turn of the millenium, many had tipped the former Gibraltar international to make the switch.
When asked about his interest in the vacancy in South Yorkshire, the 53-year-old was quick to deny any interest in taking over the fourth-tier bound side. (Quotes via Yorkshire Post):
“I’ve only ever spoken to one person from Rotherham in this last week – and I don’t think my mum’s going to offer me the job.
“I’ve got a job to do here, it’s as simple as that. I’ve got a job and there’s not a vacancy. It’s all hypothetical, it’s all column inches, social media or whatever, wherever the reports have been circulated.
“I’m doing my job, I’m getting about doing my job, which I’ve done for the last two-and-a-half years.
“I’m focusing on making progress, focusing on getting in the play-offs, focusing on continuing to build this football club from 21st/22nd in the league when I first came in to now losing out on the play-offs in the last game of the last season.”
However, Nixon also notes that Artell is open to a move away from Blundell Park this season and would be tempted if offered a chance at a League One or Championship side.
Wrong Step For Artell
As he has suggested when asked about a potential change in clubs, David Artell is fully committed to the project he has helped to build at Grimsby Town, which is certainly in with a chance of promotion this season and will be well placed to do so again in 12 months’ time.
They have not been the pick of the bunch in League Two this season, but have quietly been consistent enough to challenge for a top seven finish with two massive games against Cambridge United and Swindon Town coming up.
Moving to Rotherham would be a massive misstep with the Millers currently in freefall, and would squander the potential of his current Grimsby squad.
While a move elsewhere cannot be ruled out in the summer, it is certain that moving back home is not the correct move to make.
Path Clear For Clark
With a reunion with a former star in Artell practically over, attention is now surely to shift to the man currently in the hotseat at the New York Stadium, with Lee Clark standing out as a clear choice to manage the club in League Two.
The former Huddersfield Town man has been steadfast in identifying problems within the playing squad since replacing Matt Hamshaw last month, and is already in transfer planning mode for next season despite not being guaranteed to stay on beyond the final three games this season.
There are certainly some reservations from within the fanbase about Clark’s tactical approach, but given the quality of the top of League Two heading into next season, promotion is by no means guaranteed and allowing a figure to stop the rot for a season is probably the best path forward for the club to return to the Championship.
