Preparing for life in League Two following their relegation last season, Rotherham United look to have found their manager for next season. Since Paul Warne departed for Derby County in 2022, the managerial hotseat has been particularly unstable at Rotherham, with seven different names in the dugout since.
Several names have popped up for the Millers since their relegation, such as David Artell and Darren Ferguson, but it looks like they have since found their man.
Now, according to reports from Pete O’Rourke, Rotherham are on the verge of appointing Mat Sadler as their head coach for the 2026-27 season. Sadler was dismissed by divisional rivals, Walsall, in March, but his tenure in the West Midlands proved that he is certainly a talented manager at fourth tier level.
Mat Saddler’s Time At Walsall
Sadler was first appointed by Walsall as an interim, but impressive form at the back end of the 2022-23 season earned the coach the full-time role at the club.
His playstyle has proven perfect for League Two. Direct, energetic, hard-to-break-down, and clinical when it mattered, they were one of the division’s toughest opponents. Though the 41-year-old’s time with the Saddlers often became defined by what could have been – after heavy leads on the League Two table during the halfway points of the previous two seasons eventually came to nothing.
Most dramatically so in the 2024-25 season, after loan star Nathan Lowe returned to Stoke City and the club missed out on promotion on the final day, despite heavily leading at the top at Christmas.
Due to this, he became a contentious figure amongst Walsall fans. While overachieving, not delivering a promotion from the positions they found themselves in raised some questions.
Although there were external factors affecting this, such as the Saddlers paid for their reliance on the loan market each January with heavy-hitting departures.
Rotherham United To Appoint Mat Sadler
For Rotherham, this appointment will be a surprise given his dismissal from one of their League Two rivals in recent months. Although he is clearly a talented manager.
His playstyle at its best knows the formula for League Two, with his Walsall sides showing capable of being adept and effective at the right times. And with what is likely to be a bigger budget, he may be the perfect candidate to deliver promotion by the end of the season.
It was an appointment that needed to promise stability and immediate results, and the young coach could deliver just that. He was in his post at the Bescot for nearly three years and understands the demands of League Two football.
The summer ahead will see a major rebuild at the New York Stadium, so having a manager in place now is pivotal. It will be interesting to see how Mat Sadler and Steve McClaren work together at Rotherham United, with McClaren recently being appointed as the club’s Head of Football.
