Friday 17 April 2015 16:33, UK
Interim boss Neil Harris has restored pride at Millwall and deserves the job on a permanent basis, says his former team-mate Matt Lawrence.
Millwall are currently in the Championship relegation zone, five points adrift of safety, with a game in hand on fourth-bottom Rotherham.
However, they have taken eight points from their six games under Harris, since the club’s all-time top-scorer took over from sacked Ian Holloway last month.
And ex-defender Lawrence says Harris has got his team playing with the style and attitude associated with the club after a disappointing campaign under Holloway.
“He’s the perfect fit for Millwall because he understands the ethos there,” Lawrence told Sky Sports.
“In the few games he’s had, he’s got across to the players what he and the fans expect of them – passion and pride, playing for the shirt.
“At Millwall, as long as you give 100 per cent and sweat blood, the fans appreciate that. When I played there, it wasn’t just about winning or playing pretty football all the time. It was about trying your hardest, doing your best and if you did that, even if you lost, the fans would appreciate it.
“The Millwall players look like they understand it now. I’ve watched a couple of games since Neil took over and it’s there, the spirit and the passion is back.
“I watched a number of games under Ian Holloway and it was blatantly apparent it wasn’t there. Looking in from the outside, the last few months were very sterile, blunt and it looked like there was a very bad atmosphere in the dressing room.”
When I played there, it wasn’t just about winning. It was about trying your hardest. The Millwall players look like they understand it now.
Full-time job
Lawrence was Harris’ room-mate for four years and says the striker – who scored 138 goals for Millwall – was always likely to go into coaching.
While a previous caretaker role for Harris at Millwall in 2013 was unsuccessful, a subsequent stint working with the youngsters at the club appears to have honed Harris’ managerial skills and Lawrence reckons he has a good chance of being awarded the job on a full-time basis in the summer.
“I know him well and I always thought he was going to go down that route,” said Lawrence.
“He’s got the right temperament for it, he’s got the qualifications. It doesn’t surprise me at all.
“It obviously didn’t work the first time he was caretaker, but he’s gone down a level to the development squad and learnt his trade.
“Will he get the job come the end of the year? I don’t know [Millwall chairman] John Berylson well enough to answer that question but, as long as the next few results go alright, I’d say there’s a 75-80 per cent chance he’ll have that job.
“He’s just Millwall through and through. He understands Millwall football club. He’s a Millwall person.”
