Former Millwall manager Ian Holloway has suggested the club is not ready to win promotion to the Premier League team at the moment.

The Lions are currently sitting 15th in the Championship table following a difficult start to the season which led to Neil Harris calling time on his four-and-a-half year stint as the club's manager last week.

Harris stepped down from his position following a 1-1 draw with Luton Town which extended Millwall's winless run to seven games, after the Lions had enjoyed a promising start to the campaign where they won two of their first three matches.

The 42-year-old enjoyed an overall successful spell at the club's managerial helm as he led the Lions to League One promotion in 2017, and also guided the club towards two FA Cup quarter-finals during his first job in management.

Harris impressive work at the club would have led to suggestions Millwall were perhaps ready to take the next step by competing higher up the league this term, but Holloway has now claimed the club is currently not in a state to win promotion.

Holloway, who was Harris' predecessor as Lions boss, has said he believed he could get Millwall to the top-flight during his time at manager, but then declared that Millwall will struggle to push on higher than Championship level.

“I don’t think Millwall can become a Premier League club at the moment. If they think they can, then good luck to them," he told The Sack Race.

“We all want to be successful. I believed that I could get them there, and I believed that I could play a certain way. In the end I don’t think they liked the way I was playing. It wasn’t just because we were losing. They like the 4-4-2 formation which is what Neil then employed during his time. It’s all about horses for courses.

“Have Millwall ever had that much success in the Championship? The club reaches that level and then can’t push on, which is not necessarily the managers’ fault. It’s down to the budget, the wages, and attracting players to the club for the right reasons."

Holloway was appointed Millwall boss in January 2014, but he was only in charge for 14 months as he failed to deliver results during his second season at the club.

Harris was then appointed caretaker manager in March 2015 before being given the role on a full-time basis the following summer.

The Verdict

I can see what Holloway is saying in the sense that Millwall is a club limited by its budget, but I don't think there's any reason why they can't compete higher up the table if they make the correct managerial appointment.

The club has a strong fan base along with some quality players at its disposal, and I think this could be a perfect role for someone to make their own and really take the club to the next level.

Holloway is correct in that the competition is fierce in the Championship this term, but there is still a long way of the season to go and teams still have the time to completely change the outlook of their season.

It is vital Millwall get their next appointment right. If it proves to be a success, it could prove to be the difference between a season in play-off contention and one battling to avoid relegation.

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