This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

After Paul Warne's departure for Derby County earlier this week, Rotherham United's search for a new manager is well underway. 

The latest name to be linked with the vacancy is Oxford United boss Karl Robinson.

That is according to journalist Alan Biggs, who reports that he has heard that Robinson could be a potential candidate 'if he fancied it'.

With that in mind, we asked three of our FLW writers for their verdict on whether hiring Robinson would be a good potential appointment for the Millers.

Alfie Burns

It’s a name you probably expected to crop up when it came to Rotherham replacing Paul Warne.

Robinson has proven himself to be a very good manager over the years and he’s kept Oxford competitive in League One despite the growing difficulty of that division.

That alone is something that convinced me he’d be a decent appointment for Rotherham and, to answer a segment of your question, I do think he’d be tempted to make the move at this stage.

However, there’s also a part of me that thinks Rotherham are going to go for someone with a bit more Championship experience. Not somebody that’s like Neil Warnock but someone that’s been in-and-around the division over the last few seasons as it’s adapted.

That experience is probably the only mark I’d have against Robinson. He plays good football, can work within the club’s means and deliver results.

It would certainly be a project you could get behind.

 

 

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

Whilst I do not think Karl Robinson would be the best appointment Rotherham could make, he wouldn't necessarily be a bad one.

At 42-years-old he has that rare blend of youth and managerial experience, and has shown over the years he is loyal and capable of building something long-term at clubs, rather than hopping from one to the next.

He's done well at Oxford recently, too, consistently having the club challenge in and around the play-off positions, even if they have not yet managed to make that jump up to the second tier.

You do feel that he is possibly deserving of that step up to Championship level, but on the flip side of that, it must also be acknowledged that he lacks extensive second tier experience.

I do think the Rotherham job could appeal to Robinson because of their Championship status, but whether that would be enough to convince him to leave Oxford just nine games into the season remains to be seen.

Carla Devine

Since taking over in 2018, Karl Robinson has done well with Oxford United and helped them become a top team in League One that are always there or thereabouts in a battle for the play-offs.

However, I feel this could be a risky appointment for Rotherham. If you look at the U’s form this season, they have lost five of their nine opening games and it hasn’t been the strongest start at all.

Meanwhile, the Millers have started in good form and sit eighth in the table which is impressive given they are a side that have just gained promotion back to the Championship.

Therefore, they will no doubt want to carry this form on and with that in mind, appointing a manager who has no Championship experience seems unwise.

If the opportunity came about, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Robinson take the step up as he has struggled to get out of this league to the next step with Oxford but from the club’s point of view it’s an appointment I’d be wary about.