New management, tough questions as Rotherham face local visitors
Rotherham United will welcome neighbours Sheffield United to the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Saturday as both South Yorkshire clubs step up preparations ahead of the 2026-27 season. The match is a useful barometer for the Millers as they enter what is being described internally as a fresh start following a turbulent 2025-26 campaign.
After consecutive relegations left Rotherham in League Two, the club moved quickly in the summer with structural changes at the top. Steve McLaren has been appointed Director of Football and Alex Bruce takes charge as manager for the upcoming season. The pair take the reins after a campaign in which the Millers finished 22nd with 41 points from 46 games, ending 11 points adrift of safety.
The club have not been idle in pre-season. Rotherham arrive at Saturday’s fixture unbeaten in four warm-up matches, including draws against non-league sides Emley and Matlock Town and a 1-0 victory at Alfreton Town where Fabio Tavares found the net. The friendly with Sheffield United represents a step up in opposition quality and an early test of how the reshaped coaching team will cope under pressure.
Sheffield United testing themselves while preparing for another Championship campaign
The visitors, meanwhile, come to Rotherham having made a steady start to pre-season as they look to sharpen for a third straight season in the Championship. The Blades endured a rollercoaster period in the years prior and last season finished 13th with 60 points from 46 matches.
Sheffield United’s recent summers have been eventful — promotion heartbreak followed by managerial changes — and the club are determined to mount a stronger challenge next term. The trip to the New York Stadium gives the Blades a low-travel opportunity to build match fitness and try out tactics ahead of the competitive season.
“Rotherham United return to pre-season action on Saturday as they continue to gear up for life in League Two under new management.”
That sentence from the pre-match brief sums up the mood locally: cautious optimism tempered by realism. Supporters will be watching closely to see whether the new coaching team can convert a modest pre-season run of results into consistency when the league campaign begins.
What Rotherham fans should look out for
- Team selection — Who Alex Bruce trusts to start will tell a lot about his immediate plans and whether youth players get a look-in.
- Goal threat — Fabio Tavares’ recent strike at Alfreton will have supporters hoping for more end product.
- Defensive shape — After a season that saw the club struggle, solidity at the back will be paramount.
Friendly fixtures have their limits — managers rotate, minutes are rationed, and fitness takes priority over results. Yet local rivalries always add a bite. For a city still smarting from two relegations in three seasons, a decent showing against Sheffield United would be a welcome fillip.
| Club | 2025-26 league finish | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Rotherham United | 22nd | 41 |
| Sheffield United | 13th | 60 |
This game is as much about building belief as it is about preparation. Rotherham’s fans will be hoping the new appointment of a director of football and a fresh managerial voice produce the steadier course they have been promised. If not, it will be back to the drawing board — and nobody in South Yorkshire wants that to happen again any time soon.
Kick-off is scheduled for Saturday at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, and whichever way it goes, it’s an early sign of how both clubs intend to shape the weeks ahead.
