West Brom whitewash hints at what’s to come from Neil’s Wall – Oppo Profile Thursday, 16th Oct 2025 09:25 by Clive Whittingham Millwall have been hot on the road and ropey at home, but with an easing injury list and 3-0 home thrashing of West Brom taking them into the break Alex Neil’s side are starting to show why many had them as a dark horse – LFW regular Lucas Ball (@LucasBall2211) and @NewsAtDen’s William Scott give us the latest. How was last season? Another near miss with the play offs for the perennially 8th placed Lions.. WS: There was a real danger at one point that Millwall might get dragged into a relegation fight after Neil Harris left. There was quite a negative feel about the squad heading into January, especially with talisman Romain Esse’s departure seeming inevitable. Neil had a tough start, going winless in his first four, but a stretch of three wins in a row in late January/early February changed the mood around the team. Serious investment into the squad also helped - they signed eight players, some of whom became first-team regulars. Millwall really hit their stride in April, claiming some big scalps, and they looked like the form team heading into the final few games of the season. Unfortunately, beating Burnley at Turf Moor was a bridge too far (Millwall fans will be wondering what if Josh Coburn had not missed a sitter at 1-1), but there was a real sense that had the season gone a few games longer, they would have snuck into the play-offs. LB: Last season started quite well and we were in the top six around the start of November. Then, all of a sudden, it started to unravel under Neil Harris. There had been murmurs of discontent after our slow business in the summer and then Harris’ comments became (not so) indirectly digs at Steve Gallen and the new set-up at times, particularly over then-record signing Mihailo Ivanovic. The Christmas period was slightly strange with Dave Livermore in charge ahead of Alex Neil’s appointment and it took us a few games to find our feet under Neil. When we did, we started to look like a good side amidst somewhat of an injury crisis and put together a brilliant run to be on the cusp of the play-offs on the final day. Had we not switched off straight after going ahead at Burnley, or had Josh Coburn scored that wonderful chance, who knows? But, it was the culmination of a brilliant turnaround under Neil and hopefully a sign of things to come. Ivanovic developed hugely after getting over his home sickness and we have a really strong core, most of which is retained from last season. How's the season started? Solid but some weirdly big home defeats in there which have been confusing me a bit… WS: It has been a really mixed bag - outstanding away form but an uncharacteristically poor home record. The mood around the club felt quite low in mid-September after Millwall just about claimed a draw away at The Valley after a poor performance, but a spirited showing away at Selhurst Park three days later brought back some positivity. Millwall looked to have fully righted the ship after four points in the next two games, including a point away at Swansea, but a 4-0 thumping by Coventry had fans booing the team off. Fortunately, the Lions saved their most convincing performance of the season for the next match, dispatching West Brom 3-0, with Neil’s side in control for the entire match. Injuries have hurt - there were eight/nine first-team players out in late August/early September, and Neil has spoken about not being able to pick his first choice starting eleven. The squad looks to be mostly healthy heading into the weekend, and the question now becomes who does Neil leave out of the squad rather than how can he cobble together competitive starting line-ups. Winning two out of three of their last home games has also helped restore the mood, although more results at The Den will be required before fans will be fully satisfied that their ground is a fortress again. LB: I think weird is exactly the right way to describe our start. Never did I think I’d see us start with an away record like this and generally such poor home form but here we are. Injuries have been a huge hindrance but I think we’ve set up poorly at home in a style more suited to countering against teams sitting in, so we need to continue employing a better balance at home like we finally found against West Brom. We’re notoriously slow starters so to be in this position after a lot of new signings, the amount of injuries and this being Alex Neil’s first full season in charge, I’m not complaining too much. We need to perform more consistently but hopefully the last game was a step towards that. Millwall in the league so far… Opinions on Alex Neil so far? WS: He has done a good job so far - had Millwall really competitive last season when they were in a state of flux. He is very straight talking, honest after losses and takes accountability, while also not being afraid to point out his team’s shortcomings. Players have consistently praised his tactical attention to detail, and he is constantly active on the sidelines - he certainly wears his heart on his sleeve during matches. He has the Lions competing this season, and once he can consistently pick his preferred starting eleven, we will have a better idea of where he can take them. LB: Honest, has clear principles but isn’t one of these modern managers always blaming the make-up of his squad for tactical faults. He realised immediately that Coburn and Ivanovic would give us the most threat in attack and shifted our set up to suit. He speaks really well of the club, its roots, the fans and his set-up. He’s a brilliant motivator and is keen to bring young players through, of which we have a very strong crop at the moment. His commitment to the club was evidenced by already signing a new contract over the summer. I’m excited for the future.
How's Neil shaping this team? What sort of a Millwall are we facing this weekend? WS: The typical expectation of a Millwall team is a physical, bruising outfit that can dominate both boxes and are a threat at set-pieces, while not playing the prettiest brand of football. This iteration of the Lions fulfill some of those characteristics but have evolved significantly. Millwall have excelled at a lot of the more modern aspects of football - playing through the press, working the ball into dangerous positions and recycling possession. They are very aggressive out of possession, and are close to the top in the league in a lot of pressing statistics. They have been hindered by an uncharacteristic frailty at the back, especially at home, and a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, while they have been indifferent at set-pieces. Those issues did not crop up against the Baggies, with Jake Cooper typically a nightmare in the opponent’s box, and it was a really professional, clinical performance. Neil has been tinkering with the formation, switching between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2, and with neither of his strikers really firing, he may again opt for a one-striker system this weekend. LB: We’ve generally played either 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 this season but did use a back-five away to Crystal Palace so we can mix it up a bit. Away from home we’re probably happier on the transition a lot of the time so 4-4-2 tends to be the flavour of the month there to allow us to progress the ball a bit more directly. However, neither Mihailo Ivanovic nor Josh Coburn have enjoyed brilliant starts to the season and Will Smallbone was excellent in the ‘ten’ against the Baggies so it may be a 4-2-3-1 on Saturday. We’ve still got elements of that gritty Millwall-ness that everyone knows but are trying to evolve at times and make better use of the ball for longer spells so it’s a transitional phase for the club and sometimes we lack some nous and experience still but hopefully we’re getting there. How did the summer transfer window shape up in the end? Tanganga a big loss? WS: Tanganga was a big loss, but it was a tremendous deal given the money he could have gone for had a Premier League club activated his release clause. He has been ably replaced by Tristan Crama, but that has meant the mobile Frenchman has not been playing at right-back, where he excelled last season. Other than that, Millwall made some good signings. Alfie Doughty looked fantastic before getting injured in his second game, Massimo Luongo was a steal on a free and has an exceptional footballing brain, Caleb Taylor had a very positive debut against Palace but has struggled to get a look in, and deadline-day signings Derek Mazou-Sacko, Will Smallbone and Thierno Ballo have all been positive contributors so far. The club addressed all the holes in the squad, except for potentially at right-back, which may not be an issue once Danny McNamara comes back. LB: Generally good, to be honest. I still don’t understand why we didn’t sign a right back but we’ve got quality in more depth than I’ve ever known it at Millwall and there’s a lot of exciting youngsters. Another experienced body or two wouldn’t have gone amiss perhaps amidst such a youthful focus but the future’s definitely bright with some real gems being picked up from relatively unknown positions and statures such as Derek Mazou-Sacko. I’d have probably liked another striker too to give us more depth given our 4-4-2 persuasion at the time but we’re managing at the moment and have some exciting youngsters ready to take their chance in those forward areas. We’d long been planning for Japhet Tanganga’s departure and Tristan Crama was already ready to step in, as much as he’d played right back in the most since signing. Crama has huge potential and has been one of the standout defenders in the league for the majority of the season so far. He’s not the finished product but he’s very good and has meant we haven’t been hit as hard by Japh saying goodbye. Alfie Doughty is another statement signing - he’s a Millwall fan who will add real quality on the left and, given our height in a lot of areas, it should make us more dangerous from set pieces too, but he got injured early on. Ins >>> Josh Coburn, 22, CF, Boro, £5m >>> Caleb Taylor, 22, CB, West Brom, £2m >>> Derek Mazou-Sacko, 20, CM, Rodez, £500k >>> Mass Luongo, 32, CM, Ipswich, Free >>> Max Crocombe, 31, GK, Burton, Free >>> Joel Coleman, 29, GK, Bolton, Free >>> Alfie Doughty, 25, LM, Luton, Undisclosed >>> Zak Sturge, 21, LB, Chelsea, Undisclosed >>> Steven Benda, 26, GK, Fulham, Loan >>> Will Smallbone, 25, CM, Southampton, Loan >>> Thierno Ballo, 23, LW, Wolfsberger, Loan Outs >>> Zian Flemming, 26, CF, Burnley, £8m >>> Japhet Tanganga, 26, CB, Sheff Utd, £7m >>> Kevin Nisbet, 28, CF, Aberdeen, £300k >>> Aaron Connolly, 25, CF, Orient, Free >>> George Saville, 32, CM, Luton, Free >>> George Honeyman, 30, CM, Blackpool, Free >>> Murray Wallace, 32, CB, Huddersfield, Free >>> Liam Roberts, 30, GK, Mansfield, Free >>> Duncan Watmore, 31, CF, Released >>> Shaun Hutchinson, 34, CB, Released >>> George Evans, 20, GK, Hartlepool, Loan >>> Adam Mayor, 20, LB, Cambridge, Loan Stand out players and weak links? WS: Crama has been excellent - probably Millwall’s player of the season so far, and looks destined for a higher level. He has a slightly strange running style, but he is so quick and fluid - he covers ground in an instant, while reading the game exceptionally. He is capable of playing out from the back and is almost as tall as Cooper, so wins most aerial duels. He marked Jean-Phillipe Mateta out of the game at Selhurst Park, and has only really had one poor performance (against Coventry and Haji Wright). Luongo has been great, Billy Mitchell has been very positive in the games he has been able to play, and Femi Azeez was outstanding against the Baggies after an injury lay-off. One disappointment so far has been the form of Mihailo Ivanovic, who looked a bit unsettled by interest in him over the summer. The Serbian striker led the team in goals aged just nineteen and in his first season in English football, however has not quite captured that same form this campaign. He has linked the game very well and has an assist, but has struggled to stamp his mark on the game in the opponent’s box. Josh Coburn has looked like a real handful when starting as a lone striker, and he may be preferred this weekend. LB: Crama has been quality most of the season, Smallbone was excellent against West Brom and Massimo Luongo is perhaps one of the best free transfers in the league on evidence to date. Thierno Ballo and Femi Azeez are bright sparks out wide. Ivanovic and Coburn have quality in part but haven’t shown it often enough this season while Ryan Leonard could be targeted at right back given his inconsistent displays. Most worrying is Steven Benda between the sticks. He is just not a good goalkeeper and commands zero authority over his backline and 18-yard box. Send him back to Fulham as soon as possible please.
Revised expectations for the season? I had Millwall down for the play-offs this year… WS: I’d expect them to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, but it has been hard to have a proper sense of what the Lions’ trajectory is given all the injuries. I think the next few weeks will be instructive in that regard, although even if it does not quite go to plan, I would not rule out another late-season surge. LB: If we can now keep players fit (we’ve got a near-fully fit squad), to still push for play-offs. We’re almost always better after Christmas so if we can be top half by the halfway mark, I fancy us to have a real go at it with maybe a couple of additions and departures in January that could make the difference. Still an exciting time but Neil needs to get the set up right and strike a balance when trying to evolve our style. Links >>> Millwall official website >>> South London Press — Local Paper >>> News at Den — Blog >>> North Stand Banter — Forum >>> News Shopper — Local Paper Pictures - Reuters Connect Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 31 bloggersDerby County Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
