Gary Rowett's Millwall tenure reached its natural end - now club must roll dice
Confirmation that Gary Rowett and Millwall had mutually parted company was, perhaps, the most unsurprising surprise managerial change of the season so far.
From an outside perspective, it probably seems like a fairly brutal decision; maybe even a confusing one. After all, four consecutive top-half finishes in the Championship is not to be sniffed at.
But unlike Birmingham City's decision to can John Eustace, there is method behind the perceived madness.
Four years is a long time for a manager to spend at one club in this era of football and it's certainly felt like the end of a cycle in recent weeks.
It's hard for any manager to keep going once the fans have turned - especially at Millwall. And things haven't felt sustainable since fans aired their frustrations with Rowett's style of play against Norwich back in August.
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It's been the number of uncharacteristically poor performances rather than indifferent results that has fuelled the growing unrest at the club in recent weeks, but the Lions' home form simply hasn't been good enough either. If you include results from last season, the Londoners have won just six of their last 21 home games.
The Den has always been the ace up Millwall's sleeve; it's a great equaliser. But playing at home has slowly - and painfully - become an Achilles' heel for the Lions. The Den has lost its fear factor and there were concerns from fans over the team's approach on their own patch.
As manager, Rowett was always going to carry the can for that. And that, inevitably, led to pressure from the terraces.
Being told in no uncertain terms that his "football is s***" during that chastening 3-1 defeat at Carrow Road was, for all intents and purposes, the beginning of the end. It was then a matter of when a parting of the ways would occur, not if.
Perhaps the only surprise is that decision has come now: two thirds of the way through the international break with a lunchtime fixture at Preston looming large. While the fixture against Hull City prior to the break felt like a defining one, a much-improved second-half performance and a total of four points from six after a win at Plymouth in midweek was enough to earn Rowett a reprieve.
Millwall fans vented their frustration at Rowett during a match against Norwich back in August (Paul Harding)But that's not to say the decision is incorrect. In truth, all parties were probably in need of a change. Rowett himself has alluded to that since the announcement was confirmed on Wednesday night. There's no shame in that.
In many ways, last season felt like a natural end point. The manner in which Millwall capitulated against Blackburn on the final day with a play-off place all but secured still stings. It doesn't feel like the club - or the fans - are fully over that particular hump.
At the same time, neither that nor the last few weeks should take away from the exceptional job Rowett has done in SE16 over the past four years.
He arrived off the back of a fairly brutal sacking at Stoke with his reputation on the wane. He leaves with his stock higher than ever after transforming Millwall into a stable, top-10 Championship football club on a budget.
He will walk into another Championship job in the coming months, no questions asked - and very deservedly so. The likes of Neil Harris and Kenny Jackett before him may have provided more in terms of memorable moments, but few - if any - modern Millwall managers have performed admirably at Championship level for such a sustained period.
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Replacing him will be no mean feat. Four years of steady improvement means the club is a more attractive proposition for prospective managers than ever, but appointing the right person to build on the foundations left by Rowett is easier said than done.
Plenty of clubs in the division have enjoyed success with younger coaches; different names to the usual carousel of managers who often crop up in the betting markets. Going down that route has its risks, but it also has plenty of potential merit.
And given the stability that Rowett and the Berylson family have given us in recent years, there may never be a better time for the club to roll the dice.
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