Latest news with #Achtung!Millwall
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Neil has brought new energy to Millwall'
[Getty Images] Millwall's quest to find a late-season play-off spot proved in the end to be a game too far at Turf Moor on Saturday. In many ways this was a magnificent performance by the Lions, who gave everything to find the win they needed to make the top six. Advertisement But a second half of relentless Burnley pressure proved, in the end, to be too much for the injury-hit Londoners, who were left to rue sloppy defending almost from the kick-off following Mihailo Ivanovic's top-quality finish on 10 minutes, allowing the Clarets straight back into the game having put them on the back foot. Follow that with Josh Coburn's howler in front of an open goal on 35 minutes and it was self-inflicted errors that probably sealed Millwall's fate, as chances like that simply can't be missed at this level. Harsh, but true. Overall, Burnley were worthy winners on the day, though the Lions will be looking forward in anticipation to the 2025-26 campaign already. Advertisement I know I am. Since his arrival in January, gaffer Alex Neil has brought in new energy and attacking zeal, which teamed with the club's emphasis on youth development augurs well next season. Roll on August! Find more from Nick Hart on Achtung! Millwall.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Can Millwall stun Burnley again to end 32-game run?
As Millwall captain Jake Cooper's towering header sailed beyond Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford and into the net on Sunday, 3 November it provided one of the rarest of Championship sights this season.A winning goal against the has been a moment that has evaded every opponent in Burnley's 32 league matches six months on, Millwall travel to Turf Moor on the final day of the season knowing if they can repeat that feat they have a chance of sealing a spot in the play-offs - while Scott Parker's side will be looking to reach 100 points and hope it is enough to claim the title."We go into the game with confidence but not underestimating the task in front of us," Millwall head coach Alex Neil told BBC Radio London. "Burnley is definitely the hardest place statistically to go in the league, they've conceded seven goals at home all season."When we're up against it is when we thrive a bit more." 'It would be one of the stories of the season' While Coventry City's rise from 18th to sixth in the league in the second half of the season has captured plenty of attention, Millwall's climb up the table has flown under the Harris was still in charge when the Lions secured that 1-0 victory over Burnley in replaced Harris at the helm at the end of 2024, the Lions were on a run of one win in nine games and were likely to sell Romain Esse, one of their best players, in the January transfer joined Crystal Palace shortly after and Millwall went on a recruitment drive that saw eight new faces arrive at The Den before the end of the window. Their progress from that point was solid if unspectacular under former Preston North End and Sunderland boss Neil and they entered April 13th in the table, six points off the five wins in their six matches last month - including victories against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough - have pushed them up level with the Sky Blues on 66 points and only one point below fifth-placed Bristol City."I think it would probably be one of the stories of the season [if Millwall make the play-offs] in terms of everything we've contended with as a club this year," Neil said. While Millwall's season's has had its ups and downs, Burnley have gone from strength to strength under Parker, sealing a return to the Premier League at the first time of side have been formidable at Turf Moor, conceding just seven times in the league as they look to complete the season unbeaten at are on course to shatter the previous record for goals conceded in a Championship season and have already broken the clean sheet record with an incredible 30 shut-outs from 45 matches."Burnley are clearly a formidable side and travelling to Turf Moor, most pundits will have the fixture marked for a home win," Nick Hart of the Achtung! Millwall podcast told BBC Sport. "But being the underdog is always Millwall's ideal scenario."For Millwall to make a final-day dash into the top six they will need at least one other result to go their way. Burnley's record-breaking season 45 matches - 27 wins, 16 draws, two defeatsJust 15 goals conceded - set to smash the current Championship record of 30 held jointly by Watford [2020-21] and Preston North End [2005-06]A Championship record 30 clean sheetsUndefeated in a Championship record 32 matchesHead coach Scott Parker named Championship manager of the season Liam Manning's Robins host Preston, who are one of several sides battling to avoid relegation, while Coventry face Middlesbrough, who still have an outside chance of reaching the though, says his focus will be entirely on his team's game."Our task is really straightforward – we need to win, I don't want to complicate it any more than that," he to Coventry's superior goal difference, Millwall will likely need to better the result of one of the sides above them."It's a big if, but if we were to make it to Wembley then this would have to go down in Millwall history as one of our greatest [achievements] - not least because of the extensive injury list that has bedevilled us this season," Hart added."If we do fall short, this will nevertheless be seen as a real season of development at the club. We have some very decent young talent and, with the return to fitness of some of our January signings, the 2025-26 season looks very promising." How the Championship play-off race stands
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Hopefully pressure makes play-off rivals stumble'
Among many things I never expected to happen in my life, surely making a special effort to watch Hull City play Coventry on Monday night football must be one of them."Come on you Tigers," I kept mumbling to myself without much conviction. Hull did at least salvage a late draw to keep Millwall within striking excellent home win over play-off rivals Middlesbrough puts the Lions seriously into the mix for that prized sixth Championship course we still have to hope that pressure makes others stumble and we keep as unlikely as Millwall surging into the top six looked just a few weeks ago, Lady Luck suddenly seems to be smiling upon us. It remains to be seen how much longer that will Millwall travel to Blackburn Rovers on Good easy, especially with our injury list getting longer than my local hospital's waiting gaffer Alex Neil put it in his Boro post-match interview, though, when the Millwall squad and fans come together, anything is book your summer holidays just yet... Find more from Nick Hart on Achtung! Millwall, external.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Lions step up when the heat is on'
Tuesday's magnificent win at Sheffield United, gives Millwall an unlikely, outsider's shot at the play-offs. Okay, that late, late goal at Coventry last night certainly sprinkled a spoonful of reality over our morning cornflakes, but we are at our best always as the underdog. Five points back with five games to play? Can we do it? With our injury crisis, it will certainly be a massive achievement if we do. But increasingly Alex Neil is pulling huge performances out of this squad. The improvement in players like Billy Mitchell, Joe Bryan and Josh Coburn up front, combined with much more tactical nous than we've seen in recent years at The Den, gives us a puncher's chance, to borrow a boxing analogy. So onto Middlesbrough at home this Saturday. We'll need the gods of football to smile on us and keep doing so, but, as we've seen this season, this Millwall side can achieve some big results when the heat is on. Come on you Lions! Find more from Nick Hart on Achtung! Millwall.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Plenty of effort but very little effect' from Lions
It's a football cliche that the only statistic that matters is the final true of course, but any Millwall fan watching Saturday's toothless display will also have noticed the Lions had an unusual 54% of possession at Sunderland, while mustering just two shots on target across the truth, the Black Cats were good value for their 1-0 win, despite a few late game jitters once Millwall went with two strikers and actually started to look vaguely dangerous going was a long way to travel for the hardy 700+ away fans to see plenty of effort, but very little effect from the football cliche that springs to mind is that we are a "work in progress" since the arrival of Alex Neil - though possibly this provides cover for just being "not very good".In Millwall's defence right now, we do have more injuries than Sweeney Todd's pie all this, we remain just six tantalising points off West Bromwich Albion in the sixth play-off we are still outsiders for a shot at getting pounded each week in the Premier final cliche then is that this is a big ask... Find more from Nick Hart on Achtung! Millwall, external.
