Former Lincoln City midfielder Steve McClaren is reportedly close to a return to English football, with Rotherham United expected to hand him a senior role following their relegation to League Two.
The former England manager is understood to be in advanced talks over a director of football-style position at the New York Stadium, where he would oversee recruitment, football operations and the appointment of a new head coach. Rotherham are looking for a fresh direction after two relegations in three seasons, and McClaren’s experience at the top end of the game appears to have made him a leading candidate.
While most supporters know McClaren for Middlesbrough’s League Cup triumph, his spell as England boss or his title-winning success with FC Twente in the Netherlands, there is also a small Lincoln City chapter in his story.
McClaren’s Lincoln Spell
McClaren arrived at Sincil Bank on loan from Derby County in February 1987, joining an Imps side still clinging to outside hopes of a play-off push in the old Fourth Division. At the time, Derby had paid £70,000 to sign him from Hull City, a sizeable fee in that era, but he had drifted out of favour at the Baseball Ground and was sent to City for regular football.
The move never quite worked out for either party. McClaren made eight appearances during a miserable run of form that effectively killed off Lincoln’s promotion hopes. His debut came in a 1-0 defeat against Cardiff City, and City went on to lose six of the eight matches he featured in.
The only bright spots during his spell were a 2-1 win against Halifax Town and a draw with Rochdale, but by the time he returned to Derby, the Imps had slipped into the bottom half of the table after sitting just four points outside the play-offs when he arrived. Two months after his departure, we were relegated from the Football League.
Of course, what followed afterwards was a remarkable coaching career. McClaren became Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United before moving into management with Middlesbrough, where he won the League Cup and reached a UEFA Cup final. He later managed England, won the Dutch title with Twente and took charge of clubs including Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers, building one of the most recognisable managerial careers of his generation.
Rotherham Return
His return to England feels less about a quick managerial fix and more about putting experienced football leadership back at the centre of the club. McClaren has seen almost every level of the game, from relegation battles and failed rebuilds through to cup finals, promotion pushes and title wins abroad.
The Millers have looked directionless at times over the past three seasons, something I noted during their time under Steve Evans, and got pelters for. Recently, changing managers regularly while slipping down the divisions, they’ve drifted into trouble, and this appointment suggests they now want a longer-term structure rather than another short-term gamble. If McClaren is given real authority over recruitment and football operations, it could mark the start of a much-needed reset at the New York Stadium.
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