Leam Richardson: Rotherham United appoint former Wigan Athletic boss

Leam Richardson won League One with Wigan but was dismissed during the 2022-23 season

Rotherham have appointed ex-Wigan boss Leam Richardson as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The 44-year-old takes over from Matt Taylor who was sacked last month.

The Millers are second-bottom in the Championship with 13 points from 20 games and are eight points adrift of safety.

Richardson led the Latics to the League One title, ahead of Rotherham, in 2021-22 but was sacked in November of that year after a slow start to the season.

"I've never turned a challenge down that I feel I can't meet head on and give my all," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"We can't guarantee results, but we can guarantee a certain level of performance and level of work ethic.

"When my tenure starts to when it ends, I'd like to think we'll have evolved and I'll have left the club in a better place than I found it."

Rotherham said the decision to appoint Richardson followed a "long and meticulous interview process" featuring "high-calibre candidates" and was driven by "Leam's credentials and vision for the project".

"I think I'm very similar to what Rotherham stands for," Richardson added. "It's about a strong work ethic and a dynamic football team.

"We'll evolve and do it methodically, a process that suits the football club and myself."

Taylor took over as manager at the New York Stadium in October 2022 after long-serving boss Paul Warne left for League One Derby.

The former Exeter boss kept them in the Championship last season but he was sacked in November after just two wins from their first 16 league games - only to be appointed by Bristol Rovers at the start of the month.

Richardson will need to improve Rotherham's wretched away form if they are to avoid a return to the third tier.

The Millers have not won a game on their travels since beating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane 13 months ago.