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CHAMPIONSHIP 21st FA CUP Quarter-Finals
LEAGUE CUP Third Round TOP SCORER Lee Gregory (13)FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 53MILLWALL nOTTInGHAM FOREST
SEASOn PREVIEW
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24TH FFT VERDICT
14TH
After a very impressive 8th-placed
finish in 2017-18, the Lions ended
the last campaign one spot above
the relegation zone. They’ve also
lost the services of Lee Gregory,
who hit double figures in each of
the last four seasons. Those goals
may be sorely missed at The Den.Player unrest led to Martin O’Neill’s
exit, so Forest fired up the random
manager generator and within 18
minutes had brought in ex-France
midfielder Sabri Lamouchi, who
must negotiate wages fast. Such
mid-summer antics don’t point to
a long-awaited promotion push.The big talking point among the fans
is a huge rebuilding job on a small
budget. Lee Gregory has gone, and
the lack of activity has been worrying.
I won’t be happy unless we manage
to hold on to a lead in injury time.
Our most underrated player is
Shane Ferguson [below]. The forgotten
man fought his way back into the side.
Look out for Ben Thompson. Millwall
through and through.
The best away ground is The Valley.
It’s no footballing Mecca, but every
trip there is like a home game for us.
The best away fans are Leeds’, who
provide the best atmosphere, and
we’re usually good for at least a point.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Neal Maupay at Brentford.
Proof you don’t have to spend silly
money for a Championship striker.
The pantomime villain will be Tom
Elliott. Our supporters have wafer-thin
patience and the forward has become
synonymous with desperation.Our best celebrity fan is Lock, Stock
actor Frank Harper. Worst? Morrissey.
The one change I’d make to the club
would be to stop playing a song after
we score. We know how to celebrate,
we don’t need music.
Save the date for Leeds and Charlton
at The Den. I don’t consider Brentford,
QPR or Fulham as big London derbies;
their fans will probably agree.
The best Lions social media account
is Nick Hart’s great podcast Achtung!
Millwall (@CBL_Magazine).
The best thing about the matchday
experience at Millwall is the lack of
pre-match pyrotechnics, drums, fancy
banners or pre-rehearsed sideshows.
The signature local dish is pie and
mash. The food of kings.
Our key player will be our record
signing, Tom Bradshaw, back from
a knee injury that ruined last season.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer, Neil
Harris, is more divided than on Brexit.
He knows Millwall, but his tactics has
fans tearing their hair out sometimes.
If he left, he should be replaced by
Sean Dyche. Big favourite at The Den.
We’ll finish... mid-table, I hope. My
head says we’ll struggle to stay up.The big talking point among the fans
is the sudden dismissal of boss Martin
O’Neill, replaced by unknown quantity
Sabri Lamouchi. The 18-minute gap
between the firing and the hiring was
bonkers, even by our standards.
This season will be different because
last time we were fancied to do well.
This year we aren’t and we won’t!
I won’t be happy this season unless
we regain an identity. We simply need
to find a way of playing that picks up
points, and then stick to it. To be fair
to Aitor Karanka, he gave us optimism
of that being the case for a little while.
Our most underrated player is Joao
Carvalho. It’s difficult to underrate
a £13.2m magician, but O’Neill did,
leaving him out for three months.
Look out for Arvin Appiah – Forest
aren’t blessed with right-wing options.
The best away ground is Kenilworth
Road, but I like Stoke City’s stadium.
The best away fans are Sheffield
Wednesday’s. They’re usually noisy.The player I’d happily drive to
another club is Jason Cummings,
but we need to shift quite a few.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Ollie Watkins at Brentford.
The pantomime villain will be
Richard Keogh, he who cries on TV.
The one change I’d make to the club
would be the main stand, but that is
going to be done up next season.
Save the date for Leeds away on
August 10. Last year we were robbed
by the ‘Arm of Roofe’ debacle.
The best thing about the matchday
experience at the City Ground is
the Southbank on Trent Bridge. Live
music, decent ale, good atmosphere.
Our key player will be either Joe
Lolley [above] or Joao Carvalho, if
those match-winners stick around.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that we’ve not really got a clue who
he is. From his Rennes days he seems
to favour 4-2-3-1, which I’m all for.
If he left, he should be replaced by
realistically, Chris Hughton.
We’ll finish in mid-table once again if
Lamouchi [below] doesn’t manage to
get this group of players firing; if he
does, we could push for the play-offs.FAn FILE
MERV PAYNE
@mervpayneFAn FILE
LEE CLARKE
@SeatPitch