Lions boss feels loss of fans is affecting Millwall more than most Championship clubs
Gary Rowett feels the loss of fans at The Den is having a big effect on Millwall, possibly more than any other club in the Championship.
“Everybody has suffered, everybody misses their fans at home. But particularly for us that’s been a big miss. We’re a team that plays with intensity, with aggression off the ball, and to do those things well sometimes you need a bit of atmosphere there,” said Rowett after Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Swansea City.
“The Den has been synonymous with that, hasn’t it? We need our fans here. The fans give us that 20 minutes of pressure that other teams struggle to cope with. They give us that lift. I know other teams do the same but I think we are quite a unique club in that sense. What I would say is it makes you realise how important our fans are to us.
Having fans in the stadium can force mistakes out of players who play in a more technical way and that has favoured Millwall in recent seasons but Rowett feels with no fans in the stadium the technical sides may have an advantage.
“I think that maybe some of the teams that are a bit more technical, in some ways not having their fans there has possibly helped them. There’s less pressure if you’re down the bottom, there’s less pressure if you’re wanting to play slow possession football and the fans are wanting you to play a little bit more directly and with a bit more speed.”
