Millwall winger reveals text message to Cardiff boss – ‘I look forward to ruining your Christmas!’

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Jed Wallace has revealed the details of a text he sent Neil Harris – as the Millwall winger gets ready for a reunion with his former boss at Cardiff City on Boxing Day.

Harris quit as Lions chief in October.

He was appointed Cardiff manager on November 16.

Wallace was signed by Harris – initially a couple of times on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers before the deal was made permanent following Millwall’s promotion from League One in May 2017

Wallace told the South London Press: “I love Chopper. When he got the job I texted him saying ‘all the best, great to see you back in the game – look forward to ruining your Christmas’. He texted back saying ‘that’s one game I won’t be losing’.

“I can’t imagine I’d be texting that to Walter Zenga at Wolves. I haven’t spoken to him since I left.

“We’re no more together now than we were under Neil. He built the group and the gaffer now [Gary Rowett] has been the first one to stress that.”

Wallace believes that team spirit is crucial to success. And he has talked up Millwall’s prospects of at least challenging for the play-offs.

“Especially in a division like this – which is so tight,” he said. “The top two look head and shoulders above the rest. The rest there is not much between them. Hard work, togetherness and desire is going to take you a long way this season – and we’ve got that in abundance.

“Chopper now has a group that is similar – hard-working and predominantly a British group.

“Cardiff-Millwall is never usually a classic. The football normally needs a paracetamol at half-time!

“The challenge is to be in the top 10 by the start of January.

“We’ve got to be realistic. Billy Mitchell and Browny [James Brown] are going to be good players but they’ve been in every match day squad because we’ve got a lot of injuries – two central midfield players fit at the club.

“We are getting unbelievable amounts out of every player and that’s credit to the manager.

“Even with Chopper some of the lads there don’t get on the bench and you think ‘crikey, they’d improve us’.

“It’s always going to be difficult for the likes of ourselves, Charlton and Hull to compete with the bigger clubs.”