Millwall in talks to reappoint Harris as manager


Millwall are expected to part company with head coach Joe Edwards on Wednesday.

The Lions sit 21st in the Championship, just one point above the relegation zone, with 13 games remaining this season.

Edwards – who succeeded Gary Rowett at The Den on November 6 – has won just four of his 19 games in charge in all competitions.

Millwall have lost six of their last seven league games and are without a win since New Year’s Day.

The club are in talks with Cambridge United over a return for Lions legend Neil Harris.

Harris, 46, is Millwall’s all-time record goalscorer and managed the club between March 2015 and October 2019.

He was in charge at Gillingham until October 5 2023, before moving on to Cambridge, where he signed an 18-month deal on December 6.

Millwall hero Harris to rescue a season heading towards relegation?

Harris started the season as Gillingham boss but moved on to Cambridge in December
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Harris started the season as Gillingham boss but moved on to Cambridge in December

Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:

Millwall’s record goalscorer Neil Harris looks set for a sensational return to rescue a season which has spiralled dangerously and left a team which was 45 minutes away from finishing in the play-offs last year facing a drop into the Championship relegation zone this weekend.

Promising young coach Joe Edwards was brought in with a remit to refresh the style and approach of a team which had punched above its weight with a direct way of playing under Gary Rowett.

Millwall supporters had grown frustrated with the football under Edwards’ predecessor – but the collapse in results since Rowett’s departure has highlighted how he was maximising the return from this group of players. At least in terms of results. It was not always pretty but Rowett’s methods had delivered a top-nine finish in three of his four seasons in charge.

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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday

Edwards was hailed as ‘innovative’ and ‘progressive’ upon his appointment but it soon became clear his vision for a new-look Millwall would take substantial time to implement. In mid-January he was already talking about future transfer windows and next season. But in football, long-term ambitions must also be coupled with short-term results. Millwall have taken just one point from the previous 24 available.

It is hoped Harris will provide an instant boost. His first appointment to the role on a permanent basis came in 2015 when he impressed late on in a season in which Millwall were facing relegation from the Championship. Back then he reconnected the fanbase with the team and he went on to enhance his legacy at the club with back-to-back trips to Wembley for League One play-off finals, returning the club to the second tier in 2017.

Just over two years later, he handed in his resignation, describing the separation as “the right time” for both parties. But after his managerial journey has since taken him to Cardiff, Gillingham and Cambridge United, now seems an appropriate moment for an emotional reunion. The ambition to play fancy football is likely to be parked. Harris told Sky Sports during his previous tenure he wanted to create a team the club’s fans can identify with. Expect a return to the core values of the club’s playing style – aggressive, attacking, high-intensity – under Harris when he arrives.

Millwall’s next five Championship fixtures

Watford (H) – March 2, 3pm

Blackburn (A) – March 5, 7.45pm – Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button

Birmingham (H) – March 9, 3pm

Leeds (A) – March 17, 3pm – Live on Sky Sports Football

West Brom (H) – March 29, 1pm



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