Ronnie Moore Interview

Ronnie makes his first return since his dismissal as manager last January, no doubt he still holds affections with the club he once pulled on the red and white shirt for, and later sat in the managers office for eight years.

Interviewed on the airwaves tonight, the first thing he was asked was his feelings about coming back to Millmoor: "Mixed really, at the start of the season when you look at the fixtures it was the first one I was looking for, but now with the state that the club's in at this present time you don't know what sort of reception you are going to get. You want Rotherham to do so well and stay up, yet we need to take three points off them."

Asked then if he'd been quoted as having a smile at the clubs current plight and commenting on the situation, he continued: "Do you honestly think I'd say something like that about Rotherham United? I was asked a question and a little bird at the time said i might be happy....well i'm not happy about what's happening at Rotherham United- no way in this world. It's a massive massive part of my life and always has been my son goes and watches them and I just hope they'll be a club there for his son to go and watch. I got on really well with the Rotherham United supporters and they were magnificent to me, through the bad times as well as the good times and I wish them all the best. But, it's going to be so difficult. Where are they going to find someone who's going to put a million pound in now and then another million to get to the end of next season? That's the difficult question, but they can have ten pound off me!!!!"

Ronnie does still feel despite the difficulties faced by all, that the club can still survive: "They have always pulled together, I always knew the supporters would do it - they've been asked so much to put their hand in their pocket and there's so many good supporters out there but I just can't see where the rest of the money is going to come from, I mean the other local clubs and their supporters have been brilliant but where do you find that million pound from? I think sooner or later though someone's going to go there's no doubt about that, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer that's the problem. The club wasn't in a brilliant state when they (Millers 05) took over, and i don't know who's guided them but someone's guided them and they've gone down the wrong line that's for sure to be in as much debt as they are at the moment."

Regarding Moore's sacking from the club, he spoke very honestly about his feelings on the situation: "I just thought maybe the people that took over, considering 84% of the supporters wanted me to stay, I think maybe an extra 12 months might have changed things, I don't know. It bugs me so much it's untrue, it was like a knife in the heart when it happened - I didn't see it coming even though we weren't pulling any trees up and were struggling like mad at that Championship level. But sooner or later you will struggle down at that level you just can't live for eight or nine years there - Crewe - it's been magnificent for them when you look at their wage bill to be at that level for eight years is a magnificent achievement. It hurt then and it still hurts now.

"At one stage in the Championship we were lying 8th in the league which was an incredible achievement, not just for me, John Breckin and the coaching staff but the players and we really did need to kick on I tihnk had Mr Booth been 61 not 81 I think maybe something would have been done with that, but at the time his sons were involved in the business and I think they were getting upset with how much money Mr Booth was putting in to keep the club going. Supporters only probably now realise that the 100 grand a month he was throwing into that big black hole, people were shouting 'Boothy Out!!' for a long time, maybe now looking back they should have left him in charge of the club."

Commenting on the match this weekend, Ronnie knows his Latics side are in for a tough battle on the field: "They have some good players, there's no doubt about that, Alan Knill's probably looked at it and thought Chesterfield, Oldham at home then Blackpool- they'll be seven points there. Reports said Rotherham played really well and the scoreline flattered Chesterfield and we know we're in for a tough game there's no doubt about that - we need a win to try and catch Barnsley or Swansea in those play off spots. I just hope I don't go into the wrong box and sit next to Denis Circuit and ask him what's going on!! .... I doubt Alan Knill will be too happy about that one!

"It will be interesting to see what sort of reception I get but it's the football game and football club that matters but it would be nice to get a good reception....someone said i'd have one at our place, but I never heard a thing!! At the end of the day though, it's about Rotherham United - not Ronnie Moore - and long may they continue."