23 - number of shots Birmingham City had on goal against Rotherham in the 1-0 defeat at the weekend. You'd have thought, given the high number, that Birmingham were the home team. As Steve Evans put it, the central defensive pairing played like they hadn't played football. I would say they played like they'd not met each other before. Birmingham had 8 shots on target, but only converted once, which means we are reliant on the excellent Collin keeping the score down.
46 - Projected points total at the end of the season. The Millers have dropped into the bottom three for the first time with 18 games gone. We have gained 18 points which is a point per game. Last season, this was enough to finish two places above the relegation zone. However, two seasons ago, the magic number was 55. In three of the last six years, 46 points has been enough to stay up. Steve should be aiming for a minimum of 50 to stay up.
6 - Run of games without a win. You have to go all the way back to our televised game against Leeds on October 17th to find our last win. Since then we have looked worrying at the back, shipping three goals against Fulham, Middlesborough and Reading.
4 - Number of games without a goal. If your defence is letting you down, you hope that your strikeforce can come up with the goods. We're now four games without a goal. Revell plays best as a target man, and isn't expected to be a "20 goal a season" player. But then, who in the squad currently is? And Derbyshire can't get a game at the moment...
14 - Number of players signed by Steve Evans over the summer.
3 - Number of players Evans brought in in the summer in the starting eleven this weekend. Admittedly, officially it's four, with Smallwood, but we knew what he could do from his stint with the Millers in League One last year. In the starting lineup against Birmingham, only three players that Evans signed in the Summer and up to transfer deadline day were included in his starting eleven (Richardson, Taylor, Clarke-Harris).
4 - Number of players moved on, out on loan or loan termination, that Steve Evans brought in over summer. Loach, Brandy, Sadler, Swift. All came in over the Summer, and all have either been loaned out or moved on. Brandy is back with the Millers now, but Steve was also trying to negotiate a loan deal for Kirk Broadfoot out to Coventry. All lower league loans. Evans' transfer policy is being questioned, given that he has moved so many of his Summer transfers on already. From relatively recent experience, it's not all bad. Evans moved on Mullins and Nardiello and we questioned him, but they turned out to be the right move for all parties. It's a good trait to acknowledge when you are wrong, especially for the benefit of the team/squad. It's also a sign how far we have come under Evans stewardship that we have options for these players, when previously we wouldn't have (of course I'm making an assumption that the clubs taking Loach, Brandy, Sadler are paying their wages). What is worrying though is the large number that Evans is having to admit he was wrong about, which begs the question, were some of them "panic buys"? As mentioned earlier, other signings such as Derbyshire are struggling to get anywhere near the team too.
11 - Number of games the Owls are winless in. The Owls are winless since getting clobbered against Man City. That run stretches to eleven games, and in that time, they have scored just four goals. And they are 13th. Which shows how tight the Championship is!
7 - Number of place Millers could rise if other results go out way. Thinking positively and to re-emphisise the above point, we can potentially move up 7 places if we win against Blackpool, and all other results for our way. That would take us into mid-table. Outside the playoffs. #believe