Recently, I thought ‘I’ve wasted enough time and money on Rotherham United, there are much more important things in life’. It was the day I realised the passion and enthusiasm had drained, that making the journey to the NYS had become more of a habit than an exciting prospect. I suspect it’s akin to being released from a lengthy prison sentence, you never believe the time will come but eventually the gates swing open and you’re free from the shackles. I wasn’t on the road to Damascus when I had this divine encounter, I was on my way to Leeds. Nonetheless, the conversion from ardent follower to passive supporter was equally as earth-shattering.

I’ve since mused about the factors that caused this amazing transformation. There’s the weekly guess the team competition. Who’ll be in goal; what random process will we utilise to select the back four; how can we perm 5 midfielders from 10… plus Kieffer Roberto Francisco Moore in the lone striker’s role. Why in five years we’ve failed to recruit a striker of our own worthy of the name (accepting injuries) is baffling. But then why single out strikers, we haven’t recruited a single, quality, influential player of any description in five years.

Then there’s the guess the system competition, for which no prizes are awarded as there’s no logical answer. It’s amazing that we have skilful players but no team ethic. We’ve players whose only job description seems to entail carrying the ball as far as they can into a cul de sac or lumping it high into the heavens. Passing isn’t a dying art at our club, it’s positively extinct.

Which brings me to those off the pitch who are equally if not more responsible than those on it. The Rotherham Old Boys who ‘manage’ the club are collectively a cheap option, as we know, devoid of any constructive ideas. We were very rapidly found by other clubs to be one-dimensional, hence our poor results against so-called lower league opposition. I would talk about changing tactics but you can’t change something you haven’t got. I applaud Warne for his work-rate, dedication and enthusiasm but his lack of experience is now apparent to everyone, inside and outside the club as he struggles week in, week out to find a consistent, winning formula.

Then there’s the chairman who has without doubt transformed the club but who must now carry the lion’s share of responsibility for our current predicament. I’m all too aware of those who will point out we’re in a play-off position, we’ve been in much worse situations, we’re financially stable, historically we’re an average League 1 team… Fair comment. In part. I was born in a 2-up, 2-down, terraced house with an outside loo, no central heating, no hot water… but I’ve moved on from there and so should Rotherham United. We should respect where we came from but we should be forward-thinking not backward looking.

In my opinion, the chairman’s priority today, as exemplified by the lack of investment in the squad, is not the team but finalising development of Guest and Chrimes. As long as we maintain season ticket sales, by whatever means and perform reasonably well, the Rotherham public will turn up and ensure our continued sustainability. We can then tick over on a shoestring budget, discount ambition as that costs money, and invest in those areas where we can expect a substantial return. And that certainly isn’t RUFC.

So, I’ve probably answered my own questions and identified disillusionment as the major key to my current position. Obviously, the Millers will always be the only club I’ll ever follow and I’ll miss the camaraderie, the atmosphere, and, yes, the excitement, however sporadic, but henceforth I won’t be investing my hard-earned pension fund in futile ventures. I too need to see a return on my investment.