Tyrone Henry: A Changing Attitude

31st January 2023

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Millwall have left it late to bring in their marquee signing of the winter window, signing Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser.

Many assumed that with Dasilva and Worrall’s departures covered for with the replacements of Scott McKenna and Bright Arrey-Mbi that first-team business was done at The Den.

However, Tyrone Henry has brought in three on the last day, including one for the first-team.

Ryan Fraser is possibly the biggest addition to the team since Tyrone Henry’s arrival at the club in 2020.

The Scottish winger was placed on the transfer list by request at Newcastle United, who struggle to stay up in 19th place in the Premier League as it stands.

Following £7million bids from fellow Premier League clubs like Leeds United, it was Millwall’s £10.5million offer that saw the left-winger arrive at The Den on a three-year deal.

Fraser joined Newcastle following Bournemouth’s relegation in 2020 and has spent three successful years at the club, becoming embedded in the club’s first-team over the period.

The 28-year-old is said to be delighted with the opportunity to work under Tyrone Henry, who has taken the former relegation candidates to within two points of European qualification this season.

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The final day of the winter window also saw Milwall secure the services of young Tranmere midfielder Clarke Nesbitt join the club for an initial £1.5million following his breakthrough into the Rovers’ first-team over the past two seasons.

The 18-year-old has made 69 appearances for the League Two side over the past two years, helping with 11 goals throughout that time as Keith Curle’s team challenge for the Play-Offs this season.

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Sunderland’s 16-year-old prospect Joe Shanley has also joined Millwall for a £225K fee following a two-week trial period in the club’s Under 18s team in December.

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James: I can't imagine BA-M getting into the Bayern team at any point in the future, so his loan spell will certainly be a chance to prove himself elsewhere but at the top level still. Stunned as you are to see McKenna in the third tier, but it makes it all the more easier to poach from!
Scott: McKenna will be a great addition, I'm sure of it. As for BA-M, it's a nice £60k per week saving compared to Dasilva, even for only 6 months at the moment

An excellent signing I have to say and to beat some stiff competition from the likes of Leeds is pleasing. At 28, he's in his prime and with Premier League experience under his belt he will be a very useful player to have on-and-off the pitch. Once again, Millwall also have an eye to the future with the signings of Nesbitt and Shanley. Two bright talents. It's good to see the club have the long-term in mind as well as looking to achieve their short-term goals.

Fraser is an awesome signing, you've now strengthened your squad where you should have no concerns whatsoever regarding relegation. Nesbitt is a bit of a weird signing to me, not because he lacks ability, just because his attributes are kind of randomly spread out. He looks great mentally, so that should help him a lot. Shanley looks like he's on the right track, could become a quality DLF imo.

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Throughout December, the World Cup carried on and so did our friendly fixtures, beginning with Serie A team Sassuolo, who we thrashed 3-0.

Three 3-0 score lines came in a row as we defeated Sint-Truidense and Charlton Athletic in the other two games.

Our friendlies came to an end in Hungary, as we beat Puskás Akadémia 2-0 at the Pancho Aréna at around the same time France lifted their second consecutive World Cup in Qatar.

We rocketed back into form in the Premier League with a swagger, thrashing Newcastle 4-1 on Boxing Day with four different goalscorers in Hutchinson, Wallace, Parrott and Lolley all scoring in the first-half.

We also ended the year by advancing into the Fourth Round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

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The New Year continued in similar fashion, bagging a win against Fulham at Craven Cottage thanks to an early Joe Lolley goal.

However, our return to The Den for the first time in 2023 started badly with an initial 2-0 loss to Leicester, compounded by a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur with Dejan Kulukevski taking charge by scoring a hat-trick.

We readjusted against Manchester United in Joe Worrall’s final game for the club, drawing 2-2 with Jed Wallace scoring both the opener and putting us back in front following Paul Pogba’s penalty equaliser.

Our second win of the year and first win at The Den came through our 17-year-old prodigy Kwame Phillips, taking over from the injured Troy Parrott as he scored the only goal of the game with a tidy finish in the second half.

We were knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool who completely outplayed us as they advanced to the Fifth Round.

However, that result didn’t knock our confidence, returning to league action just over a week later with three impressive strikes against Leeds United.

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Our four league wins out of a possible seven have held us in good stead, taking 9th place and motoring on into the top-half.

Again, I don’t think that we have the quality to carry on our form in this way but I certainly believe that we are comfortably safe from relegation at this point with 31 points on the board. With that as the original goal, I am happy with whatever outcome this season.

At the top of the table, Arsenal dropped off from top spot to 4th, trading places with Manchester City who now lead the table by a single point with their city rivals Man United etching to take the lead with two games in hand.

Down at the bottom, it seems like curtains for Middlesbrough who have failed to mount any sort of survival challenge at the foot of the table. However, survival is still very much on the cards for 18th and 19th place, with only a point currently separating them from 17th placed Leeds United.

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Scott: I think the deadline day can be summarised as Tyrone being at Millwall for a good time AND a long time
James: I was delighted to get Fraser over the line, he joins Aribo and Parrott in that category of players in the squad with real quality, separating from the rest of the team who work together well despite being undisputedly quite average. I'm of the opinion that Nesbitt has a lot to grow on, he's done tremendously since the age of 16 in the first-team of a Football League club, there's definitely a quality player in there.

Time for Tyrone to bin Millwall and go save your beloved Leeds mate! It's quite insane that you're within reaching distance of Europe this season, considering the growing pains that you had last season, and it just shows how far the club has come since then. Jed Wallace still scoring in the EPL is wonderful to see, as is Kwame scoring another match-winning goal. You're certainly on the right track, that's for sure.

Some very impressive results there that have Millwall in a fantastic position in the table. The Man United game really highlights the character of the squad here. Safety looks almost assured but once it's confirmed, will we see a drop-off in performance given that the expectations for the season have been met? I hope not.

Monday 6th March 2023

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Tyrone Henry has led Millwall to their highest-ever league position with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at The Den.

The South Bermondsey side leapfrogged Wolves in the Premier League table to reach 6th spot this evening as the international break edges closer.

The two mid-table sides were split by Maximilian Wober’s penalty in the 28th minute for Crystal Palace’s opener. However, it was Troy Parrott who brought Millwall back on level terms.

Just before the half-time whistle, Millwall flipped the tie on its head as Joe Lolley bagged his 10th goal of the season with a neat near post finish.

Former Preston midfielder and disciplinary topper Ben Pearson was the one to finish off Quique Sánchez Flores’ team with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

The 6th placed position is the highest Millwall have ever been in the footballing ladder in the club’s 118-year history.

“It’s a great win and I’m delighted with the boys. So many of them this time last year were worried about relegation and we’re not getting ahead of ourselves now,” manager Tyrone Henry said after the match.

“Five out of those eleven today played with us in the Championship and now they’re competing with the very best. I always knew that this club wasn’t just here to make up the numbers, we are here to challenge and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Tyrone Henry recently signed a new contract extension at The Den, reportedly earning around £50,000 per week now as he is tied down until June 2026.

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James: Leeds will be just fine I think Phillips is really impressing me with some goals at key points in matches. As for Wallace, the lad is class and will continue to be for a while in my opinion!
Scott: It's always a risk moving so high with a squad with such low expectations placed upon them, I'm sure they will keep playing to a similar standard though.

Incredible stuff. Henry certainly deserves that new contract given all of his work to get Millwall to where they are. Parrott and Lolley getting involved once again. The pair have been crucial to the efforts this season and hopefully they can keep delivering the goods. Who knows what could happen between now and the end of the season?

Can you just bankrupt Millwall already by paying Spurs whatever they want for Parrott!?!? Tyrone's new deal is well deserved, and it's incredible to see Millwall where they're at atm. I didn't think Lolley would do too much when you signed him, so you've made a believer out of me regarding him.

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A comfortable ending to January led into an even better beginning to February as we steamrolled Burnley 5-0 at Turf Moor with complete dominance over the field in a way that I haven’t seen since our Championship days.

The run simply carried on with a Troy Parrott goal winning us the game against Wolves before two tough games but well-earned points against both Liverpool and Chelsea who are both chasing Champions League football next season.

Our return to winning ways came at Goodison Park very late on as our deadline day signing Ryan Fraser scored a brace, with the winner coming in the 91st minute against Everton.

Our third clean sheet of the month came against Arsenal as Sam Johnstone continued his outstanding run of form between the sticks.

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March began with a venture into the Europa League spots, overtaking Wolves as we thrashed Crystal Palace, coming from one behind to win 3-1.

We stalled Manchester City’s title challenge on their city rivals with a two-goal comeback from our wingers Joe Lolley and Ryan Fraser in the second half following Sterling and Haaland openers.

Our fourth clean sheet of the period came against Aston Villa in the final game before the international break as we settled a scoreless draw.

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The Qatar World Cup really messed up the fixture schedule, with many different teams having played a different amount of games, so it is hard to definitively say which teams could do what.

However, we are almost mathematically safe from relegation - not that it was to become a worry after 30 games - and we are pushing on for a possible European spot.

For now, I am happy with whatever happens, we have performed well above all expectations and Europe would simply be the icing on the cake, though it has been made harder to achieve with Leeds’ Carabao Cup victory over Manchester United.

At the top, Manchester United are all set to extend their lead and go on to win the Premier League this season with a four-point gap with two games in hand on their city rivals.

In the race for the Champions League, Chelsea are the front runners with three games in hand on Arsenal and only three points difference between the London teams.

We are three points away from a potential Europa League finish ourselves, with Liverpool and Wolves ahead of us as it stands despite our recent good form. We just have to hope that their games in hand are not very fruitful.

At the bottom, Middlesbrough are all but confirmed as relegated. However, there is still a lot to fight for in the bottom three, with Newcastle, Burnley and Fulham all within three points of each other so I would imagine that would go down to the wire.

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Scott: Lolley has been a very pleasant surprise, and I think that Parrott is simply fulfilling his potential here. There's a fair way to go and we're not too far off, it will be tight however!
James: We've certainly not done ourselves any favours by making Parrott as good as he during his time here, even bankrupting might not be enough draw Spurs in for permanent negotiations. Lolley has turned out to a great piece of business despite not being a headline arrival when he initially came in!

Boro are as good as gone, but there's still another 8 clubs that could potentially go down imo. I think it'll be Bournemouth and Newcastle joining them the fight for a European place is quite tight too, but as long as you maintain your consistency: I think you'll make it. You picked up some amazing draws in that period tbh, though the draw with Villa is a bit disappointing. That being said: they're not a bad side themselves based on the table.

Be interesting to see who you get in the off-season if you're not able to extend Parrott's loan

9th April 2023

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Micah Richards has spoken in admiration of Millwall manager Tyrone Henry as one of the most influential black individuals in football history.

As Henry’s side completed a 5-1 rout over bottom of the table Middlesbrough, Millwall rose into 7th place in the Premier League table.

The former Manchester City and Aston Villa right-back praised the 42-year-old coach for his contributions in the post-match coverage on Sky Sports.

Richards said on Sky Sports: “This is a man who - sadly I don’t know much about his personal life - but from what I do know, he is a son of a second-generation immigrant from Jamaica to the United Kingdom. I know from my own family lineage that even as a kid back then, it was tough.

“He’s come through football as a player at a tough time in the game’s history when racial discrimination was a lot more visible than it is in today’s game, going to a club that notoriously were one of the more regular offenders back then and he became a legend there.

“It’s his managerial aspect that I do like more, though. We have seen many black football players come through the game in the UK, but that number becomes scandalously streamlined as the players retire and have to decide their future after football - particularly in coaching.

“With his playing affiliation with Millwall, I think it was a perfect match to start coaching there in all honesty. But not only has he done well, he’s done unbelievable work after being trusted with minimal coaching experience after his playing career.

“Excluding Henry, I think there has only been eight black managers in the history of the Premier League and compared to the amount of black footballers there are, that is a ridiculous statistic. There’s only two in the league at the moment with Vieira at Brighton.

“I just hope that in the UK, clubs up and down the footballing pyramid see the successes of experienced managers like Chris Hughton and also new, younger managers like Tyrone Henry coming into the coaching arena with little experience and they afford the same opportunities to black coaches as they do anyone else.

“I also think that Henry has proven to be a key motivator, a key influencing factor in getting black players or people in general into getting their coaching badges, or so I’m hearing from people in the FA. I think that we have a lot to thank Henry for in that regard moving forward.”

Tyrone Henry has not responded to questions in the aftermath of Micah Richards’ appreciative comments after the Middlesbrough game, but has been a big promoter of black people in the coaching area of the game in the past.

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James: The relegation battle will be an interesting one to watch and I'm just glad that I'm talking about Europe rather than that at this stage of this season! Some great points gained against some top sides, absolutely.

Henry will certainly be a motivator to many, whether that be to those looking to go into the game or those looking for what to do next following the conclusion of their career, in the BAME community. There is, sadly, not enough representation throughout the game. I hope to see more follow in his footsteps whilst he continues his own fantastic career.

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Our twelve-match unbeaten run in the league came to a close end against Southampton as James Ward-Prowse struck a brace past us in a 3-2 loss at St. Mary’s Stadium.

However, we came back to The Den with a vengeance with Joe Lolley scoring his first career hat-trick against Middlesbrough as we confirmed their relegation.

Our luck away from home continued with another loss at the AMEX Stadium after an early Fofana goal had no reply from us for the remaining 87 minutes of the match.

We gained another point against relegation strugglers Newcastle at home, which wasn’t good enough in my view as we deserved the full three points.

In our final match of the month, we lost to Liverpool at Anfield with Mancini scoring the only goal of the game.

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We began the last month of the season with a loss to Fulham at The Den as Comert and Lemina scored the only goals for Scott Parker’s side.

We returned to winning ways after a four-match drought with a comfortable late 2-0 win over Leicester, with both goals being scored in the last ten minutes of normal time. 17-year-old winger Boubacar Ba scored the first professional goal of his career in this match, crowning a proud moment for the former Llandudno player.

Our final fixture of the season came against Spurs and it was not the way we wanted to round off a great second season in the top-flight, losing 3-0 away from home.

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This season has been an incredible success for us. We have successfully transformed into a team that can challenge anyone that comes up against us and finish the season on our own terms, rather than staying up through luck as was the case last time.

We finished some way off the original European qualification spots but we will not be counting this in our expectations for next season. We are still establishing ourselves in this division and the goal would be to completely avoid a relegation battle again.

Manchester United won the title by some distance this season, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all taking up the Champions League spots in the top four. Leicester City have also qualified for the Champions League after winning the Europa League despite finishing 11th in the league.

The North London clubs Tottenham and Arsenal both take up the Europa League spots meanwhile Leeds United will be returning to European Football following their Carabao Cup win, thus qualifying for the still relatively new Europa Conference League.

At the bottom of the table, Middlesbrough finally ended their miserable return to the top-flight after only four wins and over 100 goals conceded over the course of the 38 matches. Burnley and Newcastle United also join them in the Championship, with many Premier League vultures hovering around the relegation clauses.

West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Norwich City will all mark their return to the Premier League last season.

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Scott: It has always seemed weird to me, how we see so many black footballers on the field, yet a distinct lack of black people on the touchline. Something really doesn't add up and I think it's high time we paid more attention to that.

A season to remember for Millwall this season. It has been a tremendous effort to guide the club to eighth from Henry. I'm hopeful that those efforts will be rewarded with players viewing The Den as a place to come and play their football thus handing the opportunity to attract a better quality of player in the process. Intrigued to see if we could see any movement with those sides relegated from the division, although I doubt Middlesbrough's defensive options will be attracting much interest. Glad to see Leeds returning to some sort of European competition whilst Leicester have the chance to play in the Champions League again.