Neil Harris’ return to Championship side Millwall has been confirmed – less than five months after he was sacked as manager of Gillingham.
The appointment marks a tremendous turnaround for the 46-year-old coach who had been sacked by the Gills in October, only to take over at League 1 Cambridge United and now heads back to Milwall as their new head coach.
Harris – Millwall’s all-time record goalscorer and former manager – returns to The Den with trusted assistant David Livermore and Gillingham’s former title-winning captain Adam Barrett on his coaching team.
Gillingham’s former boss admitted he was surprised to get the call from Millwall as they targeted him as a replacement for departing boss Joe Edwards.
“To get the phone call to be asked to come back here was an honour,” he said.
Harris was axed by the Gills following a run of three games without a win. He left after the club said they wanted to “go in a different direction.”
Gillingham have since appointed head coach Stephen Clemence and he’s been attempting to implement a change of style after owner Brad Galinson demanded a more exciting brand of football at Priestfield.
Harris left the Gills when they were a point off the automatic promotion places, starting the season with four straight league wins and a victory over Southampton in the League Cup.
The Gills are currenty 11 points adrift of the top three now and scrapping with teams as low down as 16th for a coveted play-off spot.
Former boss Harris takes over a Millwall team who are just one point clear of safety in the Championship. During his previous spell as the Lions boss he led them to promotion from League 1 to the Championship after back-to-back play-off campaigns.
During his spell with the Gills he took over a team struggling in League 1 and was unable to save them from the drop. A difficult start to life in League 2 saw them drop to the foot of the table but the Galinson takeover gave him the tools to bring in fresh blood and the team enjoyed a stunning recovery to pull well clear of trouble.
He was sacked after 11 league games in charge this season as the club looked to go in a new direction.
Harris was appointed Cambridge boss in early December and took charge of 13 league games, with five wins, five defeats and three draws. Among the players to join during his time was Gillingham striker Macauley Bonne, on loan. The U’s are 17th in League 2, six points above the relegation zone.
