Matt Taylor plays down Rotherham United rumours & outlines offensive challenge to Jevani Brown

Featured image credit: BBC

Exeter City manager Matt Taylor has revealed that he is "not aware" of any interest from Rotherham United in regards to their vacant managerial positions.

Millers boss Paul Warne left the club to join Derby County last Thursday after guiding the club to promotion from League One last season.

Rotherham, who currently sit eighth in the Championship, are now on the search for a manager and Sky Bet have listed Taylor as the odds-on favourite for the job, but he has insisted his focus remains firmly on the Grecians.

"Websites and rumours they are what they are," he said. "Hopefully it’s a reflection on the work we’re doing at Exeter City.

"Rotherham is an outstanding football club. Newly-promoted in the championship and unfortunate to lose their manager who’s been the heart and soul of that football club for such a long period of time, and they’ll be looking for a consistent season in the championship. Until I’m told differently or otherwise though, I’m firmly focused on this weekend."

Through his superb work at Exeter on a tight budget, Taylor has received interest from further up the pyramid on several occasions over the last few years, most recently with Charlton Athletic, a team he made 53 appearances for as a player.

Taylor was also seemingly listed as a favourite for the Walsall job last summer but there was some confusion over whether or not it was the Grecians boss or former West Ham midfielder then Tottenham Hotspur under-18s coach Matt Taylor in line to take over at the Saddlers and Taylor shared a story with a wry chuckle from that time period that alludes to his faith in the accuracy of betting websites.

"You constantly get linked with jobs that are available," he said. "The best way I can describe it is in the off-season my friend, who’s not a gambler in any way, he went on a betting website and the manager odds were in and I think the picture he sent me said 'Matt Taylor' and then in brackets 'both' for one of the jobs in question.

"So I think that tells all you need to know in relation to that."

"I feel we do a good job at Exeter City and that will continue for as long as it’s needed. As always it’s always what’s next which is why I ran off the pitch at Forest green. I had a couple of messages of people asking if everything was ok at home, simple as that I wanted to get to Bristol Rovers as quickly as I possibly could."

After their dazzling performance in front of the Sky cameras last weekend against Forest Green Rovers, attention now turns to the visit of another promoted team in Bristol Rovers.

In last season's fixture between the two sides at St James Park, Exeter were four goals in front after just 24 minutes, but they will have to do it without two of their goal-scorers from last season's outing along with some other important first-team players who remain absent.

"He’s (Tim Dieng) not trained as of yet but he was outside today as was Harry Kite, but outside with the physio," he said. "We always felt four to six weeks for both of them.

"They’ll have to tick off two or three sessions with the physio and the strength work they need to do in terms of the running stats before they can join in with ourselves so they’ve got no chance of making this weekend."

He added: "Sam Stubbs is back with ourselves tomorrow but no training. His knee is still a little bit aggravated but he’s making progress so that’s the hardest one for me to give you a time frame.

"Cheick Diabate we expect to be outside in the next two weeks, so in the next few weeks we hope to have Kite back, definitely Dieng and Diabate back then Grounds possibly as well and then Stubbs if that knee progresses. So in the next three weeks we could be five plus."

With these absentees, the Grecians find themselves short both defensively and in the midfield but are currently having no problems going forward with Sam Nombe, Jay Stansfield and in particular Jevani Brown playing their part in the comprehensive victory over Forest Green.

Brown took his tally to six league goals this season, already one off his tally from last season, with a hat-trick in Nailsworth, but his manager, knowing his exceptional quality going forward, has revealed what he tells the Jamaican international frequently that will allow him to contribute even more offensively.

"The one thing I say to Jevani every single day is that I want more box touches," he said. "I want him to touch the ball in the opposition box more than he does.

"Those moments are where I want him. He’s got a habit and a strength of coming away from goal and being the creator but the further away from goal he goes the harder it is to score.

"He hit the cross bar against Shrewsbury from outside the box and he’s got that in his locker but I want more scruffy goals from him. I want more headers. I want more tap-ins. I want more rebounds and more pull-backs which he’s got on a couple of occasions. Port Vale earlier on in the season and obviously Forest Green on Saturday.

"Jevani will always be his own player and I’ve got to embrace that and I love that about him but I still want to say to him every single day that he needs to touch the ball more in the opposition box."