Tag: Danny Shittu

Relegated English Championship side Millwall have shown ex-Nigeria international Danny Shittu the exit door as he won’t be offered a new contract when it expires this summer.

The London club were relegated at the end of the 2014/2015 Championship to League One and the former QPR defender has been declared surplus to requirements.

However, his compatriot Fred Onyedinma has been retained.

This season, the 34-year-old Shittu scored a goal  in eight games for Millwall.

Onyedinma played on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, where he netted eight goals in 26 games.

Former Super Eagles centre half  Danny Shittu has said that whilst manager Ian Holloway is certainly the ‘character’ that you expect him to be ahead of working with him, the players have already learned to respect him and wouldn’t dare to not take him seriously.

Speaking to the London Evening Standard Shittu said he more than appreciated that Holloway was very honest in terms of losing the dressing room of his previous club, Crystal Palace, after playing his part in making so many new additions over the summer following their promotion, but was adamant that Ollie had already won over his new charges.

‘When he initially came in, a few of the guys were thinking ‘wow, I’ve not had a manager like this before.’ One minute he is telling you what he wants, and the next he’s having a laugh with you. In a meeting about team structure, he’ll be telling you what he expects from you, and all of a sudden will just crack a joke.’

Shittu goes on to say in the interview that underneath it all though the players know that it doesn’t matter how much he laughs and jokes with them, he has already won them over because when it’s game time that’s time to focus. The jokes, the character help to keep the mood light, motivate everyone and help foster team spirit, but Ollie is very clear on when it’s time for a joke and when it’s time to do your job and listen to your manager.

‘Because he laughs and jokes, some outsiders don’t take him seriously, but he has our respect. There is not one person at the club who will try and disrespect him. As much as he has a laugh, he is tactically very good and has given the players confidence.’

As for earlier rumours linking Holloway with a move for former midfielder Jonny Williams of Crystal Palace, Holloway has also ruled that out.’

Danny Shittu and his stuttering Millwall side finally found a win on Saturday, as they defeated Ipswich 1-0 in an English Championship game.

Millwall had lost six of their last seven games before the match, with their last victory coming in the 2-1 win over Wigan on December 7.

New Millwall loan signing Ryan Fredericks marked his debut with the 40th minute winner against Ipswich.

The right-back joined from Tottenham on Friday and scored the eventual winner in fortunate fashion when his cross floated past goalkeeper Dean Gerken.

Tommy Smith almost equalised just after the break but his header was cleared off the line.

The defeat leaves Ipswich, who have not won since Boxing Day, five points off the play-off zone, while Millwall lifted out of the bottom three into 20th.

Nigeria defender Danny Shittu has said he is determined to rediscover his best form after being reunited with ex-boss Ian Holloway.

Shittu feels he has “let himself down” after struggling to reproduce his performance levels of last season. But the defensive powerhouse hopes the motivational influence of Holloway, who managed him at QPR, will help him improve.

“When it comes to managers, Ian is one of the best I’ve played for. He inspired me and pushed me to be the player that I am today. He taught me a lot about things off the pitch as well, so he’s been a very influential person in my life,” Shittu said.

He added: “Compared to last season, which is only a few months ago, I have not been 100 percent happy with my form. Getting to the FA Cup semi-final and the way I was playing gave me a lot of confidence, but this year we’ve let in a lot of goals – when I have been playing and when I haven’t.

“Letting in one goal is bad enough for a defender’s confidence, but we’ve had some heavy defeats and it’s hard to stay positive. I’m working to improve my performances in training. I know I can play better than this – like I said, last season was only a few months ago, so I’ve got to make sure I’m fit and confident on a matchday to show what I can do.

“I have done it before and I’m comfortable playing my game in front of the Millwall fans, home and away, so I have to stay focused.”

Shittu admitted his storming displays last season increased the weight of expectation on his shoulders.

“Fans and managers assume you will keep it going. I feel like I’ve let myself down and that just makes me want to work harder in training to get back to the levels that I know I can produce,” he added.