Eaves relishing Millers’ challenge
TOM Eaves believes he’s a very different animal compared to the one who turned out for Rotherham United earlier in his career.
Eaves, who was released by Hull City at the end of the season, has penned a threeyear deal with the Tigers’ Yorkshire neighbours after leaving the MKM.
Eaves played eight games during a loan spell with the Millers in 2013 during a time when current manager Paul Warne was the club’s fitness coach and was sold on Warne’s plans to keep the club in the Championship following promotion.
Since his stint with Rotherham which came when he was at Bolton Wanderers, Eaves has gone on to play for Shrewsbury Town, Yeovil Town, Bury, Gillingham and then Hull City where he moved in 2019 making 108 appearances, scoring 18 goals.
“I’m really excited to get going,” he told Rotherham’s website. “I’ve been here before when I was 21 and I think I only played a couple of games, but I’m a different animal now to what I was at that age. I’m looking forward to putting a Millers’ shirt on.
“I got on with him back then, he was probably making me run and do some finishing drills because he was a striker himself. I’ve got fond memories of him.
“I’m not going to say philosophy because I hate that word and it’s a buzzword in football.
“I feel it’s the style and Rotherham would really suit me. When he spoke to me and said there was interest there, and when we met up, we talked about the style of play, how we want to play and I feel like I could be a really good fit for this team.
“My mentality, definitely my mentality. One hundred percent. I just think back then, I always gave 100 percent but now I work a lot smarter.
“It’s about knowing the areas I need to be in, and being the most efficient number nine I can be.”
Eaves spent much of the second half of the Championship campaign in and around City’s starting XI seeing up close just how difficult the second tier of English football can be, and he believes the group of players at United are capable of upsetting the odds.
“I like to think so,” he said. “The Championship is a tough, tough league. There are some strong teams coming down and big clubs going up, so it’s going to be tough. It will be a challenge that I can see from meeting everyone that we’ve got a good, honest group of lads and I’m looking forward to working with each and every one of them.
“Make no bones about it, it’s going to be goals that I’m interested in this year and I want to see the ball coming into the box from both sides. I just can’t wait to get going.
“I’ve been ticking over, but it’s a tricky time in the off-season because when the time is drawing nearer to signing for a club, you don’t want to do too much and pull something, you don’t want to get injured. I’ve slotted in straight away, they’re all very chatty and they seem like a really good group of lads, you can see the camaraderie.”