Manager Alex Neil has shared his thoughts on Millwall Football Club's upcoming season opener and the challenges posed by a busy transfer window in an interview with the media. The Lions will start their 2026-27 campaign with an EFL Cup First Round match against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday, followed by a Championship fixture away to Bristol City the following weekend.
When asked about the unusual scheduling of the first game as a cup tie, Neil explained: 'It doesn’t faze us, but the old way of doing it, I think everybody got into a bit of a rhythm. You would pick your team for the first league game, and in the cup game, some of the lads who maybe didn’t feature in the first game, you would then be able to top them up and get them ready as well for the games that are coming up.'
Neil also addressed the challenge of balancing a busy pre-season with potential injury risks: 'The difficulty I’ve got sometimes is the difference between choosing one player over another – the difference can be so minute; it can be such a slight margin that the other guy deserves to get some minutes and deserves to play. It certainly helps in that aspect.'
With the club having undergone a busy transfer window, Neil highlighted the importance of integrating new signings: 'What we do need to pay particular attention to is the fact that not all these lads are 100 per cent ready when they walk through the door. Physically, mentally, the Championship’s a different animal from potentially some of the levels that these lads have come from. It’s making sure that we try and get them up to speed as quickly as possible without breaking them down.'
Neil also touched on the upcoming London derby against West Ham United: 'A London derby’s usually quite a feisty occasion. Because it’s the first game of the season, it might not be. I wonder whether you think it’ll be as feisty as it would be if it was in November. I think the first game of the season has probably even more onus on it because everybody’s been starved of Championship football for a period of time.'
Finally, Neil emphasized the importance of the first competitive game: 'I wouldn’t get too carried away with it. If we win and we’re very good, I don’t think it’s going to set us up to go on and have a great season. But equally, if we don’t perform and we maybe are under par a little bit, I don’t think it’s going to be the sign that it’s going to be a difficult sort of few months. It’ll be a good yardstick to have a look at.'
