"Good long-term vision" - Millwall FC owners lauded for new off-pitch developments | OneFootball

The Lions have plans to make some improvements to their training facilities, an area that the club has to focus on according to FLW's Fan Pundit.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Millwall will be hoping to come back from the international break with the same vigour that saw them win two of their last three matches, and put pressure back on those in the top six.

The Lions make the long trip up to Sunderland on Saturday afternoon with the Black Cats all but secure in fourth place in the Championship. However, the battle for fifth downwards is set to continue, with the South Londoners hoping that they can sneak their way into the play-off spot before the end of the campaign.

Just six points currently separate Alex Neil's side and West Bromwich Albion, who sit in sixth, and with consistency difficult to come by for those between the two, there is ample opportunity to close that gap in the coming weeks.

Millwall have just eight games to do so, however, and they will need to be at their very best if they are to embark on their first second tier play-off campaign since 2002.

Millwall praised for plans to make improvements to training ground in the summer

The Lions seem to have stagnated in recent years, and while they still have that opportunity to push for the Premier League this season, they have not shown enough ambition since winning promotion from League One and they have not quite been able to take that next step.

However, in an update to supporters, Mark Fairbrother, the club's Managing Director, has announced plans to improve both The Den and the training ground in the summer.

Football League World has asked their Millwall Fan Pundit, Lucas Ball, what one weakness he believes is the Lions' biggest.

He told FLW: "I think one of our biggest weaknesses in the last few years has to be our facilities. The training ground, because we sold it back in about 2006 and we've been leasing it since. We were very limited in the work that we could do to the training ground.

"The pitches did get done last summer and they've held up quite well, we're told. But in terms of some of the off the pitch facilities, I think the medical facilities, particularly in sports science, they've not quite been where a top-level club would like to be or a club that's pushing kind of to be at that, being at the top end of the Championship regularly and obviously ideally pushing for promotion.

"It's something that the club will tell us more about in the next few weeks in terms of things that they're planning to do in the summer at the stadium and the training ground as well."

Lucas continued: "Mark Fairbrother said in an update that things will be happening at the training ground in terms of a new cryo chamber, new medical facilities, I think gym facilities, that kind of thing. So, that'll be really useful and it helps to attract players as well, which is a real positive.



"We seem to pick up a lot of injuries, particularly muscle injuries in training and things. So, hopefully it could end some of that with some better recovery processes and other bits.

"That'd be a real positive for us and it looks like the club are trying to put that investment in over the summer and over the course of the next couple of years. It's pretty good long-term vision from the club, particularly before we obviously hope to move to a new training ground in the next few years."

Next season could be huge for Millwall

While they still have their chance this season, it is very much an outside chance for Millwall and instead, 2025/26 could be the year when they finally bridge that gap and push themselves into the top six picture.

Neil has made great progress with his players since arriving at the club in December, and locking down consistency is the biggest challenge that he faces from now until the summer.

However, with further improvements to the squad, and more funding throughout, the Lions can finally crack the play-off places and take on the challenge that they have been denied for nearly 25 years.