Rotherham can end yo-yo existence - from consistency to Kardashian references

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

In a footballing sense, many may choose to apply this famous saying to Rotherham United.

Heading into the second half of the season, the Millers are well-placed for a League One promotion tilt. They have been here before.

They sit top of the table as we approach the halfway stage and are riding the crest of a wave, currently enjoying a 19-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

For a club that has been either promoted or relegated in each of the past five seasons, the South Yorkshire side show little sign of shedding their remarkable yo-yo tag.

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The constant state of flux started in 2016-17 when the club were relegated from the Championship. Fitness coach Paul Warne was drafted in as interim boss in November of that season after both Alan Stubbs and Kenny Jackett's brief reigns in the hotseat.

Neither pulled up any trees during their short stays, leaving Warne to pick up the pieces. He inherited a side rock-bottom, on a 15-game winless run and 13 points adrift of safety.

The club would win just four games in the remainder of the campaign and set a record-low points tally for the Championship.

They may have exited the second tier with a whimper, but Warne - now given the reins on a permanent basis - made sure they were ready for an instant return.

They finished fourth and then overcame Shrewsbury in the play-off final the season after.

The pattern would repeat itself, although they put up a much better fight in the Championship second time around.

The pandemic-curtailed season in League One then saw them promoted on the points-per-game method before another cruel relegation last season, on the final day.

To many outsiders, the club's trend may appear to be a futile existence. But there is real belief that this time around things will be different and that they can lay the foundations to become a more established Championship club, rather than perennial relegation battlers.

For a start the Millers look like a lot more potent up front.

The team's current unbeaten run - a club record - saw them shift through the gears in their last outing.

They trailed Gillingham 1-0 after just five minutes on Tuesday night but Warne's side do not allow panic to set in. They were patient and struck twice before the break to turn the game on its head.

They then showed their ruthlessness after the interval, with three further goals added to cement their status as the division's top scorers.

Perhaps most impressively was that they achieved the win without top scorer Michael Smith finding the net.

Smith has 13 league strikes so far - a third of Rotherham's total - and as such has attracted plenty of headlines with regards to potential interest in January.

His manager will be eager for that to subside however, as he looks for a third promotion in what has been a remarkable first job in management.

The 48-year-old recently toasted five years in the job - not bad for someone who admits he didn't warm to the job at first.

Warne is arguably the most affable manager in the EFL and he is most definitely the boss with the best quips up his sleeve.

Press conferences this season have already included references, albeit vague, to naked fishing, fashion choices and Kim Kardashian.

Despite his jolly demeanour, Warne is a serious operator and clearly a talented manager. He's already shown that but a third promotion in as many attempts would only strengthen that.

Saturday marks exactly three months since Rotherham last tasted defeat in any competition.

Whilst they may have been in this situation before, there is now a genuine feeling that this time around the end result can be different.