Chairman’s a winner, I’m a winner … we’ll give Rotherham United fans what they crave: The Steve Evans Column

I have a close bond with chairman Tony Stewart and he is unbelievably supportive with me. Picture: Kerrie BeddowsI have a close bond with chairman Tony Stewart and he is unbelievably supportive with me. Picture: Kerrie Beddows
I have a close bond with chairman Tony Stewart and he is unbelievably supportive with me. Picture: Kerrie Beddows
THE words chairman Tony Stewart spoke to me the other week will stay with me forever.

I had a brilliant meeting with him and vice-chairman Richard Stewart and he said: “You've got more credit in the bank here as a manager than anyone's ever had.”

That was a lovely thing to hear.

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He was referring, of course, to my first spell in charge of Rotherham United a decade ago when we won promotions from League Two to the Championship together.

I have a close bond with chairman Tony Stewart and he is unbelievably supportive with me. Picture: Kerrie BeddowsI have a close bond with chairman Tony Stewart and he is unbelievably supportive with me. Picture: Kerrie Beddows
I have a close bond with chairman Tony Stewart and he is unbelievably supportive with me. Picture: Kerrie Beddows

League tables never lie, whether it's two games, ten games or 20 games, and we are disappointed where we are right now.

Our start this season has been a frustrating one but I see encouraging signs that we are on the right path.

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Had we had beaten Bristol Rovers and Burton Albion, which we should have done, we'd be close to a play-off spot.

It's good that I have credit in the bank. Now we need to put more points in there too. That’s what we all want.

I know better than anyone that the Stewart family are winners and I accept the responsibility for our results.

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I understand the negativity of some supporters. This club has done nothing but lose matches for the best part of two years and they've suffered for too long.

It was four wins in 47 games before I came back here in April. That’s hard to take for everyone from the chairman down.

You have to reverse that wheel so you're winning again. That's not easy to achieve but it will come. The process will end positively.

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Our performances in a lot of games have been very good. My job is to make sure we keep confidence in the camp and we keep working hard.

I very much hope I have some credit in the bank with fans as well, but you never know, do you.

It was brilliant of them to sing my name at Shrewsbury and Cambridge. That meant so much to me.

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I have nothing but respect for them and they're entitled to say what they think. We have to go out there and win some games because that’s the only way to settle everyone down.

I look at the league table and don't like what I see. That leaves me feeling more frustration than I ever have in my career because we're in a false position and deserve to be higher.

Managers who say they don't look at league tables when they're near the bottom, their noses are going to grow like Pinocchio.

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My nose isn't going to grow. I admit I look at the table and it makes for disappointing viewing.

We live in the real world here and we know we have to grind out one win, two wins, three wins and generate that momentum that the Millers are famous for.

One thing I can guarantee, I will not shy away from the level of expectation.

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It's just not in my nature to run from a tough situation. I'm a fighter and, like the Stewarts, a winner.

I remember when I took the manager's job at Stevenage in March 2022.

The club were struggling at the foot of League Two and their chairman said to me: “I'm reluctantly almost accepting we're relegated.”

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I replied: “You can't say we're relegated when there are nine games left. Win enough of those and we stay up.”

Four victories and a draw later, Stevenage were safe.

Take on the challenge, embrace the pressure: that's the Steve Evans way.

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I'M looking forward to having Liam Kelly available again.

We've missed our midfield string-puller, so I'm pleased to say his recovery from a groin injury has gone well and we shouldn't be without him for much longer.

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He joined us in the summer and took his time in settling in. He'd been at Coventry City for a long time – seven seasons – and had enjoyed huge success there.

When you're at one club for such a length of time, you develop a certain way of working. It can be a culture shock when you join a new team and it can take a while to feel at home.

In his last two or three appearances, he looked head and shoulders above most other players on the pitch. He looked like a really good Championship player playing in League One.

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One player who is back in the fold after injury is another new boy, Joe Rafferty.

Our right-back was in the side on opening day at Exeter City but was then out for six matches with a groin issue before returning for our 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic early last month.

He's an excellent pro with a great attitude. You only had to watch his performance at Charlton to see the character he possesses.

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Joe hadn't played football for a month and had got only three or four training sessions under his belt in the build-up to the trip to London.

Then he went out and played 90 minutes and was still running in added time to try to earn throw-ins and free-kicks to get us a winner.

That showed what he is about.

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I SENT Andre Green off on holiday a few weeks ago.

He'd been out for nearly a year with that awful rupture of his Achilles tendon and was about to start the final phase of his rehabilitation.

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I could tell that so much time on the sidelines had taken its toll so I pretty much insisted on a break for him.

He had time away where he had a programme from our medical team to follow but could relax with his beautiful family and get some sun on his back.

He walked back through the door at Roundwood a few days later and has had a really brilliant focus ever since.

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In the old days, there used to be a train of thought that managers had no time for injured players because they needed to devote all their concentration to the ones who were available for selection.

Things have changed a great deal over the last ten years and now more than ever you have to spend time with lads who are in the treatment room, telling them how much you want them back, how much you need them back.

When players are fit and walk off the pitch on a Saturday after they've won and performed well, they don't need the manager or the coaching staff giving them halos and telling them they're great. They already know everyone is pleased with them.

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When players aren't fit, they need reassurance. That's why I made sure I talked regularly to Joe Rafferty and Sean Raggett when they were out: I needed to keep them focused on their returns and the positive contributions they were going to make.

It's similar with the boys who are fighting to get into the team but not making the starting 11.

By the way, Andre continues to progress well and it will be a happy day for all of us when he finally rejoins the main group for full training.

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SHREWSBURY Town away last weekend was yet another game we should have won yet ending up drawing.

We went behind in the first half but dominated the second period after altering shape and personnel.

The changes paid off and the match became one-way traffic. We had a lot of play in the final third and put loads of balls into the Shrews' box.

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Twelve attempts on goal in an away game - they're the stats of a home team, despite us being without big, big players in Sean Raggett, Liam Kelly and Hakeem Odoffin.

We showed good character and I praised the players for that.

Believe in the process!