I've done it before and I can do it again ... Rotherham United boss Steve Evans writes for the Advertiser

I know what is required to get them cheering again. Absolutely, that much I do know!

After events following the final whistle at Barnsley last Friday, something Brendan Rogers once told me sprang to mind.

Brendan had just gone back to Celtic for his second spell as manager and was being heavily criticised by many supporters because he'd left the club at one point to join Leicester City.

I remember speaking to him about it and he said: ‘I just need to win.’

That's what I need to do here: get Rotherham United winning again. It’s what our chairman, board and fans deserve.

I hope I have some credit with fans in the bank, like Paul Warne had when his side were in 13th place in December 2017 and went on to be promoted.

I've got this great club winning in the past and I can do it again.

I need to find a way between now and January to get the squad right, to get the balance right and get us near that top group in League One.

Are we good enough at the minute? No, we’re not. That's because we have had too many of our key men on the treatment table and some people trying to find their best form.

Are we good enough if Mallik Wilks and Jonson Clarke-Harris are pulling on shirts and the majority of our other senior players are also fit? Yes, we are.

Mallik and Jonno are two huge players for us and the sooner we get them back, the better.

Don't forget that we've also been without more of our summer recruits in Sean Raggett, Liam Kelly, Joe Rafferty, Shaun McWilliams and Joe Rafferty for varying lengths of time.

We went and signed Raggy who was wanted by virtually every other League One club, we went and signed Jonno who had offers from the Championship, we went and signed Joe when four of five top League One clubs wanted him, the same with Kells.

I've got no complaints when fans give us a hard time if we deserve it. I thought the abuse at half-time was a little bit harsh, though. I'm thinking: ‘We're 1-0 down and we've had half the game.’

We had two good 15-minute spells against our South Yorkshire neighbours – one at the start and one in the second half when we nearly equalised – but Barnsley were the better team. I have the same eyes as supporters. The Tykes were worth their win and I accept that.

We introduced creative players in the second half to try to get back into the match and it almost succeeded.

One of our substitutes, Jack Holmes, came so close to a goal. It should have been 1-1 because that was a simple chance at League One level. Young Jack couldn’t stop apologising after the game. What a great kid he is.

Then Barnsley grab a second late on when we're chasing the game. In my opinion, 2-0 was a harsh scoreline.

I have no complaints about how our fans reacted after the final whistle. At the end of the day, if their team has lost a derby, they are entitled to have a go.

You will NEVER hear me criticise Millers supporters. We bleed and hurt the same way.

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JORDAN Hugill doesn't care?

I've heard it said by some supporters and, let me tell you now, it is a complete misconception.

It's fair to say that our centre-forward is one of the players who has been striving to find last season and in this one, but his character should never be doubted.

What you can't knock is the man, the individual, the guy who is desperate to do well for the Millers. He cares so much that he's sometimes tearful when he doesn't get selected.

As with all our players, he will get my full love and support.

He is a really good person and his pedigree as a player is not in question. I was doing some transfer work with my senior staff the other week and we were looking around at strikers. If you look at Jordan's CV it shows what he has in his locker. The boy has played for some big, big clubs.

Some of our fans should maybe think back to his form when he first came here and helped the club stay in the Championship in 2023.

In my opinion – and I accept I was watching from a distance because I was managing elsewhere – he was unplayable at times. With fans’ help, we can get him back to that level.

We thought he would have a major impact this season. He's working so hard to find his form. Let's hope that over the next few weeks he can display it.

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THINGS have been wrong here for two years and our chairman and board realise that.

That's why they turned to me to reverse the decline.

You can go in and do part-surgery but you can't go in and cut out all the parts that are rotten in one go. A process like that takes time.

As a management team, we’ve been frustrated that we haven't been able to change as much as we’d have liked, but the support from our chairman has been incredible.

A lot of people think there's been a clean sweep but that isn't actually the case.

We have had to be respectful of player contracts that were signed long before our April arrival.

We’ve come in after a period where losing had become ingrained as normal. That's the opposite of what our chairman stands for, the opposite of what supporters have come to expect during his reign.

We’d all love to be where Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers are. Birmingham, like ourselves, have been in transition but have had £30 million to spend on signings.

We’re a million miles away from where we need to be. The key thing is, I know what needs to be done.

We've always planned on the process being in two stages. It comes with a period of transition and then being in and around the top group as we go past Christmas.

Three or four wins between now and the festive period will put us in an area of the table where we need to be in and then we'll be stronger in the second part of the campaign.

That’s exactly what I delivered in my first year here the first time around in 2012/13.

By the end of this season, we will be up there.

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ASSISTANT manager Paul Raynor was in the stands at Oakwell rather than in the dugout because of a touchline ban imposed by the FA.

I wish I could tell people about the incident and words after our home game with Wrexham over which he was charged. Let's just say that they didn't amount to much. There was no foul language at all.

The case was heard at a so-called independent tribunal.

Paul pleaded not guilty and I told him he was wasting his time. It's never an independent tribunal, in my opinion. That’s what we all face in this great game.