Job concern as Steve Evans scoffs at Rotherham United relegation talk

The manager was speaking after a 1-0 loss at Crawley Town yesterday had made it four defeats in the last five League One matches for the Millers and left them in 18th place in the table.

“We won't get relegated, behave yourself,” he said as he spoke at pitchside to journalists at Broadfield Stadium after the final whistle of a contest against one of his former clubs.

“We're not going to be relegated. We've been ‘in’ a lot of games and just come out on the wrong side of them. We were in this game today.”

Chairman Tony Stewart brought back the Scot in April for a second spell in charge to lead a Millers resurgence after relegation from the Championship had been confirmed.

There is growing unrest among fans about the club's plight while Evans himself reckoned that in West Sussex around half of his team weren't giving everything for the cause.

“All I can assure the supporters is that we'll be doing our level best to turn this around,” he said. “The other decisions lie above me.”

Rotherham fielded a depleted side against Crawley as illness robbed them of Liam Kelly, Joe Rafferty and Sam Nombe and injuries kept out Mallik Wilks and Jamie McCart.

Evans said: “I was talking to a manager in the top four and he was saying: ‘You're missing arguably some of the best players in the league.’ But we can't keep using that as an excuse. It's why we have a squad of players.”

Rotherham now have no match until the December 3 home clash with Lincoln City after just coming through the fortnight-long international break when there was no league encounter.

“Fortunately, we have ten days to get back on the training ground,” Evans said. “It's a break we've been waiting for. It's more crucial than the last one.”

He didn't specify why the forthcoming lull was the most vital of the two.