Rotherham United's Steve Evans reflects on the biggest job he's ever faced as a boss

The Scot is charged with turning around Rotherham United's fortunes after their disastrous 2023/24 Championship relegation campaign.

The size of the project has taken him by surprise and, as he approaches the first anniversary of his return for a second spell in the hot-seat, he reckons he has only just passed the halfway point in his revival mission.

“We're more than 50 per cent of the way there,” he said. “We've got a lot of good players here, a lot of good characters.”

The boss concedes he is not as far down the path of transformation as he expected to be by now.

After instigating 17 incomings across two transfer windows, he is planning another busy summer of arrivals and exits and says that the club will part company with some of his own signings.

“We're going to move some of the lads on,” he said. “That doesn't mean they're bad players or characters.”

“It could be that we've brought them in and they've not developed in the way that they or us would have liked. We also inherited some and wouldn't have chosen them maybe.”

Among the Evans recruits who may depart are Cameron Dawson and Liam Kelly, who both signed two-year contracts last summer, and Alex MacDonald whose year-long terms are coming to an end.

Hakeem Odoffin and Cameron Humphreys are likely to leave as free agents and stays of four years and three years respectively.

With the Millers in 14th spot and never making the top half of the table, the manager admits that he has been fortunate to keep his job, and has publicly thanked chairman Tony Stewart for the loyalty he has been shown.

He is seeking to assemble a squad full of players committed to the Rotherham cause but knows that it could prove difficult to shed all of the unwanted people who are on substantial wages and still have time left on their contracts.

“When we report for next season, everyone has to want to be here,” he said. “There might be the odd one who doesn't, but there won't be two or three.”

He says he is still receiving the support and understanding of figures above him at the club.

“The chairman and vice-chairman, they know the circumstances in which I took over here,” he said. “They knew probably, with experience, how much more difficult it would be than I thought.

“I thought I could just come in and turn the oil tanker around. It's taking time, perhaps too much time. It's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on.”