The question I feared to ask Jonson Clarke-Harris ... Rotherham United boss Steve Evans writes for the Advertiser

Jonno is a deadly finisher and had already bagged two goals by the time I made my inquiry in the second half of our 3-0 win against Northampton Town.

He's still finding fitness after a long lay-off so I said to him: ‘Are you running out of steam? Do you need a breather?’

He fixed me with that look of his and replied: ‘I'm on for a hat-trick here, Gaffer. Don't you dare sub me.’

When he says that in a certain way, you don't take him off!

His header for our opening goal was brilliant: cushioned and so, so well placed. I've seen him put those away for years.

He had a similar effort saved later on and I was surprised he didn't find the net.

I've always said about the kid, he's never frightened to miss. He'll take the heckles, he'll take the shouts and he'll be ready and waiting for the next opportunity.

His fitness is improving every day, which is good news for us, and we're continuing to work on his sharpness.

If you make chances, Jonno will convert them. It takes two opposition players to mark him. He's a massive character for us and we need to keep him on the pitch. He was dominant against the Cobblers.

He's at his best when he's on the grass every day. It's when he has periods when he has to come off it – because you have to protect him if he has a knock or a niggle – that he can suffer a little dip.

He's been consistently on the grass at our Roundwood base for the best part of a month now starting to look much sharper.

That's seven goals in his last 12 outings. And we still haven't seen the best of him yet!

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I SAID I was bringing back the Steve Evans of old and he was out there on the AESSEAL New York Stadium touchline last weekend.

Sam Nombe was having an excellent game going forward but there was one instance when our attacker failed to track back.

I shouted across the pitch to him and told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't do what I wanted him to then he was coming off.

His reaction? Fantastic. Exactly what I thought I would get. From then on, he did everything that was required of him. Sam's a good player when he works hard and outstanding when he works really hard.

My firmness in that situation goes back to the chairman's conversation with me last month about being the character I used to be. I'm not here to be messed about or liked, I’m here to win matches for a club I love.

Fans work all week to be able to come to support us on a Saturday. It's not cheap to go to a game these days and the absolute minimum any supporter deserves from their team is that the players give everything.

Players have to do it in both halves. That's something I have to remind Mallik Wilks of every minute of every game!

He is a genius in League One with the ball at his feet going forward. We need more from him going backwards.

We need more end product from him as well. He's hit the target several times already this season, but a player of his ability should be scoring more and assisting more.

He sets himself the highest standards and I love working with him.

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SOMETIMES you wonder if there is a god up there at all.

Last week staff and players paid Christmas visits to Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice and Rotherham Hospice to try to spread a little festive cheer.

This club takes great pride in our links with both organisations.

Both trips were humbling experiences and a lot of the lads were visibly moved. Many of them have children the same age as some of the ones at Bluebell Wood.

The unassuming heroism you witness at these two fantastic facilities, from the workers and from the residents and their families, leaves you in quiet awe of such beautiful humanity.

While our whole world centres around football, the worlds of other people can centre around situations where death is a tragic, pending inevitability.

That's what I mean about wondering about a god. No-one should have to go through what these brave souls do.

My prayers are being said for everyone who is affected.

Bluebell Wood is somewhere I feel particularly attached to as it came to my attention soon after my arrival in 2012 for my first spell as Rotherham United manager.

My first experience began with an email from Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for the town, who wrote to me when she was chief executive there.

She asked me to go along with a Millers group and the visit is something I'll never forget. It made me want to do anything I could to help out.

To that end, I furnished my office at AESSEAL New York Stadium with furniture bought from the Bluewood Wood shop that used to be on Wellgate.

I remember that I had to hijack the club's kit van to go and collect it!

Although there is sadness at Bluebell Wood, there is amazing happiness too. Anyone visitor who has a heart sheds tears when they drive away.

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MALLIK Wilks popped his head around my office door the other day wearing the daftest hat you've ever seen.

I love it when things like that happen.

‘What do you make of this, Gaffer?’ he asked with a big grin before wandering back to his teammates.

It was a sign that things are good in the camp.

The more noise there is at Roundwood, the better.

I have a justified reputation for being loud on the touchline on matchdays, but I'm actually one of the quieter ones at our training base because my responsibilities intermingling with different departments takes up so much of my time.

I love to sit in my office and listen to the raised voices, though.

When you hear the boys going at it – the brashness and the banter – it tells you something about their mood and togetherness.

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TOO often as a manager you are absent from the lives of your loved ones.

There are whole Evans family photo albums that don't include any pictures of me because I've been taken away from important occasions by the demands of the job.

Now that I'm a grandad I'm determined not to make the same mistakes as I did with my children.

Earlier this month, I made sure I found time to go to the first Nativity play of my three-year-old grandson, Joseph.

Not everybody wants to cuddle a manager when you're not winning games. My grandson doesn't care about things like that, he just wants you to be kind and to love him.

He got all his lines right and received a big thumbs-up from me when he looked in my direction.

That moment at the end when he ran over, hugged me and said ‘Thank you for coming, Poppy’ ... priceless.

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WILL I be bringing in our players for training on Christmas Day?

I don't think there's a right way or a wrong way to do things.

I have, in the past, brought my teams in and lost on Boxing Day. I've also brought them in and then won on Boxing Day.

The day before a game is the least amount of work you do in terms of on-the-field effort. It's more about mental preparation and video analysis.

The boys will be at home with their loved ones this year.

To every Miller, happy Christmas.