"I've joined a great football club that's got all the historical values, with a huge fanbase with 250,000 people living in Rotherham and next week it will be 250,000 plus one, Me because I live and breath it. We've got a wonderful platform here."
Asked if the Rotherham job was a poisened challice; "I wouldn't be standing here today if Andy Scott had been successful, Andy Scott's as hard working as Ronnie was, both were hard working managers, both in my opinion are good managers but a good managers left Crawley and Steve Coppells got a chance to come back into football."
"I've never read a qoute from neither Andy or Ronnie saying they never got the backing from the chairman here, and the chairmans told me he's going to back me and its probably fair to say he'll back me a bit more with the new stadium. The best manager in the world told me that if I was to leave the Crawley project then pick the job by picking your chairman if you could."
"If the new stadium was a year away then nothing would have been different, we would just have to win promotion at Don Valley, but it was a key factor. 2 year away might have been a bit different because of the success we were having with Crawley. The Stadiums a massive factor, theres no point in me saying any different, it's a mini premier league stadium."
"The chairman's words were that he demands that we see progress, at Crawley if we didn't win we had an internal enquiry staff wise and analyze it, look at the DVD's three or four times and the defensive coach, the midfield coach etc etc and we'd be on a continuous improvement programme. We spoke about this with the players and they said they've never had it broken down like that."
"We have to create a culture where it's Rotherham and nobody else matters. It's Rotherham United, no-one else likes us, because footballs a very singular business."
"The fans are going to be excited all summer, they're going to see some great signings, I know great signings does'nt mean great performances and great results, but if you dont get your recruitment right."
Asked about the current players at the club Steve said; "I tried to sign a couple. I'm glad Tony said no. You can build around the likes of Grabban and I could name a lot more of them. The boy Revell gave us problems in both the games we played, but we want more out of them. We want more time on the pitch for Ryan Cresswell because he's had his injurys."
"I'm going to empower my staff to do thier jobs. Andy Dibble will tell me who the best goalkeepers are, tell me who we should sign and if I agree with that view we'll sign them. Tell me why he's let that goal in, tell me why he didn't catch that cross. I've took the shackles off these guys. I need them involved and I need their contribution."
"Andy Dibble went out of the training ground yesterday upto Middlesbrough absolutely buzzing, and he's played at the top top level. If I can get people like that buzzing, I can get our left and right backs buzzing."
"The perspection with Steve Evans is that its probably my way or no way the reality is that its totally different to that, the players have an input, we dont give them an input on the games, we're going to tell you what to do out there but when we're doing our analysis, if we've been over critical and the boy comes in we'll have a look at the dvd together. If your going to employ a goalkeeping coach you have empower them, if you employ a physio you have to empower them. What good would Andy Dibble do if I told him everyday what to do with the goalkeepers and who we're signing. What good would he be?"
Asked if there would be changes in the backroom staff; "Darren Patterson left the club before I took over, he left the club after the game on Saturday. I think he's done a fantastic job stepping in. But with the track record Paul Rayner's got then he was the man for that role."
Evans was then asked about people perception of him "I think when you speak to owners, players and staff over a period of time its like a story my dad told me when I was just starting out at Bolton, my dad said if you don't know you, you don't like you, if you know you, you love you. That's been said to me by the owners at Crawley Town, they took over there with the inital thoughts of changing the manager, statistics say we should give him a chance. They'll be friends with me until the day I die but I've joined Rotherham and there will be knockers and doubters but I thought the responce I got on Monday was terrific."
"But you have to win football matches and have to put a team on the pitch they can relate to and think actually this guys quite good. When you get to chat to him and get to know him and find the passion behind his team, thats what we want. The fans here want a passionate manager because theyre passionate."
Inevitably, Steve was asked about Boston United; "It seems always to be there and people raise it, I apologised, it was well documented at the time and the words of owners up and down the country that would still like to employ me now are that I've been hit with a stick that I can't seem to shake off but they can't criticise me on results can they? The can't alter the fact that outside of Sir Alex Fergusson we've won more games than anyone else in britain. People have to have a reason to knock people, theres always an element in society that have to do it but thats the way of life, thats the way it is. I don't really care what anybody thinks outside the town of Rotherham and the fans all I say to them is just give me the opportunity, just give me the chance."
"I know what happens if I'm not winning here, I know. Nobody has to tell me! I'll be in my car heading home. I'm the same as any other manager, its a results industry and thats not going to happen."
Source: FOOTYMAD
