Thank evans for steve
TOM BLACKETT takes a look back at the season to remember for Rotherham United’s outspoken boss.
The manager’s best quotes
ROTHERHAM boss Steve Evans is a journalist’s dream because he’s a larger than life character always prepared to have a rant and rave.
And he kept his promise to don sombrero and summer gear in the final match of the season at Leeds after keeping Rotherham in the Championship.
Here, we look back at some of his more colourful and controversial words over the course of the past season.
Cheers, Steve
Tuesday, April 28
After Rotherham beat Reading 2-1 to secure their Championship status.
“A Millwall player said we’ve not got bottle. I’ve got 12 bottles of pink finest Champagne and we’ll be drinking them for about a week. Look forward to League One, son, and keep your trap shut.
“It’s my best ever result as a manager. The pressure has been intense, there’s not been a lot of sleep. There’s been heartache.
“We have got over the line and they can take our points, but they will never take our fighting spirit and passion to stay in the division.”
Saturday, April 25
After the 1-1 draw against Norwich in which Gary Hooper put the Canaries ahead.
“I’ve watched that young man at Celtic Park and I’ve been on my feet when he’s scored goals like that.
“When Joe Garner scored against us in the play-offs for Preston last year, I said if anyone scored a better goal then I’d wake up a chicken. Well, tomorrow I’ll wake up a chicken because that was a sensational strike.
“There’ll be managers all over the country saying they didn’t pay attention to other results. And their noses will grow as far as the microphone.We knew what was going on.
“It’s quite obvious that certain people don’t want us in this league. And it’s very sad that points we earned on the pitch haven’t stayed on the pitch. But I said to the players, ‘Let’s show some desire. If somebody wants a fight, let’s give them a fight’. I couldn’t ask any more.”
Saturday, april 4
After a 2-1 defeat at Birmingham in which his side weren’t awarded a penalty for a ‘foul’ on Matt Derbyshire.
“It was the worst refereeing decision I’ve ever seen.You might as well get a 12-year-old who has blue blood in his veins to come and referee. (Birmingham boss) Gary Rowett agreed with me and they know it could have been a red card as well. We’ll question the referee but get the usual nonsense in reply.
“They don’t want Rotherham to win here – that’s what we’ve been up against all season.
“I hope the BBC highlights this – they don’t want us in this division either.”
Saturday, March 21
After Sheff Wed struck twice in injury time to win 3-2 at Rotherham
“They have turned up with balaclavas and hit us with a couple of baseball bats on the way out. They didn’t deserve to win the match, and I don’t think any of their staff will say any different. There was only one team that deserved to win it, and unfortunately that team lost.”
Saturday, March 14
After a 2-1 home defeat against Wigan in which Evans was fuming over a free-kick netted by Jermaine Pennant after a foul by Kirk Broadfoot on Wigan’s James McClean.
“It’s embarrassing for the referee. That’s hard to take. It’s just not a free-kick – if it is, we should all give up football.”
Saturday, december 28
After a 1-1 draw against Blackpool
“It’s as low as I’ve been all season. There are no positives from that game at all.
“(Blackpool boss) Lee Clark said to me at full-time that if it was 6-0 at half-time he couldn’t have complained.We totally dominated.”
Saturday, december 20
After a 2-1 win at Wigan in which Tom Lawrence scored the opener
“Against Forest and against Cardiff, I said Tom Lawrence was like a lighthouse in a dark ocean, and when he scores a goal and works as hard as that, he’s not just a lighthouse but you know there’s a bottle of red wine waiting for you when you get there.”
Saturday, november 29
After a 1-1 home draw against Blackpool
“Blackpool were never going to score. I don’t think they’ve had a chance from open play in the second half.
“It’s just a hoof from Jamie O’Hara down the middle, and Craig Morgan slips, like he slipped last week.
“Then Adam Collin – if you’re ten years olds you should come out and deal with that. He’s apologised for it, of course, and he’s a lovely kid, but I don’t want lovely kids, I want winners.
“He should hit it away and it’s a huge error, but the captain should deal with that first. He shouldn’t be slipping. He slipped last week on the halfway line which led to the Birmingham goal, and he’s slipped again. We’ve told him to sort his footwear out or it’s just going to be an excuse really.
“Blackpool supporters and Lee Clark have had Christmas in November, haven’t they?”
Saturday, november 1
After a 3-0 home defeat by Middlesbrough which saw Jordan Bowery red-carded.
“We go away remembering an absolutely shocking, awful, woeful, disgraceful, abject decision to send Jordan Bowery off. There are no other words I can use for it.”
Saturday, october 25
After a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
“I watched a lot of Championship football last year, but I fell asleep during a lot of games. They were boring.
“I promised the chairman that whoever we played we would try and win and I think we’ve been involved in more high-scoring games than anyone else in this league.
“We need a little more to push on towards the top ten. They should be putting ribbons around my ears if we achieve that.”
Saturday, september 20
After a 1-1 draw against Charlton in which Addicks skipper Johnnie Jackson appeared to handle Joe Skarz’s cross as Rotherham pressed for a winner late on.
“They should rewrite the Championship rulebook to say ‘Rotherham don’t get penalties but they are awarded against them’. It was a disgraceful decision by an honest referee. We deserved the chance to get three points as we completely annihilated Charlton in the second half.”