Bristol Rovers have hurtled into the League Two relegation zone after 10 consecutive league defeats, resulting in the sacking of club legend Darrell Clarke.
Rovers have turned to former Rotherham manager Steve Evans in an attempt to change their fortunes.
EFL expert Gab Sutton looks at Rovers’ appointment of the former Rotherham boss, as the club north of the Severn looks to move north of the dotted line.
Why Darrell Clarke’s second spell failed
As well as being a cult hero among Gasheads for his work in his first spell winning back-to-back promotions to League One, Clarke has also proven a highly reliable manager, at this level and above, having also delivered positive results with Port Vale and Cheltenham.
When Clarke has been able to assemble a group of players he trusts, players who share a similar mentality to him, leaders and strong characters, he’s been able to achieve success.
So, it suggests, firstly, that the group he’s worked with in his second stint doesn’t have the right characteristics to play for him, and secondly, that there are deep-rooted issues at the club, in terms of recruitment and culture.
Short-term fix?
With question marks over Al-Saeed’s ownership regime and their ability to give managers the support they need to build teams that reflect them, it was hardly surprising that Evans’ deal to become the club’s new head coach was only until the end of the season.
Clearly, Evans backs himself to make an instant impact with this group of players, which has the individual quality, at least, to be well above the bottom two.
So, with the correct additions in January, the Scot may regard a turnaround at the Mem as almost low-hanging fruit, with Rovers having a far stronger squad on paper than that of the likes of Newport and Harrogate.
The idea, from his point of view, could be to oversee an improvement in performance, and comfortable survival, strengthening his position going into summer conversations about a longer-term deal.
By that point, he will have had more of an idea about what goes on behind closed doors, and how the club functions on an operational level, without relying on those processes being good like he would be if he’d gone in during the summer.
What Evans brings to Rovers
From Bristol Rovers’ perspective, this is an excellent appointment, with the 63-year-old bringing a wealth of managerial experience to the Mem, and promotions with Boston, Crawley, Rotherham and Stevenage, as well as good work with Mansfield and Gillingham.
The football might not be much to write home about, but Evans and his assistant, Paul Raynor, know how to drill a team into shape and make them an industrious, hardworking, well-organised outfit that knows how to manage games.
If Evans can impact elements of that ruthless streak on the Gas, he should lift them up the table.
