Stags players will get every chance to prove themselves, says new boss Evans

Steve Evans will give every current Mansfield Town player full opportunity to prove themselves to him before he starts making plans for the January transfer window.
New Mansfield Town manager, Steve Evans at a press conference at the One Call Stadium on Wednesday.New Mansfield Town manager, Steve Evans at a press conference at the One Call Stadium on Wednesday.
New Mansfield Town manager, Steve Evans at a press conference at the One Call Stadium on Wednesday.

The new Stags boss has been promised every backing needed by chairman John Radford when the window opens.

But Evans, who took over the hot seat this afternoon, said, ideally, he didn’t want to have to take advantage of the Radford war kitty and urged his side to keep the club in touch with the play-off pack.

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“The first thing we are going to do is give everyone an opportunity to perform, whether that means staff or players, and they’ll realise we are in a hurry to be promoted,” said Evans.

Click HERE to read the story of Steve Evans joining the Stags

“It doesn’t need to be now but we’re in a hurry to win some matches. We will do what it takes.

“The chairman has given me every assurance, as has the CEO, to say they are going to be there for me when the window opens.

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“But a lot of that work is up to the players we’ve got. We don’t come in here saying we’d like to sign a full back or a striker or anyone. We’re going to give people an opportunity.

“Because of the new system we can only bring new recruits in in January, so everyone will get a chance to deliver or make way for someone else.”

The squad are no strangers to Evans.

He said: “I have worked with a few of them, young Kevan Hurst, we gave him his League debut, Scott Shearer has got a couple of promotions as part of out squad, young Mitch Rose, I gave him his debut one night up at Bradford in front of 14,000-15,000 in a massive win for Rotherham in League Two when we had to keep in the promotion hunt.

“So there are three or four in the squad we know, but we know a lot of them from playing against them.”

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Evans, with nine promotions on his CV has a vast experience of the game from top to bottom, his last post being at Championship Leeds United.

“Leeds United is an iconic brand,” he said. “But we started off in non-League football and we’ve gone through the levels.

“So we have experience across a mix of levels. It’s about what we are going to do here.

“What we are going to do initially is make individuals better and make the team better, give them a bit more of identity and try to score a few more goals which gives you more of a chance of winning.

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“We will put our own stamp on the team as best we can and have an assessment programme between now and the January window.

“I hope I don’t have to sit with the chairman and chief executive on a Monday or Tuesday night asking for transfer funds.

“I don’t want to be in that position. I want to be in a position to say we are good to go.

“It is 46 matches. It really is 46 battles over the course of a war. That’s what a season is.

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“Every club sets off at the start with an objective and Mansfield Town was no different. “The chairman and the chief executive spoke about delivering the play-offs and this far into the season they sit three points off the play-offs.

“We will concentrate on wining Saturday and then take it a game at a time.

“It is massively important we keep this football club in contention until we get to the January window. Nothing we give me greater pleasure than being right in contention and going forward with what we have got.”