Steve Evans aiming to tweak draws into wins

Ahead of Saturday’s visit of Grimsby Town (1pm), an under-the-weather Evans refused to take it easy as fresh research figures gave him ideas on areas where some individuals need to improve.

“My office was the toilet! It was tough,” he smiled.

“But it was an opportunity to catch up on individual stats and have an awareness of some really disciplined research on what has gone on in the first four or five games of the season. People have no hiding places.

“I have come in with a list of stats and clips – nothing surprising, but one or two little nit-picks for players to pick up on and address.

“We have a fantastic squad. We have individuals that are winners. We have individuals that have been winners and have the greatest desire, and we have expectant supporters who want us to deliver a type of performance.

“Performances do not lie. Performances deliver results and promotions. Over a season you are never unlucky as your performances have not been good enough.

“Our performances so far have not got the results they deserve but if we continue those performances, those results will come.”

He added: “We are frustrated. But we have to stay focused, keep concentrating and over 46 games it never lies.

“But we can be frustrated in the early part of the season with a new group and I have been down this road at Crawley and at Rotherham.

“It has to be said, some of our performances have been terrific.

“If anyone can say they’ve seen a better Stags performance than what we deployed against Luton for 85 minutes, and then from 90 to 95, they can come and see me and tell me the game.

“This group will only get better. I said it at Rotherham and I said it at Crawley.

“People forget that at Crawley we put a new group together after we took over a team that were goal difference away from being relegated.

“We had to build a new group and they were fantastically successful – as they were at Rotherham. This new group here will be fantastically successful.”

Evans explained that taking time to gel was no surprise.

“It’s not an excuse – it’s a fact. Darren Ferguson sat in my office last year and we spoke about it taking five transfer windows to sort something out,” he said.

“We have had two – one proper one this summer – and we are sorted out now. We’ve got an excellent group of players.

“I wouldn’t swap any of this group, over 46 weeks of the season we’’ll be great.

“It’s about combinations, it’s about being injury-free, it’s about people being up to speed to play.”