I get Evans is a polarising figure but what I find hard to swallow about some of the commentary I read about him is stuff like this - that he “destroyed Wassmer”. No purchase in reality. I saw many of Wassmer’s games for Crawley and he was a talented player yet with also clear weaknesses, he wasn’t really quite physical and imposing enough to kick on. Evans in reality gave him a great career chance but at the end of the day he was no McFadzean. Wassmer has had a long career since Crawley and would have kicked on to League football if the ability was there.
Evans has certainly done regrettable stuff in his career so I think it’s fair to criticise him for that. But stuff like he destroyed Wassmer is totally made up, even if he couldn’t manage to improve him as a player. Many other managers also tried afterwards.
Yep, fully accept I may have mis-judged Charlie's situation, but I watched him too, home and away, and that's my opinion.
However, another example could be BJA. Clearly, we wasn't the finished player when he joined us and threatened the cars in the car park more often than he did the goal. He probably needed time to develop and fair enough, perhaps Evans felt he couldn't give players the time to do that - as we see with some people who love to roll out stats, managers don't get time to develop sides if they don't win matches.
I still wouldn't want Evans back here.
And again I’d appeal for some factual accuracy when it comes to discussing Evans. Evans left Crawley in April 2012, Crawley cancelled Akinde’s contract in January 2013. If you felt BJA needed more time to develop here, then I agree, we offloaded a good player wrongly. But that wasn’t down to Evans, who by that stage was already taking Rotherham up the leagues. Evans would go on to sign Akinde again later.
I’d again make the general point that people who don’t like Evans often cast around for reasons to dislike him and don’t think about it too rigorously
As someone who does rate Evans, I do think he’s taken on a hell of a risk for his reputation as Stevenage look in a desperate state. May well start next season having to chase his own Conference points record lol
Yep, fully accept I may have mis-judged Charlie's situation, but I watched him too, home and away, and that's my opinion.
However, another example could be BJA. Clearly, we wasn't the finished player when he joined us and threatened the cars in the car park more often than he did the goal. He probably needed time to develop and fair enough, perhaps Evans felt he couldn't give players the time to do that - as we see with some people who love to roll out stats, managers don't get time to develop sides if they don't win matches.
I still wouldn't want Evans back here.
And again I’d appeal for some factual accuracy when it comes to discussing Evans. Evans left Crawley in April 2012, Crawley cancelled Akinde’s contract in January 2013. If you felt BJA needed more time to develop here, then I agree, we offloaded a good player wrongly. But that wasn’t down to Evans, who by that stage was already taking Rotherham up the leagues. Evans would go on to sign Akinde again later.
I’d again make the general point that people who don’t like Evans often cast around for reasons to dislike him and don’t think about it too rigorously
Probably because you don’t have to think too rigorously!!🤭😉
We’ll agree to disagree on that. Right to dislike him for Boston, he was grievously at fault there. But like many others, I do believe people deserve a second chance in life and the chance to rehabilitate, and he’s proved since then he was right to be given that chance as he’s been a positive influence at subsequent clubs. Those who visited the crimes of the Majeeds on him at the time were mistaken, he was merely hired staff along with the players
He had that second chance at Boston when they reappointed him. And let’s face it, he was an absolute shocker of an appointment at the time - run by the Majeeds, appointing Evans as manager, at a time when we owed £100ks to the revenue.
That said, once the money came in in 2010 and there was no way he could possibly be involved in anything other than the playing side, then everything became a lot clearer and certainly easier to be behind.
He had that second chance at Boston when they reappointed him. And let’s face it, he was an absolute shocker of an appointment at the time - run by the Majeeds, appointing Evans as manager, at a time when we owed £100ks to the revenue.
That said, once the money came in in 2010 and there was no way he could possibly be involved in anything other than the playing side, then everything became a lot clearer and certainly easier to be behind.
Yes there was unease at the time that he had some influence on the immediate post-Majeed ownership, though I was too busy celebrating at the time we were rid of the Gruesome Twosome and I also think the others involved appeared decent people. But I think the really critical factor was whether the moneyed investors that came into push the club forward regarded Evans as a positive. Bruce Winfield said at the time Evans’s presence was a factor in him getting more involved and of course Paul Hayward can speak for himself but I think he regarded Evans as a big piece of the plan for success here. And so it indeed proved.
As for him ever coming back here, there is no vacancy. Yems is doing a good job and will be here for a while. He may indeed outlast Evans in management
He had that second chance at Boston when they reappointed him. And let’s face it, he was an absolute shocker of an appointment at the time - run by the Majeeds, appointing Evans as manager, at a time when we owed £100ks to the revenue.
That said, once the money came in in 2010 and there was no way he could possibly be involved in anything other than the playing side, then everything became a lot clearer and certainly easier to be behind.
Yes there was unease at the time that he had some influence on the immediate post-Majeed ownership, though I was too busy celebrating at the time we were rid of the Gruesome Twosome and I also think the others involved appeared decent people. But I think the really critical factor was whether the moneyed investors that came into push the club forward regarded Evans as a positive. Bruce Winfield said at the time Evans’s presence was a factor in him getting more involved and of course Paul Hayward can speak for himself but I think he regarded Evans as a big piece of the plan for success here. And so it indeed proved.
As for him ever coming back here, there is no vacancy. Yems is doing a good job and will be here for a while. He may indeed outlast Evans in management
When you say outlast do you mean you reckon Evans will retire from football before Yems? If so, that's interesting as Yems is actually the older of the two
That’s right but I think Evans has more miles on the clock than John, Evans is now in that difficult position if Stevenage doesn’t work out he‘ll have two consecutive disappointments on his CV (albeit the Gills a qualified one, two good years and one shocker). Yems I think happens to suit the club right now and I think could be here a few more years and he’ll have plenty of appetite to do so, not having had many years as No1.
Anyway talking of Big John Akinde, live on Sky right now
Well congrats to Evans for showing he still has something, I did think he was taking a real risk with this new job. But should be a couple of fun fixtures for us next season
Well congrats to Evans for showing he still has something, I did think he was taking a real risk with this new job. But should be a couple of fun fixtures for us next season
I'm pleased Stevenage stayed up just because it's relatively local, very east to get to on the train and I look forward to taking the mickey out of Steve Evans again