"Huge issue" - Concern raised as Rotherham United appoint Steve Evans | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Rotherham United have confirmed the appointment of Steve Evans as manager for the second time.

The Championship side opted to part ways with Leam Richardson ahead of the final games of the campaign.

The Millers have already suffered relegation from the second tier, and are rooted to the bottom of the table.

Richardson was only appointed as manager in December of last year, but has lasted just four months in the position.

Evans previously coached the side from 2012 to 2015, winning 72 of the 173 games he oversaw as manager.

Rotherham fan pundit unsure of Evans appointment

FLW’s Rotherham fan pundit Tom Eyre is unsure if Evans is really the right man to bring the club forward long-term.

While he expects an initial short-term boost, he expects the Scot to struggle long-term.

“Doesn’t surprise me that we’ve appointed Evans,” Eyre told Football League World.

“Is it the right decision? Time will tell.

“I think for now, short-term yes, long-term no.

“I think he’ll bring back the passion, I think he’ll drive fan attendance and season tickets.

“A lot of fans want him back here, a lot of fans love his passion, optimism, hard-running style.

“Long-term though, I can’t see it being worthwhile.

“I think he’s very determined in the short-term, but I think long-term he struggles, which is going to be our huge issue.

“I can see why we’ve signed him, but I don’t know, I don’t think it’s the right decision.

“It’s too early to call.”

Steve Evans' Stevenage record

Evans was manager of Stevenage prior to making his return to Rotherham on Wednesday.

The 61-year-old spent two years with the League One side, departing the club as it sits ninth in the table.

He won 57 of his 120 games in charge, having guided the team to the third tier last year with automatic promotion from League Two.

Meanwhile, Rotherham will now be planning for life back in the third division having had their relegation from the Championship already confirmed.

Richardson took over the side in December when they were already sitting bottom of the table.

Relegation has been inevitable for months, with the Millers still only on 23 points from 43 games.

Evans will oversee the final fixtures of the season against Birmingham City, Bristol City and Cardiff City.

Evans appointment can be positive for Rotherham

The decision to sack Richardson was quite strange given the timing of it.

His previous experience includes a League One title win at Wigan Athletic, so having someone capable of that at the helm seemed a solid plan for their return to the third tier.

However, Evans has shown he can still get his teams to perform at that level as well, having done a great job with Stevenage in their first year back in the division.

The 61-year-old helped the club punch above its weight, so he is making his return to Rotherham off the back of some very positive work.