Rotherham sack manager Evans after Crawley defeat

Rotherham United have sacked manager Steve Evans following their run of seven defeats in 11 League One games.

The 62-year-old Scot, who was in his second spell as Millers boss, had come under fire from fans after Saturday's 4-0 hammering at home by relegation-threatened Crawley Town, which pushed Rotherham down to 16th place in the table.

The club confirmed in a statement, external on Sunday they had parted company with Evans, along with his backroom staff Paul Raynor, Gary Mills and Ian Pledger.

Former Rotherham coach Matt Hamshaw, who served as caretaker boss of Derby County last month, has been appointed to take temporary charge, assisted by Andy Warrington.

Saturday's defeat by Crawley, a club Evans guided into the Football League earlier in his managerial career, was the Millers' heaviest of the season and prompted some supporters at New York Stadium to call for his dismissal.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield after the game, Evans admitted: "There's no hiding place when you have a performance like that. The performance was limp, way off the minimum standards we expect.

"Everything that my teams have been famous for was not deployed. I think this is as low as it's been in 31 years as a manager.

"Maybe my credit's run out. I've had fantastic times at this club and, if the decision is made to remove me, I'll be back in the future as a fan."

During his initial three-and-a-half-year stint as Rotherham boss from 2012 to 2015, the Glaswegian oversaw successive promotions and kept the club in the Championship.

After leaving in September 2015, he took over at Leeds United a month later but departed Elland Road at the end of that season after eight months at the helm.

He subsequently took charge at Mansfield Town, Peterborough United and Gillingham, as well as leading Stevenage to promotion from League Two in 2023.

Evans rejoined the Millers last April, when their relegation back to the third tier had been confirmed – but they have failed to mount a promotion challenge this term and he leaves the club just nine points above the bottom four.