Steve Evans blasts Bristol Rovers player in astonishing rant after Cambridge United loss | OneFootball

Steve Evans hit out at Bristol Rovers' Jack Sparkes after he picked up his tenth booking of the season against Cambridge, which brings a two-game ban.

Bristol Rovers boss Steve Evans slammed Jack Sparkes for his ‘atrocious’ display against Cambridge, as he insists he would’ve dropped the left-back for the game at Oldham on Tuesday if he hadn't picked up a suspension.

The Gas have endured a very tough season so far, and whilst Evans’ appointment has brought a small upturn in performances and results, they are just five points above the relegation zone.

The former Rotherham chief suffered his seventh defeat in 11 league games at Cambridge on Saturday, as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at The Abbey Stadium against Neil Harris' high-flying side.

Steve Evans criticises Jack Sparkes after Bristol Rovers defeat

As well as the disappointing defeat, Bristol Rovers were also dealt a setback as Sparkes picked up his tenth booking of the season.

Therefore, he will miss the next two fixtures, which are against Oldham in the week and Saturday’s home game against Grimsby.

With Sparkes having played every game so far this season, that is a blow for Evans, who will now have a decision to make on who plays at left wing-back.

Yet, speaking to Bristol Live, Evans didn’t hold back in his assessment of Sparkes’ performance against the U’s, as he insisted the 25-year-old was going to be on the bench against Oldham anyway.

“He deserves to go. He was atrocious today, anyway," Evans said.

"He wouldn't have played at Oldham. So, there we go.

"So he's out for Tuesday, doesn't matter to me, because he wouldn't have played anyway. He was atrocious.”

Steve Evans sends a message to Bristol Rovers players with Jack Sparkes criticism

Evans has never been a manager to hide his feelings, and whilst some will feel this is a risky strategy considering Bristol Rovers’ position, many fans will welcome his honesty.

The reality is that, as a collective, the team is underperforming this season, so any criticism of their performances is justified at the moment.

As for Sparkes, he is one of many who is below his best level, and to have picked up 10 bookings at this stage of the season is simply not acceptable, as it shows somewhat of a lack of discipline on his end.

Evans’ criticism is going to have hurt the player, and he will have work to do in order to regain the trust of the manager for the run-in, if he does win his place back when he returns from suspension.

In the bigger picture, Evans’ outburst over Sparkes is a message to the rest of the squad that he is demanding more from the group, and you would expect him to make plenty of changes to the XI against Oldham.