What Steve Evans once said about Bristol Rovers - it will anger Bristol City fans | OneFootball

The former Rotherham United manager is set to head to Bristol Rovers, and he's had his say on the Bristol derby

Bristol Rovers have appointed Steve Evans as Darrell Clarke's successor, and Gas fans have dug up an interview from last season which will delight their supporters, while angering their Championship neighbours.

Evans, who has been without a club since he departed Rotherham United in March, has returned to League Two with Bristol Rovers on a deal until the end of the campaign, as the Pirates look to avoid back-to-back relegations out of the football league.

Bristol Rovers are currently on a ten-game losing run in the fourth tier, which resulted in Darrell Clarke being axed with the club second from bottom.

The freefall needs to be plugged, and someone who is passionate about the club needs to come in. Luckily enough, what Steve Evans has said in the past about the Bristol rivalry will go a long way to getting the fans onside before a ball is kicked.

"Biggest club in Bristol" claim made by Steve Evans about Bristol Rovers will delight Gas fans

Right now, there hasn't been a bigger gap in quality between the two Bristol clubs than there is now, with City on the cusp of challenging for promotion to the Premier League, and Rovers battling to avoid falling into the National League.

Despite this, though, new Bristol Rovers manager Steve Evans went on record following a 3-2 win over the Gas last season, while manager of Rotherham, that "there's an argument" to be made that if Rovers had the backing that their neighbours have had in recent years, they'd be up challenging where the Robins are.

"This is a wonderful football club," Evans said. "And anytime you come to Bristol Rovers, you should just remind yourself how good this club really is.

"For me, is it controversial to say they're the biggest club in Bristol? There's an argument about whether Bristol Rovers were playing in a new stadium and playing in the Championship, where their crowds were big. It's a special football club."

Whether the stats reflect Steve Evans' statement is a different topic altogether, but his comments will definitely help Rovers fans get behind him as he is announced as the new man in the dugout at the Memorial Stadium.

Bristol Rovers will hope that Steve Evans can have a similar impact there as he did at Stevenage

The last time that Steve Evans managed in League Two, he helped Stevenage promote back to League One after nine seasons in the fourth tier.

The campaign before that 2022/23 year saw Evans come in March with Boro just three points above the relegation zone, to keep the side up and then push on the year after.

With Evans only joining on a short-term contract, perhaps the 63-year-old will only be around for part one of that rebuild. However, if performances and results drastically get better over the second half of the campaign, he could be the man to try and lead the Gas back to League One.

It may be a long while until Rovers are recognised as the biggest team in Bristol, especially given City's improvement recently in the Championship, but right now, the focus is on ensuring that Bristol Rovers don't fall any further than they already have this year, and Steve Evans has a positive track record of doing just that.