16:45:00
Millers boss Steve Evans says Roos critics "don't know about football"
Rotherham
boss Steve Evans has come out in defence of goalkeeper Kelle Roos for the
second time in a week and claimed his detractors “don’t know about football”.
After
coming under heavy fire for his debut performance in last weekend’s 4-1 home
defeat to MK Dons, Roos was again the subject of fierce criticism from
supporters for his display in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Nottingham Forest.
Despite
making several fine saves, Roos appeared to be at fault for Forest’s winner as
he could only push Chris Burke’s cross on to the bar, with Michail Antonio
following up.
However,
Evans stood by his goalkeeper again, just as he did after the Dons loss, and suggested
that left-back Joe Mattock was responsible for the goal.
“If
Joe Mattock is a little bit fitter he closes the boy down and he doesn’t get the
opportunity to pick his cross,” Evans claimed.
“Kelle
sees Joe not closing him so he goes to his near stick and that’s what does him
really. If Joe had have gone, Kelle’s position would have been perfect, but he
was on the back foot tries to get it over and doesn’t.
“But
I’m not blaming the kid for that, if you have a fitter left-back, in terms of
match fitness that is, then he would have closed the cross down.
“We
don’t blame anybody for our goals, we take it as a collective and move on.
“There
was not any heat from me, there is heat from people who don’t know about
football.
“He
is a top goalkeeper, the supporters have seen him make several saves in the second half.
“His
distribution in the main was good, he’s collected every corner that has come in
the box. There’s no heat from me, he’ll play against Preston on Tuesday.”