Indeed, a raft of departing players - most recently Ben Pringle - have spoken of Evans' ranting and raving in a negative light and his touchline antics (among other things) have earned the Scot an unfavourable reputation among opposition fans.
But there is unquestionably another side to Evans, the one players and fans perhaps don't see. He's often a warm and friendly figure before the microphones are switched on in his pre-match press calls, taking a genuine interest in reporters' well-being and his ability to regale stories and talk about current affairs in the game off-record is highly engaging. It's a million miles away from the figure he presents at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.
While Evans may rule through fear with some of his players, he takes a different approach to new signing Emmanuel Ledesma and it works a treat.
The former Middlesbrough man, who penned an initial one-year deal earlier this month following a successful loan spell last season, is a player who needs an arm around his shoulder and Evans is happy to oblige.
The Millers boss often speaks fondly about his two daughters, but following Ledesma's arrival, there's someone else who might start calling him 'dad'.
"The manager can get the best out of me because he understands me," Ledesma said. "He understands what I need. Some other coaches don't understand me. They don't give me that confidence.
"Steve is like a father to me. He's helped me a lot. He puts his arm round me and says nice words. He says 'you can take all the free-kicks, you can do everything, you can do it'.
"And he tells me he's saying that to me because he knows I can do it. At Middlesbrough, I gave my all but I didn't feel that confidence from the manager. I am so happy because Steve trusts me. If I miss a chance, he'll try to help me.
"I really enjoyed my time at Rotherham. I had a smile every day on the pitch, I played games and I felt so happy.
"The players, manager and the fans gave me confidence."
Ledesma finds himself in an enviable position of arriving at a club not having to prove himself, following his seven-game loan spell last season.
The Argentinian showed enough in glimpses to suggest he will add flair and creativity to the Millers outfit this year.
And assistant boss Paul Raynor is delighted to have him in the ranks.
"Manu has got that flair. Everyone saw that with him coming in for that month or six weeks last year.
"It culminated with us having a really good period in the season alongside the likes of Tom Lawrence, Reece James and Scott Wootton. I think everyone saw what Manu can do.
"But the nice thing about Manu is that he is such a nice character to have around. He's a hard worker; to say he has all the technical ability and flair, we have got him grafting.
"He certainly had options to go elsewhere. But the nice thing was that he was looked after here. He loved being here and the fans really warmed to him and I know there's been a good response from the fans with his signing.
"He comes in every day with a smile on his face. He's a lovely kid and if he is out there playing well, he will always have a smile on his face, so we're delighted to get him.
"If we can get good quality players of the quality of Manu working hard with our work ethic we always demand from our players, then that bodes well."
