Former Rotherham striker Alex
Revell says that Steve Evans got results at the club by "wanting everyone
to hate him".
Revell, who left the Millers
in January, has joined up on loan with Wigan until January after struggling for
game time at Cardiff.
That means he is back in League One for the first time since heroics for the
Millers in the memorable 2013-14 campaign, which culminated in his two-goal
Wembley heroics.
Former boss Evans
masterminded that success by
building a team that was underpinned by a fighting spirit.
And Revell believes it was a fear-factor bred by Evans which instilled that spirit.
"We achieved
back-to-back promotions with Rotherham, and winning games breeds
confidence," the 32-year-old said in a guest column in the Wigan Evening
Post.
"Under Steve Evans,
there was a fear factor. You knew you had to work hard or you wouldn’t be at
the club any more.
"Not just you wouldn’t
be in the team – you wouldn’t be at the club any more.
"Listen, he is what he
is. He’s a character, but no-one can argue with his CV.
"It takes a certain type
of player to deal with him – some players can’t deal with that, some can.
"You know that if you’re
not the kind of player that can, then you’re not going to be there for very
long.
"He liked players who
would work hard, give him everything, and leave nothing behind. That was
what it was like at Rotherham. We had 11 players who would do that.
"He wants everyone to
hate him. That’s what he enjoys. It’s a siege mentality, but it works for
him. Sometimes he’d go off his rocker a bit, but it’s worked.
"He’s a different type
of manager to what some people would like. But if I was an owner and I
wanted to get results, his CV speaks for itself."
Revell's move to the DW Stadium - the ground where he scored his last Millers goal - sees a reunion with Craig Morgan.
Former skipper Morgan left
New York Stadium in the summer after a dramatic u-turn and Revell is looking
forward to seeing a friendly face.
"It’s also great to be
back working alongside Craig Morgan, my old mate from Rotherham," he said.
"He’s a real leader and
someone you know you can rely on week in week out.
"For him to come here
was a great move for him, and he hasn’t had a bad word to say about the club or
the town.
"I’ve been speaking to
him quite a lot while this move was happening, and he was nothing but positive.
"It’s obviously nice to
have that friendly face here, but obviously you play with and against a lot of
players over the years and I know a few of the lads here."
