Steve Evans wants his Bristol Rovers team to add consistency to their performances as the Gas get ready to travel to Salford City on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates have shown plenty of positives under the 63-year-old, who was appointed as the Pirates' Head Coach midway through December, but have not been able to string strong outings together over an extended period.
Narrow defeats to Bromley and Plymouth Argyle, and the emphatic win over Shrewsbury Town, displayed the Gas' threat in front of goal, with individuals shining in some games and the team in others.
However, after a frustrating fixture against Barnet and Colchester, Rovers will be looking to complete a league double over promotion hopefuls Salford. Speaking to the media, Evans previewed the upcoming match and delivered team news.
TRAINING THIS WEEK
“It’s been a brilliant week. I’ve said that we don't have enough time with the players, for educational reasons, to get on the grass. It’s been really good. The boys have worked double every day.
“We’ve put some ideas across, we're working on some things we've not been able to implement so far. It has to be said, it’s been new to them. That's a little bit surprising, but that happens. They seem to have grabbed it and enjoyed it, and that’s part of the procedures; we need them to work hard and enjoy it at the same time.
"I think it was a better man than I'll ever be who said Rome wasn’t built in a day. He was right. We’re not going to change everything overnight, but we have to improve some aspects of what’s going on on the pitch because we're losing too many football matches.
“It’s very difficult to win games at any level. So, what we want to do is little increments, and we're starting to see some of that, but not as a collective yet. So, we’re working hard on that."
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE
“We need to improve results. I think performances normally bring results, and I think that's been self-explanatory. Against Colchester, we never gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game, due to our own level of performance.
“If you don’t get your own level of performance right, you’re not going to win a game, whereas against Plymouth, Shrewsbury, we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. It doesn’t come off, but the performance normally brings that. We didn’t do that. So, I think we have to take away that inconsistency factor. We can't go from playing against Bromley to then playing against Barnet the way we did.
"You can't go from playing the way we did against Shrewsbury to turning up against Colchester and playing like that. Sometimes that belongs at the feet of players, but as a management team, you have a responsibility to work on that aspect as well, both on the grass and in a classroom situation."
TWO TOUGH AWAY GAMES
“Yeah. We’re up against two really good teams. Obviously, I’ve seen Salford at firsthand, going through in the cup against Swindon. Outstanding performance. Good manager, strong manager. A brilliant owner in Gary [Nevillie], they get their criticisms, but not from me. “I think it’s a good model. When you've got players like Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt around, I know they were great players, but they are good football people. So, Karl Robinson gets enormous help.
"Of course, then we go forward to MK Dons, who I’ll think about on Saturday night. Of course, Paul Warne, who I’ve had as a member of my staff for four years. So, I'm well-versed for both managers. I could probably name you what I believe the Salford team and what the MK Dons team would be, but that will only have relevance if we then do our jobs."
TEAM NEWS
"We've still got the same knocks and bruises we've had. The medical team and medical staff have been working every day, all around the clock, to try and get one or two available for selection for Salford. If they don't make Salford, it will be for MK Dons and if not, the following Saturday.
“We know we have two or three tough games coming up, including a big one against Newport, but we can only focus on one at a time."
