Mansfield Town

The manager kick-started his reign with a 3-1 victory over Crawley Town at the weekend thanks to a brace from midfielder Chris Clements and an acrobatic finish from striker Pat Hoban.

And after seeing his charges play with a high-tempo against the Reds on Saturday, Evans says it is important that they continue to implement the changes he makes on the training ground. 

“When you come in to a football club and you’ve got such a big job to do, the one thing that I was very clear [with] on Saturday is the players have got lots and lots to learn here,” Evans said at this morning's news conference.

“We’ve got some talented boys. I don’t think there’s any doubt as we go forward we’ll be adding to it (the squad). What we add will be dependent on them. I would love nothing more than saying to the chairman and the chief exec, ‘we’re good to go as we are’.

“We’ve got a lot of raw ingredients that we need to harness and we just need to get a little bit more in to them. Can I call it streetwise? That’s one of the characteristics and two, [they need to be] a little bit tactically more aware of what they’re going to play against. We’re going to furnish them with information but not overload it, so it’s a fine balance. 

“We may change one or two little things. It’ll be nothing major of course, we don’t have time to do that. This will be a lot different when we go to January and that doesn’t mean players, that means just how we do things. 

“We’re almost trying to bring a structure in to the football club around the team. We’re trying to bring a structure in that takes this club to having standards that can operate in League One and the Championship.”

The Stags’ chief expects Blackpool to pose a different challenge when they visit One Call Stadium tomorrow evening (7.45pm kick-off) but says all of his focus will be on his own squad. 

“It won’t be what Blackpool do tomorrow night that determines whether they win the game or not, it will be about what Mansfield Town do. Do we get our game-plan right, do we get our tactics right on the training ground? 

“I heard a wonderful interview with Jurgen Klopp and I just wonder whether he’s stolen it from me! Last year when I said 95 percent on a Saturday at three o’clock is (about) the players. The head coach and the manager can affect very little other than at half-time when you become 95 percent important."

The former Leeds United manager revealed that defender Lee Collins is 'doubtful' for tomorrow's clash with the Tangerines, whilst fellow defender Kyle Howkins will also be missing with a knee injury which he picked up in training last week. Midfielder Kevan Hurst and long-term absentee George Taft (both hamstring) will also sit out tomorrow evening's match.

Meanwhile, defender Alex Iacovitti will serve the second of his three-match suspension.

Supporters can view Steve Evans’ news conference later today, in full, on Stags PlayerHD.