Chairman Paul Scally has stated that Steve Evans is set to become Gillingham’s next manager on June 1st.
The former Peterborough United manager has been tipped to take over at Priestfield since Steve Lovell’s departure a few games before the end of the season.
Having been seen in and around the club for the past few months, Evans’ appointment will come as no real surprise, but won’t necessarily be popular among the Gillingham faithful.
Paul Scally confirmed his desire to bring in Evans with the plan for him to start work on Saturday 1st June:
“Steve is no fool, and neither am I to be fair, he is aware of comments against him from some supporters, about his reputation, about what people are saying about his past, but I would never entertain the prospect of bringing in a manager whom I thought was wrong for the Club, and although no manager comes with guarantees I can categorically say that Steve Evans is by far the best candidate for the role I have seen, and I intend to appoint him as Club Manager, he will commence his role on June 1st .
“Steve has had good success as a Manager in the past and I fully expect him to bring us success both on and off the field, working within our budgets. He also had a successful career in commercial business before his time in football, so he is well balanced in how business works and the needs to increase revenue from non- football related activities.”
“Steve will be a big asset to this Club in my view, he wants fans to get to know him before totally writing him off, to understand his vision, and his passion. As such we have convened a fans “open night” on Tuesday 4th June (7.30pm – 9.30pm) inside the Great Hall.”
“You may just be surprised by what you hear. It will be an “open mic” event, but you will also be able to write down your questions on the night if you prefer, no names needed. If you can’t attend you can email your questions to our media team – [email protected].”
The appointment of Evans will surely be a gamble by Scally as he looks to secure promotion back to the Championship. Will it pay off? Only time will tell…