Who needs a prince when you already have a king?

Sheffield United may have a prince but Rotherham has its very own king.
Steve EvansSteve Evans
Steve Evans

That is the view of Rotherham United manager Steve Evans, whose Millers side welcome the Blades tomorrow at the New York Stadium for a League One sell-out derby.

While the Blades have grabbed the headlines this week after Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – a member of the wealthy Saudi Arabia royal family – bought a 50 per cent stake in Bramall Lane, Evans believes his chairman, Tony Stewart, is the ‘King of Rotherham’.

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Stewart has invested £30m over the last five years to transform the Millers.

From Don Valley Stadium tenants languishing in League Two, to a stunning New York Stadium and ambitions on reaching the Championship after promotion last term.

“They’ve got Prince Abdullah, we have King Tony Stewart,” enthused Evans. “I think Sheffield United fans will welcome Prince Abdullah. As fans, you support the club, and you want the best players possible on the pitch.

“It’s great not only for Sheffield United, but South Yorkshire football. It brings investment to a huge football club and there can only be spin-offs if there’s money in the game.

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“They (the Prince and Stewart) will meet, enjoy the game, and then hopefully talk about what happened on the pitch.

“Not about what’s surrounding the pitch, not about investments, but what’s happened on the pitch between 3pm and 4.55pm.

“Our stadium is fit for a king and he sits in it every game, the chairman.”

Stewart has seen his team make an unbeaten start to life in League One – two wins and three draws – to sit in the play-off places.

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Conversely, the Blades have won once in five and have struggled to adapt under new manager David Weir.

Not that Evans is guilty of being complacent after the first month of the season.

“This is one of the games which we looked for at the start of the season. They are such a big and powerful club,” he said.

“Derbies are all about results, because it’s about supporters. But you only get three points for beating Sheffield United, you don’t suddenly get six, and we shouldn’t forget that.

“We have to take our heart and soul is in the game, the players know what it’s all about, but we have to make sure they play with their heads, not their hearts.”