IN eleven league games between September 28 and December 10, only Reading, Wrexham and Wycombe took more points than Wanderers, and yet the mood was far from a confident one.
Ian Evatt’s team had crept up the table, even dipping into the top six in late October, but any attempt to suggest progress was frequently thwarted by a lone result or performance, resetting the fan counter to zero.
Bolton had won five games, drawn one, and lost one of their previous seven before traveling to Stockport County on November 9. There had been glitches in the FA Cup and Vertu Trophy, but for the first time, the league standings provided solid evidence that the team could keep its pre-season promotion promise.
A 5-0 defeat is every bit as thorough as the result suggests. A team was ripped apart by Louie Barry’s deft movement and Ollie Norwood’s midfield direction. And, with hindsight, a body blow from which Evatt never recovered.
By that point, Wanderers had become accustomed to losing to local rivals, and doing so in this manner was bound to elicit a negative reaction. For those who were down by the Mersey that afternoon, the wrath that erupted from the away end was unlike anything we’d seen before.
Despite previous signs of dissatisfaction, including banners in the stands and calls for managerial change, this was a clear mandate. Wanderers’ younger players were visibly nervous as they walked towards the travelling supporters. Following the game, a meeting was held that excluded the coaching staff and manager.
George Johnston stepped out to meet with the local press and attempt to shift the blame away from Evatt, saying full responsibility should be shared by the players for what had happened that day.
While the discussion was going on, Evatt had also said his piece. And he hadn’t held back on what he saw as declining standards.
“We have had an honest conversation in there, which initially the players led, and it is about time they started telling each other the truth,” he joked. “It’s about time.
“There are certain individuals in there who are underperforming and not doing what it takes to be a professional football player on a daily basis. It is your responsibility to do the proper things.”
Not for the first or last time, he was asked if he would evaluate his own position.
“The minute I think enough is enough, I’ll say it,” he told me.
Following the defeat against Stockport, the team went on another five-game unbeaten streak, including three league victories.
Bolton’s unreliability seemed limitless. This was a team who overcame Peterborough United with a late Klaidi Lolos goal and Blackpool with a last-minute Aaron Collins score, both of which sparked wild celebrations at the Toughsheet Stadium.
But they were also capable of squandering points, as seen by Sulley Kaikai’s late header at Cambridge United, which earned a draw for 10 men in a game Bolton should have won comfortably.
Evatt let himself down after a 2-2 home draw with Shrewsbury, receiving a red card and a three-game suspension for “improper and/or violent behaviour” towards Shrews captain Morgan Feeney.
So he was in the stands as he faced serious criticism for what was perceived to be a poor tactical approach to the game at Birmingham City. Though the manager protested that at 1-0 down, his team should have equalized when John McAtee snatched a golden opportunity in front of goal, logic had long since been abandoned.
In short, it had taken on a personal dimension. Evatt believed that some of the reactions had gone too far, especially at a time when form appeared to be returning to normal. At that moment, reconciliation seemed unattainable.
“I am happy to be critiqued for my team selection, my tactics, the way we play, performances, all those things, but it shouldn’t go too far, when it does, I don’t think it’s right,” according to him. “Just because we are in the public eye doesn’t mean that we deserve to be treated that way.”
Relatively minor issues were becoming full-fledged debates. The appointment of Brett Ormerod, a former Blackpool player, as Craig Rowson’s assistant kitman briefly made headlines, with some calling it a nepotism move.
A period of calm broke out with a 3-1 victory over Mansfield Town, with three attackers – Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo, and John McAtee – all scoring. Following that, Aaron Collins would face Huddersfield Town twice in the Vertu Trophy competition.
Bolton fans were back-slapping and posing for cameras, and while talk of automatic promotion had faded into ‘play-offs’, there was a sense that all would be OK if the Whites won their next game, at home to Wigan Athletic.
Privately, Evatt understood the significance of a victory over his immediate neighbors.
“We are all competing on Saturday, and every single one of us needs to get the better of our direct opponents,” he added, igniting the enthusiasm of another 20,000-plus throng.
However, the Latics once again performed admirably. Dale Taylor and Theo Asgaard caused the damage, and calls for Evatt’s removal as manager intensified.
However, the Latics once again performed admirably. Dale Taylor and Theo Asgaard caused the damage, and calls for Evatt’s removal as manager intensified.
Any good jobs” target=”_blank”>work his team had performed in the preceding weeks lay unraveled, and worries about Evatt’s future were raised once more.
“You are talking to someone who has only taken 26 points in the last 13 games; I find it perplexing, to be honest, though I understand you have to do your job.
“The fans’ criticism is insulting and does not align with our results. The first four games, I can tolerate. I honestly agreed with the fans who booed them off at halftime, which made me feel quite bad.
“But to think I am not the man to take this club forward after everything I have given it is crazy.”
Four days after Wigan’s defeat, the board issued a rare statement backing the manager.
“As a board, we are not afraid to ask tough questions and challenge appropriately to ensure that we’re all playing our part to move this club forward,” Sharon Brittan told me.
“Despite some unfavorable results this season, we are still very much in contention for promotion. I am confident in Ian’s leadership and believe we are making good progress.
“His passion and vision for this club, along with the wider team of talented people at Bolton Wanderers, drive our shared commitment to take this club to the next level.”
Those with enough experience may have interpreted the chairman’s words as the feared vote of confidence, but suffice it to say, they were not what the majority of supporters wanted to hear.
The end of 2024 was rapidly approaching, and Evatt felt as if she had reached an intolerable scenario as the mood became toxic. This being Bolton, however, there would be room for one more dramatic shift.
Leave a Reply