Opinion: Bolton Wanderers don't need words, just actions now

The reaction to a 4-0 home defeat against neighbouring Wigan Athletic has been suitably acerbic. No Bolton supporter was ever going to let that score-line pass by without comment.

But in among all the brickbats aimed at Ian Evatt and his team this weekend, a common theme has emerged, with many asking if the manager, his captain Ricardo Santos, or anyone else who took the field for that matter dropped the ball by not issuing an apology to the paying public?

The short answer is probably, no.

While some lip-service may have spared one or two players a savaging on social media, it would have served little purpose. Watching any football team comes with the caveat that it might spoil your day, week, month… Ricardo Santos did volunteer to face the press after the game. And let it be noted for the record that many would have passed on the opportunity. But the defender genuinely felt the poor show had been a bolt from the blue, exaggerated by the fact that everything Wigan hit turned to goals.

Some would disagree with his assessment and argue that the defeat was symptomatic of a wider problem against teams who successfully disrupt Wanderers’ rhythm, or worse still, that despite lifting a trophy at Wembley last season this is not a team for the big occasion.

Regardless of how much contrition Evatt or Santos had shown in the post-match interviews, those arguments would have rumbled on. Indeed, they won’t disappear completely even with a win at Burton this weekend. Changing minds in these parts takes a lot longer than that.

Wanderers have been here before and, for some, that is the problem.

When Wigan last came to Bolton in October 2021, inflicting the same damaging score-line, Evatt looked for an immediate reaction at Plymouth Argyle – a night which went down in folklore as stormy in every sense of the word.

Back then the club captain, Antoni Sarcevic, had been pilloried for his performance against the Latics, one which in his defence did come at a time when he was nursing an ankle problem. He was unceremoniously dropped to the bench against his former club in the driving rain at Home Park and introduced with half an hour to go.

Less than 24 hours later he was publicly stripped of the captaincy and sold to then-National League Stockport County amid rumours of a big dressing room bust-up with his manager.

Ironically, the man who inherited the captain’s armband the following day has also come under fire, albeit for different reasons.

Santos took on the captain’s mantle at a time when Evatt’s team had yet to settle into their stride in League One and was one of only three players – George Thomason and Josh Sheehan the others – involved in both Wigan defeats.

The big centre-half has been voted into the divisional team of the year in each of his three seasons at Bolton and has always been a man who leads more by example than by instruction. Behind the scenes, younger players in the squad have regularly cited his advice and guidance, while Evatt noted only last week that he was looking more comfortable in a leadership role after a strong start to the season.

Then Saturday happened.

Santos’s role as captain has come under scrutiny, deemed in some quarters as not being demonstrative enough. Few folk – though they do exist – seem to have issue with the defender in a footballing sense but they would be happier if he berated his team-mates more often.

The old-fashioned skipper, full of gestures and spittle, has been ebbing out of the game for some time. Nowadays they are a rarity, especially with the level of technical proficiency that Bolton demand from their players. As Evatt rightly said, anyone with both the mentality and the technique is not playing in League One.

It has been a tough few days for the Wanderers boss but those who suggest he is blind to the deficiencies in his team might be surprised. He knows his squad can struggle to pick themselves up for the more passionate games – Wembley aside – and tries to bridge the gap.

Back in his playing days the Bolton boss came through the ranks at Derby County under the great ‘Bald Eagle’ Jim Smith. The mid-90s don’t feel that long ago to some of us – especially this writer – but in so many ways the game has changed beyond recognition.

Many younger players no longer respond positively to the shouter and baller. Evatt saw the change during a 20-year playing career and when you tackle him on the subject – no pun intended – you can see he understands what traits have dropped out of the game, for better or worse.

George Thomason has shown signs of possessing that throw-back attitude, which explains why Bristol City fancied taking him to the Championship for a seven-figure fee earlier in the month. Evatt knows, however, that he must bring more resilience out of the squad he has built if they are to challenge for the top spots. Make no mistake, these are questions that the manager is asking of himself.