Bolton Wanderers still have to banish Wembley 'dark clouds'

For all the talk of parking the subject and moving on, the play-off final defeat against Oxford United at Wembley back in May has somehow found its way into most conversations over the last three months where Bolton’s footballing fortunes are concerned.

Just a week ago, as he looked optimistically towards the prospect of a cleansing international break after a midweek trophy win at Barrow, Evatt maintained that we should all stop talking about it and focus on the future.

And yet on Saturday evening, unprompted, the Bolton boss maintained that the “black cloud” of post-Wembley negativity had been gnawing away, inside and outside the camp, contributing to what has been a deeply unsatisfactory start to the League One season.

Some supporters took a dim view of the manager’s sentiments, taking them to mean that they were somehow being made scapegoats for failure on the pitch. Evatt has unquestionably been hurt by some of the more personal remarks and calls for his head of late, labelling them “a bit disrespectful,” but he has never questioned the loyalty of the fanbase. His brashness in press conferences may not be to everyone’s taste but he is not about to go completely rogue.

Fifteen years ago, one of his predecessors, Gary Megson, barked back at abusive chants he had received in a 2-2 draw at Blackburn Rovers, branding those responsible “pathetic”.

Nowadays, the contents of Megson’s rant at Ewood Park look positively tame but it remains a PR case study in why it is sometimes best to hold your tongue, and it effectively spelled the end for him back in the day.

Unlike the erstwhile Ginger Mourinho, who had never felt a comfortable fit in the post-Sam Allardyce age, Evatt has generally been well backed on the terraces. His name was chanted early in the game against Huddersfield and even in the Wild West of social media over the weekend, there were still occasional messages of support poking up above those expressing anger, frustration and wanting to see changes made.

It was the same situation in the long wake after Wembley. The sheer volume of supporters who paid to watch the game and share the same emotional low meant the combined reaction was always likely to be more intense than a normal defeat. With no football to vent that feeling for a few months, and precious little transfer activity early in the summer to divert attention, the upset laid dormant online until given a first opportunity to manifest in real life.

Bolton desperately needed to start the season on a positive note and did so with a narrow win at Leyton Orient, but the backslide over the last few fixtures has been swift and pronounced, as has the rush of pent-up feelings now spilling out into the ether. What felt like the pitter-patter raindrops of unrest when chances went begging against Wrexham gradually grew into a heavy shower against Exeter and a full-on storm against Huddersfield. Evatt won’t want to pile undue pressure on the forthcoming Reading game but is unlikely to have a choice in the matter.

What type of environment awaits on Saturday remains to be seen.

Season tickets had already been on sale for a couple of months by the time the play-off final came and went, so it is not entirely true to say the bumper attendances seen in the first few home games of the current campaign have been totally in spite of the Wembley defeat. But the positive atmosphere generated towards the players and Evatt since August at the start of matches has definitely been to the fans’ great credit.

Bolton faithful supporters have never been shy about expressing their frustration or unhappiness, but they have always given the team a fair crack of the whip, appreciating effort above all else, and will surely do so this weekend when Reading come to town looking to capitalise on any vulnerability.

Home fans have, however, drawn a line when Wanderers’ performance has dipped to an unacceptable level, and while most voted with their feet and simply left the building on Saturday well before the end, the message was still loud and clear.

It is important to note that the “Black Cloud” has not necessarily hung over the Toughsheet Stadium before every game, it has been allowed to gather after the first whistle has blown, accelerated by under-performance and a team looking bereft of confidence. Evatt is not entirely to blame – and better performances in the cup competitions have at least hinted at the fact his players are capable of more – but he is worldly-wise enough to know where the buck stops in this scenario.

Psychologically, Wanderers need to show that they deal with playing in front of 20,000 expectant supporters who demand that their team end their longest spell outside the top two divisions for more than 30 years. For all the positive work done by Football Ventures, by Evatt and by many of his players, simply challenging in League One cannot ultimately be considered success.

Back in the summer the message had clearly gone out within the club that the previous year’s bravado should be dialled down. It bubbled up occasionally, especially among new signings eager to show their ambition, but Evatt and most of the players who had been involved in last season’s near miss seemed to want to be judged on their actions. The top two was rarely mentioned, nor was the play-off final, just a general consensus that improvement would get them to where they wanted to be.

Wembley was addressed briefly in a team meeting at the start of the Portugal warm weather training trip but there has been no huge inquest, at least inside the walls of Lostock. At board level, Sharon Brittain launched what she called a “root and branch” review to see what parts of the business were lacking, and which needed reinforcing. The jury is out on the success of that exercise too.

Perhaps if this team and club is to find blue skies above once again, then it could be worth flying straight into the black cloud once more, drilling down to see if there are fundamental issues which are stopping Bolton fulfilling their potential?

Supporters demand better, and they deserve it too.