Making sense of the chaos,
by Liam Hatton
There are a lot of ways I could take this week’s article after that humiliating 4-0 defeat last Saturday against Huddersfield Town. I could go full scorched Earth, laying into Ian Evatt, the players and everyone in between who was responsible for that showing - if you can even call it that.
What would it accomplish? There is no reason to get really personal and to start attacking the team. There are a lot of concerns and questions to be asked sure, but as long as there is a team that lines up on a Saturday then it would just be counterproductive.
This week has been predictably chaos though, with a lot of outrage on social media and even during the game last week. For the first time under Evatt’s reign have I seen fans leaving, whilst shouting across to the dugout. A toxic atmosphere if you will, with the voices of discontent increasing in tone.
Evatt spoke about how everyone needed to move on from Wembley and how that dark cloud was still lingering like a bad smell, only for him to mention it again following the Huddersfield game.
I am sorry, I am just a fan but I do not believe that the post Wembley hangover and how some fans are still hung up on this has contributed to Bolton’s tough start in a truly meaningful way. The players are paid to do a job at the end of the day, just as the coaching staff are there to lead.
The fans have turned up in their numbers again, and any atmosphere at home games has not been constant negativity. Players names have been chanted when needed, just as songs about Evatt have been prevalent too.
Put it simply, five games have been played in this League One campaign and already Matt Craddock, a former member of Evatt’s coaching staff who he himself authorised, has been released. There is also a potential change in captain and we have yet to see out September.
Talk about formation changes or tweaks, talk about negativity from fans all you want, but the problems lay beyond what some people say on social media about last season. This is a concerning and deep rooted problem if the changes identified now with the aim to improve Bolton’s fortunes were not looked at in the summer period.
Was it a case of too many cooks in the kitchen? Did Craddock go because he was not performing or is he the scapegoat to save face? I do not know, but you would have a hard time convincing me that the poor run of form since the turn of the year was solely on his shoulders.
You get the feeling it is now only a matter of when and not if Evatt will go. I mentioned it last week but once that toxicity from the fanbase creeps in, it is so tough to get them back on side.
I hope we turn it around, because I am always a Bolton Wanderers fan first and foremost. But it is a tall task, probably the toughest of Evatt’s Bolton career.
by Harry Crosland.
Amongst the controversial news that Matt Craddock has left his post, rumours began circulating this week that George Thomason is set to replace Ricardo Santos as club captain.
While this has been described pessimistically by some as “shuffling the chairs around the Titanic”, it is worth considering the merits of the decision.
Thomason evidently has a fantastic attitude. His rise from fringe player to regular starter, as well as his obvious physical development, speaks to his determination and drive to improve. It is understandable why the club may have identified these qualities as those of a potential captain; perhaps giving the armband to Thomason was a long term plan, hurried up the priorities list as a result of the Whites’ poor start.
Reported attempts to sign Liam Cooper, long-time Leeds United captain, might also hint at a view within the Wanderers camp that this squad needs an injection of leadership. Santos, a superb centre back at this level, is not a traditional captain in the way that Thomason has the potential to be.
There are legitimate concerns, however, that Thomason should not be an automatic pick for the starting 11, particularly given the depth of quality Bolton have in the centre of midfield. While Evatt has found a place for both this campaign, Kyle Dempsey - a player in a similar mould to Thomason - found himself largely on the periphery last season as the former Longridge Town man nailed down his place. There was no room for Aaron Morley either, who has since left on loan. There has been ample discourse recently regarding the Wanderers’ inadequacies from set pieces, including how they have suffered since Sam Hird - predecessor to the departing Craddock - left his role as first team coach. It seems to have gone under the radar though that the Whites look considerably less threatening from set plays since Morley’s game time became reduced. It doesn’t help the effort to score more from free kicks and corners when Bolton’s best deliverer of dead balls has had to seek more minutes elsewhere.
Thomason’s 23/24 ascent to first team regular, therefore, came at the expense of two players who had been key men just one season prior - he will have to hold off strong competition again this season to retain his place. Can you give the armband to someone who isn’t a guaranteed starter? This issue may be helped by Thomason’s attitude and work rate enabling the 23-year-old to play multiple positions in the future. His engine and eye for a long, lofted pass could even see him operate as an overlapping left back in a four-man defence one day – should Bolton switch to such a system.
Only those within the walls at Lostock will know how Santos reacted to news that they are considering passing on the armband. Evatt has spoken of “sharing the pressure”; let’s hope the Portuguese defender feels a weight has been lifted, rather than an insult thrown his way.
The long term impact of changing the captaincy is yet to be seen. Evatt, sailing close to the wind, needs the move to spark instant results and help steer the Wanderers into calmer waters.
By James Scott
Bolton’s humiliating 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Huddersfield is up there with the lowest of times during Ian Evatt’s reign.
I felt that after Saturday’s game, Evatt’s position in charge of Bolton was untenable, and that Wanderers would line up against Reading with a new boss, fresh ideas, and a line drawn under the first five games of the season.
And yet, once the dust settled and meetings were held behind closed doors, the decision was made to keep Evatt in charge. Backroom staff changes have been made, but the man at the helm remains the same.
There are two possible ways to approach this revelation – the first is that by simply shuffling around staff behind the scenes, Bolton will still look like the timid and ineffective side that has turned up for the majority of the season. The players looked to have given up by the time Antony Evans scored a farcical fourth goal for Huddersfield, and without an injection of new charisma and life, nothing will change for Bolton.
However, it is also possible to argue that the last time Evatt’s position became so precarious that it warranted backroom staff changes, the decision got Bolton promoted out of League Two. After Tobias Phoenix’s dismissal in December 2020, Wanderers went on a winning spree that saw them shoot from the depths of League Two all the way to automatic promotion.
Although more challenging to replicate in League One, the positive is that with 123 points still to play for, Bolton can right some of the wrongs from the opening games of the season, but the turnaround must be immediate.
For Ian Evatt, the realisation that the new system does not work must have set in by now. He must tear up the script and plans concocted in the summer, and try something completely new. Reverting back to three in midfield in key, making sure Josh Sheehan sits at the base of the triangle to get the most out of Bolton’s player of the season.
The problems arise with the realisation that Wanderers lack quality in wide areas, perhaps hindering their ability to play with a back four. A return for Gethin Jones would be welcome when the time comes, for his natural ability in a back four would suit him and Bolton. The obsession with shoehorning him into a back three cost Bolton promotion last season.
Dipping into the free agent market could also be an option for Wanderers. Without a natural left back in the team, signing a player like Tyler Blackett would provide Bolton with some flexibility.
Fans just want to something to cheer about. Bolton have been lethargic and painful to watch in the new season. For some of the best fans in the country, they deserve a team allowed to play with freedom and who fight for the badge. After some soul-searching, let us hope Ian Evatt will rip up the script, and change for the better.
By Lee Sidebotham
I’m not part of the Evatt out brigade, quite the opposite in fact. But things do need to change.
Words can easily be misconstrued, especially when under pressure or talking to the press. However, Evatt has remained consistent in stating we cannot change our style with the setup and players we have. Here’s why I respectfully disagree.
While I initially liked the new setup, overtime it simply hasn’t worked. I stated a few weeks ago that we have one of the strongest squads in the league and I stand by that despite the start we’ve had. Believing that our players can’t hack playing a different way is severally underestimating them.
It’s clear that playing two in midfield isn’t working. At times it’s seemed like we’ve had no midfield at all. Let’s go back to a three. This would open up more options for the likes of Dempsey and Matete, as well as allowing Sheehan to find more space and opportunity for creativity.
Many times this season our strikers have been tripping over each other in the final third, with Charles especially not looking suited to two playing alongside him. I’d go back to just two up front personally, matching the formation we played last year.
However, if we’re adamant in playing three in attack then let Collins play further left on the wing, just like he did at times for Bristol Rovers. Then stick McAtee on the right. Let Charles and Victor play in the middle, while Schon and Arfield can also play on the wings where they look highly more suited.
Obviously if we play with a three in both attack and midfield that would mean sacrificing someone in defence. As much as I favour the back three of Johnston, Toal and Santos, sometimes we need that extra body elsewhere. I’m sure Evatt will want to stick with his three against teams who will cause more of a threat like Birmingham. But against teams who play with every man behind the ball and on the break, which we always seem to struggle against, let’s use that extra man. Let’s not be afraid to play with a back four.
Finally, there’s playing out from the back. Baxter could have easily cleared that fourth goal we conceded against Huddersfield, but the insistence to always play out from the back once again cost us. There’s nothing wrong with playing that way. However, let’s not be afraid to play direct football when we need to. Allow the players to be expressive at times and trust their decision making. They have the quality. Evatt said after the game against the Terriers that we can’t play directly because our strikers aren’t built for that. But we saw once again how not playing the obvious ball cost us.
Tactical flexibility, it's the thing we’ve been talking about since the end of last season. I’m confident we have that within our team, we now just need to find it.
by Chris McKeown
Last weekend was a tough watch and hard to take.
What we witnessed was the exact opposite of what was required (and desperately needed).
We all hoped that a rejuvenated Wanderers team would turn up after the international break, refocused, with previous problems ironed out and a determined attitude to show another large crowd that the ‘blip’ was over.
Straight from the kick off, the fans did their best to boost the morale with 20,000 plus singing songs in support of the team and of Evatt. But the enthusiasm slowly waned as the match progressed and Bolton slowly became unstuck.
By the time the third goal was conceded the atmosphere had turned sour.
Perhaps even more indicative of the current situation, was that with full time approaching- no atmosphere was to be heard. Disgruntled voices had been replaced by rows of empty seats.
So what next?
Evatt seemingly has the support of the board and a back room reshuffle is rumoured to have took place (the Springtime root and branch review that happened after Wembley, seemingly needing some late Summer gardening maintenance!)
Last weekend’s post match interviews made the supporters wonder if Evatt had reached the end of the road. All routes out of this situation looked to be blocked off,
but after apparent board room talks , Sharon and Co may have offered Ian a slip lane to change the direction of our season.
We can only hope this decision pays off,
to turn this predicament around is no easy task… attitude, mood, and form are just the basics that have to be set straight .
The drum that I’ve been beating for a number of weeks is Confidence and Belief.
Ian Evatt mentioned himself on the radio that those are major factors towards our success and we currently have zero.
For me beyond anything else, to find the answer to this, is the absolute key.
One thing Evatt did say was that everyone’s head is scrambled, well perhaps he needs to strip away some of the finer detail in training and let the natural instinct come to the fore once more, until self belief returns?
One way or another, Ian must find a solution to this, he’s been given the opportunity to continue his plan for his long term objective, but right now, short term, we need points.
It’s going to be tough but we need the results, and almost as important, we need morale lifting.
I mentioned earlier that we need a route out of this mess, let’s hope the slip road away from this leads straight to the fast lane-
Otherwise, we may all need a hard shoulder to cry on.
by Becca Ashworth
It’s a shame football isn’t played by calendar years, really.
If it was, 2023 would have had us well in the mix for promotion. The Evatt-ball system was starting to flow and with record goalscoring tallies and enough clean sheets to hang a washing line, Wanderers were really starting to look like a force to be reckoned with.
Since January, however, the story has changed: Evatt is indeed right that his win percentage sits high for Bolton managers, but since January, his average has been hovering at a disappointing 1.53 points per game.
So, how did all the moving cogs in what was by now a well-oiled slot together to turn one of our best calendar years into what has felt like one of our worst?
It seems, for now, that blame in the backroom has been focussed on Matt Craddock, Bolton’s B Team turned first team coach, who has departed the club amidst the recent turn of bad form.
The timing of his appointment aligns with the downturn of results: he was appointed in November, having impressed immediately in his brief temporary stint in the role, before taking over full-time.
At the very least, Craddock’s departure reveals an acknowledgment of the timeline of Wanderers’ change in fortunes. However, whether this is a consequence of Craddock’s appointment or just his own bad luck remains to be seen.
Over the coming weeks, we will learn if Craddock’s departure has a significant impact, or if he was the scapegoat created by Evatt’s promised shifts in backroom staff. It seems to me that the problem runs deeper. That Craddock’s appointment may have factored into the system of shifting cogs.
Injuries are not a new problem, but have been especially haunting us since January. The injury issue could stem from a range of sources, be it training issues, or a sign of poor recruitment, another link to the turn of the new year. On paper, our squad names are excellent, but there’s no hiding from the injuries that have plagued some players, and over the months our team has tended to deplete.
But that’s no excuse either: other teams have been ravaged by injuries, yet have fought their way to promotion. Wanderers just missed out, but of course “just” counts for nothing this season.
What the injuries ultimately reveal is the glaring gulf at the heart of the problem: our failure to adapt. When injuries have overcome the squad, leaving us a skeleton of a squad, Evatt’s propensity for like-for-like reveals his unyielding tendency to force a square peg into a round hole, a problem that carries over into in-game substitutions.
When Evatt-ball works, it works, but this is its largest problem. Evatt has become comfortable – assured in his position and his gameplan. These defeats will act as a catalyst to change something: Craddock’s departure and a rumoured new captain reflect this. However, something has now become clear: if Evatt doesn’t find a way to adapt, then the club must.
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