Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt gets Phil Brown backing

The former Bolton assistant and club captain, currently in charge at Kidderminster Harriers, was speaking on BBC Radio Manchester ahead of Tuesday night’s 3-1 win against Mansfield Town.

Evatt has come under fire from sections of the fanbase at various stages since the play-off final defeat in May and has also talked publicly about unacceptable abuse which has been aimed at himself and his players.

Earlier this week he claimed his team had not been given credit for their recent form, which has produced eight wins from the last 12 league games.

Brown said: “That is the reality, they haven’t had a bad start, and the noise that is out there, he has got to try and silence it. People tell you, no matter what level it is, if you silence your critics you are playing good football, if you silence your critics you are winning games of football.

“The bottom line is that Ian Evatt is winning enough games of football to be at the right end of the division at the moment.

“He is also on his 250th game, do me a favour, that is fantastic at a club like Bolton Wanderers. It is brilliant.

“He is doing something right, and what I mean by that is, if the noise isn’t coming out of the boardroom, then you are doing a decent job.”

Evatt has said he will try and shield his players from any negativity which is circulating around the club, which moved into seventh spot with their midweek win.

But he also accepts that he may never win over some of his fiercest critics on the terraces and that the promotion push he hopes to make in the final 30 games of the campaign may have to be attempted without a majority support.

Brown feels the Bolton boss deserves a fair crack of the whip.

He said: “Where Ian is concerned he wears his heart on his sleeve, nothing wrong with that, he doesn’t explain himself too much because he doesn’t want the opposition to understand the tactics he is using but every supporter at Bolton Wanderers now seems to be questioning his team selection, questioning the way they are playing, and I think it’s bang out of order to a certain extent.

“Surely, he has earned his stripes? He wouldn’t have 250 games under his belt if he hadn’t earned his stripes. Let’s cut the guy some slack, show him some respect.

“He has got a promotion under his belt, I understand the supporters are disappointed they missed out on the play-offs but at the same time all he can do is step up to the plate the following season.”

Pete Wild believes it is too early to judge Ian Evatt and Bolton Wanderers this season (Image: PA)

Evatt also found some backing in former Oldham and Barrow boss Pete Wild, who feels supporters should not be in a rush to judge.

“It is about putting points on the board, don’t worry about league positions at the moment,” he said.

“Ian is bang on, if they win their games in hand they are in the play-offs.

“Just put points on the board and don’t start the charge too early. The league is so tight every team can beat everybody but every time I hear Ian I think his messaging has been consistent.

“I appreciate fans’ frustrations and talking about systems of play and that they were better off last year – but that’s last year’s table, last year’s squad. Everything is on different merits and demands different things.

“League One is a far better league this year, I think, look how tight the table is at the moment.

“Judge him after 46 games, not 18 games.”