The investigation has been opened into Bolton Wanderers’ season and where exactly the club is heading after two failed spells in the play-offs.
The anger among supporters has not diminished after a defeat to Oxford United that cut much deeper than the 2-0 scoreline suggested.
The bravado, the confidence, the Stone Roses soundtrack and the post-Barnsley beers have all given way to a brooding frustration and the hunt for responsibility seems set to continue for a while yet.
Ian Evatt has sparked the conversation about his own future with his words straight after the match, or more specifically his unwillingness to confirm that any remedial work that needs to be done this summer will be carried out by him, and him alone.
There have been times over the past ten months when criticism has not gone down well with the Bolton boss, either from the media, supporters or the more anonymous corners of social media. But Saturday’s humbling defeat appears to have declared open season, and his response to it could well determine what happens in the coming weeks.
Make no mistake, Evatt’s stock is high. Although sections of the Bolton support have questioned his sentiments, his character, his playing style, his record as a manager and the fact that his team has improved his fortunes in each of the four seasons he has been in charge. not usual. in football, nor should we lose respect for what he has given to the club.
The game can be cruel. Norwich City sacked David Wagner within hours of their play-off semi-final defeat to Leeds United in the Championship, but such knee-jerk behavior would be completely out of character for Bolton’s owners. Their confidence in Evatt – so passionately expressed as part of her speech in Parliament last week by Speaker Sharon Brittan – is extremely strong.
Any change at the top would almost certainly come from Evatt’s own interpretation of the situation. If he thinks this is the time to step away, then he deserves his flowers. If he can document what he believes needs to be changed, then he also deserves a chance.
But make no mistake, by missing out on promotion in successive seasons, little mercy will be given if things don’t go to plan from August against a League One squad with some formidable opponents.
Phil Parkinson is back at Wrexham, Stockport will provide a new dose of local rivalry, Wigan may have a different financial structure but have a manager in Shaun Maloney who has excelled in difficult circumstances, while Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town have appointed some course specialists in Michael Duff and Steve Evans. And that’s not even mentioning the ultra-dangerous Peterborough United, the ever-improving Charlton Athletic, or the ever-clumsy Barnsley.
Evatt needs to identify exactly what is missing, and you could say this will mean a major overhaul of his first team.
Since there are very few players without a contract, it is not an easy decision. Strikers Cameron Jerome and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson are due this summer, as are loan players such as Zac Ashworth, Calvin Ramsay and Nat Ogbeta.
Paris Maghoma won’t be within reach now that Bolton has failed to reach the championship, which is another bitter pill to swallow.
There are players within the team who believe they should play at a higher level. Strikers Aaron Collins and Dion Charles are two examples, but the uncomfortable truth for Bolton is that agents will try to take their clients out of League One if they can because that is the way of things.
Wanderers remain a big club in this tar pit of a division, but regardless of fanbase, history and feel-good story, there are no divine rights. Like Evatt, there may be players who have to make choices based on their careers.
Will they ever get a better chance than Saturday? You can only hope.
Solving the puzzle is certainly not easy. But perhaps the first step to redemption is realizing that this group of players has shown too often that they cannot be trusted in the highest pressure situations?
That accusation has been leveled at Ian Evatt several times this season, usually with some resistance. On Saturday the photo was presented to him again, but this time with little resistance.
Bolton were denied automatic promotion this season as they failed to perform at Portsmouth, and they also failed to show the necessary ruthlessness at home against Pompey. They lost a game at Derby despite dominating, burned themselves at Reading, were wasteful at Exeter, sloppy at Stevenage, woeful at home to Carlisle and Wigan.
It’s easy to dismiss individual disappointments as “one-offs,” but over the course of an entire season, it’s easier to identify traits and trends. And in this writer’s opinion, the mentality of this team is not yet strong enough to get out of League One.
Almost every club can point to an injury sob story and Bolton will say that after entering 2024 in a strong position at the top of the league, the loss of Nathan Baxter, Dion Charles, Ricardo Santos, Carlos Mendes Gomes et al. used to be. blow. George Johnston has not kicked a ball competitively this season and his absence has been just as significant.
Unhappiness is relevant. But that also applies to law. From the moment last year’s play-off semi-final was over, it was made abundantly clear that a top two finish was the aim, and the overconfidence within Bolton’s squad has rarely diminished since.
When Barnsley were defeated in this season’s play-offs, the sense of relief prompted an on-field invasion of the supporters and scenes of celebration among the players, which were picked up by the TV cameras. Those words, those images were used as ammunition by Des Buckingham in the run-up to the final, so in retrospect it now feels like a mistake.
The appetite for bloodshed shows no signs of abating. Fans are understandably angry that such a golden opportunity was blown before the nation’s eyes.
Every player could be marched in front of the cameras to offer a sincere apology, but in reality would that make a difference? Of course not.
This is a major misstep. It doesn’t have to be final and while emotions are raw right now, this won’t diminish the hope and optimism when we get back to work in August.
But there is also a need for answers, for action. This wasn’t bad luck.
If Evatt and his team are really as good as they bill themselves for, they need to find the missing ingredient and add it quickly.