Bolton Wanderers surely have to look at Ian Evatt alternatives after Wigan Athletic embarrassment | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers should consider sacking manager Ian Evatt after their 2-0 home defeat to local rivals Wigan Athletic.

Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt is under increasing pressure after his side's 2-0 defeat at home to local rivals Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

Evatt has been in charge of Bolton since the summer of 2020, and after guiding them to promotion from League Two in his first season, his side have competed at the top of League One for the past few years.

Wanderers have made year-on-year progress in every season under Evatt so far, and that continued as they finished third last term, but they suffered heartbreak as they were beaten 2-0 by Oxford United in the play-off final at Wembley.

The defeat was the Trotters' second consecutive play-off disappointment, and after a busy summer transfer window that saw the arrivals of the likes of Chris Forino, Szabolcs Schon, Klaidi Lolos and John McAtee, Evatt was expected to deliver automatic promotion this time around.

However, Bolton have made an inconsistent start to the season, and they currently sit eighth in the table, 12 points behind second-placed Birmingham City and 13 points behind leaders Wycombe Wanderers, meaning the top two already seems out of reach.

Home defeats against Wigan have been a recurring theme for Wanderers in recent years, and after the latest embarrassment on Saturday, some supporters have called for Evatt to be sacked, with many left frustrated by his post-match interview.

Ian Evatt comments will no doubt anger Bolton Wanderers supporters

With an increasing number of supporters questioning his position, Evatt hit out at what he described as a "pile on" after the defeat against Wigan, and he issued a passionate defence of his record at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

When asked if he believes he has taken the club as far as he can, Evatt told The Bolton News: "It is an easy question make on the back of that, isn’t it?

"But you are talking to someone who has won more than 50 per cent of his games at this football club, more than anybody else, you are talking to someone who has just taken 26 points from the last 13 games.

"I find that question baffling, to be honest, although I know you have got to do your job.

"This pile-on from the fans, and it is a pile-on, is disrespectful and it isn’t what our results… The first four games, great, this, I can accept, I actually agreed with the fans booing them off at half time and I felt really down and low about that.

"But to think that I am not the man to take this club forward after everything I have given this club is crazy. And it is not something that I can change, I can just focus on myself and what I am trying to do.

"It is becoming an issue, clearly."

Evatt is absolutely right to point out his record during his time at Bolton, and he did make some valid points in his post-match interview.

After suffering three consecutive defeats against Charlton Athletic, Exeter City and Huddersfield Town earlier in the season, Wanderers have lost just three of their last 13 league games, so as Evatt says, there has been a clear improvement.

However, the Trotters have still had some poor results in that time, such as draws against relegation-threatened Shrewsbury Town and Cambridge United, as well as a comprehensive 5-0 defeat at Stockport County, and it was another damaging afternoon for Evatt on Saturday.

Bolton were beaten 4-0 at home by Wigan in each of the last two seasons, so the margin of the defeat was not as big on this occasion, but Wanderers have now failed to win any of their last nine games against the Latics.

However, chairman Sharon Brittan will be more concerned by the fact that the Trotters have lost further ground on the automatic promotion places, and with Evatt criticising supporters after the game, the situation is becoming increasingly toxic.

Brittan gave Evatt her backing in the summer after missing out on promotion, and she even allowed him to restructure his coaching staff in September following the poor start to the season, with first-team coach Matt Craddock leaving the club.

As Evatt has shares in Football Ventures, the company that owns Bolton, parting company with him could potentially be complicated, but Brittan would surely have expected more at this stage of the season, particularly after giving him a bigger budget in the summer.

Things could get worse before they get better for Evatt with a trip to high-flying Wycombe to come on Friday night, and if he is unable to turn his side's fortunes around over the busy festive period, Brittan may need to seriously consider a managerial change.