Cardiff City backed to appoint 43-year-old manager that can be a "rough diamond" | OneFootball

Ian Evatt was sacked by Bolton this season after a poor run of form, but is a favourite to land the Cardiff gig

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Former Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt has been linked with the vacancy at recently relegated Cardiff City.

Football League World exclusively revealed earlier this week that Evatt, along with former Oxford United boss Des Buckingham, are two names in the frame for the Bluebirds’ job.

The Welsh side are looking to appoint a new head coach after former boss Omer Riza was sacked towards the end of the season, with interim manager Aaron Ramsey seemingly ruling himself out of the race.

We asked our Cardiff Fan Pundit, Matt, whether he’s happy with the prospect of Evatt being the Bluebirds’ next manager.

Evatt an acceptable appointment at Cardiff

Speaking to Football League World, Matt said: “I'm quite satisfied with the Ian Evatt rumour myself.

“I look at his time at Bolton, and it's very easy to go off how it ended rather than how it started.

“I believe when he started, they basically had no first team players, and they were in League Two, hit more or less rock bottom, and he picked them up off the floor, got them playing in a really entertaining way and basically built the club back up to where it is now.

“Obviously, the marker on him is that he wasn't able to get them over the line, but realistically, if he had got them over the line, would he really be in the conversation for the job here?

“I think we've got have a tad bit of realism. We're not going to get the perfect manager. We're not in the Championship anymore.

“Maybe this is going to have to be someone that's a bit of a rough diamond and not quite there, but in the right conditions, we feel it would be a good suit.

“And, you know, he's adaptable, he plays a three at the back, which I think would suit our younger defenders a little bit more, and he wants to play with the ball on the floor and possession and attacking football, which in League One, with the side that we've got, which is generally better than everyone else's, you'd probably be wanting that kind of football and it probably will get the best out of most of our players.

“Now, is there a sense that maybe Bolton overplayed at times, and it was their downfall at times? Possibly, and our fans are not the most patient with that kind of football, especially if it's slow.

“But I think if we were to get results doing it, then I think fans would welcome it, because realistically, the only reason our fans are against it is because whenever we've tried to play it, we've tended to lose.

“So, it's a good time to try. Would he be my number one choice on the shortlist of supposedly 10 people? Probably not, but I would not, equally, be disappointed by the appointment.”

Evatt knows about dealing with adversity

The mood right now at Cardiff is low, following the club’s drop into the third tier for the first time in over 20 years.

Regardless of what Bolton fans may feel following the way Evatt’s time ended with the Trotters, he proved there that he can be the man to turn to when the chips are down.

There will be natural suspicion given his difficulties in getting Bolton’s League One promotion over the line, but a new environment with a fresh set of players and structure above him may be all Evatt needs to click back into gear.

Bolton, before Evatt’s departure this season, were regulars in and around the promotion spots; there’s little doubt the 43-year-old will have Cardiff fighting in the same way if appointed.