Recent Ian Evatt comments do Bolton no favours in Derby, Barnsley, Peterborough race: View | OneFootball

Following Bolton Wanderers’ impressive 5-0 demolition of Oxford United at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, Ian Evatt was quick to discuss his critics, suggesting he had kept the ‘receipts’, as many pundits and supporters had begun to point out the recent run of poor form with the Trotters.

Four days later, Bolton lost a crucial clash against Derby County by a goal to nil at Pride Park to make it just seven victories in their last 19 matches across all competitions, with no wins in their last five away games either.

For a team that have been outspoken in aiming to achieve promotion, were widely seen as pre-season title favourites and are quick to speak of themselves as ‘the best in the league’; those facts are simply not good enough.

What is perhaps more frustrating for Bolton supporters, though, is just how often and keen Evatt or his players are to put their foot in it.

Derby’s dressing room wall

According to Derbyshire Live, Paul Warne and his coaching staff decided to print off the words of Bolton’s right wing-back, Josh Dacres-Cogley, in order to literally stick them on the dressing room wall.

The former Birmingham defender had said Wanderers would ‘take it’ to Derby, which perhaps there is absolutely nothing wrong with because Bolton did, but then finished off by saying ‘good luck to them.’

Probably without intention, it is a provocative and inflammatory comment that is obviously due to rile up opposition due to the condescending tone in which it comes across – especially when that team is below you in the league table, from a Derby County perspective.

Wanderers were the better side in that game and many neutral observers would agree with that, but Evatt, after another defeat, saying any person in the stadium there today could see the wrong team lost is again fairly frustrating for a neutral or opposition supporter – and it has become frustrating for fans of Bolton, too.

Time to head down, crack on at Bolton

Prior to their 2-2 draw at Oakwell earlier this month, there was a feeling that perhaps Evatt’s pre-match comments had inspired their comeback as they went into the ‘run-in’. He insinuated he would be departing at the end of this season with his future unclear.

However, in hindsight, after just one win in four matches since that was said, it was perhaps just an indication of how tired the entire squad and staff are, both mentally and physically, after what has been a hectic fixture schedule.

It is and was though a quote and set of quotes that once again distracted from the situation that Bolton found themselves in which was desperately trying to propel themselves into the second-tier, and it hasn’t had an immediately positive impact.

From calling out 18-year-old goalkeeper Billy Crellin to ‘man up’ back in 2020 to then suggesting Bolton were the ‘best team in the league’ in League One, just a few months after finishing third in League Two; there has often been times where opposition fans have revelled in the schadenfreude of the inevitable failure of Bolton based on their own managers’ quotes and expectations.

Evatt has done an excellent job at Bolton and there remains a belief he will continue to do one in the years to come, but we are approaching the end of his fourth season with the club, and he is yet to find the right way to consistently express himself in the press room.

Whilst that is perhaps not an immediately important thing for a football manager or head coach, it has been clear that it helped, or at least was used to help, by an opposition team in Derby. The off-field distractions caused by the occasional nonsense will no doubt aid Barnsley and Peterborough, too, if Bolton cannot find it within themselves to stop believing their own, self-perpetuated hype.