“The plan was…” – Ian Evatt offers insight into Bolton Wanderers’ approach in 2022/23 | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have had a good start to the new season – having won five of their opening nine games this season.

Ian Evatt will be pleased to see his side sat sixth in the league but as they look ahead to seven league games in October, the boss is keen to focus on the next set of games.

Looking ahead, Evatt told The Bolton News: “Everything is reset now. With so many players on international duty you could – touch wood it doesn’t happen – lose people to injury, so your plans could change completely.

“This [end of September] was the first block we looked at. Will we evaluate and go again with another block of ten after the international break.

“But the plan was, looking at the fixtures we had, that it would be tough to be in the top ten at the end of it all.

“We are, so now it is concentrate and re-evaluate for the next set of games.”

The manager’s approach to breaking down the season is something new this season but discussing the new method, he said: “It is something we looked at this season, really. We looked at what it would take and what is required in this division to compete in the top six and how many points are required from the blocks of games. They do change constantly but if you are near enough two points a game then it is virtually guaranteed automatic promotion.

“That is the top line, that is what we are setting. It might not be achievable and I accept there might be times when we under-achieve, somewhere we over-achieve, but that is the benchmark.”

If you love Bolton Wanderers, you really should be scoring 24+ on this quiz about iconic Trotters moments

1 of 28

In what year did Bolton win the FA Cup for the first time?

1923 1938 1953 1968

The Verdict

Evatt’s new approach of breaking down the season into more manageable chunks is a great way of allowing his side to keep their focus and know what they need to be doing every week.

Furthermore, the manager is willing to be adaptable and change the expected results based on how they do game on game meaning they are constantly thinking about their aims and future goals.

Bolton have rightly set the bar high this summer and have got off to a great start this season. However, it’s a long campaign and the Whites have to keep their standards both high and manageable throughout the year.