"Pressure is growing" - Pundit makes claim on Ian Evatt's Bolton Wanderers future | OneFootball

Bolton suffered a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town this weekend, which will apply the pressure on Ian Evatt's job.

Bolton's start to the 2024/25 campaign has been way below expectations.

Ever since Bolton's relegation from the Championship in 2019, followed by relegation from League One the year after, their goal has continuously been promotion and nothing less.

Already this season, they have not given themselves the best chance of success, as they have picked up just one win from their first five league games, as well as one draw and three losses.

The Trotters will hope that they do not see a worse performance and result than what they saw this past weekend. Their side hosted Huddersfield Town, who had enjoyed a strong start to the season under Michael Duff, but not many would have expected such a dominant result for the away side.

Huddersfield's Josh Koroma scored a brace before the hour mark, with one of his goals coming from the penalty spot, but the Terriers were ruthless and were not going to stop at 2-0.

They scored a third and a fourth on the 68th and 81st minutes to wrap up a memorable afternoon in Greater Manchester and really take the home crowd by surprise.

A performance like that, especially for an ambitious side like Bolton in League One, will unfortunately result in questions being asked regarding the manager. Ian Evatt will feel immense pressure if results do not change quickly.

Carlton Palmer offers verdict on Ian Evatt

Ian Evatt has, overall, been fantastic for Bolton, but they have had a disastrous start to the season, which will add pressure to his job.

Former England international and current pundit, Carlton Palmer, spoke exclusively to Football League World to have his say on whether Bolton should bite the bullet and sack their manager.

"Everything has to be taken in perspective, but a crushing defeat for Ian Evatt and Bolton, a 4-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town, has left them in the relegation positions, fourth from bottom of the table. Three defeats from their first five games."

"Of course, Huddersfield Town are very, very strong, and you expect them to push on and be in consideration for automatic promotion. It was always going to be a difficult game for Bolton, so things have to be taken into consideration."

"I don't believe any manager should lose their job after five games, but it's a follow-on from last season and the disappointment that was there. The expectations are high."

"As I said, it's still early in the season, but the pressure is growing on Ian Evatt, and he needs a result or two really quickly now to stem the tide. You know what happens when sacking season starts, with Schumacher going from Stoke City, people get twitchy."

"You've just got to look down and see where you think you should finish in the league, and whether that's achievable with the manager you've got."

It may be time to move on for Bolton

Ian Evatt has spent four years as Bolton Wanderers manager, and there is no denying that he has given them some wonderful moments during his tenure, but all good things must come to an end, and that could be sooner rather than later.

Their start to the season has been well below par, and it can not continue any longer if they remain hopeful of promotion to the Championship. League One this season is, without doubt, the toughest it has ever been, with the likes of Birmingham, Huddersfield, Wrexham, just to name a few, all likely to be pushing for those automatic promotion spots.

Bolton need to be at the top of their game, and so far they have not been. Their 4-0 home defeat to Huddersfield was as dominant as it was, largely due to defensive mistakes which can cost sides at this level.

Evatt has described it as the worst performance in his four years as manager, and claimed that he will be seeking conversations with the ownership.