"I don't feel sorry for him" - Bolton Wanderers claim dropped on Steven Schumacher after promotion hopes end | OneFootball

Steven Schumacher has been told he must improve at Bolton Wanderers after they missed out on the play-offs this season.

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...

Bolton Wanderers boss Steven Schumacher has been told he will be ‘under pressure’ as soon as next season begins after their poor end to the current campaign.

The Trotters named the former Stoke City chief as Ian Evatt’s successor back in January, with Schumacher taking over when the side were only outside the play-offs on goal difference.

However, the 40-year-old hasn’t managed to make a positive impact in his first few months in charge, as Bolton won’t be winning promotion, with the side eight points adrift of Leyton Orient, who occupy that final play-off place.

Steven Schumacher endures mixed start to Bolton Wanderers career

So, it wasn’t the start at Bolton that Schumacher wanted, although it is worth stressing that he hasn’t had a proper transfer window or pre-season with the players.

Therefore, when asked by FLW whether there should be some sympathy towards the new boss, or if he was responsible for the disappointing way the season has played out, fan pundit Liam O'Meara made it clear that the boss must look at himself, as he predicted Schumacher to be under the spotlight in the 25/26 campaign.

“No, I don’t feel sorry for him. He has had two or three months to look at the squad, so the form is on him as well.

“Next season is where Schumacher will be judged, but I don’t feel sorry for him. You’re at Bolton Wanderers, not at Plymouth, not at Stoke, you’re at a real, proper provincial football club.

“This will give him a real understanding of what’s going to come when he manages the team in August when he has a real expectation on him.

"So, as soon as a ball is kicked in August, Schumacher is under pressure because he is with Bolton Wanderers.”

Steven Schumacher must deal with Bolton Wanderers pressure ahead of crunch 2025-26 season

This may seem like a harsh assessment, but the reality is that Bolton are a big club for the third tier, so that will bring pressure.

Schumacher arrived with a good pedigree, and he was brought in to take the Trotters back to that level.

As outlined above, he inherited a team firmly in the mix for promotion, but he hasn’t delivered in the first few months.

Obviously, it’s far too soon to judge Schumacher, and the upcoming summer will be huge, as he will bring in his own players, and he will have more time to get his ideas across during pre-season.

Then, when the new season does roll around, there will be an expectation that Bolton are in the mix for promotion.

Schumacher is well aware of that, and he took the job thinking he would lead the club back to the Championship and ultimately establish them in the second tier.

There will be frustration at how the past few weeks have gone, but Schumacher will be judged on next season, and things could look very different after the summer window.