IAN Evatt is certain that he has the full support of his squad at Wanderers.
Bolton’s players asked for coaching staff to leave the dressing room following Saturday’s 5-0 defeat at Stockport County so they could hold an inquest, issuing a statement via the local press later in the evening to say they took full responsibility for the result.
Sections of the travelling support had called for Evatt to lose his job and chanted their dislike for the style of football his side has been playing during the match itself.
The result raised yet more questions about the manager’s job security and the team’s claim to be challengers for promotion in League One this season. But Evatt believes wholeheartedly that his players and he remain on the same page.
“One million per cent,” he told The Bolton News, asked if he had unequivocal backing. “I have never doubted that and the minute I do it’s time to move on.
“The players, from what I understand, took ownership for Saturday. They don’t do that very often in football and they certainly don’t do it for a manager they don’t want to play for.
“I think they are upset, they are distraught. We have a very close relationship and a close bond. And as always there are some harsh truths and honest views that that have been aired after the game.
“But I have never doubted for one minute that this group of players are behind me, and it is easy to look at that on the back of Saturday’s result because the floor was so low. But we have just won six out of the last eight league games, and that doesn’t happen with a team that doesn’t want to play for the manager.
“You have to counter-balance, and everyone was emotional after Saturday. And rightly so.
“But it is down to me to be emotional but then to manage that emotion to find the right way to progress and move forwards, and I think we can do that now.
“There will be criticism, for the team and for myself, and that is just part of football. We can’t do anything about that now, we just have to take it on the chin.
“We just need to keep our heads down and work hard over the next couple of weeks to make sure that we can put things right when we next go out on to the pitch.”
Evatt has told his side to “keep walking forwards” after the defeat at Stockport, pointing out that the club’s form after the league defeat at home to Huddersfield in mid-September has been among the best in League One.
Since that result on September 14, Bolton have won six, drawn one and lost two games. During the last 10 games, Wycombe, Birmingham, Mansfield and Exeter have taken more points, but only Crawley and Peterborough United have conceded more goals.
After the international break Bolton host Blackpool, Mansfield and Wigan at home, along with trips to Cambridge and Bristol Rovers and league leaders Wycombe before Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, Wanderers have reorganised their trip to Rotherham United, which was scheduled to be played this weekend, for Tuesday, January 21.
The game at Huddersfield on Saturday, January 25, will also kick-off at 12.30pm because it will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
