The story of Ian Evatt's managerial career...

 Why Ian Evatt WILL be a Premier League manager

This in-depth piece is a full analysis on Ian Evatt's managerial style, techniques and the challenges that he has faced along the way. This is in partnership with The Fanzone Podcast, who are a Bolton Wanderers fan podcast for the people, view their website here. 

Ian Evatt was a good footballer who played in all four professional divisions of English football, including the Premier League with Derby County and Blackpool. His last playing season was in the 17/18 League Two season with Chesterfield FC, he played a key part in that season, captaining the team stepping in as the caretaker manager for the end of the season. Unfortunately, they did get relegated but this was the start of Ian Evatt's managerial career.

AFC Barrow

Evatt was only out of work for one month before AFC Barrow came calling for his services, in the 17/18 Barrow avoided relegation to the national league north by just 1 point. AFC Barrow was also struggling financially (big understatement) and the chairman (Casson) sold the club in October 2018. In an interview Ian Evatt completed with Coaches Voice (the interview can be found on their website here) Evatt said "The only thing was, they were cutting the budget in half; they only had four contracted players and no coaching staff at all...And there were only five weeks until the start of the season.", this was clearly a massive challenge for any manager, especially someone taking on their first ever full-time job. However, he only "wanted to be a first-team manager" and cut his holiday short and flew home. 

The first challenge

With "only four contracted players and no coaching staff at all", Evatt had a big job on his hands to even make a squad before the start of the season; his starting point was finding an assistant. After interviewing a total of seven candidates, Evatt appointed Peter Atherton - for some managers the assistant is just another first team coach but for Evatt it has always been an important position. In his words Atherton "has turned out to be my best piece of recruitment so far. He has been so good for me", obviously this may not be the case anymore but to even say these words emphasises how crucial his coaching staff are to any project or team he is apart of, and this hasn't changed at Bolton Wanderers. 

Despite the "shoe-string" budget and lack of options, with so little time left in the window, Evatt still wanted to stick to his philosophies of football: a possession-based, attacking style of football. Many claimed that he "simply cannot succeed in the National League by playing possession football", unfortunately the team statistics aren't available for the national league. 

From the few statistics that are available, you can see the impact that Evatt had on the Barrow team, with Joel Dixon keeping a clean sheet in half of the games he played in (28) that season, for a tenth place team, that is almost unheard of. It is easy to see that his philosophy was immediately set out to the team, in the first game Barrow had changed their style of play to suit the "Evatt" style. 

Firstly, it is important to note how many players of each team are in this area: four for Barrow and 8 for Havant and Waterlooville, this means that there is space somewhere. Ian Evatt is a manager who favours the ideas of positional play, this means he will always have an attacking structure where the two wide players hold the width as much as possible. 

You can see how much space this man is in, after the ball has been switched to the right hand side, there is also an overload - a 3 vs 2 situation. This means that Barrow should be able to progress the ball easily on this side, Evatt (and all managers) love overloads because of this. Obviously, he won't have had a lot of training time with these players but he still manages to create a pattern of play with positional rotation.

A player (not in the second frame) rotates over and finds himself on the ball with a through ball ahead, the width created has left this space for him. The ball is perfectly played into his feet and then it is simple, cut in and goal. Great play and Ian Evatt will be very happy with how he has created this ball-playing ability, in his first competitive fixture. However, it wasn't completely plain sailing for Evatt this season: by the start of December, Barrow had only won seven games including losses to teams they needed to beat (Maidstone and Dagenham and Redbridge). They had also drawn 4 games, meaning that they had lost 12 games; Evatt was under pressure and with the new owners just in, his future was uncertain. Despite this, Evatt remained focused and in December won manager of the month: including wins against (2nd and 3rd) place Solihull Moors and Salford City.

At the end of the season, Barrow has secured a tenth place finish; this was wildly above expectations, with the board only hoping to avoid relegation. "But I wasn't happy. Not at all", the words of a man with a plan to return Barrow to league football, the words of a man with huge ambition, the words of a man who wanted more.

Season Two

The first problem Evatt identified with his current team was creating chances, to many they would assume that the midfield is the problem but Evatt chose to look for a striker. He wanted someone "who could both stretch the opposition by threatening in behind but was also able to drop in and link play" , Scott Quigley was identified and then brought in. The Blackpool man helped Evatt transform the playing style even more, he was able to "commit fully" to being a possession-based side and ,through this, he could push the defensive line higher and play with a high press. However, this didn't go very well at first.

Barrow took just seven points from the first nine games, they were weak defensively and very poor from set pieces. This is when Evatt changed from his 4-2-3-1 formation to a back 3 system, a 3-4-1-2 that he uses at Bolton as well: they now had an extra defender on the pitch and the striker had another man to play off. From here, AFC Barrow went on a great run (winning 11 out of the next 12 games) and by November they were top of the league! The great form continued and Barrow won the league and won promotion back to the football league for the first time in 48 years, in just two years Evatt had turned a relegation side into a title winning team.

Bolton Wanderers

After his success with Barrow, Evatt had offers from many different clubs - turning down offers "from as high as league one" however, "Bolton were very difficult to say no to". In his own words, "It was tough to leave Barrow but this was such a great opportunity", so Evatt took over a Bolton side on the 1st of July 2020 that had just finished bottom of League One. 

In the season prior to Evatt joining, Bolton were handed a 12 points deduction because they entered administration and their ownership was up in the air. Only a day after Bury were expelled from the football league, Bolton were given 14 weeks to find a new owner or at least prove that they could be funded for the coming season. Thankfully, on the 28th of August Bolton Wanderers released a statement saying "We are pleased to announce the sale of Bolton Wanderers to Football Ventures (whites) Limited has been completed" for a reported figure of £10 million. After this, chairman Sharron Brittan was appointed and the rest was history.

The first season

After a chat with Brittan, Evatt was "convinced that their views were aligned" and took the job, but it didn't come without difficulties. Similarly to at Barrow, the expectations were very low for Evatt due to a small budget and a lack of signed on players who suited Ian Evatt. The global pandemic seriously restricted what Bolton could do in the transfer market and a salary cap made it even harder to attract the right profile of players for Evatt's expansive tactics. However, Evatt stook to his principles but altered it slightly to an even slower possession-based approach but it didn't go very well.

It wasn't bringing very good results and Bolton picked up just 10 points by the start of November, from a possible 33, this simply wasn't good enough and Evatt was being questioned. An incident in a post-match interview also created unnecessary controversy about him and appointing him as a manager. After a 1-1 draw against Cambridge United, Ian Evatt came out in the interview and was asked about Fleetwood loanee William Crellin. The 17 year old goalkeeper made a horrific error for the Cambridge goal, Crellin went to punch the ball but missed after a slight push and it rolled over the line. Bolton had only 1 win in the league by this point and this win would've been crucial but it ended in a draw. Evatt was asked about the incident in the post match interview and said that he is a "fantastic young goalie" but made too many mistakes that were costing the team, telling him to "man up". Evatt received a lot of criticism for this and apologised very quickly after the event, saying "the terminology was incorrect so I apologise for that" and "this isn't kids football anymore". 

Finally, form picked up in November and only dropped 1 point from 5 games. However, Bolton still sat at 17th in mid-January. The recruitment was crucial to how this season would turn out and it saved Bolton. Crucial players like MJ Williams, Kieran Lee and Oladapo Afolayan were brought in, also bringing George Thomason back off of his loan was a very good decision. After January, Bolton went on a 13 game unbeaten run, only drawing 3 games as well; everything was coming together and everything was going right. This run helped Bolton secure a 3rd place finish and promotion to League One, this was not expected in season one and it was down to recruitment and Ian Evatt.

The tactics and statistics 

Bolton Wanderers have come a long way under Ian Evatt and there current style of play has been the result of an evolution of what Evatt played in the first season. Bolton lost the opening game fixture against Forest Green Rovers and some of the statistics from that game are very interesting: for example, Bolton averaged 55% possession and we know that Evatt will want more than this to fully establish control. Also, they missed 3 out of 3 of their big chances in that game - something that just can't happen if you want to win games. 

After watching the game, it is clear that Evatt hadn't imposed his vision on the team yet: the play was scruffy, there is no clear patterns of play, no composure at the back and it just isn't an Evatt team. However, there were positive signs to build on (creating 3 big chances) but he had a lot of work to do across the season to improve the playing style and develop the players. Another key thing, is that Ricardo Santos played on the right of the back 3. Obviously, Santos now plays in the middle of the 3 because of his height, strength, power and pace, as well as his on the ball qualities, having someone who can be incredibly progressive and dominant is crucial in the middle of the 3, in an Evatt system. Alex Baptiste played as the CCB for Bolton in League Two that season and played 0.3 key passes per game, with an average of 43.5 passes per game; in comparison to Ricardo Santos so far this season, 0.8 key passes (very high for a centre back) and an average of 63.7 passes per game. For reference, the average amount of key passes for a centre back is 0.25 per game, meaning Baptiste was above average, also meaning that Ricardo Santos is a master of progression. John Stones is in the 92nd percentile for key passes, with 0.5 per game, meaning that Ricardo Santos will be in at least the 95th percentile (these stats aren't available in League One). Having someone who is as good as him at key passes (a pass that directly leads to a shot) is so crucial for any top side, especially an Evatt one.

By the end of the season, they were dominating the ball a lot more (58% in last game of the season), shooting a lot more (23 shots in the last game) and they kept their creativity (creating 3 big chances in the last game). It is important to note that the opposition did get a red card in the last game but the statistics were similar in other games as well. Obviously, this wasn't the best Ian Evatt Bolton side but it was a lot better than the start of the season, especially defensively. In the first ten games Bolton conceded 16 goals and in the last 10 games they conceded just 6 goals - a big improvement and part of the success of that season. As Sir Alex Ferguson famously said, the attack wins you games but the defence wins you titles. 

Back to League One

Just before we visit the 21/22 season for Bolton Wanderers, it is important to look on the appointment of Chris Markham as the club's Technical Performance Director in February 2021. He has been crucial to the success that Bolton have had since he was appointed, with his data driven approaches. His data approach comes from his time at Huddersfield Town under a different role, from 2009-2017 he was Head of Performance Analysis. After this, he was Games Insight Lead at the FA and was very important in England reaching the England 2018 world cup and the 2020 European Championships - clearly he has a lot of pedigree in the game. Also, Huddersfield were promoted to the Championship and the Premier League while Markham was at the club.

In the Training Ground Guru Podcast (episode 52, here) Ian Evatt and Chris Markham sat down together and discussed data, style of play, etc. I have picked up some key quotes that underline how important Chris is to Bolton and exactly what his job is. But for even more insight check out the full podcast 

The first quote is, "We speak a lot" we being Evatt "about our performances and games of other teams" also, "we can quickly remove players we don't think fit the profile to play for us". I think the wording that he uses here is the most important part of the quote, the repetition of 'we' shows just how important Markham is to Bolton and to Evatt: they analyse games together, they have the same tactical principles and they trust each other's opinions and views. This is why Bolton recruitment in recent years has been so good, even if the players don't hit the ground running, almost all eventually come good because they fit the profile - tactically and mentality-wise. 

The podcast covers a full segment on the use of data and how crucial it is to the everyday operations of modern football clubs and Bolton. "People are quick to assume that you don't look at video" (when referring to using data) "couldn't be further from the truth"; as an (amateur) analyst myself, a lot of people do have this misconception but that would limit you massively. Data and statistics never tell the full story, but alongside video, they can be used to form a judgement on tactics, play style and their effectiveness in a given side. He goes onto say "We are doing things slightly differently here in that we try and collect our own data" this is very interesting and shows the size of the performance analysis department at Bolton. By collecting your own data, it can set you apart from the rest because you can collect different metrics and statistics that could be more specific to your team. For example, field tilt is a new metric that collects data on the passes in the final third of the pitch, with this approach Markham could have been collecting this data for a long time and may use it to collect data in each phase of play or zone of the pitch. Markham has said that he sees himself as "when it comes to data as being the translator" - meaning that his role is to 'translate' the data that the performance analysis department collects and relays it to Evatt and the coaching staff in a way that they can understand. Obviously, coaches can work on weaknesses of the team or opposition so 'translating' this into a way that makes sense to them is only good for the team. 

When they talk about their recruitment it is very interesting and it shows that they have a detailed strategy for attributes, as well as their personality. Markham said "We go for the ones that have a real point to prove" - this shows how crucial the determination and ambition characteristics are for Bolton. A lot of clubs go wrong because they sign players with a poor attitude or personality (Manchester United) and this "bad egg" can turn the rest of the players against the manager. He goes onto say "Loans are really important" and he is right, especially for clubs in lower leagues, loans can be used to try out a player before buying them or even just for one season because they fit the playing style.

On the pitch

At the start of this campaign, Evatt used a back 4 system (4-2-3-1) and brought in 9 senior players to assist this change of formation. Joel Dixon was brought in as the first choice goalkeeper from Evatt's former club AFC Barrow (of course, he could play in either system). At the back, George Johnston was brought in from Netherlands but he did play as a centre back (in a 4) for Wigan the season before; Will Aimson and Declan John were also signed on. Josh Sheehan was signed on a free transfer from Newport County (what a signing) and Oladapo Afoylan joined the club from West Ham on a permanent deal. The two other permanent transfers were Elias Kachunga from Sheffield Wednesday and Bakayoko from Coventry. 

For a newly promoted side, Bolton were playing well, winning 2, drawing 2 and losing just 1 from their first 5 games back in League One. However, after this the form derailed and Bolton were struggling and in January Evatt changed the system, with the help of recruitment, to the same formation they play now (a 3-4-1-2) Evatt reverted to the system that had had a lot of success for him. James Trafford (a more progressive, ball-playing goalkeeper) was brought in on loan from Manchester City, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson was also brought in on a free transfer from Millwall. Dion Charles was signed for big money from Accrington Stanley and Kyle Dempsey and Aaron Morley were both brought in midfield from Gillingham and Rochdale respectively. The change of system proved to be a good decision, with Bolton winning 8 of the next 10, drawing 1 and losing 1. Dion Charles was a great pick-up, scoring 8 goals by the end of the season and helping Bolton secure a 9th place finish. For their first season back in League One (and Evatt's first time) this was a great finish, that could build for the future and the next season. Also, in the last 22 games (after the change of formation) Bolton scored 44 goals, compared to the 30 goals that they scored in the 24 games before.

22/23 and 23/24

At the start of this season, Evatt re-signed James Trafford on loan, this was a great signing: only conceding 36 goals in the league and keeping 22 clean sheets. Conor Bradley was also brought in on loan for this season (from Liverpool) and he played a key role as the right wing back scoring 5 goals and getting 4 assists. On permanent deals, Jack Iredale was brought in on a free transfer from Cambridge United and Eoin Toal was signed for an undisclosed fee from Derry City. It took Toal a while to establish himself but after he did, he played in 22 games - keeping 11 clean sheets. 

Despite the disappointing ending, this was a very successful campaign for Bolton Wanderers, including winning the EFL trophy in fashion, a 4-0 win saw Bolton dominate Plymouth Argyle (for full analysis check my pinned tweet). Bolton also made it into the playoffs (with a 5th place finish) however, they were knocked out in the semi final against Barnsley. They drew 1-1 at home and lost 1-0 away from home, the performances were poor and perhaps it shows the inexperience and potential lack of leadership in the squad. It could be argued that last season was too early to go up to the Championship and Bolton will be looking to go up this season. 

The recruitment in January of this season showed the start of the financial backing from the board and the owners. Victor Adeboyejo was signed for £500k and hasn't been amazing so far but the willingness to spend that much on one player shows how supportive the board are Evatt and his recruitment staff. This financial support has continued into this season with a big summer window, with 3 signings that cost 6 figures: Carlos Mendes Gomes for £300k, Will Forrester for an undisclosed fee and Dan Nlundulu for another unknown fee. Josh Dacres Cogley, Nathan Baxter and Joel Coleman were also brought in for free transfers. 

This spending has also continued in the form of new contracts for several key players in the squad, most notably Dion Charles. Charles has signed a new deal to stay at the club until June 2026 and Bolton held off interest from the Championship to stay at the League One outfit. The striker has probably been the best player so far this season and without him, the attack would have been significantly worse. Another player to secure a new deal is Josh Sheehan, Sheehan could be the best midfielder in League One (my opinion) and his creativity from deep is unmatched - keeping him at the club was crucial. George Thomason has also secured a new contract for Bolton and the young midfielder offers something completely different to every other midfielder at the club, since the departure of MJ Williams. Thomason has been touted as a future captain and it is clear to see why from his playing style and his passion. George Johnston is another player to secure a new contract for Bolton, the centre back will miss the majority of the season and a new deal shows just how important he is to Evatt's system. All of these players are seen as important players for Bolton for the current season and the support from the board that Evatt has received is very impressive. Part of this money has been funded from the Bolton bond scheme, this is where fans can invest an after 5 years they will see a full return on their investment but this should generate income for the Bolton. They can use this money to assist in promotion and they will receive a big financial award for this. 

Thanks for reading this, if you want to see more, check me out on twitter (here) and follow the Fanzone Pod on all platforms. 

Bolton Wanderer vs Derby County 2-1 - match review

 2 PENS 1 RED

Bolton Wanderers vs Derby County promised to be a good battle with the current form of both sides and both targeting playoffs, at a minimum. The game saw 1 red card, for the Derby goalkeeper after a handball, and 2 penalties that were both fair to allow but Bolton came out on top in the end after a good performance before and after the opposition's red card. 

Statistical overview 

The stats show that Bolton dominated the game and it was amazing that they didn't score first, the total game saw Bolton control 71% of possession and take 7 more shots. However, the red card make the full 90 stats less representable of the gap between the teams - the first half (the red was in the second) still highlight how much Bolton dominated the game. They had 69% possession and 5 more shots, creating 1 big chance (the penalty) which was converted by Dion Charles. 

To be completely honest, I was underwhelmed by Derby County and I did expect more from them. Despite this, they did also create 1 big chance (their penalty) and convert it to go into the lead - against the run of play. Some of their players did show their individual quality, especially Curtis Nelson, who joined the club from Blackpool in the summer. He made 6 clearances, blocked 2 shots and was dribbled past 0 times, also he won 4/5 of his aerial duels - absolutely dominating the backline, furthermore he did actually play 1 key pass as well, from centre half. 

The most impressive player for the Wanderers was Josh Sheehan in the centre of midfield and the statistics show it: Sheehan dictated the play with 86 touches and a 92% pass accuracy, he also played 4 key passes and 4/4 accurate long balls. Sheehan's ability to retain possession but also progress the play and dictate the football just emphasises how crucial he is to the Bolton side. Moreover, he won 4/4 of his ground duels - proving some wrong who said that he is a liability defensively. Eoin Toal was also a standout player for the Trotters: he was very solid defensively, making 4 clearances and 3 blocked shots, also winning 8/12 duels in the air and on the ground - a superb comeback from injury. 

Overall review

The eye test also showed how dominant Bolton were over Derby in Saturday's affair, but Derby did score the first goal. It came from a corner where all the Derby player started in the 6 yard box and just before the corner was taken, they all moved out to the edge of the box. They ran in all directions and, stupidly, Adeboyejo pulled down his man it was a fairly obvious penalty decision for the referee, Conor Hourihane stepped up for the Rams and converted to make it 1-0 in the 34rd minute. 

 In the 43rd minute, Dempsey had the ball on the right wing, after a throw, and cut it back to the edge of the box, where Josh Sheehan was arriving. Derby's Korey Smith dragged him down and the referee had no choice but to give a penalty that Dion Charles would step up to take. Charles converted his penalty to level the game just before half time, Bolton were dominating the game but they couldn't create a clear cut chance. However, in the 48th minute, just after half time, Joe Wildsmith decided that the 18 yard box had become a 30 yard box and therefore decided to save Charles' shot and was sent off. Bolton looked like a goal would never come until Josh Dacres Cogley got very lucky in in the 65th minute, he had a cross from outwide that took a very wild deflection and looped over the goalkeeper to put Bolton ahead. The rest of the game was very uneventful with the highlight being Ian Evatt finally making a sub, in the 76th minute, but he brought on Carlos Mendes Gomes at right back..... hmmmm.

My thoughts

Bolton were definitely deserved winners but again were poor when it came to clear cut chances and finishing quality. Despite their domination, it took a red card to the starting goalkeeper to come close to scoring an open play goal. Adeboyejo looked poor again and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson has got to be knocking on the door and asking why he isn't playing, both Jerome and Nlundulu have been substituted on before him and they haven't shown why in the games. On a positive note, George Thomason next to Josh Sheehan was a very good selection for Bolton as it gave them creativity and a bit of fight in midfield, that they have been missing in recent weeks. 

For Derby, I can't understand why Eiran Cashin didn't start because he has been 1 of, if not, their best player this season - I understand that he was linked away from the club, but if he was training and available for the bench, he should've started. Unfortunately, the red card did stop them winning the game but their goal came against the run of play and they didn't look like scoring another. They are better than that performance. 

Bolton Wanderers vs Derby County - match preview

 Will Bolton be Warned that their poor form can't continue?

Off the back of a disappointing defeat to Championship, Middlesborough and dropping points to winless Burton, can Bolton end their poor run of form at the Toughsheet, against Paul Warne's Derby County. 

Bolton team news and tactics

The injury situation isn't a great one for the Wanderers, no update has been provided on George Johnston - meaning that the centre half will likely miss the majority of the season. Fellow centre back, and captain, Ricardo Santos is also likely to miss this game; he picked up an ankle injury last weekend, against Burton Albion, it is unknown how long he will be out for but Evatt's words were "We don't know" and (when referring to the nature of the injury) he said "Isn't ideal". However, positively Eoin Toal has returned from his injury and he started on Tuesday night, against Middlesborough, and showed he is ready to be starting games. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson has also completed his comeback and will now be able to fight for a first team place, with Victor Adeboyejo.

Bolton will stick with their 3-5-2/3-4-2-1 formation for this game, without an option to change to a back 4 if they wanted to, however Evatt is known for playing a back 3. Nathan Baxter should return between the sticks, he has played in every league game and came on for backup, and cup goalkeeper, Joel Coleman against Middlesborough. Eoin Toal will keep his place from the cup game and replace Ricardo Santos in the middle of the back 3, however who will partner him is unclear. Will Forrester impressed many in his cameo against Burton but is there actually a place for him to come into the starting eleven? Jack Iredale seems to have nailed down the left of the 3, being the only left footed option and having played well in most games so far; Gethin Jones has been questioned this season, but he is the vice captain and in Santos' absence, will Evatt want to take him out of the team?

Josh Dacres Cogley, who came in from Tranmere in the summer, will almost definitely keep his place on the right hand side - with the only other option being Gethin Jones. Randell Williams should also start this fixture, despite Zachary Ashworth having impressed on every opportunity he has had. The centre of midfield is a very interesting situation, with some poor performances as of late. However, I believe that Sheehan has to start because he is so essential to build-up and attacking play, next to him I would actually play George Thomason. Thomason is the only physical, ball-winner in the team and his breaking up of play, could be crucial in this game; Evatt will probably pick Aaron Morley, as he has played with Sheehan the most this season. Kyle Dempsey may be the first name on the team sheet, he has been one of the best players this season for Bolton and his creativity will be a key part in this game. 

The two up front for Bolton will probably be Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo, they have been the first choice pair when they have both been available. This duo up top has led to an expected goals of 7.53, compared to Derby's 4.89. However, both teams have scored 6 open play goals and the finishing of Bolton has been questionable at times. This has led to a lot of fans calling for Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to return to the starting eleven. 

Derby County team news and tactics

To find out more about Derby's tactics, you should read this tweet (https://twitter.com/WanderingRed7/status/1696242004940689770?s=20), it gives a detailed analysis of how Derby play.

On the injury front, Louie Sibley has picked up another injury in training (groin) and is facing approximately 3-4 weeks on the sidelines, a big blow for the Rams. However, apart from that, Derby seem to be injury free and have a very strong squad to pick from. At the time of writing, Cashin is still at the club but he has been strongly linked to Brighton and Hove Albion, he has been very important for Derby and if he doesn't play, Bolton have a big advantage.A lot of players have come in this summer, most notably Martyn Waghorn and Conor Washington. They have been the starting strikers for the last two league games and have been very impressive for Derby - Waghorn will be key in the outcome this game, he is the only player to score more than 1 for Derby (in the league) this season and has scored 5 goals. Washington has also been important for Derby, he has scored 1 and got 1 assist. Derby also signed Curtis Nelson from Derby County, he has played on the right side of their back 3 but he has a lot of responsibility because the right wing back (Mendez Laing) has played as more of a winger. Nelson has won 1.6 tackles per game and has made 1 tackle per game - his battle with Dion Charles and Randell Williams will be very interesting.

I won't write as much for Derby because of my recent team review on them, the tweet is very in-depth and can help Bolton fans understand their strengths and weaknesses.

My prediction is a 2-1 Bolton win, this will be a very close game (if both teams are at their best) and I think the home advantage will play a part in the outcome of the game. I think Derby will score first, in the 37th minute and Cashin (if he is still there) will head home. In the 47th minute (first half) Charles will grab an equaliser from a good Bolton play, and Bodvarsson will come on and score in the 79th minute and score from a Dacres Cogley cross to put Bolton ahead.

Burton Albion vs Bolton Wanderers 1-1 - match review

 The start of a bad run?

Another poor Bolton performance leads to a 1-1 draw away from home to 22nd place Burton Albion, there is no doubt that Evatt will not be happy with the result or some of the individual performances. Bolton have draw 1-1 with Burton two games in a row now, and with Middlesborough on the horizon, the bad form could continue for the Wanderers.

Statistical review

As always, Bolton dominated the ball over Burton (62% possession) and this lead to more chances and shots for the Wanderers. Bolton took 17 shots, with 6 on target, however they allowed Burton to have 13 shots, with 3 on target; the defence has been a strength for Bolton this season but 13 shots for Burton, highlights that it wasn't as impressive in this game. This could be due to the injury of captain and star player, Ricardo Santos, the centre back was forced off at half time due to a tackle in the first minute. In the interview after, Evatt said "We don't know. It was a really bad tackle in the first minute of the game" he continued "It seems to have got progressively worse as the half went on. It looks to be his ankle joint, which isn't ideal". It doesn't sound good for Santos and he will be a big miss, with Toal and Johnston already missing at the back. 

Yet again Bolton miss big chances that count them out of winning games, Bolton created 3 big chances and only converted 1, with Dion Charles scoring in the 58th minute, assisted by Kyle Dempsey. Both Thomason and Maghoma came in for Sheehan and Morley for this game and I do not believe this will be a long term change, Sheehan's creative output was missed and Maghoma is still adapting to the Evatt style of play. Williams and Dacres Cogley played 4 key passes each, very impressive for wide players, and based of these performances it is disappointing that Bolton couldn't get the win. 

Burton were good defensively and, despite having less of the ball, they forced Bolton to play in their own third - 36% of the game was played in Bolton's defensive third and Burton held a good line to play Bolton offside twice. They also blocked 6 of Bolton's 17 shots, perhaps showing the passion that just wasn't there for Bolton Wanderers. 

Overall review

After watching the highlights of the game (sorry I didn't have the opportunity to watch the game live) it appears that Burton had a better understanding of Bolton than Bolton had of Burton. To expand on this, Burton's pressing triggers were known by the entire team and this meant that they won the ball a lot in the middle of final third - this explains Bolton losing possession 170 times. This wouldn't be a big issue if Bolton were good in the build up and progression phases of play, however they were not (especially after Ricardo Santos went off). In build up, Bolton set up in a 3-1-6 shape with the wing backs high and Maghoma and Dempsey pushed on to create a 6 along the frontline. This means that if Bolton lose the ball in build up, they are in a lot of trouble, this is what happened in the first goal. Dempsey lost possession after receiving a pass from Iredale, he looked to pass to Williams but scuffed it and the Burton player intercepted and Dacres Cogley wasn't able to get back in time for the back post tap in. 

Paris Maghoma did show his quality and helped create a chance for Victor Adeboyejo, which he should have scored. He picked up the ball on the edge of the box and dribbled through two players, then played a 1-2 with Dion Charles and played it out wide to Dacres Cogley. He played the ball onto the foot and Adeboyejo took an acrobatic effort and hit it straight at the goalkeeper, this could have brought Bolton back into the game with long to go. 

For Bolton's goal, George Thomason used his physicality to win the header over the Burton player in the middle of the pitch. The ball fell to Kyle Dempsey who managed to flick it onto Dion Charles, who had sneaked behind the opposition centre backs and was played onside by a Burton full back. He showed his individual quality and composure to take the ball around the goalkeeper and make it 1-1, this was a very lucky goal but did show what Bolton could do. However, they didn't have the quality to score again and the game finished a draw - a very disappointing result for Bolton.

Again, Evatt appeared to be slow with his substitutions and his first non-enforced sub was Cameron Jerome in the 72 minute. Arguably, Mendes Gomes deserved to start the game and wasn't involved until the 73rd minute. All good managers are stubborn but, what can make you an elite manager is knowing when to make changes to your starting team, and through substitutions. Against Middlesborough, with a win not expected, Evatt should start his summer signing Carlos Mendes Gomes and Will Forrester: both have been impressive when they have come on but haven't been given a start with other "first teamers", Forrester will be forced into the team if Santos' injury is serious but he should have trusted him earlier. 

Let me know what you think, either on Twitter or comment on here.

Burton vs Bolton Wanderers - match preview

 How will Bolton respond?

At the Pirelli stadium on Saturday the 26th of August, Bolton Wanderers will take on Burton Albion and will look to respond to their embarrassing 4-0 defeat at home to Wigan. Of course, Dion Charles missed that game and will be returning for this game. Burton have only 1 point out of their opening game.

Bolton team news 

As said before, Dion Charles will be returning to the squad for this fixture, likely to the starting line-up, his partnership with Victor Adeboyejo has been incredibly impressive so far this season and will be key in the outcoming of this fixture. Nlundulu will most likely come out of the team for Charles, however Jon Dadi Bodvarsson could come into the team after returning from injury. All the strikers have a point to prove, especially Adeboyejo, as he is now competing for a starting spot with, fan favourite, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. 

There were very few acceptable performances in the Wigan game but Mendes Gomes did impress when he came and Kyle Dempsey may have been the only player who actually cared about the final result. I believe both should start in midfield, alongside Josh Sheehan - Morley was very poor and Maghoma plays better next to Sheehan, rather than instead of. George Thomason could come into the starting team because he is the only midfielder who does possess grit and aggression, however these attributes shouldn't be as necessary against a side like Burton.

The defence will likely remain very simialr, despite the horrendous performance last week. Captain, Ricardo Santos, almost has no competition and the situation is very simialr for Dacres Cogley; if anymore recruitment is to be done, it should be in these areas and holding midfield. Will Forrester could be given his first league start, over Gethin Jones, and I would start him but I think Evatt will choose to keep Jones, Santos and Iredale in the back 3. Zachary Ashworth has been impressive when given the opportunity so he could be favoured to Randell Williams in this game, however it is doubtful. Also, Baxter will almost certainly keep his place in between the sticks. Centre back, Eoin Toal, may return to the bench but it will be too early to come into the starting eleven.  

Burton team news and tactics

As for Burton, they have brought in 12 players in the summer transfer window, including 2 from the championship. Despite this, they have been incredibly poor this season and have only picked up 1 point from their opening games. In the game against Derby, they had 59% of the ball and had 15 shots but conceded 3 and scored 0; they have only scored 1 goal this season, indicating that finishing is a massive problem. From the 15 shots against Derby, only 2 were on target. From the statistics, they appear to be very poor at heading and can create good chances (or at least chances in good areas) but struggle to convert them. The only goal that they have scored was in the 97th minute to make it 2-1 from 4 yards out, this should be the perfect team for Bolton to respond to.

After watching some of their games, they have a lot of weaknesses that need to be worked on. The first big one is their pressing structure, it seems unorganised and erratic: this can work but, more often than not, it doesn't and can be played through and leave the defence vulnerable. The second links to this and it is the pace of their defensive line, this isn't always an issue but Burton play a high line and their central defenders aren't quick enough to beat the attackers to a long ball. The qualities of Sheehan, Dempsey and Mendes Gomes could all prove useful in this game to outplay Burton. In addition, their centre backs can be caught on the ball when looking to play out and a good press can lead to many chances from this area. Charles is a very good presser and if he plays well, he should score at least one in this game, Blackpool also scored a goal from this.

My score prediction is a 2-0 Bolton win, it won't be as impressive as the first few games but a comfortable win will still be a very good result. I think Adeboyejo will score in the first half from a set piece goal in the 37th minute to make it 1-0 to Bolton. I do believe that Charles will also score and that will come in the 58th minute from a good press and he will slot it around the goalkeeper. 

Comment your score prediction below.

George Johnston - player profile

 

George Johnston - the Latic turned Trotter

George Johnston has had a very interesting professional career, despite only being 24 (25 very soon, happy birthday). The Scotsman began his career in the youth setup of Liverpool, playing for the under 18s and under 19s - George left the club in 19/20 for Feyenoord for a fee of £250k. Moving abroad so young is obviously a massive step and shows great attitude and character, he did not make a first team appearance during this season but did start 1 game and make 3 total appearances in the 2020/21 season before being loaned out to Wigan Athletic. He joined Wigan in January and made 19 starting appearances and came off the bench 3 times, he played a key part in keeping Wigan up this season and his performances were recognised. On the 1st of July 2021, Johnston left Feyenoord and joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer - in August 2023, despite picking up a serious injury, he was rewarded with a new deal until 2026. 

Johnston is a left footed centre back and plays his best football in a back 3, as he does for Evatt's Bolton side. This allows him to push on and show his creative qualities, he will often play a 1-2 with the wing back and then make an under or overlapping run. All of the best outside centre backs do this and this is how Johnston has registered his assists. An underlap can create an overload because the winger won't want to track him all the way and he has the understanding of when to make the run and play the pass. In a game vs Exeter last season, he made an underlap and assisted a goal for Dion Charles.

Johnston plays the pass and makes the run and the winger does not track him, players who do the same when playing in a back three are Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker.

A great way to analyse a player is to look into their statistics from an entire season, so with Johnston I have looked at his statistics from last season and found some very interesting points. The first is how many games he played and how many of those that he started: Johnston played 36 league games for Bolton last season, as well as 7 in different cup competitions, out of the 43 games he played last season, he started 40 - this shows that when he is fit and available, he is playing. Another interesting stat is the amount of key passes per game 0.4 is almost unheard of for a centre back - to highlight how impressive this is, John Stones (who steps into midfield for the best team in the world) only plays 0.3 key passes per game. Also, he kept 16 clean sheets in the league last season - as an outside centre back, he will be tasked with marking the wingers a lot and this is no easy task and shows his defensive intelligence. The final stat I'll focus in on is his interceptions per game, for a centre back a high number of interceptions is rare but Johnston averages 1.6 interceptions per game, a truly excellent stat. In comparison, Ben Davies of Tottenham only averaged 0.6 interceptions per game in the same position, last season. 

Of course Johnston will miss the majority, if not all, of the 23/24 season but Evatt has still offered him a new contract, this shows how important he is for Evatt's side and he is willing to take him to the Championship, even if he doesn't play in the promotion season. Johnston is still young and has great potential so hopefully this injury doesn't hamper his career. 

If you have any questions comment on my original piece. Also give this a read on the Fanzone Pod website here

Bolton Wanderers vs Wigan Athletic - match preview

 No Charles, No Party?

The first derby of the season

Bolton Wanderers will take on Wigan Athletic on Saturday the 19th of August at 12:30pm and the home advantage of the Toughsheet stadium will be crucial in this fixture. With just over 11 miles separating the two towns, there is no doubt that the fans will be ready for this one, but will the players?

Bolton Wanderers team news 

The current injury list for Bolton contains Eoin Toal, George Johnston and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson; Johnston will not be fit for this fixture and will unfortunately miss most o the season, with no update recently. The injury updates for Toal and Bodvarsson are also very quiet and it is believed that both are training with the first team but how close to making the matchday squad are they? If Bodvarsson is close to full fitness then he will likely be included in the squad for the Wigan game with the suspension of Dion Charles (more to follow). However, Toal will not need to be rushed back as fast because the defensive three of Gethin Jones, Ricardo Santos and Jack Iredale are all performing well - Will Forrester has also performed but hasn't had as many opportunities. 

Of course for this game Bolton have two suspensions to deal with, star-striker Dion Charles and the manager Ian Evatt were both red carded against Fleetwood on Tuesday night. The current situation is very unclear, both red cards were very questionable and most fans have encouraged Bolton to appeal the result of these decisions and in this moment, it appears as if both Charles and Evatt will miss the game. This is absolutely massive and could upset Bolton who, so far, have been brilliant this season and hadn't conceded a goal until going down to ten men, without a manager against Fleetwood.

The starting team will likely revert to normality, with Sheehan and Morley coming back in for Thomason and Maghoma but the question remains, who will replace Dion Charles. From my perspective I see two potential starting replacements for Charles, the first is Dan Nlundulu. He was brought in on loan for the second half of last season and has been brought in on a permanent deal from Southampton this season and he is the obvious option. He has only started 1 game this season but is a very similar profile to Victor Adeboyejo. The other option, and more outside the box choice, would be Carlos Mendes Gomes - CMG hasn't had many opportunities for Bolton this season but is definitely capable of playing this position. I think Nlundulu will start but Mendes Gomes may replace him later in the game. 

Wigan team news and tactics

Wigan will likely miss two of their players for the game against Bolton on Saturday: Jason Kerr and Thelo Aasgaard, Callum Mcmanaman could also miss the game but he is more than likely to be available. Jason Kerr will miss this game with a ruptured ACL, meaning that he will be out for several months and won't return soon, Aasgaard went off injured late on in their recent game against Carlisle. Maloney has confirmed that Aasgaard is in a lot of pain and "It doesn't look good" so he will not be available, Mcmanaman also went off in that game but just with cramp so should be fine. Other than that they have a fully fit squad to choose from for their 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Wigan's approach to games seems to change based on the opponent that they will be facing: in the opener against Derby, Wigan amazingly, won 2-1 and did not dominate the ball or have a lot of shots - suggesting the played on the counter (creating 4 big chances). However, they have dominated possession in every game since, including in their most recent game against Carlisle (1-1). In this game, they took a lot of shots outside of the box but will most likely play closer to how they did against Derby than Carlisle against Bolton. Their big strength appears to be their counter pressing, against Derby they would often force Derby back and this is how they scored their first goal. Their weakness appears to be their marking when pinned back, this is how Derby scored their goal in that game, Adeboyejo or Nlundulu can definitely capitalise off of this.

For this game I will predict a 2-1 win for Bolton, coming out victors but without Charles it will not be as easy. First to score will be Randell Williams off great team play in the 18th minute and Wigan will score in the 44th minute against the run of play, coming from Charlie Wyke. However, I do believe Bolton will find a way and will score in the 87th minute from a Maghoma corner onto the head of Ricardo Santos.