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Joey Barton believes Billy Crellin will react in the right way to criticism which came his way after Wanderers’ 1-1 draw with Cambridge United.
The Fleetwood boss was asked his views on Ian Evatt’s post-match comments on the on-loan keeper, whose error cost Bolton the first goal of the game at the Abbey Stadium.
Although Evatt has apologised for his use of the phrase “man up” – which has developed negative modern connotations – the Bolton boss insists it was in reference to the 20-year-old stopper making a successful transition into senior football during his spell at the UniBol.
Barton has spoken with Crellin and though he did not agree entirely with Evatt’s decision to publicly criticise, he believes the player took it all in his stride.
“I had a chat with him and he’s quite stoic in his approach,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire. “He’s quite stoic in his approach for a young player and he hadn’t read the comments in detail.
“Having spoken to him he knows he has made a mistake, clearly, and I think when you are in a senior position unfortunately you cop a bit of flak and the pressure comes.
“I am not going to sit and tell a manager what to do and what not to do. I’m relatively new to this trade myself. It’s a difficult trade.
“I don’t think I would have handled it that way with a young player but then again there are probably a lot of things that I have done that other managers wouldn’t. He is trying to get his team winning and clearly there’s a pressure attached to that.
“Sometimes when it is straight after the game, managers most of the time are not the most rational.
“It would be interesting to see if you spoke with Ian today what his thoughts and feelings are on it because time gives you that bit of perspective. I’d imagine he has a different take now.
“What’s done is done, nobody died, it’s a game of football and when you are a goalkeeper – look at Jordan Pickford, or in the Spanish media when David De Gea makes a mistake in the Spanish national side, unfortunately it’s a high pressure industry.
“Bolton Wanderers is a big club and they want to get results. I think if you make mistakes there then you are always likely to be criticised.
“We live in an age of social media where everything we do and say is analysed and micro-analysed. It’s 24 hours and radio stations discussion, so if you want to be a top player now you have to accept criticism, albeit you would like to think when it comes from a manager it’s kept in-house of in the dressing room. Sometimes stuff like that does leak out into the public forum and we have to pass comment on it.
“I don’t want to add any fuel to the fire. I have spoken to my player, he knows exactly where it’s at, he knows the response he needs to make in order to put that right and knowing Billy he’ll be good to go because he’s got a real solid constitution and, luckily, he can deal with it because there are some out there who would not be able to respond correctly.
“In this industry it’s high pressure and you have to accept if you want to be in it for a long period that there will be bumps and criticism coming your way at some point because that’s the job.”
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The Fleetwood boss was asked his views on Ian Evatt’s post-match comments on the on-loan keeper, whose error cost Bolton the first goal of the game at the Abbey Stadium.
Although Evatt has apologised for his use of the phrase “man up” – which has developed negative modern connotations – the Bolton boss insists it was in reference to the 20-year-old stopper making a successful transition into senior football during his spell at the UniBol.
Barton has spoken with Crellin and though he did not agree entirely with Evatt’s decision to publicly criticise, he believes the player took it all in his stride.
“I had a chat with him and he’s quite stoic in his approach,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire. “He’s quite stoic in his approach for a young player and he hadn’t read the comments in detail.
“Having spoken to him he knows he has made a mistake, clearly, and I think when you are in a senior position unfortunately you cop a bit of flak and the pressure comes.
“I am not going to sit and tell a manager what to do and what not to do. I’m relatively new to this trade myself. It’s a difficult trade.
“I don’t think I would have handled it that way with a young player but then again there are probably a lot of things that I have done that other managers wouldn’t. He is trying to get his team winning and clearly there’s a pressure attached to that.
“Sometimes when it is straight after the game, managers most of the time are not the most rational.
“It would be interesting to see if you spoke with Ian today what his thoughts and feelings are on it because time gives you that bit of perspective. I’d imagine he has a different take now.
“What’s done is done, nobody died, it’s a game of football and when you are a goalkeeper – look at Jordan Pickford, or in the Spanish media when David De Gea makes a mistake in the Spanish national side, unfortunately it’s a high pressure industry.
“Bolton Wanderers is a big club and they want to get results. I think if you make mistakes there then you are always likely to be criticised.
“We live in an age of social media where everything we do and say is analysed and micro-analysed. It’s 24 hours and radio stations discussion, so if you want to be a top player now you have to accept criticism, albeit you would like to think when it comes from a manager it’s kept in-house of in the dressing room. Sometimes stuff like that does leak out into the public forum and we have to pass comment on it.
“I don’t want to add any fuel to the fire. I have spoken to my player, he knows exactly where it’s at, he knows the response he needs to make in order to put that right and knowing Billy he’ll be good to go because he’s got a real solid constitution and, luckily, he can deal with it because there are some out there who would not be able to respond correctly.
“In this industry it’s high pressure and you have to accept if you want to be in it for a long period that there will be bumps and criticism coming your way at some point because that’s the job.”
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