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Ian Evatt has turned to Netflix in an effort to swot-up on how to get the best out of enigmatic new loan signing Marcus Maddison.
The talented winger arrived at Bolton this week with an impressive highlights reel but under a cloud after difficult spells at Hull City and Charlton Athletic in the last 12 months.
Various character references suggest the 27-year-old can be an unpredictable presence within the dressing room but Bolton boss Evatt insists both he and Maddison know what they are getting into.
Evatt has studied various strategies on management early in his career and believes NBA documentary The Last Dance gives a good insight into the type of talent he will need to harness.
“I have done a lot of research, read a lot of books on leadership but the most topical thing at the moment was the Michael Jordan documentary,” he said. “For long spells in Jordan’s career he wasn’t really liked by his team-mates because of his mentality, and I think it shows all elite sportsmen have an edge, a quirkiness about them. Marcus is certainly quirky but by no means is he a bad guy, or a bad egg.
“All human beings are different and when you are a manager in any walk of life you have to understand what motivates different people, because we’re all triggered by different things.”
Maddison’s arrival from Charlton on deadline day caused great excitement among the Wanderers fans but there has also been a note of caution sounded by his previous club’s owner, Darragh MacAnthony, and Valley boss Lee Bowyer, suggesting Bolton will need to find the right approach to get the best out of him.
“I had a conversation with Marcus this morning and told him what I wanted from him,” Evatt said. “I want him to enjoy his football but I wanted to know what he wanted out of this move.
“Marcus wants to show everyone how good a footballer he is, what he is about.
“I asked him ‘what’s the best way to manage you?’ and he laughed. He said ‘tell me when I am wrong, tell me when I am right. Be honest and upfront about it’.
“He understands and will know where he stands with me. There won’t be grey areas, an agenda or skulduggery. What you see is what you get.
“He knows what he is coming into and I have every faith that we can see the best of Marcus Maddison at Bolton Wanderers.
“When you are managing people in general you have to realise when they need a bit of love and when they need a smacked bottom. That’s life.”
Maddison, plus the other three deadline day signings MJ Williams, Dapo Afolayan and Lukas Jensen, will all be available for tomorrow’s game at Salford.
Evatt concedes that there could be a settling in period but believes the problem will be overcome quicker than it was in the previous window because of the quality of new recruit brought aboard.
“We have four new players – the goalkeeping position is what it is – but the other three players are all very intelligent and well-educated footballers,” he said.
“When you look down the list, MJ has come through Liverpool then Rochdale and Blackpool who are both sides who try and play in a similar way we do. Naturally, I think Liverpool bring through technically sound players, so I don’t see any problem there.
“The other thing MJ brings for us is a physical edge. He’s 6ft 2ins, gives us a bit of bite and steel as well as those technical abilities.
“Madders is exactly what I said, a maverick and a match-winner and I want him to come here and really embrace the club. I really want him to be our talisman.”
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The talented winger arrived at Bolton this week with an impressive highlights reel but under a cloud after difficult spells at Hull City and Charlton Athletic in the last 12 months.
Various character references suggest the 27-year-old can be an unpredictable presence within the dressing room but Bolton boss Evatt insists both he and Maddison know what they are getting into.
Evatt has studied various strategies on management early in his career and believes NBA documentary The Last Dance gives a good insight into the type of talent he will need to harness.
“I have done a lot of research, read a lot of books on leadership but the most topical thing at the moment was the Michael Jordan documentary,” he said. “For long spells in Jordan’s career he wasn’t really liked by his team-mates because of his mentality, and I think it shows all elite sportsmen have an edge, a quirkiness about them. Marcus is certainly quirky but by no means is he a bad guy, or a bad egg.
“All human beings are different and when you are a manager in any walk of life you have to understand what motivates different people, because we’re all triggered by different things.”
Maddison’s arrival from Charlton on deadline day caused great excitement among the Wanderers fans but there has also been a note of caution sounded by his previous club’s owner, Darragh MacAnthony, and Valley boss Lee Bowyer, suggesting Bolton will need to find the right approach to get the best out of him.
“I had a conversation with Marcus this morning and told him what I wanted from him,” Evatt said. “I want him to enjoy his football but I wanted to know what he wanted out of this move.
“Marcus wants to show everyone how good a footballer he is, what he is about.
“I asked him ‘what’s the best way to manage you?’ and he laughed. He said ‘tell me when I am wrong, tell me when I am right. Be honest and upfront about it’.
“He understands and will know where he stands with me. There won’t be grey areas, an agenda or skulduggery. What you see is what you get.
“He knows what he is coming into and I have every faith that we can see the best of Marcus Maddison at Bolton Wanderers.
“When you are managing people in general you have to realise when they need a bit of love and when they need a smacked bottom. That’s life.”
Maddison, plus the other three deadline day signings MJ Williams, Dapo Afolayan and Lukas Jensen, will all be available for tomorrow’s game at Salford.
Evatt concedes that there could be a settling in period but believes the problem will be overcome quicker than it was in the previous window because of the quality of new recruit brought aboard.
“We have four new players – the goalkeeping position is what it is – but the other three players are all very intelligent and well-educated footballers,” he said.
“When you look down the list, MJ has come through Liverpool then Rochdale and Blackpool who are both sides who try and play in a similar way we do. Naturally, I think Liverpool bring through technically sound players, so I don’t see any problem there.
“The other thing MJ brings for us is a physical edge. He’s 6ft 2ins, gives us a bit of bite and steel as well as those technical abilities.
“Madders is exactly what I said, a maverick and a match-winner and I want him to come here and really embrace the club. I really want him to be our talisman.”
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