'They have to start scoring' - Evatt turns the heat up on Wanderers' attack

Wanderers’ faltering front line has been warned to sharpen up – or find their place in the side at risk.

Ian Evatt was left fuming by wastefulness in front of goal, magnified by Joel Dixon’s late error in Tuesday night’s Papa John’s Trophy exit at Hartlepool United.

And the Bolton boss believes too much pressure is now being placed on the team because of their inability to seize the lead.

Wanderers have now conceded first in 18 of their 23 league outings and have managed to score the first goal just once in 13 games away from home.

By comparison, Evatt’s side has won all four games in which they have opened the scoring.

The narrative at the Victoria Ground was depressingly familiar, but with the January window open and cash to sign new players apparently available, Evatt says the pressure is on front men like Doyle, Dapo Afolayan and Elias Kachunga to deliver the goods.

“When you create chances you have to take them,” he said after the Hartlepool game.

“The first goal in this type of game becomes all-important. All too often now we are not scoring that first goal.

“When we have had good results and performances this season we have scored first in the majority of those games. When we concede that first goal it goes the other way.

“Other than the first 10 minutes I can’t remember any pressure or possession they had, any type of control. It was all us but we didn’t take the chances and paid for it in the end.”

“Those players at the top end of the pitch have to stand up and be counted. There is going to be real competition but - at the moment - there are only three of them that can play in those positions.

“They have to start scoring, start assisting and help the team.”

Wanderers have come in for criticism after the Hartlepool defeat and in recent outings for lacking the tempo in possession or hoarding the ball in areas that do not hurt opposing sides.

Again, Dixon’s error on the ball which led to the winning goal on Tuesday has inflamed the argument once more.

Wanderers altered their style slightly at Rotherham, playing a more direct game. And though Evatt says there are times when that approach will be appropriate, he believes his team is better suited to playing it out from the back.

“When the chance presents itself you can play direct – but the problem is that the players we have got, we can’t play direct football. We are not built for it,” he said.

“We have to find a way to break teams down and pick our way through.

“First half we did it numerous times but didn’t make the right decision on the cross, pass, shot, whatever. It wasn’t good enough.

“We have to improve at what we do.”

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Trouble is we can pass it square and in our own half all day long but as soon as we try to play forward it all falls down.

Norpig wrote:Trouble is we can pass it square and in our own half all day long but as soon as we try to play forward it all falls down.

To be fair, "they have to start scoring" is top class strategic advice from the manager.

One of the modern world's great analytical minds, that Evatt chap

If I was the manager and had a team that couldn't score then I'd concentrate on making sure the defence didn't let any in!

I mean if you KNOW we are having problems scoring a goal, then what's the point needing them to score two or three if the defence is leaking goals (which it is) to get a draw never mind a win?

I can't remember the stat but is something daft like we've let the first goal in, in something like 19 of our last 23 games!!!

I mean doesn't that suggest there's something definitely wrong with our game plan strategy???

Fair play to Evatt for wanting to play the football he does but for now it isn't working as he would wish and for the short term at least he needs to stop the goals going in at the back before worrying about how many we need to score just to draw the game!

Sluffy wrote:If I was the manager and had a team that couldn't score then I'd concentrate on making sure the defence didn't let any in!

I mean if you KNOW we are having problems scoring a goal, then what's the point needing them to score two or three if the defence is leaking goals (which it is) to get a draw never mind a win?

I can't remember the stat but is something daft like we've let the first goal in, in something like 19 of our last 23 games!!!

I mean doesn't that suggest there's something definitely wrong with our game plan strategy???

Fair play to Evatt for wanting to play the football he does but for now it isn't working as he would wish and for the short term at least he needs to stop the goals going in at the back before worrying about how many we need to score just to draw the game!

That's pretty much a summation of what has been discussed on here for several weeks now and you're right - although we can't score either and our midfield gets overrun so it's not a single issue problem.

Do we concede because we commit too many players forward? Do we not score enough because we are too slow in the build up? Or is it simply a matter of lack of quality and individual errors?

We can certainly do with some steel and improved quality and there are big questions over Evatt's playing style but whatever the issues, something has to change or we're in trouble.

In simple terms we lose because the other team played better than us.

Does that mean they had better players, not necessarily it could be that they had a better game strategy than us - parked the bus perhaps, or targeted a weakness in our system or designed a plan to blunt our strengths.

The teams at the tops of the various leagues tend to have the better players and competent managers.

At the moment we have a manager who has two promotions under his belt already and a team that was clearly top half quality until for whatever reasons the wheels fell off.

I tend to think if we get our better players fit again and bring in a few decent squad players we should be ok again but until then - if I was the manager - I'd be thinking I need to move away for awhile from my preferred way of playing and go back to basics in at least stopping the goals going in even if that means playing hoof ball  to a lone striker for a week or two.

He needs to stop the run of losses for now and start to get a few points back on the board again.

It will be interesting to see if Charles gets a ban for his tweets and if so if Doyle will stay until the end of the window - I expect he will leave by the end of January anyway and there is some sort of gentleman's agreement about when he goes.

But then again what would a dustbin man like me know about anything?