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Ian Evatt is delighted to see Wanderers fans enjoying their football again at the UniBol.
Averaging more than 15,000 as the club prepares to welcome Lincoln City tonight, Bolton are currently on course for their best seasonal gates since their last stint in the Championship.
Evatt’s first season with supporters present has not been entirely without incident but the recent run of good form has produced a distinct improvement in the home atmosphere.
The Wanderers boss also believes fans are getting used to his style of football and are now viewing things on a similar wavelength.
“Everyone has an idea on how they think the game should be played and this is mine. I draw an outline and the players go on to colour it in, that is the way it works,” he said.
“Traditionally I don’t think Bolton teams have played this way, so maybe it has taken time to get used to things, maybe even longer than it normally would because people were not in the stadium last season to watch first-hand how things were developing.
“Now they are starting to get to grips with things and of course it helps when you get results. The team has scored six and four, and could have scored more in those games, so they can only really be excited by it.
“I want them to enjoy what they are paying to see. Strip it all back and this is a working class sport for working class people. Folk work tirelessly for their money and spend it watching us play, so the least I can do is entertain.
“Now I think we have the weapons to play the game the way I think it should be played.”
Wanderers could rotate their squad again tonight, with Evatt already confirming that MJ Williams will return in midfield.
Up front, there are some big calls to be made. All four strikers – Dapo Afolayan, Dion Charles, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Amadou Bakayoko – scored against Wimbledon and the Wanderers boss says informing players who will not be involved is a tough part of the job.
“The most important part of it is communication,” he said. “Whether they agree with the reasoning or not, they will respect it. I am the manager, I do have to make the decisions, so provided players are in the loop and know why I went with this team for this match, they buy into it.
“I understand there will be frustrations and the most important part of that is they are aimed towards me and not each other, causing disruption. That hasn’t always been the case.
“If there are frustrations then my office is always open, come in, we will chat about why I have done what I have done and the reasons why. They might not always agree but they will respect it.”
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