Home
Ian Evatt left the pitch on Saturday with fans singing his name – but also recalls a time when some at Wanderers would have had him out the door!
The Bolton boss is coming towards his second anniversary in charge of the club and currently boasts a 46.23 per cent win ratio, putting him second on the list of post-war managers, just behind Burnden Park legend Bruce Rioch.
Reflecting on a spell which has seen promotion from League Two and a ninth-placed finish this season, Evatt admitted he has made mistakes. But the 40-year-old also feels he is now in his strongest position yet with the fanbase.
“My journey has been a crazy and an eventful one,” he smiled. “I have been sacked a few times.
“I have also had some credit and praise along the way but that’s football.
“You have to try and keep yourself on the straight and narrow, make the best possible decisions you can make for the football club and I’ll continue to do that.
“You have to earn people’s respect and I think I have done that with our fanbase.
“I can’t speak highly enough of them. Sometimes I get things wrong and people forget I am a young manager and I will do the wrong things. I’ll also wind people up by saying the wrong thing. But that is just me – I try and be as transparent as possible.
“I have a clear idea on how the game should be played and I want my players to go out there and paint the picture.
“I think the fans are buying into it a lot more and enjoying it a lot more too.
“There are lots of stats going around – two teams have broken the 70-goal barrier and we’ve got 73 points which the majority of the time would have got us there or thereabouts.
“But I have told you before, and I will say it again, I won’t stop working until I get this club back to where I want it to be. It is my aim, my target, and it is aligned with Sharon and the rest of the club.”
Speaking after Saturday’s game, Evatt said he was looking forward to a short holiday with his family before bringing his players back in for training in mid-June.
“I have been off the grass for 10-15 minutes and I am missing it already,” he said.
“I will have to find something to keep me occupied but I think this will be a very busy summer and I am looking forward to having a break from matchdays but also to tying to improve us this summer.”
Source