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Ian Evatt insists he can lead Wanderers into the Championship playing football his way.
The Bolton boss saw his team come up just short against Barnsley in the play-offs and has now begun planning for an assault on the automatic promotion places next season.
Though there will be some remodelling work on the squad that finished fifth this season, Evatt says there is no plan to change to a more pragmatic style of play in the pursuit of success.
“It is not necessarily simple but it is a lot easier to set a team up for set plays, hard to beat, play more direct,” Evatt said. “But we want to be the total package, I want us to be the total package. I want our fans to be hugely proud of our brand, identity and philosophy, and that takes time.
“I know there will be frustration along the way. Nobody is more frustrated than me when we don’t get where I believe it can take us but, for now, we just dust ourselves down, wish Barnsley well because there has been two tight games, and go again next season.”
Wanderers ended a 34-year wait for domestic cup silverware in April by lifting the Papa Johns Trophy and took nine more points than they had the previous season.
Evatt will not be satisfied until he has achieved promotion – but reasoned that despite the positive steps taken at Bolton in the last 12 months, the club might not have been entirely ready for the Championship.
“I am a perfectionist,” he said. “We have done well this season and it has been good progress but I want to do more, I want to achieve more. This hurt me because I think we are better than that.
“We should be at Wembley and I feel we should be getting promoted. That is our journey and it hasn’t happened.
“But I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and maybe all this has happened for a purpose and a reason, maybe we are not quite ready yet? We are making giant strides but we are not quite there and need to improve on so many aspects.
“On and off the pitch we are working tirelessly as a football club to get back where we once were and that work will continue.
“We will wake up with a real hunger and drive to get better.”
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