Ian Evatt explains plan for experienced midfielder Scott Arfield

Wanderers are treading carefully with experienced midfielder Scott Arfield, knowing his footballing calendar has been turned upside down in recent years.

The 35-year-old has been used sparingly at the start of the League One campaign following his move from MLS outfit Charlotte FC and was rested entirely in this week’s Bristol Street Motors Trophy game against Aston Villa’s Under-21s.

Arfield moved to the US from Rangers mid-season in the summer of 2023 and then linked-up with Bolton for their training camp in Portugal 12 months later.

Ian Evatt has confirmed that the club are managing his football deliberately in his first few months to ensure he does not risk workload injuries, but he remains upbeat that the former Canada international will play a big part for Wanderers.

“Scott has obviously played consistently now for 18 months because the summer window overlaps with the MLS, so it is a lot for him to keep going and going,” he told The Bolton News.

“When we can give him a bit of a break, we give him some time, because he hasn’t had that for a long while now which isn’t right, or fair, and it isn’t going to help him physically. He is an important player for us.

“We decided to rest him (against Villa) and give him a couple of days to rest and regroup with his family and come back ready to go again for Burton.”

Arfield has also described his hectic schedule since deciding to move from Scotland to Charlotte, and he admits his decision to step down from international football could prolong his career at club level.

“It actually happened the other side [of my move to Charlotte] with Rangers, I had just short of two weeks off and then went straight into Charlotte mid-season,” he explained.

“I got a little break at Christmas there – from early November into January – so that was my little time to reassess, I got back home to Scotland.

“When the move to Bolton came, I was thoroughly refreshed and didn’t need much of a break and obviously international breaks I’m not playing anymore so I can get breaks then too. I do feel as though you need that time for a break when you’re older, so the international breaks will be good for me going forward.”

Evatt has given all his players some time to rest over the weekend, reconvening on Monday morning at Lostock to begin preparations for a key run of games to the November break.

Disappointed that they did not sign off with a league win against Shrewsbury, the Bolton boss will find out early next week if he will be in the dugout at all for the game against Burton Albion on October 19, with an FA disciplinary charge hanging over his head.

“Saturday was a game we should have won and what happened after that was on the back of the frustration of not winning that game.

“Obviously we have talked about it and we will wait for the outcome but all the focus has to be on the league now, that’s the bread and butter, so to speak.”

Source

I've said previously that I've never understood Arfield's signing.

Is he the hardman enforcer the team seems to lack, or is he the wise head to control games, or is he the wise old dog to come on late in the game to close the game out?

Is he none of these but something else?

Arfield himself states he's here to play, so that rules out for me the 'bit part' roles - how as a midfielder does he close out games for instance - a forward can run the ball to the corner flag, or hold it in the penalty area seeking a foul - what does a midfield player do, run around in circles with it?

Midfield players don't keep possession of the ball for long, so how do they close out a game?

Run around making a nuisance of themselves for the last quarter of the game for instance perhaps - but that means the opposition has got the ball (which isn't good for us closing out the match - is it?) and why sign a 35 year old to do that when you can sign a 25 year old to do that- it's as fanciful as seventy year old Wanderlust believing he can still outplay men 50 years younger than him, twice a week - or in other words just plain bollocks.

Is he the hardman?

I don't know but if he is, can he play a full season, Saturday, Tuesday every week and merit his place in the team at 35?

If he can't then why not sign someone who can and not Arfield as we did?

Let's say he can, so who do we drop to make room for him in the starting eleven - currently consisting of Sheehan, Dempsey and Thomason?

(Matete who some claimed to be the 'hardman' - and who Wanderlust was wanking himself blind over at the start of the season and telling everyone that Sheehan was shit - can't even get into the starting eleven now!)

I don't think Arfield is the quarterback type of player that Sheehan is, can he do box to box still at 35 any better than Dempsey can?  So that only leaves our new captain Thomason's place.

Is he better than Thomason then?

Maybe?

Can't see Evatt dropping his new skipper though can you?

I just can understand what his intended role is meant to be?

Is it on or off the pitch where his influence and experience was brought in for?

Arfield clearly believes in what he said that it is on the field - ok, so where on the field, doing what exactly???

Replacing Sheehan as the controller on the pitch, replacing Dempsey as the box to box heartbeat of the team. or replacing Thomason as the headstrong, passionate, giving all for the team enforcer sort of player?

And doing whatever he has been brought in to do at the age of 35?

You don't play midfield at 35 without help from others.

You can get away with being a sub forward at 35, or even a veteran defender at 35 but you can't do what's required of a starting eleven midfielder for a season at 35.

So is he here to just to play just the second half of the season as Hierro did?

He's definitely not a great player as Hierro was but maybe he's good enough to do it in a third division team as we are but even then I just don't see it as the plan Evatt had when we signed him.

I question his signing at the time - nearly a quarter of a season on, I'm still questioning it.

From what i've seen of him so far i'm not impressed. From memory he was more of an attacking midfielder or winger at Burnley and Rangers so he's no midfield hardman!

I think he's a signing like Jerome, more there as an example to the younger players and who can come on as a sub when needed.

Norpig wrote:From what i've seen of him so far i'm not impressed. From memory he was more of an attacking midfielder or winger at Burnley and Rangers so he's no midfield hardman!

I think he's a signing like Jerome, more there as an example to the younger players and who can come on as a sub when needed.

Thanks.

The link below is to the initial discussion we all had about him AND an interview with him clearly stating his reason for coming here was to PLAY.

Worth a read to what we all thought at the time and compare it to how things have turned out so far.

https://forum.boltonnuts.co.uk/t26688-scott-arfield?highlight=arfield

He's the guy who  gets the pies in.

Cajunboy wrote:He's the guy who gets the pies in.

Is Arfield the pie man that Simple Simon met on his way to the fair, then?