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Ian Evatt knows he is under pressure to improve results at Wanderers – even though he feels he has the backing of the club’s board.
With no game at the weekend, Bolton dropped a position to 11th in the League One table and are now three points outside the play-off places as business gets underway for the visit of Blackpool on Saturday.
Automatic promotion remains the primary aim, but Bolton are currently seven points behind second-placed Birmingham City, having played a game more.
Evatt’s job security has once again come under public scrutiny following the heavy defeat against Stockport County in the last league match. But the Bolton boss claims to know where he stands with those in the positions of power at the Toughsheet Stadium and is confident he can win back his flagging support on the terraces.
“My relationship with the board is second to none and we always have open, honest dialogue. We are on the same page that we are trying to get better,” he said, when asked if he had sought talks with the ownership group, post-Stockport.
“I am not naïve or delusional, I have been part of this game all my life and I understand that we need results. We are not where we want to be right at this moment.
“But I believe we can get those results, and I believe that the board support me, so while that is the case we will keep moving forwards.”
Some supporters made their frustrations known during the second half at Stockport, and it now remains to be seen what affect that will have on the home atmosphere on Saturday, where a large crowd is expected against a Lancashire rival.
Bolton could welcome back captain George Thomason, who scored in both games against Blackpool past season.
Evatt has also taken some solace from his opposite number at Edgeley Park, Dave Challinor, whose side reacted to a 5-0 defeat against Wycombe to beat Bolton handsomely, then claim another three points against promotion-chasing Wrexham at the weekend. As a result of the upturn in form, the Hatters have moved from 10th to fourth in a week.
Winning back the hearts and minds of everyone on the terraces at Wanderers may take longer but Evatt knows it can only be achieved with tangible results on the pitch.
“For me it’s about keeping my own counsel,” Evatt said. “I accept that we are not where we need to be but I believe that will change, especially with the players we have coming back into the group after the international break.
“I could go back over the last four or five years and chuck stats at you that would say I have been pretty successful here but this isn’t the time for that. I know it’s a time for action now and I have to make sure my team have everything they need from me and my staff to get results to fire us up the league.
“It’s the nature of football. I’d listened to that interview from Dave Challinor after they were beaten by Wycombe and I think that’s where I’m at here today. You can’t do anything else other than to go back, get the basics right again, keep your head down and try to earn back some trust and confidence again.”
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