IAN Evatt says Wanderers will take criticism “on the chin” after falling to back-to-back defeats in the league for the first time since October 2022.
Bolton’s confidence was shaken at Portsmouth, as they started slowly at home against Bristol Rovers on Saturday. At halftime, they were behind 2-0 as a result of captain Ricardo Santos’ straight red card for a professional foul.
By substituting Will Forrester, an extra defender, for top scorer Dion Charles, Evatt courted controversy. Despite spurring a better second-half performance and offering some hope thanks to a late goal from Eoin Toal, there would be no comeback.
Wanderers fell to fifth place, and Evatt was left thinking back on a trying week in which his team’s chances of earning automatic promotion were suddenly called into doubt.
When The Bolton News questioned whether criticism would be accepted, he responded, “It is the nature of the job.” “I recently won two Manager of the Month awards. Everyone was happy with our progress, but a few poor outcomes cause things to turn around.
“For this reason, you must maintain your consistency and avoid going too high or too low. You must maintain your faith and beliefs, and we will do the same for one another.
“Yes, the first half is right to criticise us. On
the other hand, I felt that the players displayed a great deal of character in the second half.
“We will accept any criticism that we receive, but starting on Monday, our main focus will be on preparing for our upcoming match against Leyton Orient and ensuring that we perform to the best of our abilities right from the start.”
However, worries about Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s fitness have been dashed after the Icelandic striker hobbled straight out of the tunnel during the second half of Saturday’s match.
Bodvarsson was one of the few players who performed well in the previous two losses, and after the final whistle, his injury was deemed to be minor.
Evatt remarked, “He got a real whack on it and has a dead calf.” It’s a contact injury; it’s not muscular, nor is it particularly serious. I thought he was excellent once again, so hopefully it will only take a few days to heal. It is very sore and stiff.
Evatt stated that he didn’t have to read the riot act to his captain, Santos, who had a rough game to begin with and was given a straight red card by referee Carl Brook for a foul on Rovers striker Aaron Collins.
The back became just the second Bolton to
The manager remarked, “He knows, I don’t need to speak to Rico.” “I don’t have to say anything; he knows his limitations and expectations, and he went below them today. He is an excellent player for us, and we will support his return.
Will (Forrester) entered and performed admirably. We dominated the second half so thoroughly that it appeared like they had ten men on the pitch. Bravo to the players, but we need to enter the game with that same vigour, passion, and drive because that’s when we perform best. The enthusiasm simply wasn’t there, and we need to restore it.
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