Bolton Wanderers to sack manager Ian Evatt after Charlton Athletic defeat | OneFootball

Reports suggest that Bolton Wanderers have sacked Ian Evatt.

Reports have emerged this morning that Bolton Wanderers have sacked manager Ian Evatt. The Trotters were defeated 2-1 by Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night, which looks to be the ex-defender's final rodeo.

Last season's beaten League One play-off finalists have endured a torrid first half of the campaign, sitting in ninth place, which is a million miles away from where they'd hoped to be at this stage of the season. Despite owner Sharon Brittan publicly backing the manager in a statement last month, results have been so poor that she's been left with little choice other than to act.

This is according to Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, who has reported via X that the Whites have relieved Evatt of his duties following Tuesday evening's home defeat. Bolton will now head into a crucial game against Huddersfield Town on Saturday without a manager, as the hunt for the next boss gets underway.

Evatt was appointed manager of Bolton in 2020, following two years at Barrow. Since then, he's won them promotion from League Two and the EFL Trophy. However, despite being heavy favourites in last season's play-off final, the Whites were undone by an Oxford United side that was better on the day.

After this gut punch, things at the Toughsheet Community Stadium haven't been the same. Bolton supporters firmly expected to be in the running for automatic promotion at this stage in the season. However, the Lancashire club isn't even inside the play-offs and one point in their last three games has seen them fall even further adrift of the top six.

O'Rourke has now revealed that the Charlton defeat, where the Trotters were 1-0 up, was the straw that broke the camel's back. Evatt has come under a lot of criticism this season from his own supporters, which hasn't been helped by his outbursts towards the players and fans.

It seems now that the Bolton faithful have got their wish, and a change of manager will be enforced by Brittan. Whilst the consensus is that things have been left too late, the chairman has acted now why there is still a chance to salvage something from the season.

Evatt's sacking may have come too late

With the expectations of a massive club like Bolton in mind, results have been below par all season. Fans have been calling for change for a while, which was met with anger from Evatt. Allowing Dion Charles to sign for League One rivals, Huddersfield, has also added fuel to the fire recently.

Despite the results on the pitch bringing unrest among supporters, Brittan came out and publicly backed her manager, which ultimately proved to be the wrong call. Just over a month later, no improvement was shown, which has led to her being left with no choice other than to dismiss Evatt.

Whilst the Whites sit in ninth place currently, their season is far from a write-off just yet when it comes to making the play-offs, but the original goal of automatic promotion seems to have faded a long time ago. Bolton currently sit 16 points behind second-place side, Wycombe Wanderers, with 20 matches to play.

Bearing that in mind, it seems like the decision for a change in the dugout has been long overdue. Bolton fans who have endured months of frustration can now look forward to a fresh start under a new manager. This is something that the football club desperately needs to progress to the next level.