Ian Evatt

[Suffolk Blue]

Well Carlisle, Grimsby, Cambridge, Sc*nthorpe, Morecambe - they all have one thing in common dont they i.e. their seasons are dead, and some are desperate to avoid a relegation scrap. Come to us because we're desperate and you seem to be doing well up there in little Barrow Ian. However, I guess that's a bit harsh because books are made by bookies and then pumped by punters - they dont really reflect the true nature of a clubs intentions or capabilities.

If you look at the list of candidates for both the Cambridge and Sc*nthorpe jobs you'll see that they are roughly the same just reflect different odds. If Sc^nthorpe had sacked Paul Hurst a day earlier I suspect IE would've been at the top of their list also (he is on that too). And it would've made more sense than Cambridge as Sc*nthorpe's infrastructure is bigger and better and is actually much closer to IE's home than Cambridge. Cambridge as a football community is almost as remote as Barrow it is not a hotbed of local talent. As far as I'm aware IE has no connections with the club and none of our existing squad could probably afford to base themselves there as its one of the most expensive places to live north of London in the UK. Other than that its delightful.

I dont expect IE to stay with us any longer than he feels necessary - he's an ambitious guy. I will even concede that if that opportunity cropped up right now, he might be prepared to sacrifice us for it - though this risk diminishes as the climax of our season approaches. I dont actually think that even if he gets us promoted he'd necessarily be here at the beginning of next season. However you dont jump ship with your team in our position without a very good reason as it would inevitably impact on your reputation let alone your ego.

The Fylde bid for him was quite important as it set the bar quite high in terms of what might be required to acquire him. Its was almost certainly pre-planned and not spontaneous. The way it was rebuffed has actually proven beneficial to the club as its probably had the effect of deflecting mild interest and silly bids. But not in the minds of punters obviously.

[mrsenario]

Quite simple...ram your cv with success while you are here Ian... your young enough to wait for your dream move which you will deserve once you have delivered

[Barra Marra]

Well Carlisle, Grimsby, Cambridge, Sc*nthorpe, Morecambe - they all have one thing in common dont they i.e. their seasons are dead, and some are desperate to avoid a relegation scrap. Come to us because we're desperate and you seem to be doing well up there in little Barrow Ian. However, I guess that's a bit harsh because books are made by bookies and then pumped by punters - they dont really reflect the true nature of a clubs intentions or capabilities.

If you look at the list of candidates for both the Cambridge and Sc*nthorpe jobs you'll see that they are roughly the same just reflect different odds. If Sc^nthorpe had sacked Paul Hurst a day earlier I suspect IE would've been at the top of their list also (he is on that too). And it would've made more sense than Cambridge as Sc*nthorpe's infrastructure is bigger and better and is actually much closer to IE's home than Cambridge. Cambridge as a football community is almost as remote as Barrow it is not a hotbed of local talent. As far as I'm aware IE has no connections with the club and none of our existing squad could probably afford to base themselves there as its one of the most expensive places to live north of London in the UK. Other than that its delightful.

I dont expect IE to stay with us any longer than he feels necessary - he's an ambitious guy. I will even concede that if that opportunity cropped up right now, he might be prepared to sacrifice us for it - though this risk diminishes as the climax of our season approaches. I dont actually think that even if he gets us promoted he'd necessarily be here at the beginning of next season. However you dont jump ship with your team in our position without a very good reason as it would inevitably impact on your reputation let alone your ego.

The Fylde bid for him was quite important as it set the bar quite high in terms of what might be required to acquire him. Its was almost certainly pre-planned and not spontaneous. The way it was rebuffed has actually proven beneficial to the club as its probably had the effect of deflecting mild interest and silly bids. But not in the minds of punters obviously.

As I said in my long winded post, I think he is very ambitious but also very loyal and driven by passion and commitment. To that end, I think it's inevitable that, one day, he will leave us. I do think that day will not come this season. I think he's rightly proud of what's being done here and with everyone getting right behind him and his staff, feels a part of Barrow, rather than just a manager doing a job until the next candidate comes along. I also think he's the kind of man that sees a project through to the end. Where that end is i don't know. A play-off place? Promotion? Promotion and then consolidation? Promotion and then long term growth and a push for promotion again? I guess until such a time comes, maybe even Ian doesn't know when that will be. But I think it is certainly not now. I think now, he is Barrow. Now he is at the forefront of something very good, gaining media coverage all the time for what he and his staff are doing and raising the profile of our "little" club and town. Now he is one of us.

I will caveat all this with the thought that, maybe, if Blackpool came knocking, it might be a very hard offer to turn down.

[barrow-mike]

What a pointless thread . This happens several times every season and could unsettle our push for promotion . Total tripe

[HenneysKnee]

There is no chance on this earth Evatt would leave for a League 2 club at this stage

[Barra Marra]

What a pointless thread . This happens several times every season and could unsettle our push for promotion . Total tripe

Fair enough, everyone's entitled to an opinion, but I don't see how it could unsettle our bid for promotion. If anything, and if Ian ever does read this forum (yeah right) he'd see that he is universally respected and loved for what he's doing here.
It's just people discussing the long term ambitions of the club and manager. The speculation from the media would happen regardless and would happen to another manager should his team be top of the league. If a forum thread could topple a teams chances of promotion by being (on the whole) positive and optimistic, while remaining realistic and grounded, then I dread to think what will happen to Carlisle looking at their forum. I
What else is pointless tripe to discuss by that criteria? Score predictions? Possible signings? Club finances?

[russell_anderson]

If Blackpool sacked their manager I'd be amazed if Ian Evatt wasn't offered the job and even more amazed if he didn't take it. Other than that, I think he probably won't be offered a job attractive enough for him to leave before the end of the season. If he's still here next season his job offers will depend on how successful Barrow are at the start of next season. Whether he takes any of them will depend on the salary and the status and ambition of the club wanting him.

[russell_anderson]

What a pointless thread . This happens several times every season and could unsettle our push for promotion . Total tripe

Fair enough, everyone's entitled to an opinion, but I don't see how it could unsettle our bid for promotion. If anything, and if Ian ever does read this forum (yeah right) he'd see that he is universally respected and loved for what he's doing here.
It's just people discussing the long term ambitions of the club and manager. The speculation from the media would happen regardless and would happen to another manager should his team be top of the league. If a forum thread could topple a teams chances of promotion by being (on the whole) positive and optimistic, while remaining realistic and grounded, then I dread to think what will happen to Carlisle looking at their forum. I
What else is pointless tripe to discuss by that criteria? Score predictions? Possible signings? Club finances?

Exactly and no club hires a manager based on his popularity with his own fans. They don't even base it on his popularity with his current players otherwise Mourinho wouldn't keep being hired! They actually base it on his record and whether they think he will improve their team as they only hire when the team isn't doing well.

[cottingham bluebird]

He will stay this season and next and get us in playoffs in league 2 next season
This guy is special and very loyal to our club

[Tommylad]

Getting boring now.

[Roadrunner]

Getting boring now.

Now! it's been boring since the first post!!!!

[Hadrian]

Evatt has said he is going nowhere this season. We should accept his word and focus on progress rather than help to unsettle things.

As for initial odds, usually no reflection on reality. The gambling people will have devised a list with odds to attract those who think they know best to waste their money.

What were Evatt's odds for the Barrow job? Probably didn't have any. Similarly a CUFC fan on their forum saying "we could have had Evatt last summer". (S)he probably still hadn't heard of him last summer.

[barrowfan]

Just as a slight diversion, talking about odds, a fan told me that at the start of the season he got 80/1 for Barrow to win the league.

[tictactoe]

Was saying the other day wish I’d put a few bob on barrow and Liverpool winning their respective leagues

[Barra Marra]

Getting boring now.

Careful. Talk like that will surely upset our promotion bid