Ian Evatt

[Hadrian]

I think you'd have to be extremely naive to think that Evatt hasn't had some sort of communication with Bolton and know exactly what they're offering him before this whole saga became public.

Hardly the revelation of the week if reports are true that Evatt's agent has been negotiating with Bolton for ten days or more.

The financial side of things may be ready to be formally agreed but there may remain staffing issues to resolve, in particular how a new manager would work (or not?)under a Director of Football.

Was noticeable that the expected articles did not appear in the national press last weekend. I wonder what the general non-Barrow reaction to a move to Bolton would be?

[dodger]

Gotta feel for the BOD who really didn’t see this coming barely hours after confirmation of being crowned Champions. Worst case now is he stays. Evatt wants to go so hopefully the £250k clause his Agent (or pimp as there known in my business) agreed when he got his increased contract gets paid in the next days. Reading some of the posts on here about there’s no loyalty in football, and I get that,but it works both ways. Evatt’s done a great job (after continued backing by the BOD) and it’s the best football I’ve seen at Holker st in over 50 Years but he’s going to jump ship either now or in the not to distance future so let’s cash in now and get a new manager in to take us into a new era.I can also see the Bolton job ending in tears And (As Northern Soul mentioned) how the FA and the EFL are allowing this S.O.S to band this sort of money about is unbelievable with the constraints they are supposed to be under.Evatt could end up starting the season with his new side having a minus number in front of there points before they kick a ball. On a lighter note What we replacing “ Glad all over” with when our team run out next season?

[Suffolk Blue]

Must admit I like IE and respect what he has done for the club but I feel let down that he is doing this again,
And after all his spiel about wanting to see how far we can go as a club and before we even start he has had is head turned, but I suppose it is only a job and he obviously thinks Bolton has more prospects for his future, the way they have been in recent years I am not sure he is making the right choice.

Time will tell whether its a great move for him. But I dont buy the idea that he's had his head turned or been fed false information or has become idealistic all of a sudden. I do think he might have a sense of destiny in him and a challenge really floats his boat. And I suspect the fact that the Bolton job comes with so many apparent drawbacks and risks, far from turning him off has meant that he has probably been right up for this job since the first moment the idea entered his head whenever that was.

Of course Bolton will now become the new Barrow in his mindset. If history repeats itself he will not only try to manage the trotters and bring his style to them but he will look into their soul and try to bring them together as a club. Evatt is a "hearts" as well as "minds" guy. Our disappointment at his leaving is to some extent reflective of that because not only do we like the way he plays the game but he makes us all feel connected.

So cast your minds forward a couple of years and lets assume history does indeed repeat itself. A first year spent building a team from scratch and possibly bedding in a new assistant (Atherton not joining him would be a setback) and telling everybody that mid table safety was not good enough even with his limited resources for a team like the Wanderers. Second season no embargo, and with money to spend he drives Bolton upwards and out of League 2.

If and when that happens and shortly afterwards, a Preston NE or a Blackburn Rovers or possibly a Stoke City come looking for a young talented manager to take them back to the next level, then Bolton might find themselves in the same position as we do today.

[alvin]

Well said best football I've seen at barrow I love Evatt for what he's done for barrow town . That's what happens when you let a good manager build his own squad some bigger clubs won't let him do that.

[boyliegladbach]

Always came across as a sensible person until he/agent made this daft decision, thanks for his work, got us promoted, gone by Christmas at Bolton.

[barrowfan]

Well said best football I've seen at barrow I love Evatt for what he's done for barrow town . That's what happens when you let a good manager build his own squad some bigger clubs won't let him do that.

Especially when they have a Director of Football.

[bluebird90]

He seems to often point out the lost opportunity of his playing days, when a big money move fell through and he then became injured shortly afterwards, which was the beginning of the end as a player. That seems to really agitate him and I wonder if mentally, he’s not prepared to do the same as a manager.

With bigger clubs, comes high expectation and when things don’t go well, you can quickly have thousands calling for the manager to go. I think that’ll be the challenge. Will Bolton fans have patience and accept the initial period of ‘we might not be picking up points but the footballs good’?

There is also the aspect that they’re going to be the ones everyone wants to beat next season. Tight little grounds will be packed with winds swirling, muddy pitches and thousands telling you what they think of you and you hearing every word - a far cry from the home comforts of the well covered, fan distanced seats and the manicured pitch that the young Bolton players will be used to.

[Pedro]

He seems to often point out the lost opportunity of his playing days, when a big money move fell through and he then became injured shortly afterwards, which was the beginning of the end as a player. That seems to really agitate him and I wonder if mentally, he’s not prepared to do the same as a manager.

With bigger clubs, comes high expectation and when things don’t go well, you can quickly have thousands calling for the manager to go. I think that’ll be the challenge. Will Bolton fans have patience and accept the initial period of ‘we might not be picking up points but the footballs good’?

There is also the aspect that they’re going to be the ones everyone wants to beat next season. Tight little grounds will be packed with winds swirling, muddy pitches and thousands telling you what they think of you and you hearing every word - a far cry from the home comforts of the well covered, fan distanced seats and the manicured pitch that the young Bolton players will be used to.

Anyone who has been to the Reebok even on a sunny day it can be freezing in the shade.

Yes heard that interview about not getting a new contract after getting injured and Oyston not letting him move to Southampton.
He would do well in politics ,media savvy but has gone into a bunker lately.
It will be interesting to listen to his first Bolton interview ,I am sure for Barrow it will read Bolton and we will have heard it all before.
Showed himself up with this and Flyde incident

[NORTHERNSOUL]

How can anyone especially Ian Evett know whether he wants to be the next Bolton Manager until he speaks to them and finds out what they're offering and on this occasion what the constraints of the embargo and financial situation of not just the club but FV.s and indeed the individual directors etc will be right now.

It's all right his agent meeting them and ringing IE and saying it's a great opportunity Ian lets do it after all his motivation is purely one of cash but what's to say when IE looks at it and sees what the embargo will mean and asks about the black hole in the finances caused by the pandemic he won't just say [SwearFilter] that for a game of soldiers.

So I think some of you need to learn the difference between him wanting to speak to them and definitely wanting to take the job and that's before you throw into the mix any demands that he might have such as not being willing to work with a director of football or whatever title this Tobias Pheonix character has he could well make demands of them that they're not willing to concede on.

I think you'd have to be extremely naive to think that Evatt hasn't had some sort of communication with Bolton and know exactly what they're offering him before this whole saga became public.

If he.s had any direct contact he.d be a very silly bloke and I would have thought the last thing FV.s need right now would be a charge of inciting a contracted manager to break his agreement

But yes I agree with you all lot of the stuff will have been imparted thru his agent but I don't see Evatt being the sort of bloke who would agree to anything until hed met the people concerned face to face. And i.d also bet he fully realises that his agent's motivation for him to make the move won't exactly be the same as his.

And unless something changes its going to cost Bolton 250k for that to happen however much they squeal about it.

[russell_anderson]

Just hearing all sorted, on his way, announcement later today

Missed that deadline, then!

[NORTHERNSOUL]

Just hearing all sorted, on his way, announcement later today

Missed that deadline, then!

I.ve heard they can't announce anything yet as they've found a couple of settees they haven't looked down the back of yet.

[russell_anderson]

Missed that deadline, then!

I.ve heard they can't announce anything yet as they've found a couple of settees they haven't looked down the back of yet.

Dead easy according to the last poster on the Bolton forum!

"Any compensation figure is a moot point anyway.

Club A need a manager.
A smaller Club B like their manager that much that they publicly announce they won't let him leave for less than £250k

Club A decide they want Club B's manager and make a low offer for him
Club B decline the bid, but their manager decides he'd really like to join Club A

Club B now cannot feasibly keep their manager and reluctantly have to compromise with Club A on the settlement figure.


This happens all the time."

Amazing how it's taken 12 days and counting!!!

[barrowaberdeen]

Gotta feel for the BOD who really didn’t see this coming barely hours after confirmation of being crowned Champions. Worst case now is he stays. Evatt wants to go so hopefully the £250k clause his Agent (or pimp as there known in my business) agreed when he got his increased contract gets paid in the next days. Reading some of the posts on here about there’s no loyalty in football, and I get that,but it works both ways. Evatt’s done a great job (after continued backing by the BOD) and it’s the best football I’ve seen at Holker st in over 50 Years but he’s going to jump ship either now or in the not to distance future so let’s cash in now and get a new manager in to take us into a new era.I can also see the Bolton job ending in tears And (As Northern Soul mentioned) how the FA and the EFL are allowing this S.O.S to band this sort of money about is unbelievable with the constraints they are supposed to be under.Evatt could end up starting the season with his new side having a minus number in front of there points before they kick a ball. On a lighter note What we replacing “ Glad all over” with when our team run out next season?

Pretty much this. Although I am sceptical whether this 250k bandied around for days was the actual figure in the first place. But I trust the board to get what we want as a club.

Good luck Ian and staff if you're off. You've done amazing for us to get us promoted. But so have the players, who won't be going anywhere near Bolton, the board, who have done a great job and the support, who've backed the team on and off the park all the way.

Let's enjoy it, have a bit of confidence and back ourselves to do well.

[whitty1969]

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... tt-barrow/

[4kidsMike]

Missed that deadline, then!

I.ve heard they can't announce anything yet as they've found a couple of settees they haven't looked down the back of yet.

Brilliant