With the FA Cup dominating the weekend’s news, Bolton’s manager has tried his best to take the headlines with an extraordinary rant.
Ian Evatt, who is the fifth longest-serving coach in England’s top four tiers, has risked his position at Wanderers after turning on his players and fans.
The 43-year-old saw his side lose 3-1 away at Rotherham in League One, keeping them mid-table, below current expectations.
Supporters began singing ‘Evatt out’ towards the end of the clash, which provoked him into an initial sarcastic response.
“It’s my fault, it’s my fault,” he said post match, before clarifying: “It’s not, it’s a collective. And the players have to take responsibility as well.
“I don’t send my players out to play and perform and show that lack of fight, courage and energy.
“I think it’s time I called them out because it’s me that gets it all. I can take it all but sooner or later they have to take some responsibility.
“That is a collective thing. I will take responsibility, I always will. The first place I look is in the mirror at myself.
“But some of them need to look and themselves as well, because for this club that isn’t good enough.
“We are making it incredibly difficult for ourselves conceding some awful goals, and that isn’t just down to the keeper and the defenders.
“Teams that are mentally fragile and weak concede goals like that, and that is what we have been doing.
“It doesn’t matter who is in charge, the mindset is going to be the same.”
GettyBolton fans were expecting another promotion push from Evatt[/caption]
After an extensive EFL career as a player, Evatt retired with Chesterfield in 2018 and became their caretaker manager before a stint at Barrow.
He’s since taken Bolton up from League Two in his first season, and almost made the Championship with play-off finishes in the past two campaigns.
But with just two wins in seven games the pressure is on, and it likely won’t relent against Lincoln next time out in the Virtu Trophy.
And Evatt isn’t sure his players are up to it as when he was asked if he expects a reaction, as he remarked: “We’ll see.
“It’s three games from Wembley, another opportunity in a competition we have done well in, we need to put that behind us.
“I am angry and frustrated at what I saw today.”