There are growing concerns that football will go back to being played behind closed doors due to rising coronavirus cases and the Omicron variant.

The Welsh government have already banned supporters from attending sporting events which means that Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County will host matches behind closed doors.

It appears likely that such legislation could come into place in England but it is a situation that clubs want to avoid if possible.

Ian Evatt reiterated his appreciation for the Bolton Wanderers fan base when he spoke to The Bolton News.

He said: "For me, football is nothing without its fans. Even when I am getting stick, there is a little bit of me that appreciates it because it is part of the game.

"We’re doing the best we can to make sure we get the right results, and our fans want the same thing. Our fans are fantastic, our support is fantastic. The atmosphere we created at Accrington was fantastic."

Often it is suggested that teams who are on poor form, like Bolton, are better suited to playing away from home where fans are less likely to get on their backs. Meaning, there is an argument that we could see an upturn in form from the Trotters if they are forced to play in empty stadiums.

The Verdict

Evatt does appear to have a very good understanding of the supporters and that they only want the best for Bolton Wanderers. Therefore, airing their frustrations towards him and the team is not as negative as it could be if the manager is fighting back at the fans, rather than taking a step back and understanding their anger.

Wanderers have won just two of their last 11 games after flirting with the play-offs in the opening third of the season. The two victories came over the bottom two sides in League One as well, increasing the importance on a successful January transfer window at The UniBol.

Bolton put together an outstanding second half of the season under Evatt last term, to storm their way up the League Two and into the automatic promotion places, promotion looks a longshot this season but the former Barrow boss will be confident of turning the club's fortunes around heading into the new year.