Bolton Wanderers head coach Steven Schumacher has revealed he is ‘really clear’ about what needs to be done to challenge for promotion from League One next season.
The 41-year-old replaced long-standing boss Ian Evatt in January as the Trotters’ bid to reach the play-offs continued to falter. Schumacher initially saw an upturn in results and by the beginning of March, his new team were in the top six.
The tide quickly turned though. The Greater Manchester-based team won just two of their last 11 games to eventually finish eighth, 10 points behind sixth-placed Leyton Orient.
“Need Better Players”
Obviously, Schumacher admits that he will need better players to implement his strategy next season, although accepts that injuries to key players in the latter stages of the campaign hurt them. Speaking to The Bolton News, he said:
“We fell away a little bit towards the end, now injuries played a big part in that. We had 12-13 senior players out who had all been playing – good, senior players who you’d miss, and any squad with that number of injuries suffers.
“Also, getting the squad to play how I want to play, without that balance, it just wasn’t possible. It has been difficult but we will address that over the summer with recruitment if we can.
“I have seen loads of positives, the running stats have been higher, we have had a lot more opportunities in transition which is how I like to work, we have seen certain things in the team which looks like the style we want.
“But we also know we need some other players as well to execute that style and carry out the gameplan. We have got good players here, but we fell short, we need better players that can help us play exactly how I want to play next year.”
Continuing, the former Plymouth Argyle boss insisted he is clear on what needs to change:
“I am positive about it. When I came here in January and went through the interview process, spoke to Sharon and Nick, they said it was going to be difficult and that there would be ups and downs with the way the squad was, the balance of the squad,” he said.
“I understood that but I genuinely did feel we could make the play-offs, I was honest about that. We didn’t manage to do that but I also had one eye on next year and if we didn’t do it, what does next year look like?
“I have a really good idea now, I have had four months to assess the group and for me it’s really clear to see what needs to be done and what has to get better.”
Writer’s View
Schumacher will feel that he has the credentials to make Bolton one of the favourites to earn promotion next season. He has already proven he can win this division with Plymouth, whilst there are some that still insist his early exit from Stoke came too soon. It looks set to be a frantic summer at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
