Episode #52 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, features two guests: Bolton manager Ian Evatt and his Sporting Director Chris Markham.

Simon Austin sat down with the duo at the club’s Toughsheet Community Stadium ahead of the new season.

It’s rare to get a manager and Sporting Director speaking together like this, so we hope you enjoy it…  

SHOW NOTES =>

01:53: Having a blank canvas when they arrived at the club.

05:35: Setting a game identity, which then helps with recruitment.

09:58: Establishing this identity at Barrow, where it became known as futbol club de Barrow!

13:45: Pressing strategy and splitting the pitch into five zones.

16:00: Scouting process. Allying data and video. Chris being a data translator.

21:50: Ian seeing a big part of his role as a manager being to develop players. 'Re-recruiting players every day.' Looking for hungry players.

24:02: Scouting for character/ psychology. Young players having a problem dealing with adversity/ not being resilient. Mental health and wellbeing.

26:35: Treating people as individuals/ realising they are motivated by different things. How to give feedback. Young players want detail. B team. 

33:36: Progression of the game. Playing in Premier League with Blackpool and not doing opposition analysis/ having any out-of-possession strategy.

37:16: How a manager should behave on the touchline. 

40:16: Loans. Why big clubs want to send their players to Bolton. Difficult for big clubs to develop young centre backs. James Trafford.

48:11: Academy/ developing their own players. Having a genuine B team. 

53:09: Using Hudl and Wyscout for the B team and first team. Having an analysis culture.

54:43: Chris's work on penalties at the Football Association.

56:28: Chris: ambitions for Bolton in next few seasons.

57:17: Ian: personal ambitions. Wanting to become the first manager to take one club from League Two to the Premier League.