THE hard jobs" target="_blank">work starts here for Steven Schumacher as the new Bolton Wanderers boss takes charge of his first match at Reading this weekend.

It has been a rocky ride for the Whites so far this season where the relationship between the terraces and their team has been strained.

But Schumacher has been sworn in to replace Ian Evatt with time to realistically revive hopes of promotion via the play-offs, or for those shooting for the stars, even the top two.

There is little time to settle in. The transfer window closes on Monday evening and Saturday’s opposition are a place above Bolton in the table at start of play.

We look at six areas that Schumacher will need to make an impact if he is to be an immediate success at Wanderers.

Randell Williams has been out of favour for the majority of January at Wanderers (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker)

TRANSFER WINDOW

The January deadline will arrive on Monday at 11pm, which leaves the new Bolton boss with precious little time to get deals done, especially with an away game to plan for on Saturday at Reading.

There is one space left in the squad for a player aged 21 or over but there has also been speculation over the future of wing-back Randell Williams, with former boss Ian Evatt conceding that it was possible he could leave the club to make way for more signings.

Most importantly, Wanderers have not yet signed a replacement for Dion Charles, who was sold earlier this month to Huddersfield Town for £700,000.

Interest had been shown in Strømsgodset’s Jonas Therkelsen and Evatt had also planned to bring a more physical striker. Reports on Tuesday claimed that a loan bid for Cardiff City’s 6ft 6ins front man Kion Etete has been made, and that Bolton stand at the front of the queue for his services.

The club’s recruitment department and resources have not altered but it remains to be seen whether Schumacher will press ahead with the previous targets, or hit the ground running with his own.

Luke Southwood with team-mates George Johnston and George Thomason after conceding against Northampton (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker)

DEFENSIVE MINDSET

Wanderers’ defensive paucity has been an issue this season, although some improvement has been shown over the last couple of games as Julian Darby took interim charge.

Up to the home game against Northampton Town, Bolton had shipped 41 goals at 1.52 per match, which was the seventh worst record in the division.

Building from a more solid base is a must for the new manager when he comes in, and his past record in League One suggests his teams can keep the back door shut.

After taking on the job in December 2021, Schumacher oversaw a Plymouth side which racked up 18 clean sheets in his first season, including a fine run of seven in eight games.

He matched that in the promotion season – with goalkeeper Michael Cooper voted into the team of the season ahead of James Trafford, who had kept 22 for Bolton.

Aaron Collins has scored 15 goals this season (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker)

GOALS GALORE

Finding the right balance in attack has been difficult for Bolton this season and one criticism has been that the squad has too many similar types in attack.

Aaron Collins has got a healthy return of 15 goals, with six in the cup competitions, and Dion Charles departed for Huddersfield with eight league goals under his belt but stats that showed he had missed more big chances than anyone else in the division.

John McAtee has flitted between attacking and midfield roles, his form suffering as a result, and Victor Adeboyejo has struggled since making a bright start in the opening few weeks.

Schumacher has generally played two front men, so will be looking for one partnership to push their claim. But with no replacement yet signed for Charles, the striking department does seem the most obvious area in which he can make an impact.

Getting goals from elsewhere has also been an issue. Only Ipswich Town scored more than Plymouth during the regular 46-game season as they won promotion to the Championship, and the goals were spread across the squad with Ryan Hardie bagging 13, Nial Ennis 12, Morgan Whittaker nine, and Finn Azaz and Sam Cosgrove eight apiece.

TACTICAL BATTLEGROUND

Rarely, if ever, have a Bolton team’s tactics been debated as far and wide as they were under Ian Evatt, who believed steadfastly that his style could not only get the club into the Championship but also keep them there.

The previous manager struggled to escape accusations of tactical inflexibility and his squad was designed exclusively and carefully to his own taste.

Schumacher played with a back three for most of his time with Plymouth in League One although, like Evatt, he mixed up the approach in midfield. After promotion, however, he did move to 4-3-3, on occasion. At Stoke he preferred a back four, and primarily a 4-2-3-1.

Fans will hope positive results will eclipse the need to be dissecting tactics and formations to any great degree over the coming months.

NEW VOICE

George Thomason, Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones have been with Wanderers since Ian Evatt’s first day as manager, featuring in a pre-season friendly at Atherton Colls watched by a handful of staff and guests in the Covid era. George Johnston, Kyle Dempsey, Aaron Morley and Josh Sheehan all made more than 100 appearances under the previous boss too.

So, will the arrival of a new manager and backroom staff shift the established order at Bolton? Could it bring some players out of their shell, or force others to look elsewhere?

Whilst the verbal jousting between the supporters and the former boss had made for an often toxic atmosphere, complaints from within the camp were rare. Indeed, after so long working under the previous regime some of the players have described a slightly disconcerting feeling over the last week or so.

Schumacher’s job is to get as many of his players on board as quickly as possible. And if there are signings to be made between now and Monday night’s deadline, some snap judgements may also need to be made.

PROVING A POINT

On a personal level, Schumacher arrives at Bolton having experienced the first real bump in his managerial career.

Dumped by Stoke City after just 32 games, barely a month into the new season, the Liverpudlian has said on a few occasions that he is yet to get a proper explanation from his former club’s hierarchy as to why the decision was made so quickly.

The Potters’ patchy form ever since, which has also seen another manager come and go, and Mark Robins installed in January, suggests there were deeper problems at play.

Nevertheless, Schumacher won’t want to leave the door open for criticism. In terms of managerial career he is less experienced than Evatt, and he will want to get Bolton moving in the right direction to ensure his own reputation does the same.