Honest response given to Bolton Wanderers ownership question - Football Ventures Ltd "know what they're doing" | OneFootball

FLW's Bolton Wanderers fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's owners

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bolton Wanderers are in their fifth season back in League One after earning promotion from League Two in 2021 under Ian Evatt.

The Whites came close to promotion back to the Championship in 2024, losing in the play-off final to Oxford United.

Evatt (pictured below) departed as manager several months later, with Steven Schumacher now in charge of completing the club’s promotion ambitions.

Football Ventures Ltd have been in control of the team since 2019, with Sharon Brittan in the role of chairman.

There have been many ups and downs at Bolton in the six years since they purchased the club, which saved it from going under after financial issues took hold.

Bolton Wanderers ownership claim - Football Ventures Ltd know what they are doing

When asked if he trusts the owners to take the Whites forward, FLW’s Bolton fan pundit Liam O’Meara claimed that he does, even if they’ve made mistakes in the past.

He believes they’ve brought the club forward in the six years they’ve been involved, and that they invest into improving the team quite well.

“I do trust the ownership group, I think they know what they’re doing,” O’Meara told Football League World.

“I think, like any individual or group, they’ve made mistakes along the way.

“They kept with Ian Evatt for too long. I think they would be the first to admit that, they’ve said as much I think in post-season.

“But, if you look at where the club is now compared to where it was, it’s night and day.

“There are calls from some people for the idea of further investment. I think they invest brilliantly.”

O’Meara also claimed that the owners are becoming more ruthless, and that this is what’s needed to meet their long-term aims: “I think they do attempt to get their decisions right, and have now shown a bit more ruthlessness when it comes to off-the-pitch matters.

“They completely re-shuffled the off-the-pitch team at Bolton Wanderers in response to the potential stagnation at the top end of League One when Bolton’s ambitions are to be a Championship club.

“I do think they do know what they’re doing, we’re in good hands, but with anything you can always be better, and I think that’s a challenge itself.”

Bolton have made a mixed start to the new League One season, with their sights set on improving on their eighth place finish from the previous campaign.

Schumacher will be under pressure to improve results, helped by a late comeback on Thursday night against Huddersfield Town.

Bolton Wanderers are on the right track despite inconsistencies

Bolton were close to going out of existence prior to the change in ownership in 2019, so supporters will always have some level of gratitude for their role in saving them from going under.

And the Whites have been going in the right direction under Brittan and Football Ventures, even if they narrowly missed out on their ultimate aim of promotion to the Championship.

The last year or so has proven a real challenge, and they’ve had to make some tough decisions, but there is still promise that they can get back into the mix for promotion this term, particularly after beating Huddersfield.

It will take a long time for Bolton to ever get back to the position they held in the 2000s and early 2010s, but this ownership has the potential to steer them in that direction.