Steven Schumacher told to fix Bolton Wanderers issue that is causing "problems" - it involves John McAtee | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers will need to address the problem to aid their promotion hopes

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 have experienced an unusual start to their 2025/26 League One campaign, as despite their last league result being a convincing win, overall they have struggled to get over the line against opposition outfits.

Only league leaders Cardiff City have lost fewer games than Steven Schumacher’s side, with Wanderers proving to be an extremely tough side to break down and beat.

The Trotters will have set out at the start of the season with promotion as their ultimate aim, but four draws in their opening six matches have already put them on the back foot.

Their form has improved recently though, with an emphatic 3-0 triumph over AFC Wimbledon an extremely positive result.

With plenty of football left to play this season, if Schumacher’s side can turn a few more of their draws into victories, they may see themselves progress further up the table, as they currently sit in 10th spot.

Supporters at the Toughsheet Community Stadium will remain cautiously optimistic about their chances, careful not to get overly carried away after some of the heartbreak recent promotion bids have handed them.

Bolton Wanderers told to improve creative output in final third

After having time to analyse some of the Trotters’ early-season shortcomings, Football League World’s Bolton Wanderers fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, has highlighted an area of their squad that has been slightly concerning thus far, and it involves both Joel Randall and John McAtee.

Luton Town's John Mcatee and Chiedozie Ogbene during the warm up before a match

“The biggest concern I have for my club at the moment is very much the number 10 position," Liam told FLW.

“Both John McAtee and Joel Randall are out of form at the moment and that position seems integral to the formation that we're playing.

“Our wingers are on form, particularly Amario Cozier-Duberry, who is looking good.

“Mason Burstow is scoring goals. So, we look pretty set as long as that number 10 is playing well.

“At the moment, neither of those two are in form and it's causing us problems.”

Improved creativity could pay dividends for Bolton Wanderers in League One promotion battle

Schumacher was brought to the Toughsheet Community Stadium because of his previous history with taking sides out of League One, and that therefore is his immediate task with Bolton Wanderers.

The Trotters enjoyed a relatively successful transfer window, recruiting the likes of Marcus Forss, Mason Burstow and Cozier-Duberry, but started the 2025/26 campaign unconvincingly.

However, their ability to stay in games and avoid defeat will serve them well across 46 matches, especially if they can begin turning more of those stalemates into victories.

Improved output from Wanderers’ creative presences will help them win more contests, so a real onus is on players such as McAtee and Randall to start performing.

There are signs that this may already be the case however, with Randall netting his first League One goal of the season last time out against AFC Wimbledon.

McAtee has proven over the past couple of years that he has exactly what it takes to contribute heavily across 46 games, hitting double figures for goals in each of the past two campaigns.

If these two can start producing on a more regular basis, Bolton