Pundit urges Bolton Wanderers to appoint Sam Allardyce and avoid ex-PL star who is a "risk" | OneFootball

The Trotters are on the hunt for a new boss following the dismissal of Ian Evatt earlier this month

Carlton Palmer has urged Bolton Wanderers to steer clear of appointing Robbie Fowler as the successor to Ian Evatt, with Ryan Lowe, Steven Schumacher and Sam Allardyce the preferred options.

The Trotters are still searching for the next person to take charge at the Tough Sheet Stadium following their decision to part ways with Evatt last last week, with Wanderers just a point off the play-offs heading into the final few months of the season.

Fowler is a name that has been strongly linked with the vacancy in recent days, with the Daily Mirror reporting as much last Friday, while Schumacher has also been linked alongside St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson and Rotherham United’s Steven Evans.

The latter has since ruled himself out of the running for a move to a fellow League One side, while Allardyce and Lowe have also been linked with the role, as speculation continues to intensify in the north-west.

Carlton Palmer objects to Bolton Wanderers, Robbie Fowler move

Fowler is said to be a consideration for Wanderers, with the former Leeds United and Liverpool hot shot searching for a first managerial post in England following his globe trotting antics since hanging up his boots.

The 49-year-old has had spells in charge of Muangthong United in Thailand, Brisbane Roar in Australia, East Bengal in India and Al-Qadsiah of Saudi Arabia over the past 12 years, and is now looking to turn his hand to management in his homeland.

Palmer is less than convinced about the situation though, and believes Wanderers should turn to a familiar face as a first port of call as someone who could help turn their season around in the next three months.

When quizzed on the situation, he said: “It is reported that Robbie Fowler is in the running for the Bolton Wanderers job, is it a good appointment or a risk?

“Well, Bolton are close to the play-offs, they are within touching distance, and I am surprised that they have not made an appointment yet, with so little time left in the transfer window.

“Robbie Fowler is an icon of the game, he has been a tremendous footballer, but that doesn’t mean that you become a manager.

“He has had spells in Thailand, India, Australia and Saudi Arabia, and his most successful spell came in Australia.

“I think it is a risk, like I have said before, if you could get Sam Allardyce - I don’t know if that is paper talk or whatever - if there was a genuine interest from Sam Allardyce to take the job, then that is the man you should be appointing.

“It is late in the transfer window, and any manager will be looking to push on - unless the hierarchy at Bolton believe they have the squad required to get in the play-offs - but I am sure any manager would like to have done some business.”

Ryan Lowe, Steven Schumacher must be considered for Bolton Wanderers post

Wanderers will be an exciting proposition for any aspiring manager right now, with the Trotters set up for someone to take the reins and lead them to a third successive play-off campaign before the season comes to a close.

There is every likelihood that Evatt could have achieved that same feat if the mood around the Tough Sheet hadn’t turned sour, but in Lowe and Schumacher, there are two candidates who have plenty of pedigree as EFL managers under their belt.

Both have great success at Plymouth Argyle on their CV, with Lowe leading the Greens to League Two success back in the 2019/20 season before departing for Preston North End in December 2021, with Schumacher taking over matters at Home Park with the club in the third tier.

18 months later, and Argyle were celebrating success once again, with the boss putting together an all-conquering outfit that broke the 100-point barrier in the third tier, before following in his predecessor’s footsteps and hot-stepping it to Stoke City just months later.

There were question marks over the Potters’ decision to axe their boss just a month into the current campaign, with two wins from their opening five matches seeing them start the season reasonably well, before City decided to replace him with Narcis Pelach.

Lowe lasted even less time having departed Deepdale after the first match of the season, but with both readily looking for more work, Palmer believes they should be frontrunners, rather than Fowler, for the League One post.

He continued: “If you are not going to get Sam Allardyce, then you have to go for Ryan Lowe or Steven Schumacher.

“I know the arguments will be that Schumacher didn’t do well at Stoke City, but he has done exceptionally at Plymouth Argyle before, just like Ryan Lowe has, and he has done it at Preston.

“I’m all for giving people an opportunity, but Robbie hasn’t pulled up any trees as a manager, and when you are looking at a position that they are in at the moment, the play-offs have to be the minimum for Bolton this season.

“So for me, it is either Sam Allardyce, Ryan Lowe, or Steven Schumacher, because they are safer bets.”