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OPINION: Why It's A "No" From Me To Nigel Adkins As Bolton Wanderers Manager

I'm not keen, and it's not just because he has the most boring name in the country

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

So according to reports in the BEN, Bolton Wanderers have a shortlist of four names to replace Neil Lennon as manager.

They are Steve Cotterill, ex-Bristol City - Chris "Chrissy" Powell, ex-Huddersfield Town - Nigel Adkins, ex-Southampton and one of either Gary Neville, Lucy Beale and/or Hideo Kojima.

I've listed the above in order of my personal preference, but I am seeing a fair bit of support for Adkins, which baffles me a little bit.

Firstly, in his defence, it can be argued that he laid the groundwork for a lot of what present-day Premier Leaguers Southampton have to crow about. Their rise was somewhat Bolton-esque, although granted this came with a boatload of money from external investors.

Indeed his record at the club remains impressive, with 67 wins from 124 games - a ratio of 54% when draws are factored in. He also gave a debut to a young Adam Lallana, who will probably start for England at the European Championships this summer in France.

What concerns me is his record since.

He was replaced by Mauricio Pochettino in January 2013, and moved to Reading three months later. He would only last until Christmas 2014, when he was sacked following a 6-1 thumping against Birmingham City and a failed Play Off push. His record there was a mere 29 wins from 80 games. Again factoring in draws this yields a paltry win ratio of just 36.3%.

He would then be out of work for the best part of six months, until he was handed the reins at League One side Sheffield United, who it was assumed would be fighting hard for promotion. However, Adkins could only take the club to 11th - representing their worst league finish in thirty-three years. He was sacked again at the start of this very month.

Adkins finished his time at Sheffield United with 22 wins from 54 matches. His win ratio there was slightly better than Reading at 40.7%, but considering the squad and the resources available to him this would have to go down as a fairly shambolic job. His departure was not mourned by many supporters.

So in short, whilst Adkins did a good job at Southampton, his record since has been very poor.

His combined win ratio from his last two jobs, one of which was in the very league that we are heading into, is a mere 38.5%. To provide some recent context, we sacked Dougie Freedman with a win ratio of 34%.

His time at Southampton is clouding some minds. His successes in leading them to the Premier League are without doubt impressive, but he will have none of the resources and a squad half as good should he take over at Bolton Wanderers.

As one Sheffield United fan said to me "he's not much use when it comes to rebuilding".

We need someone who can do just that. For me, Nigel Adkins isn't that man.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong and to put your own choice forward in the comments section below.