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Ex-Wanderers defender Gerry Taggart believes former team-mate Neil Lennon has been placed in an “impossible position” by the financial meltdown at the club.
As the spectre of administration dominates the agenda at the Macron Stadium, the team’s struggles on the pitch have become rather a side-show in recent weeks.
Bottom of the Championship, four points from safety, and with a first-team squad that wasn’t paid last month, Lennon’s job must rank among the toughest in the Football League right now.
A rock solid centre-half who was a mainstay of the Wanderers side in the late nineties, Taggart believes the money troubles currently being experienced by the club were on the cards a year ago.
And the 45-year-old is concerned that after making significant cuts in the playing budget, Lennon may not have the quality of player to lift the Whites out of trouble.
“Neil is between a rock and a hard place," said Taggart.
“There are a lot of problems at the club and if you dig deeper you'll discover his budget has been drastically cut and he's doing his best with what he's got.
“When Sam Allardyce was manager, Bolton punched above their weight. They were competing in the Premier League, had a new stadium, great training ground and were attracting top-class players, but once the decline started and they got relegated that was it.
“The club collapsed in a very short space of time and that proves they were punching above their weight.
“Neil has been placed in an impossible position because of the circumstances at the club and there isn't much he can do without a competitive budget.
“It's no surprise as you could see what was coming last season. They have lost their parachute money now and they don't have the finance to compete.
“Players he wanted to sign or keep have either gone elsewhere or left, weakening the squad in the process.”
Taggart, who played alongside Lennon for Leicester City and Northern Ireland, believes the Wanderers boss has the right character to rally his players in difficult circumstances.
"Neil's a fighter and he will use his personality to get that message through to the players," Taggart told The Belfast Telegraph.
"When you are locked in a situation like Bolton are in at the minute you've got to come out and fight.
"Bolton should be thankful they have someone like Neil Lennon in charge at the moment.
"I think that there was a positive reaction after they drew 1-1 with Brentford on Monday night and any kind of result has to be considered a good result for Bolton at present."
Meanwhile, the manager has said a heartfelt ‘thanks’ to the Wanderers fans for their backing in a torrid campaign.
Last week the Whites boss admitted both he and his players were “lucky” to have been given such consistent support, given their league position.
There was more evidence of that on Monday as a smaller-than-average crowd at the Macron Stadium played their part in the second-half comeback.
Lennon knows he needs more of the same as Cardiff City come to town this weekend.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re top of the league or bottom of the league, you can’t do it without the supporters,” he told The Bolton News.
“I honestly cannot thank them enough at the moment, they have been magnificent, and in really trying circumstances.
“I cannot speak highly enough of them. They have got immense pride in their football club, they come out in their thousands and we need them.
“Their reaction (against Brentford) when we went a goal down was brilliant and it gave the players a lift.
“They saw the team is fighting for them and if they keep doing that, we can get out of the situation we’re in.”
Wanderers will find out at the end of the week how long Max Clayton will be on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. The young striker pulled up on Monday night and is undergoing scans.
Mark Davies will be suspended for Saturday’s game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign.
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As the spectre of administration dominates the agenda at the Macron Stadium, the team’s struggles on the pitch have become rather a side-show in recent weeks.
Bottom of the Championship, four points from safety, and with a first-team squad that wasn’t paid last month, Lennon’s job must rank among the toughest in the Football League right now.
A rock solid centre-half who was a mainstay of the Wanderers side in the late nineties, Taggart believes the money troubles currently being experienced by the club were on the cards a year ago.
And the 45-year-old is concerned that after making significant cuts in the playing budget, Lennon may not have the quality of player to lift the Whites out of trouble.
“Neil is between a rock and a hard place," said Taggart.
“There are a lot of problems at the club and if you dig deeper you'll discover his budget has been drastically cut and he's doing his best with what he's got.
“When Sam Allardyce was manager, Bolton punched above their weight. They were competing in the Premier League, had a new stadium, great training ground and were attracting top-class players, but once the decline started and they got relegated that was it.
“The club collapsed in a very short space of time and that proves they were punching above their weight.
“Neil has been placed in an impossible position because of the circumstances at the club and there isn't much he can do without a competitive budget.
“It's no surprise as you could see what was coming last season. They have lost their parachute money now and they don't have the finance to compete.
“Players he wanted to sign or keep have either gone elsewhere or left, weakening the squad in the process.”
Taggart, who played alongside Lennon for Leicester City and Northern Ireland, believes the Wanderers boss has the right character to rally his players in difficult circumstances.
"Neil's a fighter and he will use his personality to get that message through to the players," Taggart told The Belfast Telegraph.
"When you are locked in a situation like Bolton are in at the minute you've got to come out and fight.
"Bolton should be thankful they have someone like Neil Lennon in charge at the moment.
"I think that there was a positive reaction after they drew 1-1 with Brentford on Monday night and any kind of result has to be considered a good result for Bolton at present."
Meanwhile, the manager has said a heartfelt ‘thanks’ to the Wanderers fans for their backing in a torrid campaign.
Last week the Whites boss admitted both he and his players were “lucky” to have been given such consistent support, given their league position.
There was more evidence of that on Monday as a smaller-than-average crowd at the Macron Stadium played their part in the second-half comeback.
Lennon knows he needs more of the same as Cardiff City come to town this weekend.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re top of the league or bottom of the league, you can’t do it without the supporters,” he told The Bolton News.
“I honestly cannot thank them enough at the moment, they have been magnificent, and in really trying circumstances.
“I cannot speak highly enough of them. They have got immense pride in their football club, they come out in their thousands and we need them.
“Their reaction (against Brentford) when we went a goal down was brilliant and it gave the players a lift.
“They saw the team is fighting for them and if they keep doing that, we can get out of the situation we’re in.”
Wanderers will find out at the end of the week how long Max Clayton will be on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. The young striker pulled up on Monday night and is undergoing scans.
Mark Davies will be suspended for Saturday’s game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign.
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