Bolton boss Phil Parkinson wants eight new signings

WANDERERS insist their transfer business is far from done – with Phil Parkinson targeting EIGHT more players before the close of the window.
Fans have been warned to expect a busy July as the Bolton boss continues to strengthen his squad for the new Championship season.
Speaking to The Bolton News, Parkinson says the arrival of Clayton Donaldson, Erhun Oztumer, Jason Lowe and the re-signing of Sammy Ameobi were a good start to his recruitment plan.
“We probably need another eight players – that’s what we have been working towards,” he said.

“I’m really happy with what we have done so far, and we’re piecing the squad together, bit by bit.
“Deals do take time and if you’re a fan looking in you want things to happen quick but we know what we have got to do to strengthen the squad and we’re speaking with several players at the moment.”
It remains to be seen whether Parkinson will get cash to spend from Ken Anderson, or whether his targets will continue to be free agents and loans.
But fending off competition from other Championship clubs to secure Ameobi to a two-year deal was an important step in the right direction, said the Bolton chief.

“Players like Sammy, Oztumer, Lowe – they are in the peak years of their career and every manager in the Championship wants those players on a free transfer.
“We had to compete for Sammy. There is a very small pool of quality players like that and so I’m delighted we managed to keep him.”
Parkinson believes Ameobi can now kick on after featuring in 36 games last season - the best return of his professional career.
“A lot of the onus was on Sammy last season, especially after Gaz Madine left and we played him up top,” he said. “Teams were working hard to stop him because they knew what a threat he was.
“I think this year he’s got that experience behind him and he can kick on.”

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/16324803.bolton-boss-phil-parkinson-wants-eight-new-signings/

Good to know that Parky is pushing the case for recruitment but time will tell if he gets the money to buy the quality we need rather than bodies to fill out the squad. I live in hope rather than expectation.

wanderlust wrote:Good to know that Parky is pushing the case for recruitment but time will tell if he gets the money to buy the quality we need rather than bodies to fill out the squad. I live in hope rather than expectation.

I think we're going to have to accept that improvement in the quality is going to happen in small increments rather than large steps. Of course we need to sign better players than we've released or still have but they won't be an awful lot better because of the finances. I'll be happy if we finish anywhere outside the bottom six this season and we have a little more money available for further improvement next summer.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:

wanderlust wrote:Good to know that Parky is pushing the case for recruitment but time will tell if he gets the money to buy the quality we need rather than bodies to fill out the squad. I live in hope rather than expectation.

I think we're going to have to accept that improvement in the quality is going to happen in small increments rather than large steps. Of course we need to sign better players than we've released or still have but they won't be an awful lot better because of the finances. I'll be happy if we finish anywhere outside the bottom six this season and we have a little more money available for further improvement next summer.

Sensible and realistic post Peter unlike the member from the planet Hypernormal and his anti-Anderson agenda.

In the real world the BluMarble loan (thanks Dean) of £4.3 million falls due on the 31st August and Mr Anderson has to factor that in with the financing of players to bring in.

Clearly we need to improve on what players we had last season (we nearly were relegated with them) so have no choice but to get better ones unless we aren't planning to stay up this coming season.

We obviously have to find a proper replacement for Madine up front (Wyke probably - apparently he is about 6 foot 2 inch tall and not the small striker that information originally suggested he was.

I also think it is crucial to find a better centre back pair then Wheater and Beevers as clearly the first eleven games of last season showed they could not cope at Championship level without significant protection from two midfield defenders.

No doubt Mr Hypernormal will tell us that we should have been after Harry Kane type signings as anybody of lesser ability would put potential buyers/investors in the club off but most normal folk will understand that in the world the rest of us inhabit the club has to live within its means until it can become as self sustainable business once again.

Climb out sluffy.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:I'll be happy if we finish anywhere outside the bottom six this season

I won't.

We had a terrible start and a terrible ending to last season. An average start and average ending would have had us in the top half.

We may not be rich, but we have more flexibility than we did last Summer, and we've let a lot of dead wood go.

If Parky gets it even half right we should be mid-table at worst. I like who he's brought in so far, if he can get a few more of this quality we'll be fine.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

luckyPeterpiper wrote:I'll be happy if we finish anywhere outside the bottom six this season

I won't.

We had a terrible start and a terrible ending to last season. An average start and average ending would have had us in the top half.

We may not be rich, but we have more flexibility than we did last Summer, and we've let a lot of dead wood go.

If Parky gets it even half right we should be mid-table at worst. I like who he's brought in so far, if he can get a few more of this quality we'll be fine.

Fair point Nat but I think it only sensible to point out that while we have let a lot of dead wood go we've yet to see just how many or how good their replacements will be. Right now I'm cautiously optimistic but in truth the championship is a tight division especially in the bottom half and one bad run of say half a dozen games can really drop you in it let alone two like we had last term. So for me 17th or above would signal genuine progress and reasons for further optimism. If we get more than that then I'll be delighted and if we get the right people in then I agree, a top half finish is a real possibility but right now there are too many variables for me to think that's going to happen. I'll wait until the season starts and we know who we have and how well they perform as a team.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Climb out sluffy.

Climb out of where?

I would have applauded anybody's rational rebuttal of Wanderlust's incessant and in most cases ludicrous views and machinations of the world he sees around him which clearly bare no resemblance to real world reasoning or logic.

I've noticed that even you yourself are having to set him straight on some of the more ridiculous things he's said recently.

I, myself finally decided that it was a complete waste of time and effort trying to reason with him following his assertions that we should sign every youth team player we ever have to professional contracts even though they aren't good enough to play for the club, on the loopy reasoning that non-league clubs (whose level these apprentices are at) would first want to spend ten of thousands they don't have to buy the players and then find the money to pay them wages equal to, or better, than a Championship club!

The man as clearly lost touch with reality and reason - at least in our world.

Come on people, this isn't about Ken Anderson or lusty. It's about who we can sign and who we'll get. I agree lusty can be unrealistic about what he thinks we should have and what Ken's motives are but I think he's right to ask how much Phil actually has to play with. After all that's going to be the primary consideration in our approach to any target we have isn't it? I myself am at least mildly sceptical about Wyke because I don't think we have a million quid for a fee plus the wages. I hope I'm wrong but my understanding of the reports so far was that Phil's been told the entire recruitment budget is for wages alone, that he's going to have to recruit free agents and loan signings to bolster the squad. Is that not the case?

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Come on people, this isn't about Ken Anderson or lusty. It's about who we can sign and who we'll get. I agree lusty can be unrealistic about what he thinks we should have and what Ken's motives are but I think he's right to ask how much Phil actually has to play with. After all that's going to be the primary consideration in our approach to any target we have isn't it? I myself am at least mildly sceptical about Wyke because I don't think we have a million quid for a fee plus the wages. I hope I'm wrong but my understanding of the reports so far was that Phil's been told the entire recruitment budget is for wages alone, that he's going to have to recruit free agents and loan signings to bolster the squad. Is that not the case?

Yes you are right Peter that it was reported by Iles that Anderson has said we had money to pay on the wages of a striker.

However don't forget we were trying to buy a striker when Madine left at the end of January (and we did get a windfall from that deal when Cardiff got promoted), so maybe a sub £1 million transfer fee is still a reality too?

Time will tell.

Oh and I don't think for one moment that Parkinson has any say whatsoever on who is signed and what there wages will be, so he won't have been given any transfer budget.

I'm sure he would have made recommendations of the players he would like (and within our reach) though.

I also believe Parkinson has a free hand on team selection though - and that explains why sometimes players have been brought in (Obasi for instance, probably even Clough, etc) and never used.

I'd imagine he would quit if he wasn't free to pick the team but I think you're right on the transfer front. My guess is he presents a list to Lee Anderson (who seems to be dealing with this issue at least as point man) and Lee tells him who we can afford and who's out of reach. Phil then has to get the most out of those we can bring in and I'd be willing to bet he's looked at a few of these recruits and decided not to use them because they don't fit into his system or simply aren't good enough.

Sluffy wrote:

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Come on people, this isn't about Ken Anderson or lusty. It's about who we can sign and who we'll get. I agree lusty can be unrealistic about what he thinks we should have and what Ken's motives are but I think he's right to ask how much Phil actually has to play with. After all that's going to be the primary consideration in our approach to any target we have isn't it? I myself am at least mildly sceptical about Wyke because I don't think we have a million quid for a fee plus the wages. I hope I'm wrong but my understanding of the reports so far was that Phil's been told the entire recruitment budget is for wages alone, that he's going to have to recruit free agents and loan signings to bolster the squad. Is that not the case?

Yes you are right Peter that it was reported by Iles that Anderson has said we had money to pay on the wages of a striker.

However don't forget we were trying to buy a striker when Madine left at the end of January (and we did get a windfall from that deal when Cardiff got promoted), so maybe a sub £1 million transfer fee is still a reality too?

Time will tell.

Oh and I don't think for one moment that Parkinson has any say whatsoever on who is signed and what there wages will be, so he won't have been given any transfer budget.

I'm sure he would have made recommendations of the players he would like (and within our reach) though.

I also believe Parkinson has a free hand on team selection though - and that explains why sometimes players have been brought in (Obasi for instance, probably even Clough, etc) and never used.

Sluffy,
I think there's a contradiction in what you say here- that Parkinson has no say whatsoever in who we sign, but he can make recommendations. I imagine that he might have a veto if Anderson suggests players that he specifically doesn't want to sign.
I think he might have more influence than you suggest as he's got to mould them into a team, although Anderson will have the final say. You're diminishing the role that the football team manger has to play in all of this. I think Parkinson will have a substantial say in what he wants to happen even if its not possible because of financial constraints. Otherwise what's the point of having a manager.