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SOME things are better left unsaid, while others need to be a matter of public record.
That is truly the case at Bolton Wanderers right now, as matters off the field continue to deflect attention from the fact we are only 30 days away from the start of the Championship season.
At one end of the scale, Neil Lennon prepares his team under the weight of heavy speculation linking him with the vacant job at Premier League Leicester City.
His obvious connections to the club, his winning track record, and his obvious affinity for the Foxes make him an outstanding candidate – yet with no approach forthcoming, he can only maintain a dignified silence.
To come out publicly and dismiss the link would be disrespectful to the club that gave him his best playing days in English football. To endorse it would be a thumb in the eye for his current employers.
Privately, Wanderers are willing the matter to blow over. Speculation has forced them to withdraw the charismatic Northern Irishman from the public arena at a time when the club really do need some positive PR. The sooner Leicester make an appointment – and assuming not the man himself – the sooner they can get him back out there.
At the other end, The Bolton News carried a story on Thursday morning that put some important information into the public arena.
Eddie Davies, benefactor for the club for well over a decade, is now speaking with outside investors about how they can help take the football club forward.
Furthermore, the directors’ report from the 2014-15 accounts, obtained by the newspaper earlier this week, outline just how important finding extra money could be to the future.
The idea of Davies moving on, or speaking to new owners, is not a new one. It has been mooted in the pages of his very newspaper, elsewhere, and regularly on the social media websites for several months. The undisputable information contained within the report, however, needed to be made a matter of record in a balanced and responsible manner before it became public knowledge yesterday via Companies House.
For most, including myself, there was a lot of information to digest. One of the key points highlighted in the report was that Wanderers were examining different funding options outside the premise of new ownership.
The sale of land, for example, is being examined and £5.5million has already been raised with the sale and lease back of land associated with the Middlebrook Masterplan to Prescot Business Parks.
The report also confirms that another £2.5m was loaned to the club between December 2014 and January 2015 by director Brett Warburton, which is also secured on land.
It is reasonable to assume that the money has been used to improve cash flow as Davies continues to discuss new ownership.
While the promise of investment is a boost for Wanderers, and most certainly Lennon, there was a caveat within the report, the first on-the-record admission that without Davies’s backing the club simply could not sustain itself at its current level.
And that, for me, brought home just what a vital stage we are at.
Davies has to ensure that whoever takes on the reins is able to sustain the club as it is today, a Championship side that needs investment simply to stand still, let alone challenge for promotion.
Any potential investor will be well aware that along with striking a deal with the Isle of Man-based businessman for his controlling interest, there will also have to be cash readily available to spend on players if the Whites are to stand any chance of reaching the riches above.
It is a crucial time in the club’s recent history yet the decision must, and will, be made with the best interests of Wanderers at heart.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13382041.Bolton_Wanderers_are_at_a_critical_time_____both_on_and_off_the_field/
That is truly the case at Bolton Wanderers right now, as matters off the field continue to deflect attention from the fact we are only 30 days away from the start of the Championship season.
At one end of the scale, Neil Lennon prepares his team under the weight of heavy speculation linking him with the vacant job at Premier League Leicester City.
His obvious connections to the club, his winning track record, and his obvious affinity for the Foxes make him an outstanding candidate – yet with no approach forthcoming, he can only maintain a dignified silence.
To come out publicly and dismiss the link would be disrespectful to the club that gave him his best playing days in English football. To endorse it would be a thumb in the eye for his current employers.
Privately, Wanderers are willing the matter to blow over. Speculation has forced them to withdraw the charismatic Northern Irishman from the public arena at a time when the club really do need some positive PR. The sooner Leicester make an appointment – and assuming not the man himself – the sooner they can get him back out there.
At the other end, The Bolton News carried a story on Thursday morning that put some important information into the public arena.
Eddie Davies, benefactor for the club for well over a decade, is now speaking with outside investors about how they can help take the football club forward.
Furthermore, the directors’ report from the 2014-15 accounts, obtained by the newspaper earlier this week, outline just how important finding extra money could be to the future.
The idea of Davies moving on, or speaking to new owners, is not a new one. It has been mooted in the pages of his very newspaper, elsewhere, and regularly on the social media websites for several months. The undisputable information contained within the report, however, needed to be made a matter of record in a balanced and responsible manner before it became public knowledge yesterday via Companies House.
For most, including myself, there was a lot of information to digest. One of the key points highlighted in the report was that Wanderers were examining different funding options outside the premise of new ownership.
The sale of land, for example, is being examined and £5.5million has already been raised with the sale and lease back of land associated with the Middlebrook Masterplan to Prescot Business Parks.
The report also confirms that another £2.5m was loaned to the club between December 2014 and January 2015 by director Brett Warburton, which is also secured on land.
It is reasonable to assume that the money has been used to improve cash flow as Davies continues to discuss new ownership.
While the promise of investment is a boost for Wanderers, and most certainly Lennon, there was a caveat within the report, the first on-the-record admission that without Davies’s backing the club simply could not sustain itself at its current level.
And that, for me, brought home just what a vital stage we are at.
Davies has to ensure that whoever takes on the reins is able to sustain the club as it is today, a Championship side that needs investment simply to stand still, let alone challenge for promotion.
Any potential investor will be well aware that along with striking a deal with the Isle of Man-based businessman for his controlling interest, there will also have to be cash readily available to spend on players if the Whites are to stand any chance of reaching the riches above.
It is a crucial time in the club’s recent history yet the decision must, and will, be made with the best interests of Wanderers at heart.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13382041.Bolton_Wanderers_are_at_a_critical_time_____both_on_and_off_the_field/
