Home
Neil Lennon is seeking some financial solace this afternoon, where ending an 89-year wait for an FA Cup win against Leeds United could spare the club some difficulty in the short-term.
Booking a place in the fifth round is worth £90,000 in prize money – but Sunday evening’s draw could potentially be worth £1million should Wanderers be pulled out at one of the top Premier League sides.
Those figures could ease the pressure to sell players before the transfer window closes on Monday and also help their case in the High Court on February 22.
An injection of cash could also give Wanderers more options in the lead up to the hearing. Administration is still a possibility and could also hinge on how the club fares in the Championship over the next few weeks.
Such a backdrop is hardly ideal preparation for today’s match but then that has been par for the course for Lennon, who must have forgotten what a settled build-up feels like.
Takeovers, player sales and land deals continued to dominate the discussion as he previewed the game – but the Whites boss nevertheless remains confident his side can get through.
“It’s been uncertain for three or four months, we should be getting used to that by now,” he told The Bolton News.
“They say everything is for sale but I hope it doesn’t prove to be the case. Our confidence has lifted after two good home wins and we’ve got a really exciting one to look forward to now. It should be a release from all that.
“There will be a great atmosphere – and that’s not saying it hasn’t been good already – but there is something different about a cup game.
“Leeds will bring a good few thousand.
“It’s an opportunity to progress in the cup and we’re excited by what’s ahead of us.”
Leeds are no stranger to financial turmoil and their examples of riches to rags is legendary among football fans. But the famous old Yorkshire club is showing signs of a revival under the flamboyant ownership of Massimo Cellino and the equally unpredictable Steve Evans.
“Steve is a very good manager,” Lennon said. “He has steadied the ship now and that’s no mean task at a club like Leeds because it is not an easy job.
“It seems to have been a good transition and they look a hard team to beat.
“They have spent a few quid. I don’t know how much, is the honest answer, but they look steadier financially and it shows that it can be done.
“They are a big club and they’ve had their difficulties over the last five, 10 years. But it’s good for football to see them on the way back up, it’s good for the game to have a successful Leeds United.
“The atmosphere will be a little bit different because of the allocation Leeds have been given but it’s something the players should draw from.
“It’s a distraction from the league and the problems, and if we win the game who knows what we can do after that? That is what is driving me.”
Part of Wanderers’ own mini-resurgence has been driven by improved performances in midfield.
Darren Pratley and Mark Davies have both showed an upturn in form but the return of Liam Trotter after a loan spell under ex-Whites boss Dougie Freedman at Nottingham Forest has left Lennon feeling like he has signed a new player – a rarity, given the total transfer embargo he is under.
“This is the Liam Trotter we wanted to see before he went to Forest,” he said. “He hadn’t shown that previously.
“He was injured for a while at the start of the season – he’d been decent in the summer but then broke down and couldn’t get into the team.
“I think the spell at Forest has done him the world of good. Sometimes that can work to your benefit when you loan players out to get some game time.
“He is looking like a very good player. He needs to maintain that consistency but he’s doing well to the point he’s getting picked every week.
“It’s down to Liam whether that continues to be the case because he has shown that player is in there – he’s strong and he fit, and long may that continue.”
Source
Booking a place in the fifth round is worth £90,000 in prize money – but Sunday evening’s draw could potentially be worth £1million should Wanderers be pulled out at one of the top Premier League sides.
Those figures could ease the pressure to sell players before the transfer window closes on Monday and also help their case in the High Court on February 22.
An injection of cash could also give Wanderers more options in the lead up to the hearing. Administration is still a possibility and could also hinge on how the club fares in the Championship over the next few weeks.
Such a backdrop is hardly ideal preparation for today’s match but then that has been par for the course for Lennon, who must have forgotten what a settled build-up feels like.
Takeovers, player sales and land deals continued to dominate the discussion as he previewed the game – but the Whites boss nevertheless remains confident his side can get through.
“It’s been uncertain for three or four months, we should be getting used to that by now,” he told The Bolton News.
“They say everything is for sale but I hope it doesn’t prove to be the case. Our confidence has lifted after two good home wins and we’ve got a really exciting one to look forward to now. It should be a release from all that.
“There will be a great atmosphere – and that’s not saying it hasn’t been good already – but there is something different about a cup game.
“Leeds will bring a good few thousand.
“It’s an opportunity to progress in the cup and we’re excited by what’s ahead of us.”
Leeds are no stranger to financial turmoil and their examples of riches to rags is legendary among football fans. But the famous old Yorkshire club is showing signs of a revival under the flamboyant ownership of Massimo Cellino and the equally unpredictable Steve Evans.
“Steve is a very good manager,” Lennon said. “He has steadied the ship now and that’s no mean task at a club like Leeds because it is not an easy job.
“It seems to have been a good transition and they look a hard team to beat.
“They have spent a few quid. I don’t know how much, is the honest answer, but they look steadier financially and it shows that it can be done.
“They are a big club and they’ve had their difficulties over the last five, 10 years. But it’s good for football to see them on the way back up, it’s good for the game to have a successful Leeds United.
“The atmosphere will be a little bit different because of the allocation Leeds have been given but it’s something the players should draw from.
“It’s a distraction from the league and the problems, and if we win the game who knows what we can do after that? That is what is driving me.”
Part of Wanderers’ own mini-resurgence has been driven by improved performances in midfield.
Darren Pratley and Mark Davies have both showed an upturn in form but the return of Liam Trotter after a loan spell under ex-Whites boss Dougie Freedman at Nottingham Forest has left Lennon feeling like he has signed a new player – a rarity, given the total transfer embargo he is under.
“This is the Liam Trotter we wanted to see before he went to Forest,” he said. “He hadn’t shown that previously.
“He was injured for a while at the start of the season – he’d been decent in the summer but then broke down and couldn’t get into the team.
“I think the spell at Forest has done him the world of good. Sometimes that can work to your benefit when you loan players out to get some game time.
“He is looking like a very good player. He needs to maintain that consistency but he’s doing well to the point he’s getting picked every week.
“It’s down to Liam whether that continues to be the case because he has shown that player is in there – he’s strong and he fit, and long may that continue.”
Source
