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Phil Brown has attempted put distance between himself and rumours linking him with a return to Wanderers – but admits the squad has “massively underachieved” under Neil Lennon this season.
The Southend United boss remains strong favourite with the bookmakers to take on the vacant manager’s job at the Macron Stadium but says he is keen to honour the three-year contract he signed at Roots Hall last summer.
Nevertheless, Brown has voiced his opinion on the problems which have unfolded at his former club Bolton in the last few months and is backing his friend Dean Holdsworth to sort out the issues he inherited from the previous regime.
Brown has worked with Holdsworth before and believes the chief executive and his chairman Ken Anderson need to quickly change the mentality of the squad.
"Hopefully Dean Holdsworth, who is a wily old fox off the field, can wheel and deal,” said the former Wanderers assistant manager. “I know Dean very well. He's done a bit of management himself and became my assistant manager at Derby County, hence the affinity that everybody is talking about.
"I'm sure Dean will get it right. I know Ken Anderson has gone in as well – I know Ken quite well. There's a lot of people trying to arrest the situation at Bolton Wanderers and I hope they're successful.
"You have to get the right players in, with the right mentality to suit the club and that's what Bolton Wanderers have got to start doing. If they haven't started already, they need to and get the right players in.
"Supporters are sitting at Bolton every week and they've got to see effort and determination. People with a desire and the ability to play for the badge and shirt. If you haven't got that, you're wasting your time."
Brown’s Southend lost 4-1 at Rochdale on Friday to lose some ground in their pursuit of a play-off position in League One. And despite all the attention from the North West, the 56-year-old coach remains adamant that trying to get the Shrimpers into the top six will be his sole focus for now.
That has not stopped him voicing concern for Wanderers’ plight, however, and Brown is hoping the rot will be stopped soon.
"It's been awful from afar," Brown told BBC Radio Manchester. "Working with Sam (Allardyce) was a pleasure and working at Bolton Wanderers was an absolute pleasure.
"I had six, seven, eight years as a player and six, seven, eight years as a coach and assistant manager – 15 years service – and to see that go the wrong way is really sad but the bottom line is it looks like a history of something going on off the field of play as opposed to on the field of play.
"I look at the squad and think they're massively underachieving. That squad should have been pushing for honours this year and the bottom line is they're rock bottom of the Championship.
"I'll never hide my comments with regards to any speculation. I've just signed a new three-year contract at Southend and I've got a job to do. I'm focused 100 per cent on the next nine games and if I can get Southend back-to-back promotions it'll be fantastic for me, the football club and would be great on my CV.
"With Bolton being in the situation that they're in, it was automatic that a player, coach or manager that had been associated with the club for 15 years would get associated with it now.
"When I've put pen-to-paper, I've honoured contracts right the way through my career.
"I don't think you can manage a football club unless you know the people. The people at Bolton are second to none – I've lived in the town for 15-20 years – so it's fantastic to be associated with it.
"I'd like to see Jimmy Phillips be successful. I know Peter Reid has gone in to help him. It'd be fantastic if Bolton were to stay in the Championship – it's looking highly unlikely – but with them two characters they've got half a chance and maybe we'll see what happens in the summer.
"It's going to be a tough couple of years for Bolton. They've got to steady it and then turn it around, and at the moment its heading in the wrong direction.”
Source
The Southend United boss remains strong favourite with the bookmakers to take on the vacant manager’s job at the Macron Stadium but says he is keen to honour the three-year contract he signed at Roots Hall last summer.
Nevertheless, Brown has voiced his opinion on the problems which have unfolded at his former club Bolton in the last few months and is backing his friend Dean Holdsworth to sort out the issues he inherited from the previous regime.
Brown has worked with Holdsworth before and believes the chief executive and his chairman Ken Anderson need to quickly change the mentality of the squad.
"Hopefully Dean Holdsworth, who is a wily old fox off the field, can wheel and deal,” said the former Wanderers assistant manager. “I know Dean very well. He's done a bit of management himself and became my assistant manager at Derby County, hence the affinity that everybody is talking about.
"I'm sure Dean will get it right. I know Ken Anderson has gone in as well – I know Ken quite well. There's a lot of people trying to arrest the situation at Bolton Wanderers and I hope they're successful.
"You have to get the right players in, with the right mentality to suit the club and that's what Bolton Wanderers have got to start doing. If they haven't started already, they need to and get the right players in.
"Supporters are sitting at Bolton every week and they've got to see effort and determination. People with a desire and the ability to play for the badge and shirt. If you haven't got that, you're wasting your time."
Brown’s Southend lost 4-1 at Rochdale on Friday to lose some ground in their pursuit of a play-off position in League One. And despite all the attention from the North West, the 56-year-old coach remains adamant that trying to get the Shrimpers into the top six will be his sole focus for now.
That has not stopped him voicing concern for Wanderers’ plight, however, and Brown is hoping the rot will be stopped soon.
"It's been awful from afar," Brown told BBC Radio Manchester. "Working with Sam (Allardyce) was a pleasure and working at Bolton Wanderers was an absolute pleasure.
"I had six, seven, eight years as a player and six, seven, eight years as a coach and assistant manager – 15 years service – and to see that go the wrong way is really sad but the bottom line is it looks like a history of something going on off the field of play as opposed to on the field of play.
"I look at the squad and think they're massively underachieving. That squad should have been pushing for honours this year and the bottom line is they're rock bottom of the Championship.
"I'll never hide my comments with regards to any speculation. I've just signed a new three-year contract at Southend and I've got a job to do. I'm focused 100 per cent on the next nine games and if I can get Southend back-to-back promotions it'll be fantastic for me, the football club and would be great on my CV.
"With Bolton being in the situation that they're in, it was automatic that a player, coach or manager that had been associated with the club for 15 years would get associated with it now.
"When I've put pen-to-paper, I've honoured contracts right the way through my career.
"I don't think you can manage a football club unless you know the people. The people at Bolton are second to none – I've lived in the town for 15-20 years – so it's fantastic to be associated with it.
"I'd like to see Jimmy Phillips be successful. I know Peter Reid has gone in to help him. It'd be fantastic if Bolton were to stay in the Championship – it's looking highly unlikely – but with them two characters they've got half a chance and maybe we'll see what happens in the summer.
"It's going to be a tough couple of years for Bolton. They've got to steady it and then turn it around, and at the moment its heading in the wrong direction.”
Source