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Jimmy Phillips is intent on turning over a new leaf against Reading tomorrow and putting the nightmare of Ashton Gate firmly behind him.
Pain felt after the darkest day of his 28-year association with Wanderers has not dulled but the interim boss has not laboured the point with his players.
Instead he has slowly and steadily enforced a new way of thinking on the training ground, putting more emphasis on team shape and structure.
And Phillips hopes that with a busy April to come he can be better judged as a coach than with the limited preparation he had before the Bristol City game.
“It was still a very bad day and it will stay etched in my recent memories,” he told The Bolton News, “and it’s a day I don’t want repeating.
“But we have got to move on – just as we have from any other bad days you have as a player.
“I mentioned it (the score) once to the players and I said I wasn’t going to mention it again, and I haven’t done.
“We learned a lesson from Bristol about our application in the game.
“But over the international break the mood of the players has been good. They have worked hard and they have been responsive to different ideas which is good. They have open minds to be willing to change in order to change.
“I'm pleased with what I have seen so far. The acid test is Saturday and with games against Brentford and Derby to follow, it’s a week where we ‘could’ get nine points. I am looking forward to the challenge. We have to be positive.”
Gary Madine could miss the Reading game with a hip injury he has carried for the last couple of months, while checks will be carried out on Neil Danns when he returns from international duty with Guyana today.
Phillips believes the break – which saw the players given three days off over the Easter weekend – should stand them in good stead in a month with no fewer than seven fixtures.
“It gave the players a rest mentally and when you come to the April time of the season, it’s down to the mental side of the game. If they are not fit now, they are never going to be fit,” he said.
“We’ve had a few players struggling to train fully all week due to carrying injuries so it has been a chance for a couple of those to clear up. Hopefully we will get a much better performance on Saturday.”
Relegation is, in all but the most optimistic supporters’ eyes, a foregone conclusion. But Phillips is demanding his players do not give up as they appeared to have done at Bristol City.
“You wouldn’t want any club wanting to swap places with us in the Championship,” he said.
“But we will go into every game looking to get a result out of it. Whatever happens at the end of the season, whether it be relegation or not, we need to put in performances the supporters can be proud of.
“When I do reflect on Bristol game, the fans gave us terrific backing. This season they have been great at the Macron so we need to put some pride back in the shirt.”
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Pain felt after the darkest day of his 28-year association with Wanderers has not dulled but the interim boss has not laboured the point with his players.
Instead he has slowly and steadily enforced a new way of thinking on the training ground, putting more emphasis on team shape and structure.
And Phillips hopes that with a busy April to come he can be better judged as a coach than with the limited preparation he had before the Bristol City game.
“It was still a very bad day and it will stay etched in my recent memories,” he told The Bolton News, “and it’s a day I don’t want repeating.
“But we have got to move on – just as we have from any other bad days you have as a player.
“I mentioned it (the score) once to the players and I said I wasn’t going to mention it again, and I haven’t done.
“We learned a lesson from Bristol about our application in the game.
“But over the international break the mood of the players has been good. They have worked hard and they have been responsive to different ideas which is good. They have open minds to be willing to change in order to change.
“I'm pleased with what I have seen so far. The acid test is Saturday and with games against Brentford and Derby to follow, it’s a week where we ‘could’ get nine points. I am looking forward to the challenge. We have to be positive.”
Gary Madine could miss the Reading game with a hip injury he has carried for the last couple of months, while checks will be carried out on Neil Danns when he returns from international duty with Guyana today.
Phillips believes the break – which saw the players given three days off over the Easter weekend – should stand them in good stead in a month with no fewer than seven fixtures.
“It gave the players a rest mentally and when you come to the April time of the season, it’s down to the mental side of the game. If they are not fit now, they are never going to be fit,” he said.
“We’ve had a few players struggling to train fully all week due to carrying injuries so it has been a chance for a couple of those to clear up. Hopefully we will get a much better performance on Saturday.”
Relegation is, in all but the most optimistic supporters’ eyes, a foregone conclusion. But Phillips is demanding his players do not give up as they appeared to have done at Bristol City.
“You wouldn’t want any club wanting to swap places with us in the Championship,” he said.
“But we will go into every game looking to get a result out of it. Whatever happens at the end of the season, whether it be relegation or not, we need to put in performances the supporters can be proud of.
“When I do reflect on Bristol game, the fans gave us terrific backing. This season they have been great at the Macron so we need to put some pride back in the shirt.”
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