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Jimmy Phillips eyed up old foes Reading and roared: This is my chance to shine.
After a spectacular false start against Bristol City the academy boss is aiming to show he deserves a permanent crack at the Wanderers job by rebuilding some shattered pride at the Macron Stadium.
Hope of avoiding relegation may have all-but disappeared but Phillips is determined to make a case for himself by ensuring his side do not go down without a fight.
After being overlooked for the job three years ago in favour of Dougie Freedman, Phillips says he is better qualified for management this time around.
“I enjoyed it the first time round and I am continually learning,” he told The Bolton News. “You can either sit still in life or you can develop and since I was last in this role I have developed myself as a person and as a leader.
“This is a chance to put into practice all the skills I have learned since I finished playing. I’ve held a variety of jobs at this club, all requiring different skillsets, but this is my chance to put them all together and see what comes of it.
“I think I have improved but let’s hope, more importantly, the team has improved since Bristol City.”
Phillips believes he has the balance right off the pitch, bringing academy coach Nicky Spooner into the first-team fold for the first time and landing one of the game’s most experienced coaches in Peter Reid.
“Having them both here has been fantastic for me,” he said. “I have known Nick for a long time and Reidy going back to when I was his boot boy in the 1980s. The three of us get on well.
“We are working together well behind the scenes but the main thing is that fortunes improve on the pitch. That is where we will be judged.”
Wanderers suffered one of their heaviest-ever defeats at Reading just over two years ago but Phillips won’t be fixating on that particular game.
Another battle with the Royals springs to his mind from the glorious mid-nineties and the former full-back would desperately love to get a similar result.
“When you talk about Reading games the one that sticks with me is the 4-3 at Reading,” he said. “The biggest thing for me after that game was watching Shaka Hislop walking round Wembley in a daze because he felt at 2-0 they were on their way to the Premier League.
“We all know history was a bit different.”
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After a spectacular false start against Bristol City the academy boss is aiming to show he deserves a permanent crack at the Wanderers job by rebuilding some shattered pride at the Macron Stadium.
Hope of avoiding relegation may have all-but disappeared but Phillips is determined to make a case for himself by ensuring his side do not go down without a fight.
After being overlooked for the job three years ago in favour of Dougie Freedman, Phillips says he is better qualified for management this time around.
“I enjoyed it the first time round and I am continually learning,” he told The Bolton News. “You can either sit still in life or you can develop and since I was last in this role I have developed myself as a person and as a leader.
“This is a chance to put into practice all the skills I have learned since I finished playing. I’ve held a variety of jobs at this club, all requiring different skillsets, but this is my chance to put them all together and see what comes of it.
“I think I have improved but let’s hope, more importantly, the team has improved since Bristol City.”
Phillips believes he has the balance right off the pitch, bringing academy coach Nicky Spooner into the first-team fold for the first time and landing one of the game’s most experienced coaches in Peter Reid.
“Having them both here has been fantastic for me,” he said. “I have known Nick for a long time and Reidy going back to when I was his boot boy in the 1980s. The three of us get on well.
“We are working together well behind the scenes but the main thing is that fortunes improve on the pitch. That is where we will be judged.”
Wanderers suffered one of their heaviest-ever defeats at Reading just over two years ago but Phillips won’t be fixating on that particular game.
Another battle with the Royals springs to his mind from the glorious mid-nineties and the former full-back would desperately love to get a similar result.
“When you talk about Reading games the one that sticks with me is the 4-3 at Reading,” he said. “The biggest thing for me after that game was watching Shaka Hislop walking round Wembley in a daze because he felt at 2-0 they were on their way to the Premier League.
“We all know history was a bit different.”
Source
