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Having spent much of his footballing career stepping back from the spotlight, Ken Anderson may now have to get used to being the focus of attention at Wanderers.
A former players’ agent with an accountancy background, and a go-between in several high-profile club takeovers including Liverpool, Reading and Hull City, the Londoner arrived at the Macron in March as somewhat of an unknown quantity – and in many ways, remains so.
We know Anderson stepped in at the last moment to push Sports Shield’s takeover bid through the gate back in February and was greeted somewhat warily by fans at the time.
Dean Holdsworth’s face and history was familiar. Details on the man in the suit with swept-back hair, who places of residence ranged from Monaco to Switzerland was a different matter altogether.
What has come as some surprise, however, has been that the influence of Anderson – and not Holdsworth – has been felt much more acutely around the Macron in the last nine months.
Ken’s son, Lee, has assumed a key role in the recruitment team and after inheriting such a skeletal staff on his arrival, Anderson’s decision to install experienced football administrators like Paul Aldridge and John Pelling has added to stability.
Undoubtedly his biggest success to date, however, has been his appointment of Phil Parkinson, a steadying influence on a squad which now looks well capable of challenging for automatic promotion.
It seems strange to think now of the worry felt around Wanderers fans in the summer when the interview process stretched over the course of several weeks – the outcome now looking well worth the patience shown.
Anderson’s other business interests do move him around the globe and he is by no means as omnipresent at the Macron as the previous chairman. His passion for the team, however, has been pleasantly surprising and regardless of the surroundings, he has watched on from the directors’ box home and away, even installing a TV screen in front of his regular seat at the Macron for a spot of personal luxury.
We even saw at the weekend pictures of him posing with supporters on the train back from London.
But while moments such as that suggest he is winning over the trust of some fans, many others will not be content until some of the meatier problems are tackled fully.
Outstanding accounts for 2015, the transfer embargo, a handful of creditors – all factors which will need his immediate attention.
There is also the matter of a financially onerous loan with Blumarble, which was taken out by Sports Shield to secure the club from Eddie Davies. Interest continues to build and the total figured owed currently stands at just over £6million. By the end of the season it will be well over £7m.
That loan was at the centre of the stand-off between Anderson and Holdsworth – both of whom accused the other of failing to follow through on their funding pledges to the Football League.
“I have put personal money into this football club and Dean has not put in a pound,” Anderson told The Bolton News on Monday. “It has all been from Blumarble.”
There is undisputed evidence that Anderson has used his own money to plug gaps in the last few months, albeit that some – if not all of it – has been repaid. But the fact there is a pool of funds to draw from in the first place may offer some encouragement going forward.
Talk of outside investment has been rife in the last few months but whether Anderson is in a position to bring it in immediately is unclear.
Wanderers would clearly be more marketable if they were to re-establish themselves as a Championship club, particularly one streamlined of some of the huge overheads they carried at the start of this year.
“When we came to the club we were looking at an operating loss for the year of around £18.5million,” Anderson said, “now that has dropped to somewhere between £9-10m and we are continuing to bring that down.”
The lively start Parkinson’s side have made to life in League One has set the town talking again, and though many are predicting Anderson to look quickly for outside investment, or possibly sell on entirely, part of him must be tempted to enjoy the second half of the campaign with the rest of us.
Are Wanderers being primed for a sale? Or is Anderson merely doing an effective job of cutting cloth accordingly, so his time at the helm can be more successful?
It is fair to say Anderson’s business background has been scrutinised heavily by fans and the Supporters’ Trust, not least an eight-year directorial ban which ended in 2013. Equally, it must also be accepted past misdemeanours were not deemed serious enough by The Football League to prevent the takeover at the start of the year as part of their Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
Wanderers entered into 2016 in a sorry state with little leadership and a very uncertain future. They leave the year being operated on a much more professional level and some of that praise should lie at the feet of the chairman.
There are many big questions ready to be posed to the new man in charge. And though last week’s Q&A was postponed for well-documented reasons, Anderson could make a significant step forward with supporters by rescheduling as quickly as possible.
Fans do want to get to know their new owner. Whether they get a chance only time will tell.
Source
A former players’ agent with an accountancy background, and a go-between in several high-profile club takeovers including Liverpool, Reading and Hull City, the Londoner arrived at the Macron in March as somewhat of an unknown quantity – and in many ways, remains so.
We know Anderson stepped in at the last moment to push Sports Shield’s takeover bid through the gate back in February and was greeted somewhat warily by fans at the time.
Dean Holdsworth’s face and history was familiar. Details on the man in the suit with swept-back hair, who places of residence ranged from Monaco to Switzerland was a different matter altogether.
What has come as some surprise, however, has been that the influence of Anderson – and not Holdsworth – has been felt much more acutely around the Macron in the last nine months.
Ken’s son, Lee, has assumed a key role in the recruitment team and after inheriting such a skeletal staff on his arrival, Anderson’s decision to install experienced football administrators like Paul Aldridge and John Pelling has added to stability.
Undoubtedly his biggest success to date, however, has been his appointment of Phil Parkinson, a steadying influence on a squad which now looks well capable of challenging for automatic promotion.
It seems strange to think now of the worry felt around Wanderers fans in the summer when the interview process stretched over the course of several weeks – the outcome now looking well worth the patience shown.
Anderson’s other business interests do move him around the globe and he is by no means as omnipresent at the Macron as the previous chairman. His passion for the team, however, has been pleasantly surprising and regardless of the surroundings, he has watched on from the directors’ box home and away, even installing a TV screen in front of his regular seat at the Macron for a spot of personal luxury.
We even saw at the weekend pictures of him posing with supporters on the train back from London.
But while moments such as that suggest he is winning over the trust of some fans, many others will not be content until some of the meatier problems are tackled fully.
Outstanding accounts for 2015, the transfer embargo, a handful of creditors – all factors which will need his immediate attention.
There is also the matter of a financially onerous loan with Blumarble, which was taken out by Sports Shield to secure the club from Eddie Davies. Interest continues to build and the total figured owed currently stands at just over £6million. By the end of the season it will be well over £7m.
That loan was at the centre of the stand-off between Anderson and Holdsworth – both of whom accused the other of failing to follow through on their funding pledges to the Football League.
“I have put personal money into this football club and Dean has not put in a pound,” Anderson told The Bolton News on Monday. “It has all been from Blumarble.”
There is undisputed evidence that Anderson has used his own money to plug gaps in the last few months, albeit that some – if not all of it – has been repaid. But the fact there is a pool of funds to draw from in the first place may offer some encouragement going forward.
Talk of outside investment has been rife in the last few months but whether Anderson is in a position to bring it in immediately is unclear.
Wanderers would clearly be more marketable if they were to re-establish themselves as a Championship club, particularly one streamlined of some of the huge overheads they carried at the start of this year.
“When we came to the club we were looking at an operating loss for the year of around £18.5million,” Anderson said, “now that has dropped to somewhere between £9-10m and we are continuing to bring that down.”
The lively start Parkinson’s side have made to life in League One has set the town talking again, and though many are predicting Anderson to look quickly for outside investment, or possibly sell on entirely, part of him must be tempted to enjoy the second half of the campaign with the rest of us.
Are Wanderers being primed for a sale? Or is Anderson merely doing an effective job of cutting cloth accordingly, so his time at the helm can be more successful?
It is fair to say Anderson’s business background has been scrutinised heavily by fans and the Supporters’ Trust, not least an eight-year directorial ban which ended in 2013. Equally, it must also be accepted past misdemeanours were not deemed serious enough by The Football League to prevent the takeover at the start of the year as part of their Owners’ and Directors’ Test.
Wanderers entered into 2016 in a sorry state with little leadership and a very uncertain future. They leave the year being operated on a much more professional level and some of that praise should lie at the feet of the chairman.
There are many big questions ready to be posed to the new man in charge. And though last week’s Q&A was postponed for well-documented reasons, Anderson could make a significant step forward with supporters by rescheduling as quickly as possible.
Fans do want to get to know their new owner. Whether they get a chance only time will tell.
Source