Ken Anderson - update.

Wanderers appoint Head of Commercial

Bolton Wanderers is delighted to announce the appointment of Linton Brown as the Club’s Head of Commercial.

Brown, a former professional footballer with Hull City and Swansea City, has worked in a number of senior commercial roles in football with Hull City as Commercial Manager, then as Commercial Director and more recently as the Chief Executive Officer at Barnsley Football Club. 

He said: “To be joining a club of Bolton Wanderers’ stature at such an exciting phase in its history is an honour.

”I’m looking forward to working alongside my colleagues to explore new commercial opportunities.”

Chairman of Bolton Wanderers Football Club Ken Anderson added: “We are delighted to have appointed Linton to lead the Club’s commercial strategy. He has a tremendous commercial pedigree in sport and will bring a wealth of experience as we look to continue growing our revenue across the business.”

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With only three games remaining, the finishing line is ever closer and following today's results, the picture has become even clearer.

Tomorrow's game against our neighbours Bury offers us the opportunity of picking up a win that will put us within a one victory of securing our return to the Sky Bet Championship.

Should we manage to pick up maximum points on Tuesday night, we can travel to Port Vale this coming weekend safe in the knowledge that a similar outcome at Vale Park will be enough for us.

Nothing has changed from our perspective, even with Fleetwood's victory over Millwall - our fate is still well and truly in our own hands.

It goes without saying that we need every Bolton Wanderers fan to turn up at Macron Stadium and support the team. 

You have been a constant force this season - both at home and on our travel - and the manager and players need you there.

The passion you evoke fuels the team as they will battle for points in every game. Bury are battling for their own future in this division and they will be determined to put the brakes on us. But with a vociferous crowd, I am certain that we will have that extra edge required.

If you haven't already bought your tickets please CLICK HERE to do so now and print your ticket at home. Tell your friends, family and colleagues, and ask them to get behind the boys.

There has been much speculation recently about the number of players that will be out of contract at the end of the season. As I have been saying for some time, now is not the time to discuss new contracts and the focus has to be to finish the job we started last August. 

However, what I do know is that there are a number of players that are out of contract who have given their all throughout the season and have earned the opportunity to continue with the club next season and new contract discussions will take place shortly. 

There are also a number of players who have had to be patient and may have been on the periphery but when they have been called upon, they have stepped in and delivered. Many of our players have been absolute warriors all season and this will not be forgotten. 

As far, as I am concerned, everything is still within our own grasp and the same applies to players looking for a contract next season. There is no better example than those of David Wheater's performances and commitment at the end of last season to show just what can be achieved even at this late stage.

There also appears to be some misapprehension that we don't win games without Gary Madine which I don't want to start having a psychological effect on the squad and supporters in the next few games. 

I must emphasise that whilst Gary has been great all season, we recently won at both Shrewsbury and Southend when Gary went off and that we have won many games when Gary hasn't scored including Fleetwood, Gillingham, Northampton and Oxford. 

It should be remembered that we have not relied on one player for our goals this season and that they have come in numbers from several of the squad. That said, obviously the sooner Gary is back and fit to play, the better.

Away from the field, please consider taking advantage of our huge Easter sale at Bolton Central. as well as big savings across our entire range of leisurewear you will be able to buy a home or away shirt for just £15.

Show your true colours and wear your Wanderers shirt with pride for these final few games. Either visit Bolton Central in person or buy online at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Let's be loud, let's be proud and let's get right behind the team tomorrow night.

Come on you Whites!

Kind regards,

Ken

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Sluffy wrote:There also appears to be some misapprehension that we don't win games without Gary Madine which I don't want to start having a psychological effect on the squad and supporters in the next few games. 

I must emphasise that whilst Gary has been great all season, we recently won at both Shrewsbury and Southend when Gary went off and that we have won many games when Gary hasn't scored including Fleetwood, Gillingham, Northampton and Oxford. 

I don't think there's any misapprehension Ken, but thanks for clearing it up.

Anyone know where I can get a replica shirt from?

wanderlust wrote:Anyone know where I can get a replica shirt from?

I don't know wanders, you'd hope the club or the chairman could point us in the right direction, repeatedly would be best 

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s game, I am sure like myself, you are all excited at the prospect of what promises to be a typically combative encounter with Port Vale.
 
With us yet again set to come up against a team fighting for their Sky Bet League One lives, everybody knows that it will be far from an easy game.
 
As the manager, players and myself have said on numerous occasions however, our fate is very much in our own hands and we all believe that the team can finish the job off in these last two games.

I wholeheartedly concur with Dean’s comments in The Bolton News today about it now being a two-game season – now is the time for the players to be heroes and we all want nothing more than to be able to look back on this campaign in the years to come as one for the club’s history books.
 
Yet again as well, the players are to be backed by a sell-out away following of 4,500 supporters tomorrow – another superb showing from you, the heartbeat of this football club.
 
All season long, you have followed the team in your numbers both at home and on the road, and I hope that come 5pm on Saturday, we will all be celebrating together at Vale Park.

The Bolton News recently produced a special article highlighting the club’s greatest ever away games, with there certainly being some memorable moments in there.

With any luck, we could potentially be adding Saturday’s encounter to that list come Saturday evening and I am sure you will join me in having everything crossed that it will happen.
 
Prior to the game, John McGinlay and Tony Kelly will be walking to the game to raise money in memory of supporter Andrew “Pud” Leigh who sadly passed away earlier this year.
 
Please show your support for them should you encounter them this weekend.
 
I’d also like to congratulate two of our players meanwhile in Mark Beevers and David Wheater, with both of them having been named in the PFA’s League One Team of the Year.
 
I think our defensive record of only 36 goals conceded in 44 league games – the lowest in the entire division – is a true testament to their hard work throughout the course of the season and they both thoroughly deserve their place in the team.
 
The squad have certainly scooped a number of awards throughout the course of the season and it is always nice to add to that tally. It was also very pleasing to see our matchday magazine secure Sports Trader’s League One Programme of the Year accolade earlier this week too.
 
More awards meanwhile will be announced at our special End of Season Awards Dinner which will be held in the Premier Suite at Macron Stadium on Sunday 30 April.
 
Places are selling quickly for what promises to be a memorable evening, so I advise those of you looking to join us to book quickly to avoid disappointment. To book your place, please [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] or phone 01204 673 761.
 
As you may have seen this morning, we have again reduced the prices of our replica kits to just £9.99 from Saturday onwards, so I hope to see as many of you as possible sporting your colours with pride during our final two games.
 
We also have a number of events coming up at the hotel including Harry Khan’s boxing match and An Evening With Anthony Joshua, more details of which can be found on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Please keep an eye on website and the hotel’s social media channels for more details on upcoming events.
 
Let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get right behind the team in what could be a historic week for the football club.
 
Kind regards,
 
Ken

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£9.99 for a replica shirt. That's a bargain. At that price I can use them as hankies.

I think it is safe to say that this week has felt like an extremely long one for all of us associated to Bolton Wanderers Football Club. 

Come lunchtime on Sunday however, it is the time for calm heads, both from the players and the supporters, with the finishing line tantalisingly close and success within our reach.

Our former manager Bruce Rioch spoke earlier this week about embracing the pressure that comes with games such as this and I firmly believe that our players will relish the occasion.

They are ready and we all know that they have the desire to win alongside the application and dedication to get the job done.

They have shown such qualities throughout the season as a whole, but it is on days like Sunday that their credentials are well and truly tested.

As we have seen from the team all season long, they have the heart, belief and character to grind out results and hopefully our game with Peterborough will turn out to be our last cup final this season and we will get that final automatic promotion spot.

It does not matter how we get there – it is solely about the points now and everyone needs to have that belief and get right behind the players from the outset.

We need not rely on other results – we just need to make sure that we do our job and Fleetwood’s game against Port Vale could very well be irrelevant.

As you have done all season long, please create a cauldron of noise on Sunday and get behind the team to roar them onto success. Please however refrain from entering the field of play at any time during the day.

As a collective at the football club, we are on the cusp of making history and hopefully come the full time whistle on Sunday, we will be able to create celebrations and memories that everyone will remember for the rest of their lives.

Once again, we are expecting a bumper crowd here at Macron Stadium, not only in the stands but in our corporate hospitality areas where many rooms have been sold out well in advance of this fixture. 

We even have a number of supporters from places such as Australia, New Zealand and America making the long journey to Bolton. I would like to welcome them all to Macron Stadium this weekend and I hope they have a stay to remember.

Tickets are still available however and can be purchased in person at Bolton Central, by phoning 0844 871 2932 or by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

The club and Bolton Whites Hotel meanwhile were recently nominated for five awards at the Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards 2017 – wholly deserved recognition for all of our hard-working members of staff. 

We were also commended for our pitch earlier this week, with Chris Simm and his team finishing just behind eventual winners Sheffield United in regards to the best surface in Sky Bet League One this term.

They have worked tirelessly throughout the season and I am sure you will all join me in thanking them for their efforts.

Off the field meanwhile, there has been no let-up across the business with Jay Spearing and Darren Pratley recently taking part in the EFL’s Community Day of Action, while on Sunday we will be adding three more recipients to the George Warburton Outstanding Service Award plaque in main reception.

Eddie Hopkinson, Roy Greaves and Des McBain are all truly deserving of this accolade and we thank them all for their contributions to Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

I would also like to welcome the pupils of Brownedge St Mary’s RC High School to Sunday’s game with them having won our recent kit competition.

They submitted a wonderfully inventive video in a bid to win kits for their football team and as part of their prize, they will be here this weekend to cheer on the team. I hope they enjoy their day with us.

For hopefully the last time this season, let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get right behind the team and make Sunday a day to remember. 

Kind regards

Ken

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We need to see that wonderfully inventive (and subsequently award winning) video.

If only there was someone contributing to this site who could upload a copy.......

Bread2.0 wrote:We need to see that wonderfully inventive (and subsequently award winning) video.

If only there was someone contributing to this site who could upload a copy.......

We can't possibly allow such a thing. There may be strange men posting on here.
I could,of course,post the Brucie tribute to Sammy Davis Jnr, as a substitute.
I'm sure Penguin hasn't seen it.

Please don't frighten off our latest member!

karlypants wrote:Please don't frighten off our latest member!

That's a bit harsh KP. Penguin might be a big Brucie fan.

Who wouldn't be.

Anderson confident winding-up order will not burst Wanderers' promotion bubble

KEN Anderson is confident there will be a swift resolution to the legal issues with finance company BluMarble.

Sports Shield BWFC, the company set up when Anderson took over the club with Dean Holdsowrth last March, face a winding up order in the High Court on May 22 after failing thus far to negotiate a refinancing package on a £5million loan.

Anderson’s attempt to purchase shares owned by Dean Holdsworth and become majority owner of the Whites has also hit a sticking point as a result.

Some have forecast that the impending legal problems could burst Wanderers’ promotion bubble but the chairman is comfortable a resolution will be found.

“I’ve read reports that we’re £25m in debt and I can say we’re nowhere near that figure,” said Anderson in an interview with BBC Radio Manchester. “There was a £5m loan from BluMarble made to Sports Shield BWFC, which was Dean’s company, and we do owe that. It’s something we’ve got to deal with them.

“There are ongoing discussions. It hasn’t been an easy one because there are lawyers involved on both sides but I am confident that it will be resolved.

“There’s a loan on the hotel which was taken out before I came in but that’s just like having a mortgage on your house or your building.”

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Can't help thinking that Ken Andrerson over-compensates for Gartsides lack of communication over the years. A bi-monthly update would suffice.

It's not every week that we get a winding up order tbf. Presume that this means that ka hasn't actually got the money to buy Delano out?

Three minute AUDIO interview with Anderson by BBC Manchester.

Basically says the alleged £25 million debt (as reported from the ST) is a complete load of bollocks, that he doesn't envisage a problem with resolving the BluMarble loan and the only other debt pre-dates him and is just a basic mortgage on the hotel.

Listen here -

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Ken Anderson looks ahead to next season and speaks regarding season tickets in his latest column to the club's supporters
Even though our league campaign finished just four days ago, plans are already well underway as we look towards the 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship season.
 
Since Sunday afternoon, celebration has been very much the key focus for the players, coaching staff and the staff members down at Macron Stadium, and rightly so – our success in 2016/17 was a result of hard work from all areas of the business.
 
In the midst of that however, we know that the hard work ahead of next season starts now and that applies to the football club as a whole.
 
Next season is really made or broken in this key period and although we will look back over 2016/17 and be proud of what we achieved, we now need to look forward as we aim to progress.
 
Our finance team are currently working with myself on a business plan and budgets for next season – something which we were not afforded the luxury of for the season just gone.
 
As we head into the second tier of English football once again, our ambitions are clear – we are determined to build a competitive squad which will make their own mark on the Sky Bet Championship.
 
Plans for this are already in place and there are already meetings set to take place next week with the manager and the players who are out of contract this summer.
 
As it has been widely reported, we have 17 players who will be out of contract and it is important that we put down our marker now with them as to how we see the future of not only them as individuals, but the club as a whole.
 
Many of those players have certainly proven their worth during the course of last season and while there will no doubt be some difficult decisions to make, between myself and Phil Parkinson, we will make the right ones for Bolton Wanderers.
 
The manager himself recently spoke of the spirit that he and his team have created here this season – something which, I am sure you will agree, was crucial in us securing automatic promotion.
 
We will also be looking to add strength-in-depth ahead of what will be a long and challenging campaign come August, but hopefully a fruitful one.
 
After the uncertainty of last year, it is crucial that we hit the ground running when the players return for pre-season training and with this in mind, our pre-season training camp is already booked and we are planning for a number of friendly fixtures.
 
Off the pitch meanwhile, we also want to manage the football club on sound foundations and work under a sustainable and commercial business plan going forward. 
 
The days of losing £12-20 million a year have to be well and truly behind us and I know that you are all on the same page with myself in that respect.
 
Being in the Sky Bet Championship next season however means that we will benefit from the publicity that comes with it and that will no doubt reflect in our commercial revenues across the business.
 
We also launched our 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship season ticket campaign earlier this week and we have been delighted with how sales have been during these early stages.
 
The club has received some feedback regarding the pricing structure, so I would like to take this opportunity to update you all on how we came to the decision.
 
It is important to remember that the prices have been held at the same level as our last time in the Sky Bet Championship in 2015/16 with a small increase to reflect inflation.
 
The club has to live within its means to avoid the mistakes of the past and for us to remain and be competitive in this division, there are associated costs.
 
Since I arrived at Bolton Wanderers Football Club  I've already reduced expenditure for the benefit of the club and I am constantly looking at ways of driving revenue.
 
Our return to the Championship represents an opportunity for a new financial beginning and we must ensure that we build and operate a sustainable business plan both on and off the field.
  
There are still a great deal of areas to be addressed , but slowly and surely we are working through this. We appreciate that a season ticket is a significant expense for any football supporter and we truly appreciate and value the commitment you show throughout the season. 
 
The support we have received both home and away has been exceptional and every supporter – especially season ticket holders – have played a key role in our success.
 
With this in mind, I hope that many of you will take the opportunity to join us for what promises to be an exciting campaign in 2017/18, with tickets available to purchase here. Our special promotion commemorating book, Wanderers Return, can also be pre-ordered here with fans who purchase before May 11 able to have their name printed on the Roll of Honour.
 
We are together, and together we will succeed.
 
Kind regards,
 
Ken

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No mention of replica shirt sales so I presume a new design will be winging it's way into the shops very shortly. Or is the sponsorship up for renewal again?

Anyone remember the days when we didn't hear a thing from the chairman / board. Think Ken Anderson deserves a lot of credit for how he has handled things this year.

Agree 100% with that one Fab. Its been a nice change.