Ken Anderson - update.

Everyone was very disappointed by the loss to Swindon Town, a game where we had enough opportunities to have finished it off earlier. 


While most teams around us (with the exception of Scunthorpe) also dropped points, I see it as a missed opportunity to move clear of them. 

I think our final pass was just not good enough on the day and you could see that while there were some tired legs out there. Generally speaking it was not one of our better performances. 

Once again though, the noise from another good turnout of our supporters, particularly in the last few minutes, was great to hear, even if on this occasion we didn't get the result we probably deserved. 

That said, we have to treat it as a bad day at the office and move on, pick ourselves up and focus on the challenges ahead.

Prior to the game I had a good meeting with the Supporters’ Trust and the Supporters’ Association. It is important that we keep a close and regular dialogue with both groups. To that end, we will be meeting regularly going forward.

We have a big opportunity to bounce straight back and hopefully, get a result this Tuesday in what will be another difficult away game against Big Sam’s Crystal Palace from the Premier League.

What bigger incentive could everyone have than that of bringing Manchester City to Macron Stadium for what would also be a live TV match. 

I try 'not to count my chickens’, but for each and every one of us to be able to dream 'what if ' for a couple of days can only help to bring that feel good factor back to the town.

I know a great deal of you have bought tickets and I thank each and every one of you for the continued support and sacrifices you are all making to come along and support the team, both with your time and financially.

We have a great number of games coming up thick and fast over the next few weeks, starting with Phil Brown’s Southend United this Saturday. 

They have been on a great run since they played us earlier in the season and we will have to get back to our form of November and December if we are to get a result there. 

Then we have Manchester City or Charlton Athletic to look forward to next at Macron Stadium where we all need to get behind the team to hopefully start another unbeaten run of games at our home ground. 

Finally, an interesting fact that came out in Saturday's edition of The Sun was that we are one of only four clubs among the 92 Football League clubs to have a 100% rate of English scorers this season. (For those that are interested Cambridge, Doncaster and Morecambe are the other three.)

Kind regards,

Ken

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We came so close to victory last night and booking ourselves a glamour tie against Manchester City at Macron Stadium.

Yes, it was disappointing to lose out, but we can take so much pride and heart in both of our performances against Crystal Palace.
 
The amount of effort and passion the players showed in both games was great to see. The fact that we went toe-to-toe with a Premier League side over 180 minutes of football epitomises the drive and determination we have at our disposal. 

Ultimately, the only difference was a £30 million striker coming off the bench.
 
I was also delighted by the support we took to Selhurst Park. Given that the total crowd was around 7,000 (some 4,000 less than the original tie at Macron Stadium), the 1,000 Wanderers fans were in fine voice throughout. 

To have that level of support in midweek and many miles from home was truly impressive. Our support, home and away, has been inspiring this season and long may that continue.
 
Our focus now shifts towards to our Sky Bet League One campaign and our goal of getting back into the Championship. 

With 19 league games remaining, there is still a lot of football to be played and if we can maintain the momentum we have shown already, then there is no reason why we cannot attain our ambition.
 
My thoughts go out to Darren Pratley meanwhile who is set to miss the remainder of the campaign through injury. It has been a massively frustrating season for him and we wish him well with his recovery.
 
We’ve now got Southend United away on Saturday before returning to Macron Stadium the following weekend against Charlton Athletic.
 
Let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s continue to back the boys.
 
Ken


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Note Anderson's view of the ST and compare it with what he thinks of the Supporters Association!


Chairman Ken Anderson addresses the club's fans on bwfc.co.uk


I recently held a meeting with a number of the officers of the Supporters' Trust prior to the Swindon game on January 14, which generally speaking was constructive, but I did question the wisdom of their questions and comments to the EFL and what benefits they would bring to the club.

That said, I do respect their independence but have to question the logic of their approach at this particular time in the middle of a transfer window. 

We agreed to have further regular meetings, which hopefully will bring benefits to everyone in the medium to long term. In the short term, I hope they will find ways to work with us on the Academy, which brings benefits to the club and community.

I also met with Alan Houghton from the Supporters' Association, who gave me a great deal of information about the past and how he thinks we can work together and I very much look forward to our future meetings.

With just over a week to go before the transfer window closes, a great deal of work has been going on behind the scenes and the manager and our recruitment team have been actively talking to a number of players/agents and other clubs. 

We have also had interest from other clubs/agents about several of our players, but these have all been rebuked. 

I hope to be able to update you later this week and in my programme notes for the Charlton match this coming Saturday, where hopefully there will be another large turn out as we enter the second part of the season. 

You may have read the comments from Middlesbrough's and Liverpool's managers this weekend about the benefits of the home supporters singing and cheering. I cannot thank you often enough to emphasise just how much this lifts and encourages the team, and long may this continue.

The Super 7 season ticket meanwhile goes on sale next Monday and I hope as many supporters as possible take advantage of this great deal to bolster our support at Macron Stadium for the remainder of the campaign.

Elsewhere, Sammy Ameobi came off the bench for Newcastle United on Saturday for the last 15 minutes. 

We haven't given up hope of him coming back if Newcastle do manage to bring in the players they are targeting or their African Cup of Nations players return early. We are watching matters there carefully. 

One good thing from our point of view is that Sammy cannot play anywhere else this season now as he has figured for two clubs.

It was disappointing that Saturday's game at Southend United was called off, more so for all our excellent travelling supporters who had made their way down to Roots Hall. Our backing on the road has been nothing short of phenomenal.

I also noted an article in The Sun on Sunday which speculated about an imminent sale of the stadium and hotel. Well, much like their claim about a Saudi takeover a while back, this article is also completely false.

I would like to reassure you that any official news about the club will be released to our fans first via our own channels.

There was a slight delay in staff receiving their salaries this month due to some restructuring. Going forward, everybody will be paid at the end of each month which is standard practice.

I look forward to seeing you all at Macron Stadium this Saturday.

Let's be loud, let's be proud and let's get behind the boys.

Ken 




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Chairman Ken Anderson addresses the club's supporters on bwfc.co.uk


Where possible, I want to keep everyone up to date and aware of what's really happening off the field, as well as on the field, at the club - particularly when a great deal of what is being said on social media sites is inaccurate.
 
As I said at the Q&A last year, we inherited a great deal more problems and contracts when we took over in March 2016 than we had envisaged. In my opinion, these were not in the best interests of the club and hotel and are not commercially prudent.
 
Since then we have slowly been working away at restructuring the club financially and whilst a lot has been achieved, there is still a great deal to be done if we are to achieve our aim of getting the club and hotel in a sustainable financial position by the end of next season. 

Many of the decisions we are taking now are not pleasant, but are absolutely necessary if we are to have any chance of being successful, both on and off the field in the future, and we hope you will continue to support us and understand why this course of action is being taken. Sometimes you have to take the medicine in order to get better, even if it is unpleasant.

Paul Aldridge and I had a meeting last week with Cllr Morris and Margaret Asquith at Bolton Council to see if anything can be done to help us with the very high level of rates that the club and hotel are paying whereas other nearby clubs and hotels/businesses are paying a fraction of this. 
 
Unfortunately, this is because of an ambiguity of the rates system and we are still being rated as a Premier League club. The Council are being very supportive and hopefully a solution will be achieved, which would go a long way to helping us achieve a financially sustainable base.

We have made progress with Macron and the current problem has been resolved. We will be holding further discussions with them in Bologna next month, in respect of next season’s kit deal and stadium naming rights.

Discussions with Heathcote & Co, our catering partner, have come to a head, but as it stands the existing agreement is not commercially viable for the hotel and club and the arrangement has to be looked at in more detail if both parties are to move forward and work together. Hopefully both parties will see sense and find common ground. However, if that is not to be, we do have other options.

We continue to hold meetings with some of the players’ agents, professional advisors, sponsors and trading partners involved with the club now and prior to our involvement, with a view to reaching an agreement on the level and validity of their invoices.

Again, this is proving to be far more complex than we could have ever imagined at the outset. Indeed, the savings we have achieved to date are already in their hundreds of thousands of pounds. As I said above, there is still a great deal of restructuring to be carried out, but we are still very much dependent on the continued financial support, patience and understanding of our trading partners if we are to move forward. We continue to look for ways to reduce costs and achieve a sustainable business plan.

Unfortunately, whilst Dean and I had reached an agreement in principle on me buying his shares, but this has not proved possible because of his situation with Blu Marble. 

The Blu Marble documentation with Sport Shield (BWFCSS) is rife with problems and in my opinion, will end up in litigation, as will the documentation between BWFCSS and the club. It is, therefore, unlikely that there will be a resolution of the situation in the foreseeable future. 

Obviously, for legal and confidentiality reasons, I am restricted on what I can say on this matter, but l will try my best to keep you abreast of what is happening at all times. 

The Blu Marble problems have further complicated matters with Deloitte and their audit opinion, but we are working through these together and are hopeful of finding a solution soon. For my part, I have to say Deloitte have been very supportive and their advice has been very helpful and reassuring. 

We continue to look for ways of refinancing the club and have options available to us, but until there is a resolution of the Blu Marble situation, no refinancing can be completed and trading conditions, as I have said above, will continue to be difficult and cash flow is being managed to the best of our abilities and through the continued help and financial support of our trading partners. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to improve in the short term. 
 
Our discussions with Prescot Business Park have been very positive and we have reached an agreement in principle to reacquire the car parks and offices and repay their loan on the hotel. We are extremely grateful for the patience, understanding and financial assistance they have extended us throughout these complicated negotiations. 

Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing commercial opportunities aimed at increasing club and hotel revenues and I hope you will all get behind us and support them, as you always have, to help ensure the future success of the club and hotel.
  
I will shortly be announcing the date when I will be holding the next Q&A session to give you all the opportunity to ask me questions on the above and the filed accounts, as well as anything else.

There has been a great deal of speculation and comment on the transfer embargo following the recent Supporters' Trust comments relating to their correspondence with the EFL and all I can say on this is ‘watch this space’. We do not comment on our transfer targets and business until we have something positive to say.

The last couple of league results have been very disappointing for everyone, but it is even more important now that we pick ourselves up and get back to winning ways, starting with the next game at MK Dons who have been in fine form recently.

In the meantime, please do continue to support your club and attend as many games as you can to help us try and achieve promotion this season. The next few weeks will see a great deal of difficult games and the more of you there to support us, the better.

With that in mind, I hope many of you consider taking advantage of the Super 7 season ticket offer which will enable you to watch our final seven league matches at Macron Stadium for a great price. Visit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for more information.

Kind regards,

Ken

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more worrying news, who is the brains behind this deal?

Although we don’t like to air our dirty laundry in public, I feel as if I have to make a response to the statement Paul Heathcote issued on a social media site on Monday evening and to the notices that were placed by his staff within the Pure Bar at Whites.
 
I have noted the comments he has made and I acknowledge his support of BWFC for a number of years. Hopefully, he will continue to do so.
 
As regards, his comments concerning non-payment, I would make the following observations: 
 
When I first met with Paul, Gary Bates and David Cura back in March 2016, I explained to them that our senior management team and several of the previous board had brought to my attention that they had found that the Special Catering Company (SCC) agreement was virtually unworkable commercially.

Since then, there have been numerous meetings and discussions but unfortunately, to date, no real progress has been made. 
 
Obviously, I have to be careful just how much I say here, but I would mention that SCC have opted not to pay capex (capital expenditure) monies due to us of circa £120,000 in accordance with the agreement and despite numerous pledges made, over many months. 

This has culminated in us choosing not to pay them monies totaling a similar amount to the capex monies due to us. The contract does not mention being able to set off the capex monies against the trading debt but that was probably because this situation was never envisaged at the outset. 

Indeed, we offered to offset one against the other but they declined this offer. They have by prior agreement retained matchday cash sales over the period that is in question. 
 
It’s worth noting that we are one of the largest events venues in the North West, the majority of which is food and beverage sales that contributes to our biggest revenue stream. The agreement is very one-sided and provides them with 80% to our 20% share of this revenue.  

It’s important to note that our 20% has to cover all sales and marketing, maintenance, fees, rates, depreciation, replacement costs etc. As I’m sure you can appreciate, this is unsustainable going forward. 

Furthermore, the agreement states that payment has to be made weekly on the following Wednesday. Often, this means we are being requested to pay monies we have not even received (i.e credit card takings) particularly at weekends and even more so over Christmas and the New Year. 

For the record, monies they are chasing and saying are unpaid are for January and in the normal course of business, would not be due for payment for at least 30 days i.e. the end of February.
 
I am sure you can appreciate the agreement does not make commercial sense for the club/hotel. Indeed, we maintain that it actually costs us money, which is particularly galling when our staff work so hard in marketing and promoting the businesses and often go beyond the call of duty in the effort and hours they put in.  

I have previously mentioned that when we acquired the club that there were a number of contracts/agreements that needed to be addressed and this is one of them, but unfortunately, SCC have categorically refused to discuss the current terms and conditions.
 
He also mentioned that he is concerned about paying his staff but they do have protection in place.
 
I too have a team that I need to protect and the recent threat of refusing or reducing service puts the business under immense pressure. The contract clearly mentions remedies for non-payment, but they do not include threats of winding up actions if payment is only days late or withdrawing services instantly. There is a process and Heathcote & Co have not adhered to it. 
 
There is a great deal more I could say about the conditions of this contract but now is not the time or place. 
 
In conclusion, I have offered to meet with them to see if there is a solution and a better way forward for both businesses, but this has been declined. As always, my door remains open for further discussions

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I don't get this:

Paul Aldridge and I had a meeting last week with Cllr Morris and Margaret Asquith at Bolton Council to see if anything can be done to help us with the very high level of rates that the club and hotel are paying whereas other nearby clubs and hotels/businesses are paying a fraction of this. 
 
Unfortunately, this is because of an ambiguity of the rates system and we are still being rated as a Premier League club. 


Now why should it make a difference what division we are in? 

It does sound to me that whoever negotiated / sanctioned / signed off these deals we have heard about, both on and off the pitch, either felt that money was no object, grossly incompetent, or corrupt and gaining from them in someway or other.

If the decision making in general was based on the same thinking that allowed Coyle to gamble our whole Premier League survival on going 'all in' on signing striker Marvin Sordell, when even a blind man could see we desperately needed a midfield replacement for the injured Stuart Holden, then I would plump for gross incompetence.

Sluffy wrote:It does sound to me that whoever negotiated / sanctioned / signed off these deals we have heard about, both on and off the pitch, either felt that money was no object, grossly incompetent, or corrupt and gaining from them in someway or other.

If the decision making in general was based on the same thinking that allowed Coyle to gamble our whole Premier League survival on going 'all in' on signing striker Marvin Sordell, when even a blind man could see we desperately needed a midfield replacement for the injured Stuart Holden, then I would plump for gross incompetence.

Sluffy - It is indicative of how the operation was run by bumblers and fumblers prior to Ken A.  I'm not saying Ken A won't turn around and take his money and sell on, but I do like the sounds of astute business acumen.  We paid high and sold for next to nothing or nothing... we made deals that as you suggested were either incompetent or corrupt... and there is no one accountable.  I have to think that the late PG, an accountant, knew what was going on.  I wonder if ED had any idea of the financial situation... since this could have been cleverly hidden from him... or if he even cared.  He bailed so quickly that you have to think that one day the manipulation was uncovered and he just wanted to get out with what he could.  The fact that we had managers who grossly overpaid for so called talent belies the fact that the club should have had someone watching over these investments.  Where was the overseer?  From what we read, someone should be held responsible for years of financial disasters.  I like the talk from KA, and I only hope his negotiating skills will bring the club to an even keel.  It's insane to think we signed players for lots of money and on long term deals, and their limited ability gave us a last place finish in the Championship.  Hopefully today we will pick up a finisher to help us in the place we are the weakest.  After the past two league games, it would be a wonder to finish top six.  There are still plenty of points to play for, and with some help upfront we might finish top two.  This is a league we should be on top of, especially with the money we are paying all those benchwarmers who helped get us relegated.  Spot on Sluffy!

Norpig wrote:more worrying news, who is the brains behind this deal?


When I first met with Paul, Gary Bates and David Cura back in March 2016, I explained to them that our senior management team and several of the previous board had brought to my attention that they had found that the Special Catering Company (SCC) agreement was virtually unworkable commercially.

To be honest this gives a massive clue who is being blamed for these contracts in my opinion.

If you think that the clubs management answers to the board and the board answers to the club owner (or his representative), and both the club management and 'several of the previous board' knew something was wrong with the deal...

I don't like to speak ill of the dead but Bloody Gartside........

All this for roughly one weeks pay for Rooney.  The difference between the haves and the have-nots.

Chairman Ken Anderson addresses the Club's supporters

It turned out to be another busy transfer window for the football club and I would like to welcome our new signings Adam Le Fondre, Chris Long and Viv Solomon-Otabor who have all arrived on loan until the end of the season.
 
Wanderers fans will need no introduction to Adam who enjoyed a very fruitful loan spell at Macron Stadium two years ago, while Chris and Viv are two young, exciting forward players who will give us some good varied options up front.

We believe the new signings will freshen things up as we look to get back on track in our quest for promotion.
 
We said goodbye to Zach Clough who joined Championship side Nottingham Forest. It was a very tough decision to let Zach go, especially as he had been at the club since a very young age. 

We received several bids for him and we held out to get the best offer we could for him. The deal helps us out from a financial point of view during what is a very challenging time and we didn’t want to stand in his way. 

Everybody at the club would like to thank him for serving Bolton Wanderers with such distinction and we wish him well for the future.
 
Jamie Proctor and Chris Taylor weren’t getting into the first team, and we allowed them to move out on loan to other clubs. The spells away will hopefully give them regular action which will serve them well when they return in the summer.
 
We had a bid turned down for a defender whose club didn’t want him to join a rival and we knocked back several enquiries for some of our other players. 
 
But we have kept the bulk of our squad intact and now we are actively looking to bring in some free agents to further enhance the team with the two available slots open to us.
 
The lads are back in action this Saturday with a tough trip to MK Dons, but with your continued support, which has been a great constant this season, we will put up a good fight.
 
Let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get behind the boys.
 
Kind regards,
 
Ken

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Anyone know which defender at which "rival team" we expressed an interest in?

wanderlust wrote:Anyone know which defender at which "rival team" we expressed an interest in?

Stephen Darby (Bradford)

Boggersbelief wrote:

wanderlust wrote:Anyone know which defender at which "rival team" we expressed an interest in?

Stephen Darby (Bradford)

Cheers

Chairman Ken Anderson addresses the club's fans on bwfc.co.uk


The amount of trading that took place on transfer deadline day has no doubt had a transitional effect on the squad.

But in my view, it has freshened things up and provides us with a degree of flexibility and versatility which will ultimately give us more options in how we play.

I must praise all the hard work that was put in by the manager and all the football staff to get those new signings on board. 

From the scouting and recruitment staff, to all those who work in the medical department and those in football administration, everybody worked tirelessly.

On balance, the draw we achieved at stadiummk on Saturday was hard fought and well earned. I was pleased with the performance against what was an in-form team who had scored nine goals in their last two games and also played in front of their highest ever crowd in League One.

The point was all the more impressive given that we lost Andrew Taylor during the warm up through a groin injury and had to play the final ten minutes a man down after Lawrie Wilson had to go off with an injury.

Although our new signings will take time to fully acclimatise to their new surroundings, I was pleased with the additional pace and flexibility they offered. 

We will meanwhile be looking to bring in another player who will be a free agent to strengthen our defence.

I'm sure you will all be looking forward to seeing them at Macron Stadium this coming week where we have two games in quick succession when we entertain Walsall and Rochdale.

Our Super 7 season ticket, which begins with the Rochdale game on Tuesday 14 February, has also proved to be very popular. 

It allows you to watch the final seven home games at Macron Stadium at a great value price, as well as giving you the other benefits of being a Bolton Wanderers season ticket holder. These can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE and also in Bolton Central.

We've also got offers on our home and away replica shirts so now is the time to treat yourself and get some of our new players' names on the back of one.

I've already seen some great photographs of our young fans sporting 'Le Fondre' on their shirts. You can buy these online by visiting [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Your support for the club is as crucial now as it has ever been. You have been our twelfth man this season and it's vital that you continue in the same vein as we embark on the final phase of the campaign. 

We have strengthened the squad, we are well placed in the league and we are determined to get over the line to bounce back into the Championship.

Let's be loud, let's be proud and let's get behind the boys.

Kind regards,

Ken

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Ken Anderson wrote:But in my view, it has freshened things up and provides us with a degree of flexibility and versatility which will ultimately give us more options in how we play.

Exactly what I thought - and then Parky picks Madine as a target man again and that pretty much determined our style of play for us. 
At least we now have more options even if the manager won't try them so if it goes bad from here on in he might be forced to make the necessary changes and then we'll know a lot more about the capabilities of this squad  - one way or the other.

It's been going bad since we beat Scunthorpe and put ourselves in a great position. Parky will be wise to listen to Ka and start with changing the strike force, as in personnel and formation.

Sluffy wrote:

wanderlust wrote:
I don't think any blog sets out to have a go at the club. The function of a blog is to garner a variety of opinions  we certainly have that on here. That leads to speculation and IMO any clarification the club or KA wish to provide can only be a good thing.
Even if KAs objective is to deliver a PR exercise it would be worthwhile listening just to see what they are up to.

As I said above, it would have been nice to have been invited.

As for the two sites I single out, the ST and LoV, the former is not a blog and the latter is unashamedly a 'click bait' site and thus the more outrageous stories it posts up, the bigger the 'clicks' it gets - and the more money it earns from the advertisers whose adverts it hosts.

Thus both have their own agendas for painting the club and its owner/s negatively, the ST because they seek ownership of the club, and LoV to earn itself more money.

The rest of the blogs/forums (apart from the one owned by one of the ST board members) DO lead to debate, opinion and conjecture because we love the club and want to see the best for it - and not the best for ourselves!

Amazing. Wish someone told me about this.

Sluffy - can you let me know which pieces you think are clickbait? Also, if you could out any evidence for your claims about me earning a penny from the site? You are so misinformed, again.

Hhhmmm. An interesting challenge, Sluffy, although I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the 'evidence' go by pm.