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He is renowned as one of the shrewdest wheeler-dealers in English football.
But even Harry Redknapp must be scratching his head in disbelief at what his opposite number on Tuesday night is achieving.
While Wanderers boss Phil Parkinson has had to contend with a multitude of obstacles in putting together a competitive squad, the former Tottenham, Portsmouth and West Ham gaffer forked out a seven-figure fee, a comparative king;’s ransom, on Isaac Vassell just ahead of their goalless draw.
But the vast difference in the Blues’ and Whites’ budgets was certainly not distinct, with Parkinson’s side looking the more likely to snatch the three points.
Redknapp, who has challenged the club’s owners to seal deals on some top-drawer new signings, was complimentary about their visitors, and what Parkinson is achieving on a shoestring.
“Phil Parkinson has done a great job there, he got them promoted last year and I think he’s an outstanding manager,” said Redknapp.
“Bolton are a big club, they have great tradition and had great players over the years so I was pleased to see them get back up last year.
“If they can consolidate this year back in this division they’ll be delighted.
“He’s not going to expect to get promoted, I’m sure, but he’ll certainly get the best out of his players as he always does and I’m sure they’ll be okay.”
Not that Redknapp will be in a rush to review the DVD of Tuesday’s 0-0 draw.
Despite the presence of Clayton Donaldson, Jacques Maghoma and David Cotterill in attack, with Lukas Jutkiewicz and Vassell getting their first action of the season from the bench, he admitted he was desperate for referee Darren England to signal an end to his boredom.
“I couldn’t see us winning and I was looking for the final whistle.,” he said. “I couldn’t say I enjoyed the game, it’s no fun standing there watching that.
“It was almost the same team which struggled to stay up last season and that is a big worry.
“I didn’t enjoy standing watching how we played. The effort was there but I want to see us play, there is no fun for me watching this sort of performance.”
Meanwhile, Parkinson had to be satisfied with a share of the spoils against their free-spending opponents, though he felt they could, and maybe even should, have taken all three.
“You have to remember Birmingham have just signed a striker for one-and-a-half-million pounds, or something like that,” he said. “And they could throw Jutkiewicz on as well, after we’ve had to face Donaldson up front, and they’ve coped really well, I’m very pleased with the way we approached the match.
“When you’re tired and there’s a bit of fatigue creeping in and you’ve got to play with the pace of Vassell coming on and you’ve got Jutkiewicz backing into you, it’s hard but I thought their concentration levels were first-class.
“I feel we’re growing as a team, there were a lot of good signs tonight on the back of a really tough game at Millwall on Saturday in very hot conditions, so to come here tonight and play with that intensity I’ve got to give the lads a lot of credit. “
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But even Harry Redknapp must be scratching his head in disbelief at what his opposite number on Tuesday night is achieving.
While Wanderers boss Phil Parkinson has had to contend with a multitude of obstacles in putting together a competitive squad, the former Tottenham, Portsmouth and West Ham gaffer forked out a seven-figure fee, a comparative king;’s ransom, on Isaac Vassell just ahead of their goalless draw.
But the vast difference in the Blues’ and Whites’ budgets was certainly not distinct, with Parkinson’s side looking the more likely to snatch the three points.
Redknapp, who has challenged the club’s owners to seal deals on some top-drawer new signings, was complimentary about their visitors, and what Parkinson is achieving on a shoestring.
“Phil Parkinson has done a great job there, he got them promoted last year and I think he’s an outstanding manager,” said Redknapp.
“Bolton are a big club, they have great tradition and had great players over the years so I was pleased to see them get back up last year.
“If they can consolidate this year back in this division they’ll be delighted.
“He’s not going to expect to get promoted, I’m sure, but he’ll certainly get the best out of his players as he always does and I’m sure they’ll be okay.”
Not that Redknapp will be in a rush to review the DVD of Tuesday’s 0-0 draw.
Despite the presence of Clayton Donaldson, Jacques Maghoma and David Cotterill in attack, with Lukas Jutkiewicz and Vassell getting their first action of the season from the bench, he admitted he was desperate for referee Darren England to signal an end to his boredom.
“I couldn’t see us winning and I was looking for the final whistle.,” he said. “I couldn’t say I enjoyed the game, it’s no fun standing there watching that.
“It was almost the same team which struggled to stay up last season and that is a big worry.
“I didn’t enjoy standing watching how we played. The effort was there but I want to see us play, there is no fun for me watching this sort of performance.”
Meanwhile, Parkinson had to be satisfied with a share of the spoils against their free-spending opponents, though he felt they could, and maybe even should, have taken all three.
“You have to remember Birmingham have just signed a striker for one-and-a-half-million pounds, or something like that,” he said. “And they could throw Jutkiewicz on as well, after we’ve had to face Donaldson up front, and they’ve coped really well, I’m very pleased with the way we approached the match.
“When you’re tired and there’s a bit of fatigue creeping in and you’ve got to play with the pace of Vassell coming on and you’ve got Jutkiewicz backing into you, it’s hard but I thought their concentration levels were first-class.
“I feel we’re growing as a team, there were a lot of good signs tonight on the back of a really tough game at Millwall on Saturday in very hot conditions, so to come here tonight and play with that intensity I’ve got to give the lads a lot of credit. “
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