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WANDERERS know results over the next week could have a major bearing on their Championship survival – and club legend John McGinlay is backing them to keep their composure.
Phil Parkinson takes his team to Loftus Road tomorrow aiming to bounce straight back from the midweek defeat in Cardiff and ensure they do not sink into the bottom three by Saturday evening.
Second-bottom Sunderland come to the Macron on Tuesday for another game likely to have serious ramifications at the bottom end of the table.
In all, 15 games remain for the Whites to avoid the drop, which would represent a sizeable accomplishment in the eyes of former Scotland international, McGinlay.
“It’s going right down to the wire, I know that much,” he told The Bolton News. “But to stay in this division would be a fantastic achievement, particularly where they have come from.
“A few months back some of our own fans were writing us off, thinking we should just start planning for next season.
“When you look at what other clubs have spent, the money invested elsewhere, it was always going to be a scrap. But they have given themselves that fighting chance now and dragged a couple of clubs into it as well – you can’t really ask any more than that.
“It’s frustrating when you see them play so well one week and then fail to follow it up, so you can understand some of the moaning and groaning at times.
“It doesn’t help that every time we get a good result, so do the teams around us.
“At the moment, though, we’re doing enough to stay ahead of the bottom three, and we’d take that.”
Parkinson has – at times – had to face stiff criticism this season, particularly during a poor start to the campaign, which saw Wanderers take just two points from their first 11 games.
Even when fortunes improved there have been undercurrents of displeasure about the style of football, or his selection policy, but McGinlay is backing the Whites boss to keep producing results to keep Bolton’s heads above water.
“I think it’s easy to overlook the job Phil has done,” he said. “We all want to see our teams win games and when they don’t, it’s the manager who usually shoulders the burden. People look for little things with hindsight, say they should have done this, or that, it happens everywhere.
“He’s got the team into a position now where it’s in their own hands. I think he deserves some credit for that.”
Wanderers currently have the division’s worst away record and will be looking for only their second win away from the Macron all season.
QPR have picked up wins against Burton and Barnsley in the last few weeks to put some clear daylight between themselves and trouble.
At one stage the Hoops were 19th and are still just six points ahead of the Whites in the table but McGinlay does not see Ian Holloway’s men coming under any serious threat of the drop.
“They have been solid at home after a little dip when the manager came under a bit of pressure at one point,” he said. “But they are a decent team – not quite good enough for the play-offs but certainly not going down. They should have more than enough to avoid that.
“Ian knows how to get every ounce of effort out of his players, and always has done that at all the clubs he’s been around. They’ve got a squad of established Championship lads so it isn’t going to be an easy one for Bolton.”
Beyond this season, McGinlay hopes chairman Ken Anderson is successful in his aim to find investment to help take Wanderers up a financial level in the future.
Talks with potential buyers and investors were shelved by the Bolton chairman earlier in the season after it was felt the speculation was having an adverse effect on performances.
But the former striker believes the Whites could be ripe for the picking if they can secure their place in the second tier next season.
“I think it’s natural to look at what is happening elsewhere, the money being injected into other teams for players and want that for your own club,” he said. “But looking at what has happening in the last few years I think top to bottom everyone has done a good job to make sure this club is still going, still fighting.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15998723.qpr-clash-will-be-tough-one-for-bolton-warns-john-mcginlay/?ref=mrb&lp=8
Phil Parkinson takes his team to Loftus Road tomorrow aiming to bounce straight back from the midweek defeat in Cardiff and ensure they do not sink into the bottom three by Saturday evening.
Second-bottom Sunderland come to the Macron on Tuesday for another game likely to have serious ramifications at the bottom end of the table.
In all, 15 games remain for the Whites to avoid the drop, which would represent a sizeable accomplishment in the eyes of former Scotland international, McGinlay.
“It’s going right down to the wire, I know that much,” he told The Bolton News. “But to stay in this division would be a fantastic achievement, particularly where they have come from.
“A few months back some of our own fans were writing us off, thinking we should just start planning for next season.
“When you look at what other clubs have spent, the money invested elsewhere, it was always going to be a scrap. But they have given themselves that fighting chance now and dragged a couple of clubs into it as well – you can’t really ask any more than that.
“It’s frustrating when you see them play so well one week and then fail to follow it up, so you can understand some of the moaning and groaning at times.
“It doesn’t help that every time we get a good result, so do the teams around us.
“At the moment, though, we’re doing enough to stay ahead of the bottom three, and we’d take that.”
Parkinson has – at times – had to face stiff criticism this season, particularly during a poor start to the campaign, which saw Wanderers take just two points from their first 11 games.
Even when fortunes improved there have been undercurrents of displeasure about the style of football, or his selection policy, but McGinlay is backing the Whites boss to keep producing results to keep Bolton’s heads above water.
“I think it’s easy to overlook the job Phil has done,” he said. “We all want to see our teams win games and when they don’t, it’s the manager who usually shoulders the burden. People look for little things with hindsight, say they should have done this, or that, it happens everywhere.
“He’s got the team into a position now where it’s in their own hands. I think he deserves some credit for that.”
Wanderers currently have the division’s worst away record and will be looking for only their second win away from the Macron all season.
QPR have picked up wins against Burton and Barnsley in the last few weeks to put some clear daylight between themselves and trouble.
At one stage the Hoops were 19th and are still just six points ahead of the Whites in the table but McGinlay does not see Ian Holloway’s men coming under any serious threat of the drop.
“They have been solid at home after a little dip when the manager came under a bit of pressure at one point,” he said. “But they are a decent team – not quite good enough for the play-offs but certainly not going down. They should have more than enough to avoid that.
“Ian knows how to get every ounce of effort out of his players, and always has done that at all the clubs he’s been around. They’ve got a squad of established Championship lads so it isn’t going to be an easy one for Bolton.”
Beyond this season, McGinlay hopes chairman Ken Anderson is successful in his aim to find investment to help take Wanderers up a financial level in the future.
Talks with potential buyers and investors were shelved by the Bolton chairman earlier in the season after it was felt the speculation was having an adverse effect on performances.
But the former striker believes the Whites could be ripe for the picking if they can secure their place in the second tier next season.
“I think it’s natural to look at what is happening elsewhere, the money being injected into other teams for players and want that for your own club,” he said. “But looking at what has happening in the last few years I think top to bottom everyone has done a good job to make sure this club is still going, still fighting.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15998723.qpr-clash-will-be-tough-one-for-bolton-warns-john-mcginlay/?ref=mrb&lp=8