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Ken Anderson knew he had caught the Bolton Wanderers bug when he found himself checking out Championship rivals Cardiff City and Brentford on the TV, rather than the glitz and glamour of the Champions League.
Though there have been times when he questioned his own decision to swap Monaco for the Macron, the place is definitely growing on him.
If Championship football can be secured for a second season in the coming weeks, Anderson feels he – with no small amount of help from Phil Parkinson - will have achieved a level of stability Wanderers have not seen for some time.
Where the Whites go from there remains to be seen. Up to £30million in investment will be sought in the summer but that does not necessarily mean Anderson will be jetting off into the sunset.
“I’m in no rush to go anywhere,” he told The Bolton News. “I’ll be here until someone with deeper pockets comes along. I wouldn’t stand in anyone’s way but, even still, I’d like to think they would keep me around.
“I do enjoy being at Bolton and I have got quite passionate about it.
“I think when you start watching Gary Madine playing for Cardiff instead of Manchester United on the other side, you realise it’s grabbed hold of you a bit.
“It’s a bit like having a house – you’re just the custodian. The club and the fans were here a long time before me and they’ll be here a long time after I am gone. I just have to do my best.”
Wanderers have punched above their financial weight this season and though the wage budget has been increased from the £12.6million shown in the financial accounts, it is still way behind the movers and shakers in the Championship.
The financial problems suffered by Bolton in the previous few years may make some supporters anxious about the prospect of spending beyond the club’s reach again. Yet without considerable investment the odds are stacked even higher against them remaining in this division for a third term let alone pushing towards the Premier League once again.
Some clubs have invested heavily and reaped the reward with promotion, others have remained entrenched in the quagmire.
“There is no doubt Brighton took a big gamble last season, and it worked,” Anderson said. “Wolves have done the same this season, but I think they will get promoted.
“If it doesn’t work you probably face problems down the line unless you have got really deep pockets. Someone like Mel Morris at Derby County is in a position to fund that sort of cash. He has put a huge amount of money in to try and get promotion.
“Some of the stories you hear in the boardrooms about players’ salaries are horrendous.
“Nowadays we’re the club looking up at the bigger budgets, as ours is one of the smallest in the division, but last season it was me stood there feeling embarrassed.
“You go round Bury, Rochdale and the like and hear about what they are spending on their squad – and it’s not far off what we were spending on one player at the time!”
The sale of Gary Madine to Cardiff could mean Wanderers come close to breaking even next season, something they have not achieved in more than a decade.
Anderson says he could have trimmed the wage bill further, too, with the likes of Adam Le Fondre, Derik Osede and Dorian Dervite considered at one point for potential transfer.
All three players have managed to force their way back into Parkinson’s team and help edge Wanderers away from trouble, leaving the chairman happy with his decision.
“Being honest, the wage contribution being offered by clubs was making very little difference,” he said. “Three or four who I’d considered moving on are now playing regularly and the hardest job when I speak to Phil on a Friday night is picking a team, which is how it should be for a manager.
“He’s done a terrific job. I think at one stage we couldn’t play some players because they didn’t fit the system but that has changed. I think he feels he has more options now.
“I was upset – I’m still upset – we had to sell Gary (Madine) but it has opened up different possibilities of playing. Maybe it has worked out for the best?”
Anderson says his “next goal” is to invest in the academy.
Though this summer brings with it a number of challenges – from organising the so-called ‘hard debts’ to potentially renaming the stadium – the chairman is looking at improving the scouting at Lostock in an effort to find the next wave of talent.
“I think we have to beef it up to compete with the teams around us,” he said.
“Everyone knows the size of the clubs we have on the doorstep. Unless we start getting crowds of 50,000 and move to a bigger stadium, we’ll always be in the position where we have to trade players, to sell them at the right price. And that’s where the academy really is important for us.
“Jimmy Phillips, David Lee and the rest of the coaching staff have done a great job, I really must say that. But I think they could get more help looking for players and casting the net wider.
“I go back in the game quite a way and one of the people I most respect is Jim Cassell at Manchester City. He just had a habit of finding good players. He comes to games and at some point I might seek a bit of advice from him.”
Another area Anderson has been desperate to improve is the matchday gates at the Macron.
Although numbers have held their own at an average of around 15,000 this season, he feels there is scope to attract more and amplify the atmosphere.
"That’s the key," he said. "Our away followings have been fantastic but I think if we’re going to compete with the big clubs in this division we need to make the stadium as intimidating as humanly possible.
“It certainly isn’t easy. But if we could get the crowds up to the levels they were at the end of last season, around that 20,000 mark, then you’re talking about £3-4million extra, which if you invest wisely on the right players could make a huge difference."
Source
Though there have been times when he questioned his own decision to swap Monaco for the Macron, the place is definitely growing on him.
If Championship football can be secured for a second season in the coming weeks, Anderson feels he – with no small amount of help from Phil Parkinson - will have achieved a level of stability Wanderers have not seen for some time.
Where the Whites go from there remains to be seen. Up to £30million in investment will be sought in the summer but that does not necessarily mean Anderson will be jetting off into the sunset.
“I’m in no rush to go anywhere,” he told The Bolton News. “I’ll be here until someone with deeper pockets comes along. I wouldn’t stand in anyone’s way but, even still, I’d like to think they would keep me around.
“I do enjoy being at Bolton and I have got quite passionate about it.
“I think when you start watching Gary Madine playing for Cardiff instead of Manchester United on the other side, you realise it’s grabbed hold of you a bit.
“It’s a bit like having a house – you’re just the custodian. The club and the fans were here a long time before me and they’ll be here a long time after I am gone. I just have to do my best.”
Wanderers have punched above their financial weight this season and though the wage budget has been increased from the £12.6million shown in the financial accounts, it is still way behind the movers and shakers in the Championship.
The financial problems suffered by Bolton in the previous few years may make some supporters anxious about the prospect of spending beyond the club’s reach again. Yet without considerable investment the odds are stacked even higher against them remaining in this division for a third term let alone pushing towards the Premier League once again.
Some clubs have invested heavily and reaped the reward with promotion, others have remained entrenched in the quagmire.
“There is no doubt Brighton took a big gamble last season, and it worked,” Anderson said. “Wolves have done the same this season, but I think they will get promoted.
“If it doesn’t work you probably face problems down the line unless you have got really deep pockets. Someone like Mel Morris at Derby County is in a position to fund that sort of cash. He has put a huge amount of money in to try and get promotion.
“Some of the stories you hear in the boardrooms about players’ salaries are horrendous.
“Nowadays we’re the club looking up at the bigger budgets, as ours is one of the smallest in the division, but last season it was me stood there feeling embarrassed.
“You go round Bury, Rochdale and the like and hear about what they are spending on their squad – and it’s not far off what we were spending on one player at the time!”
The sale of Gary Madine to Cardiff could mean Wanderers come close to breaking even next season, something they have not achieved in more than a decade.
Anderson says he could have trimmed the wage bill further, too, with the likes of Adam Le Fondre, Derik Osede and Dorian Dervite considered at one point for potential transfer.
All three players have managed to force their way back into Parkinson’s team and help edge Wanderers away from trouble, leaving the chairman happy with his decision.
“Being honest, the wage contribution being offered by clubs was making very little difference,” he said. “Three or four who I’d considered moving on are now playing regularly and the hardest job when I speak to Phil on a Friday night is picking a team, which is how it should be for a manager.
“He’s done a terrific job. I think at one stage we couldn’t play some players because they didn’t fit the system but that has changed. I think he feels he has more options now.
“I was upset – I’m still upset – we had to sell Gary (Madine) but it has opened up different possibilities of playing. Maybe it has worked out for the best?”
Anderson says his “next goal” is to invest in the academy.
Though this summer brings with it a number of challenges – from organising the so-called ‘hard debts’ to potentially renaming the stadium – the chairman is looking at improving the scouting at Lostock in an effort to find the next wave of talent.
“I think we have to beef it up to compete with the teams around us,” he said.
“Everyone knows the size of the clubs we have on the doorstep. Unless we start getting crowds of 50,000 and move to a bigger stadium, we’ll always be in the position where we have to trade players, to sell them at the right price. And that’s where the academy really is important for us.
“Jimmy Phillips, David Lee and the rest of the coaching staff have done a great job, I really must say that. But I think they could get more help looking for players and casting the net wider.
“I go back in the game quite a way and one of the people I most respect is Jim Cassell at Manchester City. He just had a habit of finding good players. He comes to games and at some point I might seek a bit of advice from him.”
Another area Anderson has been desperate to improve is the matchday gates at the Macron.
Although numbers have held their own at an average of around 15,000 this season, he feels there is scope to attract more and amplify the atmosphere.
"That’s the key," he said. "Our away followings have been fantastic but I think if we’re going to compete with the big clubs in this division we need to make the stadium as intimidating as humanly possible.
“It certainly isn’t easy. But if we could get the crowds up to the levels they were at the end of last season, around that 20,000 mark, then you’re talking about £3-4million extra, which if you invest wisely on the right players could make a huge difference."
Source
