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WANDERERS can still make their transfer window a resounding success with the right signings over the next three weeks.
Of course, there was an element of disappointment in the air on Thursday when a permanent deal did not arrive, magnified by the fact Joe Garner ended up down the road at Wigan Athletic.
But Bolton fans are – generally speaking – a realistic lot, and when details of a £1million-plus player came out in the wash, there was a feeling of reluctant acceptance.
Garner had plenty of plus-points but also a chequered recent injury history at Ipswich which made such a price tag a bold move on the Latics’ part.
Deadline Day is a show put on for the cameras. Most clubs with sound planning have got the mainstay of their business done and move only if a player comes up at the right price.
Wanderers have been chasing for the past few years. They have made some poor decisions in an effort to boost numbers and that is why, in the cold light of day, the chance to regroup and focus on new targets might not be a bad thing at all.
There will surely be a tinge of regret that Charlie Wyke is not a Bolton player. At £500,000 up front the 25-year-old represented good value – albeit a transfer fee that may have bloated further down the line with bonuses.
If he goes on to score goals at Sunderland there is no question in this reporter’s mind his value will surpass the £1.2m the Wearsiders will eventually pay, and the deal will look a snip. But that has been and gone.
Wanderers will, I am sure, go on to fill the gaps at goalkeeper, left-back, midfield and up front with loan players before the end of the month. In many ways, August 31 is the EFL deadline day, and Thursday’s palaver was just so Jim White could wear his yellow tie.
I hope the Premier League see some sense and move the date back next year. There were a lot of disappointed managers on Friday morning; Phil Parkinson was in very good company.
But judging Bolton’s business as a whole to date, most people agree the quality of the squad man-for-man has improved. The 10 senior signings made so far looked good over pre-season and made a fine start to the campaign with victory over West Brom last weekend.
That result was gained without any input from Adam Le Fondre – who must be champing at the bit to get a goal in front of home fans against Bristol City and mark his turf once again.
We are yet to see the talented Erhun Oztumer, an attacking player with the kind of subtle skills we haven’t seen since a young Zach Clough burst on to the scene.
There’s more to come from Yanic Wildschut as he gets match sharp and I still think Craig Noone can have a bigger impact this time around, just as he showed in the second half at The Hawthorns.
It always amazes me how the mood of football fans can turn on a sixpence.
Last week’s unbridled joy turned to widespread misery in the space of five days without a ball being kicked. Approaching 3pm this afternoon most people heading to the University of Bolton Stadium will be in match mode, Joe Garner’s name will exist only in sneers over a pre-match pint.
If by the time Wanderers go to Preston North End on September 1 Parkinson’s squad still has holes then perhaps more far-reaching questions need to be asked.
That date has another special significance, as it is also the deadline for the BluMarble loan which has hung like a millstone around the club’s neck for the last couple of years.
Ken Anderson has assured Wanderers’ supporters there is a plan in place to deal with the debt, and you’d have to be a brave man to back against him.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/16412662.inside-wanderers-why-the-summer-can-still-be-a-major-success-for-the-whites/?ref=mr&lp=3
Of course, there was an element of disappointment in the air on Thursday when a permanent deal did not arrive, magnified by the fact Joe Garner ended up down the road at Wigan Athletic.
But Bolton fans are – generally speaking – a realistic lot, and when details of a £1million-plus player came out in the wash, there was a feeling of reluctant acceptance.
Garner had plenty of plus-points but also a chequered recent injury history at Ipswich which made such a price tag a bold move on the Latics’ part.
Deadline Day is a show put on for the cameras. Most clubs with sound planning have got the mainstay of their business done and move only if a player comes up at the right price.
Wanderers have been chasing for the past few years. They have made some poor decisions in an effort to boost numbers and that is why, in the cold light of day, the chance to regroup and focus on new targets might not be a bad thing at all.
There will surely be a tinge of regret that Charlie Wyke is not a Bolton player. At £500,000 up front the 25-year-old represented good value – albeit a transfer fee that may have bloated further down the line with bonuses.
If he goes on to score goals at Sunderland there is no question in this reporter’s mind his value will surpass the £1.2m the Wearsiders will eventually pay, and the deal will look a snip. But that has been and gone.
Wanderers will, I am sure, go on to fill the gaps at goalkeeper, left-back, midfield and up front with loan players before the end of the month. In many ways, August 31 is the EFL deadline day, and Thursday’s palaver was just so Jim White could wear his yellow tie.
I hope the Premier League see some sense and move the date back next year. There were a lot of disappointed managers on Friday morning; Phil Parkinson was in very good company.
But judging Bolton’s business as a whole to date, most people agree the quality of the squad man-for-man has improved. The 10 senior signings made so far looked good over pre-season and made a fine start to the campaign with victory over West Brom last weekend.
That result was gained without any input from Adam Le Fondre – who must be champing at the bit to get a goal in front of home fans against Bristol City and mark his turf once again.
We are yet to see the talented Erhun Oztumer, an attacking player with the kind of subtle skills we haven’t seen since a young Zach Clough burst on to the scene.
There’s more to come from Yanic Wildschut as he gets match sharp and I still think Craig Noone can have a bigger impact this time around, just as he showed in the second half at The Hawthorns.
It always amazes me how the mood of football fans can turn on a sixpence.
Last week’s unbridled joy turned to widespread misery in the space of five days without a ball being kicked. Approaching 3pm this afternoon most people heading to the University of Bolton Stadium will be in match mode, Joe Garner’s name will exist only in sneers over a pre-match pint.
If by the time Wanderers go to Preston North End on September 1 Parkinson’s squad still has holes then perhaps more far-reaching questions need to be asked.
That date has another special significance, as it is also the deadline for the BluMarble loan which has hung like a millstone around the club’s neck for the last couple of years.
Ken Anderson has assured Wanderers’ supporters there is a plan in place to deal with the debt, and you’d have to be a brave man to back against him.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/16412662.inside-wanderers-why-the-summer-can-still-be-a-major-success-for-the-whites/?ref=mr&lp=3