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Phil Parkinson is convinced his Wanderers side is better equipped to avoid trouble than they were last season.
Despite a wretched run of recent form, it has been highlighted frequently at the University of Bolton Stadium that the team is still ahead of where they were 12 months ago.
In 2017, Parkinson’s newly-promoted side had struggled to adapt to life in the Championship, failing to win at the first 11 attempts. By the time they had played 16 games, they were five points worse off than they are right now.
Parkinson maintains his team has evolved but their lack of goals remains a significant concern to the Wanderers boss.
“When I look back to the run at the start of last season, which ended at Villa, I think we are playing better now than we were in that period,” he told The Bolton News.
“We look more like a Championship team now than we did prior to coming to Villa back then. We were getting over-powered.
“We look more like we belong at this level but it’s hugely frustrating that we can’t find a goal from somewhere to just steady things and give us a foothold. Hopefully that changes for us against Swansea."
The experience of last season’s nightmarish start has helped Parkinson keep a sense of perspective during a run of just one win in 12 games. That view has been mirrored by club owner Ken Anderson, who provided his own immediate backing to his manager over the weekend.
Backed by an experienced assistant in Steve Parkin, the Bolton boss insists his side needs just one spark to reignite their season.
“We have been here before as a staff, not just at this club, but we’ve all had some very tricky situations because it happens, it’s the nature of the job,” he said.
“I feel we are able to come out of this with a decent squad, a better squad than we had, but whatever we say, whatever we do on the training ground, we need someone to produce something for us.
“I have players who can do that. But for whatever reason, as a group, we’ve stopped having that incisive action.”
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Despite a wretched run of recent form, it has been highlighted frequently at the University of Bolton Stadium that the team is still ahead of where they were 12 months ago.
In 2017, Parkinson’s newly-promoted side had struggled to adapt to life in the Championship, failing to win at the first 11 attempts. By the time they had played 16 games, they were five points worse off than they are right now.
Parkinson maintains his team has evolved but their lack of goals remains a significant concern to the Wanderers boss.
“When I look back to the run at the start of last season, which ended at Villa, I think we are playing better now than we were in that period,” he told The Bolton News.
“We look more like a Championship team now than we did prior to coming to Villa back then. We were getting over-powered.
“We look more like we belong at this level but it’s hugely frustrating that we can’t find a goal from somewhere to just steady things and give us a foothold. Hopefully that changes for us against Swansea."
The experience of last season’s nightmarish start has helped Parkinson keep a sense of perspective during a run of just one win in 12 games. That view has been mirrored by club owner Ken Anderson, who provided his own immediate backing to his manager over the weekend.
Backed by an experienced assistant in Steve Parkin, the Bolton boss insists his side needs just one spark to reignite their season.
“We have been here before as a staff, not just at this club, but we’ve all had some very tricky situations because it happens, it’s the nature of the job,” he said.
“I feel we are able to come out of this with a decent squad, a better squad than we had, but whatever we say, whatever we do on the training ground, we need someone to produce something for us.
“I have players who can do that. But for whatever reason, as a group, we’ve stopped having that incisive action.”
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