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Kevin Davies says he understands why Wanderers fans felt the need to air their grievances in Monday night’s protests.
The former club captain was working for Sky Sports at the University of Bolton Stadium and asked about his views on the mass demonstrations which had been staged before kick-off.
Davies admits events on and off the field have conspired to make Wanderers an unhappy environment from the outside looking in.
“It’s a difficult position for the club and it’s been a volatile three years since Ken Anderson and Dean Holdsworth took over,” he said. “It’s been one episode after another with players striking, winding-up orders, people trying to claim credit – and there hasn’t been much to talk about in terms of the football, either, fans are not happy with things off the pitch but off the pitch as well.
“They’re in the bottom three again, it’s a difficult time and fans want to vent their frustration.”
Asked specifically about Bolton owner Ken Anderson, Davies admits he has found the owner’s communications difficult to fathom.
“The likes of John McGinlay, Marc Iles, the local reporter, have got a real passion for this football club and should be used to help it, really. They have been banned and not able to attend,” he said.
“Fans are not happy with the way Ken Anderson is running the football club. He does try and defend himself a lot openly on the club website and it’s too often for me. You never used to hear from Eddie Davies or Phil Gartside, not very often at all.
“He’s out there defending himself and the fans just aren’t happy with the situation, they don’t know what’s coming next.
“They have got no real trust in it any more, so something has to give.
“The fans continue to back the team, they travel in numbers, but they are running out of patience when they see people like John, or Marc, being treated in this way.
“It’s unsavoury and it’s unnecessary. People deserve to voice their opinions, there is a real concern for the club.
“A few of the debts have been cleared by the EFL payments but what happens in six weeks when that runs out? There are real concerns about the next step for this club as well.
Davies hopes Parkinson will be given licence to bring in new players before the close of the transfer window next Thursday.
“They need a bit more strength throughout the squad,” he said. “They have found themselves in this situation before and Phil Parkinson has had a difficult job but needs to bring in two or three. Ken Anderson has hinted he will try to add to this squad to give him that help.
“They need that, really, as a squad just to lift the group of players and give themselves the best possible opportunity of getting out of this mess.”
Another former Wanderer, Keith Andrews, was contacted by Anderson prior to the game to explain his side of the story in Christian Doidge’s collapsed move from Forest Green.
“It’s contrasting stories,” he said. “I spoke to Ken Anderson because I was quite critical of him, in particular the Forest Green saga and how that was dealt with publicly. There are varying reports compared to what you hear from him and from Dale Vince (the Forest Green owner), and what we have heard from him in terms of players’ wages being paid.
“He (Ken) is adamant he has only paid the players late on one month and that the staff in the stadium and the whole of the football club have been paid diligently. But then you speak to players, and hear the bits and bobs that creep out, and they have a different stance on things. It’s very, very messy at a traditional football club like this and it needs to get sorted sooner rather than later.”
Andrews also questions whether it will be more difficult for Wanderers to sign players in the remaining days of the window after the fall-out between Anderson and Vince became so public.
“In terms of the club being tarnished and the trustworthy element, contracts should be nailed on and that’s why it is up to the EFL to determine exactly what has gone on between Forest Green and Bolton Wanderers in regard to that Christian Doidge move in particular,” he said. “Bolton ringing up for a player now on loan, there is going to be that uncertainty and scepticism for obvious reasons.”
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The former club captain was working for Sky Sports at the University of Bolton Stadium and asked about his views on the mass demonstrations which had been staged before kick-off.
Davies admits events on and off the field have conspired to make Wanderers an unhappy environment from the outside looking in.
“It’s a difficult position for the club and it’s been a volatile three years since Ken Anderson and Dean Holdsworth took over,” he said. “It’s been one episode after another with players striking, winding-up orders, people trying to claim credit – and there hasn’t been much to talk about in terms of the football, either, fans are not happy with things off the pitch but off the pitch as well.
“They’re in the bottom three again, it’s a difficult time and fans want to vent their frustration.”
Asked specifically about Bolton owner Ken Anderson, Davies admits he has found the owner’s communications difficult to fathom.
“The likes of John McGinlay, Marc Iles, the local reporter, have got a real passion for this football club and should be used to help it, really. They have been banned and not able to attend,” he said.
“Fans are not happy with the way Ken Anderson is running the football club. He does try and defend himself a lot openly on the club website and it’s too often for me. You never used to hear from Eddie Davies or Phil Gartside, not very often at all.
“He’s out there defending himself and the fans just aren’t happy with the situation, they don’t know what’s coming next.
“They have got no real trust in it any more, so something has to give.
“The fans continue to back the team, they travel in numbers, but they are running out of patience when they see people like John, or Marc, being treated in this way.
“It’s unsavoury and it’s unnecessary. People deserve to voice their opinions, there is a real concern for the club.
“A few of the debts have been cleared by the EFL payments but what happens in six weeks when that runs out? There are real concerns about the next step for this club as well.
Davies hopes Parkinson will be given licence to bring in new players before the close of the transfer window next Thursday.
“They need a bit more strength throughout the squad,” he said. “They have found themselves in this situation before and Phil Parkinson has had a difficult job but needs to bring in two or three. Ken Anderson has hinted he will try to add to this squad to give him that help.
“They need that, really, as a squad just to lift the group of players and give themselves the best possible opportunity of getting out of this mess.”
Another former Wanderer, Keith Andrews, was contacted by Anderson prior to the game to explain his side of the story in Christian Doidge’s collapsed move from Forest Green.
“It’s contrasting stories,” he said. “I spoke to Ken Anderson because I was quite critical of him, in particular the Forest Green saga and how that was dealt with publicly. There are varying reports compared to what you hear from him and from Dale Vince (the Forest Green owner), and what we have heard from him in terms of players’ wages being paid.
“He (Ken) is adamant he has only paid the players late on one month and that the staff in the stadium and the whole of the football club have been paid diligently. But then you speak to players, and hear the bits and bobs that creep out, and they have a different stance on things. It’s very, very messy at a traditional football club like this and it needs to get sorted sooner rather than later.”
Andrews also questions whether it will be more difficult for Wanderers to sign players in the remaining days of the window after the fall-out between Anderson and Vince became so public.
“In terms of the club being tarnished and the trustworthy element, contracts should be nailed on and that’s why it is up to the EFL to determine exactly what has gone on between Forest Green and Bolton Wanderers in regard to that Christian Doidge move in particular,” he said. “Bolton ringing up for a player now on loan, there is going to be that uncertainty and scepticism for obvious reasons.”
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