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There have been so many ‘critical weeks’ in the recent history of Bolton Wanderers that the phrase itself now fails to make the right impact.
Watching problems on and off the field played out in the public eye has become the norm for supporters of this grand old club. And explaining the backstory of issues which have led to the current unhappy situation has become practically impossible for the average onlooker.
But at the centre of the most recent ‘critical week’ at Wanderers is a football problem as old as the hills, and one which could define the season from here on in.
Reading come to town tonight just one point and one place better off than Bolton. Yet new manager Jose Gomes has been able to splash out on several new signings to help his chances of guiding his side out of the bottom three.
Ex-Royals favourite Phil Parkinson has no such luxury. Half of his transfer window was complicated by a transfer embargo which left him unable to register new players. With that lifted he was able to extend Gary O’Neil’s stay until the end of the season and complete the permanent signing of goalkeeper Remi Matthews. But the gaping hole left by Christian Doidge’s return to Forest Green – his loan-to-buy deal having imploded so publicly – means that he is one striker down, even if Wanderers are to return to the December status quo.
“We have lost Doidgey and we said as a staff that the worst scenario is coming out of this window as we were,” said Parkinson, looking ahead to the final few days of the window. “That’s the worst scenario. But hopefully we can improve the squad.
“It isn’t easy, especially with strikers, they are so tough to get and nobody wants to let them go. But sometimes you have got to pay over the odds, either in wages or transfer fees to try and get that right player.”
Parkinson’s plea for financial backing will have been greeted with a degree of confusion by many Wanderers fans. Plenty of managers around the Football League echoed his sentiments over the weekend, eager to squeeze one more signing out of their respective owners. But Parkinson’s appeal looks slightly incongruous with Bolton’s well-documented financial situation.
For example, one may question the business sensibility of investing in a player – particularly from the more expensive end of the market - when paying existing salaries has proved difficult in times of low cashflow.
Parkinson is not historically prone to fanciful statements, though, and must have had at least some encouragement from his chairman that there will be money to spend, even if that is on wages for a loan.
With the Doidge deal now unable to be recovered, thoughts turn to how he will be replaced.
The verbal jousting between Ken Anderson and Forest Green owner Dale Vince thrust plenty of theories into the public domain on why the transfer was not completed. Should Vince continue with his threat of legal action against the Bolton chairman, there may yet be some closure.
In the meantime, however, Anderson claims he was in position to pay Forest Green by mid-January so presumably does have some funds to pursue a new addition to the squad. And looking at the numbers, it is not difficult to assess what needs improvement.
Wanderers have scored 18 goals in their first 28 games – five short of Ipswich Town, the only team currently below them in the Championship table. Only Premier League Huddersfield Town, who have played just 23 games, have scored fewer among all 92 clubs in England’s top four divisions.
January is seldom an easy month to pick up a bargain and though Parkinson is keen to see his chairman push the boat out – he has shown in negotiations with previous targets such as Charlie Wyke and Joe Garner that he will not pay above the odds.
Couple to that the external financial obligations, including a January payroll which is due on deadline day itself, and you can see why the week is being described in such hyperbolic terms.
Anderson is attempting to sell a Championship club but knows unless that squad is improved the odds against retaining that status will be stacked higher against them.
Source
Watching problems on and off the field played out in the public eye has become the norm for supporters of this grand old club. And explaining the backstory of issues which have led to the current unhappy situation has become practically impossible for the average onlooker.
But at the centre of the most recent ‘critical week’ at Wanderers is a football problem as old as the hills, and one which could define the season from here on in.
Reading come to town tonight just one point and one place better off than Bolton. Yet new manager Jose Gomes has been able to splash out on several new signings to help his chances of guiding his side out of the bottom three.
Ex-Royals favourite Phil Parkinson has no such luxury. Half of his transfer window was complicated by a transfer embargo which left him unable to register new players. With that lifted he was able to extend Gary O’Neil’s stay until the end of the season and complete the permanent signing of goalkeeper Remi Matthews. But the gaping hole left by Christian Doidge’s return to Forest Green – his loan-to-buy deal having imploded so publicly – means that he is one striker down, even if Wanderers are to return to the December status quo.
“We have lost Doidgey and we said as a staff that the worst scenario is coming out of this window as we were,” said Parkinson, looking ahead to the final few days of the window. “That’s the worst scenario. But hopefully we can improve the squad.
“It isn’t easy, especially with strikers, they are so tough to get and nobody wants to let them go. But sometimes you have got to pay over the odds, either in wages or transfer fees to try and get that right player.”
Parkinson’s plea for financial backing will have been greeted with a degree of confusion by many Wanderers fans. Plenty of managers around the Football League echoed his sentiments over the weekend, eager to squeeze one more signing out of their respective owners. But Parkinson’s appeal looks slightly incongruous with Bolton’s well-documented financial situation.
For example, one may question the business sensibility of investing in a player – particularly from the more expensive end of the market - when paying existing salaries has proved difficult in times of low cashflow.
Parkinson is not historically prone to fanciful statements, though, and must have had at least some encouragement from his chairman that there will be money to spend, even if that is on wages for a loan.
With the Doidge deal now unable to be recovered, thoughts turn to how he will be replaced.
The verbal jousting between Ken Anderson and Forest Green owner Dale Vince thrust plenty of theories into the public domain on why the transfer was not completed. Should Vince continue with his threat of legal action against the Bolton chairman, there may yet be some closure.
In the meantime, however, Anderson claims he was in position to pay Forest Green by mid-January so presumably does have some funds to pursue a new addition to the squad. And looking at the numbers, it is not difficult to assess what needs improvement.
Wanderers have scored 18 goals in their first 28 games – five short of Ipswich Town, the only team currently below them in the Championship table. Only Premier League Huddersfield Town, who have played just 23 games, have scored fewer among all 92 clubs in England’s top four divisions.
January is seldom an easy month to pick up a bargain and though Parkinson is keen to see his chairman push the boat out – he has shown in negotiations with previous targets such as Charlie Wyke and Joe Garner that he will not pay above the odds.
Couple to that the external financial obligations, including a January payroll which is due on deadline day itself, and you can see why the week is being described in such hyperbolic terms.
Anderson is attempting to sell a Championship club but knows unless that squad is improved the odds against retaining that status will be stacked higher against them.
Source