Bolton 1 Reading 1: Phil Parkinson "shocked" by fans' fury

Phil Parkinson said he was “shocked” by the reaction of Wanderers fans when he brought off teenager Luca Connell in the second half against Reading.

With the game at 0-0 on 72 minutes the Bolton boss opted to take-off the 17-year-old, who had impressed in his first start in the Championship, for another youngster, Joe Pritchard.

The reaction among home fans was fierce – and less than four minutes later Reading won a penalty, converted by Nelson Oliveira.

Jack Hobbs rescued a point with an injury-time header but Parkinson was taken aback by the change of mood after he had opted to make the change.

"I am absolutely shocked, I have got to be honest,” he said. “We played a young kid who is 17, on Friday (at Bristol City) we gave him his debut, and as a staff we contemplated a big risk starting him again with the demands of the Championship football. We started him but any more than 60 minutes is going to be a risk.

"Everybody on the bench could see he was tiring and I am not going to get one of our young kids injured.

"When I took him off, and the reaction, I was so shocked.

"I thought surely people will realise I am doing it to protect the kid.

“It wasn’t because he hadn’t played well. And it changed the whole atmosphere of the ground, it was very, very difficult to play.

“I am honestly shocked and I am not bothered about the fans having a go at me. But the atmosphere created on the pitch for the players – their team – in such a great game.

“But not only that, I put another young kid on and young Joe has been terrific for us and yet he’s had to play in that kind of atmosphere. It is only the character of a proper team that got us back into the game tonight. I am so proud of them.”

Parkinson admitted his team was slow to start but felt they had grown into the game during the second half.

"I thought the first half was even,” he said. “We knew they would have possession and take risks at the back. We pressed them high and won the ball back, got into some good positions, but our selection of pass wasn't as good as it needed to be."

"Second half I thought we were terrific. We had some great chances. We had a bit more conviction in our pressing and they weren't really in the game.

"You are always going to be dangerous on the break with Aluko and Barrow and players like that but it was a soft penalty. We were unlucky to get that given against us."

The lads were brilliant to get back into it. The atmosphere was difficult to play in and they've come back fantastically well."

Source

When I was 17 I could run all day. I once ran two marathons in an afternoon.

He has to understand that the fans are literally hanging on to scraps at the moment. If he can't see that a promising 17 year old kid is all we've got to draw any enjoyment from then he's completely oblivious to how bad things are. He needs to be careful about his relationship with the fans now that Anderson has gone into hiding because the fury could be directed his way if he's not careful. Many rational fans understand his difficult situation but that could flip very quickly.

I understand where he's coming from, but the boys need to become men. Now.

The end is nigh for Parky now. The crowd have turned on him and he's blaming the fans, it only ends one way and i hope it's soon.

I get really fed up hearing that young players need treating like little girls.
That said, it's just the done thing. How many managers can you confidently say would be playing this lad week in week out 90 minutes at a time?

I think the fans were just pissed off with the deplorable approach to a must win game and used that moment to vent.

If he thought that was a bad reaction, then he will be in even bigger shock if we go behind against Preston, he'll do well to walk down the tunnel as he'll get dogs abuse, away at Sheff Utd is a throw away game as no-one expects anything, but home games where he always sets up as the away team is what has got to the fans and it's now coming home to roost against him, finally the vast majority of the support have now had enough of him, and it's going to be a very bumpy ride for him from now on.

When was the last time you went to a home game Martin? You make it sound like a cauldron of hate, it's flat as a pancake with a few thousand people scattered about the edges.

Ah yes blaming the fans for the penalty.

Hilarious.

Fact is we didn't win a must-win game.

finlaymcdanger wrote:He has to understand that the fans are literally hanging on to scraps at the moment. If he can't see that a promising 17 year old kid is all we've got to draw any enjoyment from then he's completely oblivious to how bad things are. He needs to be careful about his relationship with the fans now that Anderson has gone into hiding because the fury could be directed his way if he's not careful. Many rational fans understand his difficult situation but that could flip very quickly.

Correct you are sir.....  
PP was probably correct to pull him....but the backlash was of piss poor non aggressive play yet again. Pulling the kid off was the final straw. 
But it is surprising that PP and staff are that unaware of the fans feelings on things to the point where they are "shocked" at decisions made on the field.