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Beset by problems off the field, Wanderers continue to toil away in their bid to retain their Championship status.
And while discussions continue over a change of ownership, Phil Parkinson feels there is belief within the camp they can achieve their objective.
Any momentum gained in a much-needed win at Birmingham City was emphatically dashed when they returned home to face table-topping Norwich last weekend.
Off the field, a registration embargo, a winding-up order, stretched finances and problems paying staff wages on time add up to concerning times for the playing staff and everyone employed at the club.
There has been no indication given to Parkinson such issues will arise when February’s wages are due to hit employees’ accounts, nor was he able to offer an update into Ken Anderson’s attempts to sell the club. But the manager refuses to allow any off-field uncertainty to interfere with their target, the latest step being today’s daunting task at Leeds.
“The lads and the staff are still fighting with the belief that we can achieve staying in the Championship,” said Parkinson, whose side sit three points behind Reading and Rotherham United, who face off at the Madejski Stadium today.
“I was reading an article on Claudio Ranieri, he was banging the drum about the belief Fulham have got – and they’re eight points adrift – so it is still tighter down the bottom of the Championship and there are still a lot of games to play.
“So we’ve got to believe, a lot can happen in football. We know we’ve had a lot go against us but there is a determination in the camp that we can still achieve it and we’ve got to take that into our performance level at Elland Road.
“That’s an interesting game with Reading and Rotherham but can we come out of this game still in touching distance and seeing where it takes us in the remaining run-in to the end of the season?
“It’s difficult, I felt in the Norwich game we came up against a very decent team at the top end of their game.
“I was at the under-23s’ game on Monday and I was talking to some of the staff there and they said Norwich did the same to them at Elland Road, they were outstanding and they’ve got a terrific away record.
“We’ve got to move on from that game and try to take the level of performance from St Andrew’s into this match.”
One plus point for Wanderers at Elland Road is the absence of the hosts’ leading scorer, 14-goal Kemar Roofe. Welsh international Tyler Roberts is expected to come into the starting line-up in his place, while they also have Patrick Bamford, who has scored in both of this term’s previous meetings.
Leeds have now dropped out of the automatic promotion places, though only on goal difference – and they do have a game in hand on Norwich and Sheffield United – and so are also desperate for the points as they look to return to a top division they last graced in 2004.
But as Bolton bid to end a run of six consecutive defeats to the West Yorkshire side, Parkinson is only too aware of the strength in depth his opposite number Marcelo Bielsa has at his disposal.
“They’ve got a very decent squad, obviously,” he added. “And it helps us that Kemar Roofe’s injured. It’s got to be a bonus for us going into their game, that they’re without their top scorer.
“There is an element of pressure on Leeds as well, with Norwich beating us and Sheffield United beating Reading at the weekend. We’ve got to capitalise on that and go and play like we did at Birmingham in the last away game. That has got to be our aim, to match the intensity of that performance, and match the levels we reached at St Andrew’s and if we do that we’ll be right in this game.
“Last year we went there in the league and we started slowly, played backwards too many times and put ourselves under pressure, we’ve got to be careful we don’t do that. We know what to expect and we’ve got to be ready for it.”
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And while discussions continue over a change of ownership, Phil Parkinson feels there is belief within the camp they can achieve their objective.
Any momentum gained in a much-needed win at Birmingham City was emphatically dashed when they returned home to face table-topping Norwich last weekend.
Off the field, a registration embargo, a winding-up order, stretched finances and problems paying staff wages on time add up to concerning times for the playing staff and everyone employed at the club.
There has been no indication given to Parkinson such issues will arise when February’s wages are due to hit employees’ accounts, nor was he able to offer an update into Ken Anderson’s attempts to sell the club. But the manager refuses to allow any off-field uncertainty to interfere with their target, the latest step being today’s daunting task at Leeds.
“The lads and the staff are still fighting with the belief that we can achieve staying in the Championship,” said Parkinson, whose side sit three points behind Reading and Rotherham United, who face off at the Madejski Stadium today.
“I was reading an article on Claudio Ranieri, he was banging the drum about the belief Fulham have got – and they’re eight points adrift – so it is still tighter down the bottom of the Championship and there are still a lot of games to play.
“So we’ve got to believe, a lot can happen in football. We know we’ve had a lot go against us but there is a determination in the camp that we can still achieve it and we’ve got to take that into our performance level at Elland Road.
“That’s an interesting game with Reading and Rotherham but can we come out of this game still in touching distance and seeing where it takes us in the remaining run-in to the end of the season?
“It’s difficult, I felt in the Norwich game we came up against a very decent team at the top end of their game.
“I was at the under-23s’ game on Monday and I was talking to some of the staff there and they said Norwich did the same to them at Elland Road, they were outstanding and they’ve got a terrific away record.
“We’ve got to move on from that game and try to take the level of performance from St Andrew’s into this match.”
One plus point for Wanderers at Elland Road is the absence of the hosts’ leading scorer, 14-goal Kemar Roofe. Welsh international Tyler Roberts is expected to come into the starting line-up in his place, while they also have Patrick Bamford, who has scored in both of this term’s previous meetings.
Leeds have now dropped out of the automatic promotion places, though only on goal difference – and they do have a game in hand on Norwich and Sheffield United – and so are also desperate for the points as they look to return to a top division they last graced in 2004.
But as Bolton bid to end a run of six consecutive defeats to the West Yorkshire side, Parkinson is only too aware of the strength in depth his opposite number Marcelo Bielsa has at his disposal.
“They’ve got a very decent squad, obviously,” he added. “And it helps us that Kemar Roofe’s injured. It’s got to be a bonus for us going into their game, that they’re without their top scorer.
“There is an element of pressure on Leeds as well, with Norwich beating us and Sheffield United beating Reading at the weekend. We’ve got to capitalise on that and go and play like we did at Birmingham in the last away game. That has got to be our aim, to match the intensity of that performance, and match the levels we reached at St Andrew’s and if we do that we’ll be right in this game.
“Last year we went there in the league and we started slowly, played backwards too many times and put ourselves under pressure, we’ve got to be careful we don’t do that. We know what to expect and we’ve got to be ready for it.”
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