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On Sunday we raised a glass to the notion a takeover might mean some stability for all connected with Bolton Wanderers but since then it has been a pretty sobering week.
When the club announced on Sunday Ken Anderson was in advanced talks with a buyer, it prompted a wave of goodwill which was even strong enough to spur John McGinlay’s golf game.
It seemed the club was on the verge of a new chapter, yet Thursday saw a return to some very familiar territory. Unpaid wages, staff left without a clue what is going on, and a worried fanbase wondering what the next move will be.
Anderson has been in talks with the Football Ventures consortium, who have spent the last five or six days doing due diligence – i.e. looking into the books and assessing what they may buy into – before a deal can be done.
It is an expensive process. And even once complete it does not guarantee success, as they still have to provide a business plan to the EFL for ratification.
On Sunday it was an open secret that the potential new owners felt it could all be wrapped-up, signed, sealed and delivered by Friday. That proved too ambitious a deadline, however, and as the week pondered on, the subject of who would pay February salaries to the 400 full and part-time staff, plus the ongoing bills to suppliers became more and more pertinent.
By Thursday morning, the worst fears had been confirmed. Phil Parkinson and the playing staff had been given limited warning that no money would be in their accounts, but no-one was around to offer an explanation to the most vulnerable employees.
Parkinson was out on his own again. Able to offer scant information during his press conference for the Swansea game, other than he too was waiting for a phone call and trying – once more – to shield his squad from the distractions.
Staff at the stadium said farewell to Nick Horne, who moves to Burnley after several years as Simon Marland’s assistant secretary. They went home after wishing him all the best, none the wiser.
In the absence of solid guidance, a few theories were cooked up on social media to explain the void.
Frozen accounts, impending takeovers… None of the scenarios stop basic communication from above, an email or a hand on the shoulder to department heads to say ‘it’ll be sorted’. That is the great failure here.
One can only hope this silence is not the portent of something more malevolent.
This morning, dozens of readers had contacted The Bolton News to say the Direct Debit payment for season tickets had not gone through. It is also understood that fuel cards for employees have been stopped, all of which lends weight to the notion that this is a situation reaching its climax, for better or worse.
Concern has escalated but business carried on as normal. The club shop, with young staff on low pay, will continue to sell merchandise to the masses. The ticket office will still be taking calls for the Millwall game, pitches will still be tended, there will still be a band of loyal staff rising early to see the supporter coaches off to Swansea on Saturday at 6am and a press team heading out early to the Liberty Stadium.
Those people are the beating heart of a football club. And even though players, managers and coaching staff are the ones who attract the headlines, earn the biggest slice of the wage wedge, most will readily acknowledge they could not function at all without their support.
Whichever way you slice it, and whichever reason is eventually given, they are the ones who have been let down.
Source
When the club announced on Sunday Ken Anderson was in advanced talks with a buyer, it prompted a wave of goodwill which was even strong enough to spur John McGinlay’s golf game.
It seemed the club was on the verge of a new chapter, yet Thursday saw a return to some very familiar territory. Unpaid wages, staff left without a clue what is going on, and a worried fanbase wondering what the next move will be.
Anderson has been in talks with the Football Ventures consortium, who have spent the last five or six days doing due diligence – i.e. looking into the books and assessing what they may buy into – before a deal can be done.
It is an expensive process. And even once complete it does not guarantee success, as they still have to provide a business plan to the EFL for ratification.
On Sunday it was an open secret that the potential new owners felt it could all be wrapped-up, signed, sealed and delivered by Friday. That proved too ambitious a deadline, however, and as the week pondered on, the subject of who would pay February salaries to the 400 full and part-time staff, plus the ongoing bills to suppliers became more and more pertinent.
By Thursday morning, the worst fears had been confirmed. Phil Parkinson and the playing staff had been given limited warning that no money would be in their accounts, but no-one was around to offer an explanation to the most vulnerable employees.
Parkinson was out on his own again. Able to offer scant information during his press conference for the Swansea game, other than he too was waiting for a phone call and trying – once more – to shield his squad from the distractions.
Staff at the stadium said farewell to Nick Horne, who moves to Burnley after several years as Simon Marland’s assistant secretary. They went home after wishing him all the best, none the wiser.
In the absence of solid guidance, a few theories were cooked up on social media to explain the void.
Frozen accounts, impending takeovers… None of the scenarios stop basic communication from above, an email or a hand on the shoulder to department heads to say ‘it’ll be sorted’. That is the great failure here.
One can only hope this silence is not the portent of something more malevolent.
This morning, dozens of readers had contacted The Bolton News to say the Direct Debit payment for season tickets had not gone through. It is also understood that fuel cards for employees have been stopped, all of which lends weight to the notion that this is a situation reaching its climax, for better or worse.
Concern has escalated but business carried on as normal. The club shop, with young staff on low pay, will continue to sell merchandise to the masses. The ticket office will still be taking calls for the Millwall game, pitches will still be tended, there will still be a band of loyal staff rising early to see the supporter coaches off to Swansea on Saturday at 6am and a press team heading out early to the Liberty Stadium.
Those people are the beating heart of a football club. And even though players, managers and coaching staff are the ones who attract the headlines, earn the biggest slice of the wage wedge, most will readily acknowledge they could not function at all without their support.
Whichever way you slice it, and whichever reason is eventually given, they are the ones who have been let down.
Source
