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Jay Spearing hopes there are better times ahead for Wanderers once they find new ownership.
The former club captain, now at Blackpool, has kept a close eye on the rollercoaster ride his former club have been enduring in recent months.
Phil Parkinson, his coaching staff and the players have not yet been given any assurances on when they will be paid their February salary as they prepare to take on Millwall at the UniBol.
Spearing encountered similar problems in his time with Bolton, which coincided with the last change of ownership. And the midfielder is keeping his fingers crossed that a swift solution will be found.
“We had a difficult time when I was there – we came to a point where the PFA and the FA had to get involved because we weren’t getting paid. It was a tough time for us all because we didn’t know whether we were coming or going,” he told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“At the minute they are in that situation again and I still speak to a lot of the lads who are there now and they are finding it a little bit difficult with everything that is going on.
“Fingers crossed they can get a deal for a new owner to come in and take the club forward because they stadium, the facilities they have are Premiership standard and they are a big club. I know they are down the bottom of the Championship but they are a very, very big club.”
Much of the focus since last week has been on non-playing staff at Wanderers, and after part-time and match-day employees were paid yesterday, it is expected full-time employees will receive the money owed to them by this morning.
Parkinson and the rest of his coaching team are still owed bonuses by the club for promotion in 2016/17, when Spearing was still part of the squad.
And the former Liverpool man says late payment will have an effect on the dressing room, however hard Wanderers have tried to guard against it.
“You work hard to get your pay at the end of the month and you’ve got a family and bills to pay, children to look after and you’ve got to get food on the table. You are exactly the same as everyone else. And when those times come and you don’t get paid it is a worrying time. Where’s the next pay going to come from if the club goes into administration?
“To be fair the lads have knuckled down, got on with it, and they are trying their hardest to get the fans behind them and backing them.
“Those fans are tremendous at Bolton, they do back the players through thick and thin.
“But some of the things that are going on off the field are nasty to see.”
Spearing also provided an update on his close pal, and former Anfield team-mate, Stephen Darby, whose career was brought to a premature end at Wanderers earlier this season after a shock diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease.
“Considering what has happened, he’s doing really well,” he said.
“He’s staying positive and fighting it as much as he can and we’re backing him all the way through.
“He’s in really good spirits at the minute and working hard on creating a foundation. He wants to get it out there, and he sees the profile he has can help to get it out there and help try and find a cure for it."
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The former club captain, now at Blackpool, has kept a close eye on the rollercoaster ride his former club have been enduring in recent months.
Phil Parkinson, his coaching staff and the players have not yet been given any assurances on when they will be paid their February salary as they prepare to take on Millwall at the UniBol.
Spearing encountered similar problems in his time with Bolton, which coincided with the last change of ownership. And the midfielder is keeping his fingers crossed that a swift solution will be found.
“We had a difficult time when I was there – we came to a point where the PFA and the FA had to get involved because we weren’t getting paid. It was a tough time for us all because we didn’t know whether we were coming or going,” he told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“At the minute they are in that situation again and I still speak to a lot of the lads who are there now and they are finding it a little bit difficult with everything that is going on.
“Fingers crossed they can get a deal for a new owner to come in and take the club forward because they stadium, the facilities they have are Premiership standard and they are a big club. I know they are down the bottom of the Championship but they are a very, very big club.”
Much of the focus since last week has been on non-playing staff at Wanderers, and after part-time and match-day employees were paid yesterday, it is expected full-time employees will receive the money owed to them by this morning.
Parkinson and the rest of his coaching team are still owed bonuses by the club for promotion in 2016/17, when Spearing was still part of the squad.
And the former Liverpool man says late payment will have an effect on the dressing room, however hard Wanderers have tried to guard against it.
“You work hard to get your pay at the end of the month and you’ve got a family and bills to pay, children to look after and you’ve got to get food on the table. You are exactly the same as everyone else. And when those times come and you don’t get paid it is a worrying time. Where’s the next pay going to come from if the club goes into administration?
“To be fair the lads have knuckled down, got on with it, and they are trying their hardest to get the fans behind them and backing them.
“Those fans are tremendous at Bolton, they do back the players through thick and thin.
“But some of the things that are going on off the field are nasty to see.”
Spearing also provided an update on his close pal, and former Anfield team-mate, Stephen Darby, whose career was brought to a premature end at Wanderers earlier this season after a shock diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease.
“Considering what has happened, he’s doing really well,” he said.
“He’s staying positive and fighting it as much as he can and we’re backing him all the way through.
“He’s in really good spirits at the minute and working hard on creating a foundation. He wants to get it out there, and he sees the profile he has can help to get it out there and help try and find a cure for it."
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