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Expectations will be high on the next manager of Bolton Wanderers to not only put an immediate stop on the club’s deteriorating fortunes but also to get them back into League One at the first time of asking.
Although the division’s full line-up is yet to be completed, it is a safe bet that the Whites will be one of the outright favourites to get promotion when football finally returns to the UniBol after lockdown.
To cope with the pressure, and galvanise a squad in unique circumstances, ex-Bolton striker Aaron Wilbraham believes the next man in the hotseat must be a particular type of character.
“Whoever comes in needs to rediscover that togetherness,” he told The Bolton News. “I think in successful teams that almost always comes from the manager.
“I always thought there was a chance for Phil Parkinson to do that with us when I was at Bolton because what Ken Anderson was doing was ridiculous. It should have been ‘us versus the world’ but he kept himself a bit too separate from the players and I think he missed a trick there.
“It can’t be a circus so that players are taking the mick – but if you are going into Bolton at this moment in time you need to make sure your players are on board with what you want.”
Wilbraham feels that will particularly be the case for Bolton next season as they drop into the fourth tier of English football for the first time in 32 years and only the second time in their history.
Wanderers will be a scalp but the man whose goal earned Bolton a miraculous escape from relegation on the final day of the Championship season in 2017/18 believes pressure to succeed might actually help the new man in charge.
“Everyone will want to beat Bolton, but that’s OK,” he said. “I remember in our promotion year at Bristol City we were riding high, everyone wanted to beat us, but once you got used to the extra effort teams put in against you I think it was good to have a bit of arrogance. You need to own it.
“You can’t have people who shrink in those circumstances. Every week will be a battle and you have to be able to relish it.
“The manager will want to know his players can stand the heat.”
Several names have been linked with the Bolton job, some of whom have recent promotions on their CV like Ryan Lowe, Ian Evatt, Richie Wellens or Gary Bowyer.
Others have historical ties to the club like Kevin Nolan, David Lee or, Wilbraham’s recommendation, Dean Holden – the Bristol City assistant boss who started his professional playing career at Bolton in the late nineties.
Holden has been strongly tipped to move into management after cutting his teeth in coaching at Ashton Gate, Walsall and a brief caretaker spell at Oldham.
And knowing the former full-back well, Wilbraham believes he would be an excellent choice for Wanderers.
“When you talk about someone who cares – I think Deano (Dean Holden) is the type Bolton should definitely be looking at, if he fancies it,” he said.
“I played at Oldham with Dean and then worked with him at Bristol City where we used to travel up and down to Manchester a bit as well.
“When I came into Oldham he was the captain and the first one to say hello, make me feel welcome.
“He is a very genuine bloke, says it how it is, and I think he gets the best out of the players he’s working with because you don’t feel like you are being fed flannel.
“He’s been through stuff in his career and personal life that grounded him as person and that honesty comes through in the way he coaches players.
“On top of that the lads loved the sessions he put on. You’ve cracked it if you can make players enjoy training, that’s half the battle.”
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Although the division’s full line-up is yet to be completed, it is a safe bet that the Whites will be one of the outright favourites to get promotion when football finally returns to the UniBol after lockdown.
To cope with the pressure, and galvanise a squad in unique circumstances, ex-Bolton striker Aaron Wilbraham believes the next man in the hotseat must be a particular type of character.
“Whoever comes in needs to rediscover that togetherness,” he told The Bolton News. “I think in successful teams that almost always comes from the manager.
“I always thought there was a chance for Phil Parkinson to do that with us when I was at Bolton because what Ken Anderson was doing was ridiculous. It should have been ‘us versus the world’ but he kept himself a bit too separate from the players and I think he missed a trick there.
“It can’t be a circus so that players are taking the mick – but if you are going into Bolton at this moment in time you need to make sure your players are on board with what you want.”
Wilbraham feels that will particularly be the case for Bolton next season as they drop into the fourth tier of English football for the first time in 32 years and only the second time in their history.
Wanderers will be a scalp but the man whose goal earned Bolton a miraculous escape from relegation on the final day of the Championship season in 2017/18 believes pressure to succeed might actually help the new man in charge.
“Everyone will want to beat Bolton, but that’s OK,” he said. “I remember in our promotion year at Bristol City we were riding high, everyone wanted to beat us, but once you got used to the extra effort teams put in against you I think it was good to have a bit of arrogance. You need to own it.
“You can’t have people who shrink in those circumstances. Every week will be a battle and you have to be able to relish it.
“The manager will want to know his players can stand the heat.”
Several names have been linked with the Bolton job, some of whom have recent promotions on their CV like Ryan Lowe, Ian Evatt, Richie Wellens or Gary Bowyer.
Others have historical ties to the club like Kevin Nolan, David Lee or, Wilbraham’s recommendation, Dean Holden – the Bristol City assistant boss who started his professional playing career at Bolton in the late nineties.
Holden has been strongly tipped to move into management after cutting his teeth in coaching at Ashton Gate, Walsall and a brief caretaker spell at Oldham.
And knowing the former full-back well, Wilbraham believes he would be an excellent choice for Wanderers.
“When you talk about someone who cares – I think Deano (Dean Holden) is the type Bolton should definitely be looking at, if he fancies it,” he said.
“I played at Oldham with Dean and then worked with him at Bristol City where we used to travel up and down to Manchester a bit as well.
“When I came into Oldham he was the captain and the first one to say hello, make me feel welcome.
“He is a very genuine bloke, says it how it is, and I think he gets the best out of the players he’s working with because you don’t feel like you are being fed flannel.
“He’s been through stuff in his career and personal life that grounded him as person and that honesty comes through in the way he coaches players.
“On top of that the lads loved the sessions he put on. You’ve cracked it if you can make players enjoy training, that’s half the battle.”
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