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KEITH Andrews has no bitterness about the way his career at Wanderers ended and has backed Neil Lennon to make a success of his time at the club.
Signed by Owen Coyle in the summer of 2012 and loaned out for two successive seasons by Dougie Freedman, Andrews’ time with the Whites has been brief in the extreme.
He made 29 appearances in his first campaign but injury ruled him out of contention.
Andrews has since found success on loan with Brighton and now Watford, but has kept tabs on his parent club’s decline in recent months.
Writing for Sky Sports, the Republic of Ireland international suggests Lennon’s arrival can spark a revival at the Macron Stadium.
“There’s no getting away from the fact it’s been a very difficult few seasons for Bolton after relegation from the Premier League and then failure to deal with life in the Championship,” he wrote.
“I signed my contract with Bolton just after their relegation with the clear intention of everyone concerned of promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt and with the squad we had I was very confident — otherwise I genuinely wouldn’t have signed.
“I struggled a lot in my first season with a niggling Achilles injury that cut my season short. I was back and raring to go for Dougie Freedman’s first full season in charge but the club clearly had other intentions as they agreed a season-long loan deal with Brighton within a week of the season starting.
“It’s a manager’s prerogative to have a preference towards certain players or want to wheel and deal in the transfer market and maybe balance the books, but it’s not in my nature to just hang about so it was an easy decision to leave.
“I was disappointed at how it was dealt with but I have no bitterness towards anybody at the club as I’ve been in football long enough to not really hold grudges and nothing can really surprise you.
“I really don’t know why Bolton have struggled over the last couple of years, though, as the squad there is so much better than where their league standing suggests. However, once you get on a downward spiral it’s very difficult to reverse it.
“They have a manager in Lennon that I’m surprised wasn’t snapped up sooner after his departure from Celtic. He will bring a fresh approach and, knowing the players quite well, I’m sure they will buy into his methods and climb the league.
“No club has a divine right to success and to bounce back to the Premier League but now it’s imperative everyone involved at Bolton realises the position they are in and the only way they can achieve is by having solidarity, belief and positivity.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/11562288.Keith_Andrews__Midfielder_believes_Neil_Lennon_is_the_right_man_for_Bolton_Wanderers/
Signed by Owen Coyle in the summer of 2012 and loaned out for two successive seasons by Dougie Freedman, Andrews’ time with the Whites has been brief in the extreme.
He made 29 appearances in his first campaign but injury ruled him out of contention.
Andrews has since found success on loan with Brighton and now Watford, but has kept tabs on his parent club’s decline in recent months.
Writing for Sky Sports, the Republic of Ireland international suggests Lennon’s arrival can spark a revival at the Macron Stadium.
“There’s no getting away from the fact it’s been a very difficult few seasons for Bolton after relegation from the Premier League and then failure to deal with life in the Championship,” he wrote.
“I signed my contract with Bolton just after their relegation with the clear intention of everyone concerned of promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt and with the squad we had I was very confident — otherwise I genuinely wouldn’t have signed.
“I struggled a lot in my first season with a niggling Achilles injury that cut my season short. I was back and raring to go for Dougie Freedman’s first full season in charge but the club clearly had other intentions as they agreed a season-long loan deal with Brighton within a week of the season starting.
“It’s a manager’s prerogative to have a preference towards certain players or want to wheel and deal in the transfer market and maybe balance the books, but it’s not in my nature to just hang about so it was an easy decision to leave.
“I was disappointed at how it was dealt with but I have no bitterness towards anybody at the club as I’ve been in football long enough to not really hold grudges and nothing can really surprise you.
“I really don’t know why Bolton have struggled over the last couple of years, though, as the squad there is so much better than where their league standing suggests. However, once you get on a downward spiral it’s very difficult to reverse it.
“They have a manager in Lennon that I’m surprised wasn’t snapped up sooner after his departure from Celtic. He will bring a fresh approach and, knowing the players quite well, I’m sure they will buy into his methods and climb the league.
“No club has a divine right to success and to bounce back to the Premier League but now it’s imperative everyone involved at Bolton realises the position they are in and the only way they can achieve is by having solidarity, belief and positivity.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/11562288.Keith_Andrews__Midfielder_believes_Neil_Lennon_is_the_right_man_for_Bolton_Wanderers/
