The past few weeks at Bolton Wanderers have certainly been hectic ones, but as anybody who works in football will tell you, this game waits for nobody.
Firstly, I am sure you have all read in the media this week about the club being in court regarding a petition that had been served.
The petition itself, served by HMRC, was dismissed by the court after we had settled last month, and we can now move forward and focus on on-field matters and our unified aim of retaining our Sky Bet Championship status.
When it boils down to it, the game itself on a Saturday afternoon or Tuesday night is what we are all working towards across the business on a daily basis, and I am very much looking forward to our encounter against Fulham this weekend and then down at Cardiff on Tuesday.
As I mentioned in my last set of notes, the performance the players put in against Bristol City last time out, very much in the face of adversity following a difficult week for the club as a whole, was hugely inspiring and pleasing for all involved at Bolton Wanderers.
We undoubtedly have a group of players who are determined to fight for the club’s cause and we cannot ask for any more than what they portrayed in our last home game.
I was especially pleased with the contributions of players who have been somewhat on the periphery of the team inside the first half of the season, with the likes of Derik and Dorian Dervite having bided their time and they are now reaping the dividends with their respective stints in the side.
We could have very easily allowed them to move away from the club be it on a temporary or permanent move during the recent transfer window, but myself and the manager Phil Parkinson were of the same mentality that it would be beneficial to keep them here and it has certainly proved to be the right decision.
Although the transfer window has shut meanwhile, we are still actively looking to recruit free transfers to ensure that we have strength in depth ahead of a crucial spell in our campaign.
Over the course of the next 49 days, we will play ten games and if we are able to come out of that period in a strong position, hopefully still outside of the relegation zone, then I do not think we could hope for more ahead of the final month or so of the season.
We have had a number of trialists at the club in recent weeks, with both Marouane Chamakh and Jean-Philippe Mendy being given the opportunity to prove their worth.
Unfortunately however, we had to take the decision to not pursue with deals for them as we believed that it would take time for them to be ready to fight for a first team place and we need players who are ready to be thrown into the mix and hit the ground running.
We will continue to scour the market however as we look to ensure that we are as strong as possible as a unit in the second half of the season.
Following Gary Madine’s departure, it was well documented that we enquired after a number of notable strikers in the division and I can confirm that we submitted bids for two Championship forwards.
We did try for others, but unfortunately their moves to other clubs were too far down the line by that point and so we were unable to make inroads with them.
I have every faith though that the players we currently have at our disposal are more than capable keeping this great football club in this division.
Any players that come in at this point will have to complement the squad we currently have but with the superb backroom and scouting staff we have at this club, I am confident that anybody who does make the switch will do just that.
As usual, let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get behind the team this Saturday.
Kind regards,
Ken