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Dean Holdsworth believes the new manager of Bolton Wanderers should be a “standard bearer” leading the club in the direction it wishes to travel.
As he hunt for a permanent successor to Neil Lennon intensifies at the Macron Stadium, two schools of thought have emerged on what kind of man should lead the club into League One next season.
Experienced heads with knowledge of the Whites like Phil Brown and Peter Reid have been much-discussed, while at the opposite end of the spectrum, well-known faces like Kevin Nolan and Jimmy Phillips are also being strongly considered despite being relative novices in the managerial game.
Chris Wilder, the former Oxford and Halifax boss who led Northampton to an impressive promotion from League Two this season, has also emerged as a strong contender backed by key members of the Wanderers regime.
Plenty is left to discuss behind closed doors for the men making a vital decision for the future of the club.
But co-owner Holdsworth has publicly outlined the qualities he wants from the new manager and makes no apologies for setting his standards high.
“The next manager is going to be absolutely crucial to where we want to go,” he told The Bolton News. “He has to demonstrate what this club is about.
“He needs to be standard bearer for everything from tactics, players’ fitness, their ability to work as a team, recruitment, set pieces, the works.
“There are 50-plus games to get through next year and the players need to be mentally and physically tough enough, and so does the manager.
“I want a team with a high level of professionality and reliability and that has to come from the very top.”
Holdsworth is taking a root and branch approach to improving the club’s fortunes and has brought in one of Sam Allardyce’s most trusted allies, Mark Taylor, to help collate information on all aspects of the football department.
Appointing the next manager will be the next important step in changing the attitude around the Macron from one which has grown accustomed to defeat.
“When I look at a statistic like not winning away from home in a year, it’s says a lot,” Holdsworth said. “That is not something I want to be associated with at all.
“Whether the problem is a personality thing, whether it’s structure, direction or the players simply not being able to work together I don’t know.
“But I intend to get to the bottom of it and make sure it does not spill into next season.
“The mentality of the whole club needs to be rebuilt on and off the pitch.
“It involves a lot of careful planning and we have worked really hard to understand everything that has gone on, and is going on right now.
“In my eyes we’re probably 13-15 months away from having a clean slate, a blank canvas to work with.
“But I still see it as an exciting challenge. For now, I’m thankful we have got a club to work at that’s still alive and kicking.
“I want to create a winning environment at Bolton Wanderers and I want to make sure the fans are singing from the same song-sheet as me.”
Relegation confirmed, Holdsworth still feels the remaining five games can teach him a lot about the group of players his new manager will inherit.
Fans draped banners over the seats as defeat at Derby County last weekend confirmed what they had known for a long time.
And Holdsworth hopes those words – No Effort, No Hope – will play on the players’ minds over the coming weeks.
“I have met with the players and I know they are hurt,” he said. “It now becomes about professional pride. They can’t leave anything in that dressing room on Saturday.
“I know what these fans expect. It isn’t any different from when I played here. They demand you give 100 per cent, they want to feel that the team are representing the town on the pitch.
“I can understand fans are upset and down the line I don’t want to see those sort of banners again. I don’t want the fans to feel they have to put them out.
“In my view, I don’t think it has been a lack of effort. I think they have suffered. And when you see things like that they will suffer more. Not one of them will want to be labelled as someone who doesn’t try.
“I think they will have taken it personally and when they go out against Middlesbrough I hope there is a reaction.
“I know it’s too late to save us from relegation but I would hope the players will want to give something back over the last few weeks.
“That will be important for the future.”
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As he hunt for a permanent successor to Neil Lennon intensifies at the Macron Stadium, two schools of thought have emerged on what kind of man should lead the club into League One next season.
Experienced heads with knowledge of the Whites like Phil Brown and Peter Reid have been much-discussed, while at the opposite end of the spectrum, well-known faces like Kevin Nolan and Jimmy Phillips are also being strongly considered despite being relative novices in the managerial game.
Chris Wilder, the former Oxford and Halifax boss who led Northampton to an impressive promotion from League Two this season, has also emerged as a strong contender backed by key members of the Wanderers regime.
Plenty is left to discuss behind closed doors for the men making a vital decision for the future of the club.
But co-owner Holdsworth has publicly outlined the qualities he wants from the new manager and makes no apologies for setting his standards high.
“The next manager is going to be absolutely crucial to where we want to go,” he told The Bolton News. “He has to demonstrate what this club is about.
“He needs to be standard bearer for everything from tactics, players’ fitness, their ability to work as a team, recruitment, set pieces, the works.
“There are 50-plus games to get through next year and the players need to be mentally and physically tough enough, and so does the manager.
“I want a team with a high level of professionality and reliability and that has to come from the very top.”
Holdsworth is taking a root and branch approach to improving the club’s fortunes and has brought in one of Sam Allardyce’s most trusted allies, Mark Taylor, to help collate information on all aspects of the football department.
Appointing the next manager will be the next important step in changing the attitude around the Macron from one which has grown accustomed to defeat.
“When I look at a statistic like not winning away from home in a year, it’s says a lot,” Holdsworth said. “That is not something I want to be associated with at all.
“Whether the problem is a personality thing, whether it’s structure, direction or the players simply not being able to work together I don’t know.
“But I intend to get to the bottom of it and make sure it does not spill into next season.
“The mentality of the whole club needs to be rebuilt on and off the pitch.
“It involves a lot of careful planning and we have worked really hard to understand everything that has gone on, and is going on right now.
“In my eyes we’re probably 13-15 months away from having a clean slate, a blank canvas to work with.
“But I still see it as an exciting challenge. For now, I’m thankful we have got a club to work at that’s still alive and kicking.
“I want to create a winning environment at Bolton Wanderers and I want to make sure the fans are singing from the same song-sheet as me.”
Relegation confirmed, Holdsworth still feels the remaining five games can teach him a lot about the group of players his new manager will inherit.
Fans draped banners over the seats as defeat at Derby County last weekend confirmed what they had known for a long time.
And Holdsworth hopes those words – No Effort, No Hope – will play on the players’ minds over the coming weeks.
“I have met with the players and I know they are hurt,” he said. “It now becomes about professional pride. They can’t leave anything in that dressing room on Saturday.
“I know what these fans expect. It isn’t any different from when I played here. They demand you give 100 per cent, they want to feel that the team are representing the town on the pitch.
“I can understand fans are upset and down the line I don’t want to see those sort of banners again. I don’t want the fans to feel they have to put them out.
“In my view, I don’t think it has been a lack of effort. I think they have suffered. And when you see things like that they will suffer more. Not one of them will want to be labelled as someone who doesn’t try.
“I think they will have taken it personally and when they go out against Middlesbrough I hope there is a reaction.
“I know it’s too late to save us from relegation but I would hope the players will want to give something back over the last few weeks.
“That will be important for the future.”
Source