Bolton situation serious but there is hope, says PFA chief Gordon Taylor
Thursday 3 December 2015 11:59, UK
The future of Bolton Wanderers is seriously at risk but it is "retrievable", the Players Football Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has told Sky Sports News HQ.
The Lancashire club, currently at the bottom of the Championship, are heavily in debt with the playing staff not paid in November.
SSNHQ understand talks are continuing with at least three parties or potential buyers to get a deal done to rescue the club.
Bolton's recently-appointed advisor Trevor Birch said on Monday the financial situation is "increasingly perilous", with owner Eddie Davies not willing to invest any more money while the club is for sale.
Taylor, who stated the PFA was working with the local authority, Bolton University and the Football League in striving for a solution, told SSNHQ: "The Bolton situation is a very serious one. They are one of the founding members of the Football League and a club close to my heart.
"That's the same as all clubs when it comes to saving them and our record is very good with 70 out of 92 clubs in trouble saved.
"We've been in to inform players and promised them they will be informed and that we will make sure they are looked after if anybody is in immediate need of help - particularly the younger players.
"We can't take anything for granted. It's a serious situation and I can't believe a club with the background and reputation and core support [is in this situation] but I believe it's really retrievable."
Birch has been appointed as an advisor to the board and is currently trying to facilitate a takeover, with long-time owner Davies prepared to write off the loans he has made to the club.
Birch said on Tuesday that the players remained "upbeat and committed to doing all they can to help the club through this difficult time".
A consortium led by ex-Bolton striker Dean Holdsworth is among those who have expressed an interest in acquiring Bolton.
Taylor insisted it was crucial that clubs like Bolton were protected for the sake of the future of the game in the country.
He added: "The pyramid is very good in this country. We've seen how many players are bouncing back into the top flight that have gone down that pyramid and almost reinvented themselves.
"Jamie Vardy is a classic example. So it's very precious we keep clubs alive. They are a vital part of the fabric of community - it's one place where all the community get together on a regular basis."
