Neil Lennon: Bolton Wanderers have 'plans in place' to avoid going into administration
The Trotters boss is confident he can keep the crisis-hit club in the Championship - with investment in January
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Your support makes all the difference.Crisis-hit Bolton Wanderers have plans in place to avoid falling into administration, their manager Neil Lennon has said.
The North West outfit, who reached the last-16 of the Uefa Cup in 2008, owe in the region of £600,000 in unpaid taxes and need to find £900,000 monthly running costs after failing to pay their players in November. Eddie Davies currently owns Bolton through company Burden Leisure PLC, which announced debts of £172.9m in April, after losses of £9.1m for 2014.
Trevor Birch has recently been appointed as a financial advisor and there are understood to be four parties interested in taking over. Chairman Phil Gartside remains gravely ill and has asked for privacy from the media.
Lennon, who has been unable to avoid Bolton tumbling to the bottom of the Championship, revealed the plans may involve ‘doing things around the stadium and maybe selling bits of’.
“I think Trevor has a few plans in place to avoid that scenario,” the 44-year-old former Celtic bossed told the BBC.
“He's confident he can avoid that because that would mean we'd be a League One team and we'd just be fulfilling fixtures for the rest of the season.”
Should the Trotters avoid the customary 12-point deduction which accompanies administration, Lennon is confident he can keep the club up – a position which would be strengthened with financial investment.
“What we need is someone to come up with the money and help the club out and just get us through a difficult period until January," added Lennon.
“However, what we may have to do in January is sell some assets in terms of the football side as well, that could be a realistic proposition.
“If that means getting the club through stormy waters then that's what we'll have to do.
“It's not ideal for a manager obviously for the position that we're in, but the club's future is the priority rather than the present.”
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