THE times they are a-changing on Wanderers Mountain, and most certainly for the better.

Since moving into this job I’ve been on nine pre-season tours. That has amounted to a lot of air miles, dozens of hours waiting for interviews in hotel lobbies, a few top-notch hangovers and a lot of fridge magnets.

Each one was enjoyable in their own way – whether it was dodging the blazing sun with Gary Megson in Greece or enduring a white-knuckle bus ride through the narrow mountain passes of Austria to speak to Neil Lennon.

But this, hand on heart, has been the most straightforward and welcoming trip I have ever worked on and I hope I have conveyed that to you folks back at home.

Due credit to Phil Parkinson, Steve Parkin, Nick Allamby, Lee Butler and the other unsung heroes around the camp, they probably had better things to worry about than exchanging pleasantries with the press.

Instead the Wanderers boss opened up his training camp, said “this is what we’re about” and gave me a better insight into how he is preparing the team than I have had for a good number of years.

In times gone by, local media – even the club’s own media department – have been viewed as second-class citizens. It has made for an uneasy atmosphere and, I think, hindered managers and players from being able to express themselves, through us, to the supporters. And that has furthered the sense of detachment felt by so many.

Now, from Dean Holdsworth and Ken Anderson right down to the security guard at Lostock, there is an approachable attitude which has made things so much simpler.

Any journo recognises there must be boundaries and this trip has in no way been “access all areas” but there has been a readiness from the club to keep us – and by extension the supporters – in the loop. And that is all anyone can ask.

Sweden, I shall not miss your prices, your ridiculously complicated transportation system or your breakfast buffets. But I will miss the friendliness, including the Scandinavian Bolton fans I have had the pleasure to meet on the trip.

So, “Hej då” to Malmo, hello to Mansfield. We’re back in business…