THERE was no pomp and circumstance as Phil Parkinson took to the dugout for his first competitive game in charge at Wanderers last weekend.

No big announcement was made to the crowd, no flags and banners distributed or TV specials aired, it was straight down to business. And I rather liked that.

Most Bolton fans realise what Parkinson is about by now. The manager doesn’t offer flashy soundbites nor grandiose predictions, he hasn’t made many public appearances away from the football club and the attention lavished on him from anyone other than the hardy local media has been minimal.

All his effort – and that of his trusted backroom staff – has been aimed squarely at improving the squad. Results, he says, will do his talking for him.

Victory over Sheffield United spoke volumes about the discipline he has put into his players over the summer, and their own desire to try and right the wrongs of last season. Defeat at Blackpool in midweek hinted there was still a long, long way to go.

There were no histrionics after the final whistle at Bloomfield Road as Parkinson stayed in character, calmly discussed the good and bad points of the performance and the willingness to improve.

It was a marked departure to his predecessor, Neil Lennon, whose after-match interviews were so often flecked with anger and frustration in his final few months.

Though results will always determine a manager’s success or failure at a football club, the way he portrays himself to supporters, and indeed the media, can be a very important tool.

Gary Megson, for example, can still bring a scowl to a Bolton fan’s face despite nearly seven years passing since he last managed the club. A manager who led the side to an incredible escape from relegation, a draw at Bayern Munich and a first home win against Manchester United in 30 years will probably best be remembered for calling fans “pathetic” after a draw at Blackburn Rovers.

Megson simply didn’t want to play the game – even after those historic results. A very funny and knowledgeable type away from the tape recorders and cameras, his pragmatism came off differently in print or on the screen and that meant when times got tough for Wanderers there was no reserve of goodwill.

Owen Coyle was a completely different animal, all smiles and platitudes. He must have posed for thousands of photos with fans during his time at the club and I firmly believe that earned him some leeway, possibly some extra months in the job.

Dougie Freedman – and fans may want to cover their eyes now – is the closest character to Parkinson I have worked with at Bolton, or anywhere else. Both men are detail-oriented, both sought control of every aspect of club life and both speak eminent sense about football.

Freedman was sent in to do a similar job to Parkinson. The squad lacked structure, there were issues with discipline, the slide had to be stopped. Unfortunately for the former Crystal Palace man, his personality seemed consistently at odds with the people he was trying to influence, not least the fans.

Would some Coyle-style flesh-pressing have helped? Possibly.

Could Freedman have worked harder to make the supporters feel they were along for the ride, instead of a footballing lesson? I’d say, yes.

Parkinson has a sight more experience than Freedman and, crucially, has sampled failure as a manager. That may seem an odd thing to consider as a positive but at the time Freedman came to Wanderers he had only really been praised by a bunch of Palace fans who sang about him saving their club three times. His footballing principles became more difficult to explain and justify when the results were failing.

Parkinson had a tough ride earlier in his career at Hull City and at Charlton and came out the other side, enjoying season-on-season success with Bradford City.

He came into a difficult situation at Bolton. Hemmed in either side by an expensive squad and a transfer embargo, it is no wonder he has been reluctant to make too many predictions. On the flip side, the new manager has hit exactly the right note with his players and the fans, speaking about repairing reputations and relationships with effort on the pitch.

We will see how Parkinson’s demeanour develops as the season progresses but my hunch is that the calmness he has portrayed in his first few weeks will remain. No glitz, no glamour – but have Wanderers finally struck on a manager who can deliver results?