PETER Reid reckons Wanderers can halt the slide next season – if they get it right at the back.

After shipping a massive 81 goals in the Championship, there is obvious room for improvement as the Whites look to rebuild in League One.

Reid worked alongside Jimmy Phillips in the last two months and has confirmed he would like to be considered for the job full-time.

Now bookies’ favourite for the post, the experienced ex-England international says his advice would be the same to anyone walking through the doors at the Macron Stadium, and taking a leaf out of his old pal Sam Allardyce’s book – it begins in the back four.

“Whoever is in charge, they’d better know this is going to be a tough job, that’s the first thing,” he told The Bolton News.

“The embargo has to go. In this league you need to go out there and sign some men.

“But it can be changed around. It comes down to basic stuff – doing the defending, seeing games out, staying solid. It has been too easy to score goals against Bolton recently and it has to stop.

“Wigan managed to turn things around and I look at Big Sam at Sunderland. What a job. I saw him concede six early on at Goodison Park against Everton but now you are looking at a team which is strong at the back which you can build from.”

Wanderers lost 24 points from winning positions last season and also conceded a Championship-high 29 goals in the last 20 minutes of games.

Co-owner Dean Holdsworth has already stated he wants the team to be the “fittest in League One” and Reid accepts there is work to be done on that front in pre-season for whoever takes charge.

“I’m not saying the players haven’t worked hard but I think they’re doing it in the wrong areas,” he said.

“Every footballer is an athlete nowadays, the pitches are great and the game has moved on.

“This lot needs a good pre-season and we need to get them out there lasting 90 minutes.

“When you look at all the numbers at the end of the game you want to see your team has run more than the opposition. I am not saying you’ll win games that way all the time but it shows you they are putting it in for you.

“Bolton fans always stick with the team. They want to see their team working their guts out. It has been a difficult time for them but they carry on turning up in numbers and the lads are lucky to have them.”