Phil Brown: Dire situation at Wanderers needs to be addressed

The former club captain and assistant manager has called on Ken Anderson to find a solution to money problems which resulted in the PFA being called by players in to assist with the payment of November salaries.

Brown, who played more than 300 games for Wanderers, appealed to Anderson to double his efforts to sell the club if he cannot afford to sustain it financially.

The former Hull City and Swindon Town hopes a deal can be struck by Friday, when unpaid players could theoretically walk away from their contract for nothing.

“It’s a dire situation when the working man, and in this case footballers, and the incumbent can’t afford to pay them. It really is a dire situation and it needs addressing,” he said.

“I know a lot of clubs these days have got single-man owners and single-man boards, and they are run like that, and they are guarded by it as well.

“If you can’t afford to run it you need to move on and possibly even sell the club.

“It doesn’t matter where you lie in the ladder, whether you are a young player, an older player or whatever. At the end of the day you sign a contract and you believe that contract will be honoured.

“I believe Ken Anderson and Bolton Wanderers will honour those contracts. But at the same time you will also have people who are quite savvy with regard to the rules and regulations and who could walk away from a contract if necessary.”

Brown has also praised the job done by Phil Parkinson in keeping the players on focus.

Wanderers saw a point stolen from under their noses at Championship leaders Norwich at the weekend but remain on a poor run of one win in 17 games.

Performances have generally improved since the international break and Brown believes keeping morale up is no mean feat.

“It really is a difficult situation when you are walking into a changing room and trying to motivate a group of players to win a game of football and the wages haven’t been paid,” he told BBC Radio Manchester.

“I had a similar situation at Southend, albeit I was there for five years and it was only two, possibly three occasions paid late. It was one of my main driving forces to make sure that the owner understood, and I felt that he did. He was doing everything he possibly could to get the wages to the players on time and I believe Ken Anderson is too.

“The previous two or three games have been very, very tight, I know Phil and Steve Parkin very well and they are hard-working lads who are honest boys, working class men from working class backgrounds who are trying to get their players to work just as hard.

“Everyone thinks that’s the easy part, but it’s not. If you are fearful of not getting paid on time, or not getting paid at all, then it’s a difficult place to be. That dressing room can be a difficult environment.”

Parkinson has also been linked with the vacant manager's job at his former club Reading.

The Wanderers boss is highly rated at the Madejski Stadium and one man who is said to be championing his cause, Nigel Howe, has recently returned to the club as CEO.

Brown would not be shocked if the Royals made a move.

“Phil has done a fabulous job at Bolton Wanderers under very difficult circumstances," he said.

“His career stacks up against anybody’s. He has battled very, very hard in the lower divisions to get to where he is.

“If a job like Reading did come along then it wouldn’t surprise me if, under the circumstances he’s had a Bolton, he would be attracted to it. But he’s not one to run away from a challenge. If someone came along it would be because of his track record.”