WANDERERS have been badly let down by the fit-and-proper person’s test for football club owners, says ex-midfielder Matty Taylor.
His former club are facing starting the new season in the third tier and 12 points behind everyone else and Taylor said the ‘shambles’ at Bolton could have been avoided, had the test itself been fit for purpose.
He says the checks needs to be reviewed to better protect clubs such as Bolton.
“I can’t believe that a football club I played in Europe for while we were in the Premier League are now in League One, starting off with a 12-point deduction,” he told 888sport.
“It’s unbelievable but it’s also a stark reminder of how quickly things can change if a football club is run badly.
“In most businesses money speaks volumes, whether that’s football or any other type of business and the ‘fit-and-proper person’s test’ is really important but it seems in the past – not only at Bolton – there have been ways of getting around it.
“So the question is how can the FA make that test better because I’ve seen it with Portsmouth and how it affected that town and now I’m seeing it at Bolton and it’s the fans who carry the brunt of it.”
Taylor, who spent the last two years with Swindon and retired from playing at the end of the season, had three-and-a-half years at Bolton when the club was riding high in the Premier League.
And while he has sympathy with the problems faced by Phil Parkinson, his coaches and his players, it is the supporters he feels particular empathy with.
“It’s such a shame the club is now in such a dire position and I just hope the financial situation is sorted out sooner rather than later,” he added. “It can’t be good for Phil Parkinson; it can’t be good for the players still contracted who haven’t been paid, meaning the PFA have had to step in. It’s a shambles.
“When I was up there the fans were passionate about their team and they’re the ones who are still there when the manager and players have moved on. The fans are the constant.
“I really hope the club gets back on its feet because there are some wonderful people behind the scenes, staff members who have been there for years.”
888sport have Bolton at 7/1 to finish in the top six of League One next season. T&Cs apply. Odds subject to change.
Read the full interview with Matt Taylor HERE
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