Anderson set for Bolton exit after toxic tenure that drove fans away

Hot on the heels of the ousting of Owen Oyston at Blackpool the departure of another unpopular owner at a famous old Lancashire club appears likely. Having finally paid his staff in time for Saturday’s game against Millwall to go ahead, Ken Anderson is claiming to have found a buyer for Bolton – and is preparing to sever his connections with the club.

Details of the proposed takeover are still sketchy. Several consortia have been involved in negotiations and there is still a chance the family of the much-loved former owner, Eddie Davies, could intervene. Bolton were saved from administration last year by a £5m bridging loan from Davies’s company, which is believed to retain a share option that could force the present owner out. Anderson insists the secrecy around the talks is because of non-disclosure agreements, though the reasons for the sudden urgency in selling appear to be clear enough.

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Anderson could not find the money for February’s wage bill and Bolton council had threatened to call off the Millwall game because safety stewards and turnstile operators were withdrawing co-operation after going unpaid. He is keen to offload the stricken club to someone else before the same situation can arise again later this month. Even though sufficient matchday staff have been paid to ensure the stadium’s safety certificate remains valid, and that games can therefore take place, it is understood players and senior club employees are still waiting for last month’s wages.

Anderson has been described as “a rogue chairman, a slippery character” by the Forest Green Rovers chairman, Dale Vince, who claimed he took one of his players on loan without the wherewithal to pay his agreed wages. Anderson, a resident of Switzerland, has been at Bolton since 2016 after being involved on the periphery at several other clubs. He responded to Vince’s comments, saying: “I will not drop to the levels that he did in his various allegations” but has not been seen at a game since November.

“He’s certainly been no Eddie Davies,” says William Green, a season-ticket holder. “You can’t expect every owner to plough in enough cash to let us rub shoulders with Manchester City but nor do you expect winding-up orders falling on the mat like junk mail. This used to be an iconic community club but in the last couple of years the atmosphere has turned toxic.”

The list of Bolton failings on Anderson’s watch is indeed embarrassing. The club found itself owing £250,000 to Greater Manchester police, around £60,000 to the ambulance service and a seven-figure sum to the council in unpaid rates. Players’ and staff pay cheques were suspended and Paul Heathcote’s catering operation complained of late and missing payments.

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Earlier this week the club’s training ground had to be closed because of a lack of food and power. Supporters’ protests against the owners were not quite as messy as those at Blackpool, though in January the defeat by West Brom was halted when dozens of tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch.

“Some of us have had enough,” says Green. “Instead of being the week’s highlight watching Bolton was starting to spoil it. After six decades as supporters, one or two of us have been spending Saturdays up the road at Chorley instead. We’ve swapped the magnificence of the Nat Lofthouse stand for the 75-seater Ronnie Pilkington stand and the joys of National League North.

“It’s proper football, no angst and the aroma of meat and potato pies is irresistible. We’ll probably be going back to Bolton at some point, though. The locals at Chorley all know we are interlopers because during matches they’ve seen us checking the Wanderers score on our phones.”