Parkinson defiant as pressure builds

Posted Sunday, October 28, 2018 by PA

Bolton manager Phil Parkinson accepts the pressure is mounting after his side lost 1-0 at home to Hull.

With just one win from their last 11 Sky Bet Championship games, Parkinson’s team were jeered off the pitch by factions of frustrated home supporters.

To compound the sense of unease, Bolton chairman Ken Anderson said in a statement on Thursday that he would take “whatever actions I think are necessary to ensure that our results improve”.

And Parkinson said: “They are an honest group of players and they care, and when that (Anderson’s remarks) comes out, it snowballs and adds to the pressure.

“I think I deserve respect for everything I’ve done for the club.

“Myself and the staff have done an outstanding job and will hopefully continue to do so.”

When pressed about his future at Bolton, Parkinson said: “I don’t think there’s a decision to make, personally. What will be, will be. It’s a brutal industry.

“The only way to turn this club round is, from top to bottom, to stick together.

“As a manager, when you are not winning games, the pressure is on you.

“I’ll keep my counsel, but I’m absolutely delighted with the job I’ve done at this football club.”

Fraizer Campbell’s seventh-minute strike settled a keenly-contested encounter in which Bolton lacked the attacking acumen to seriously trouble Hull goalkeeper David Marshall.

Parkinson admitted a lack of incision in front of goal remains the biggest issue.

He said: “We had enough chances to get something from the game but we can’t keep missing the target.

“We got in some great positions, but we were lacking that moment of quality – but that will come.”

Hull remain in the Championship relegation zone and had lost their previous five away games.

But Nigel Adkins is adamant his team deserved more from recent performances.

He said: “We’ve created a lot of chances in the last run of games we’ve had and here we’ve come away from home and kept a clean sheet.

“You could see there’s a spirit and togetherness amongst the players – everyone contributed.

“The culture at the training ground has been exceptional. We’ve got characters and we treat them well. We work them very hard and demand a lot from them, but everyone enjoys coming into work.

“Things have maybe gone against us a little bit but we prepare for every game.

“On a daily basis we’ve got everyone contributing.”

Adkins added: “I’m always optimistic about what we do. We’ve got a team and a belonging here.

“These are the times when you find out about the people you’ve got around you.

“We scored early for a change. It was a good finish from Fraizer Campbell.

“We’ve created a lot of opportunities early in previous games and this time we’ve taken one.”