There’s been nothing of any sort so far to suggest that the new deals are on the way for the Bolton old boys who are close to seeing off their contracts.
If Jimmy Phillip’s comments are to be taken as an indication of the future possibilities, then not all of those veterans are staying on.
Actually, there is no assurance regarding Phillips himself currently as he is there only in the position of a caretaker right now, but, if he works satisfactorily enough for the board to ask him to carry on in the job, he has dropped enough signs that he would stress on forming a young squad.
However, as per Phillips, what is to be done in regard to the senior men, it would be the call of the board and it’s not him who would be making that call. But, he would be quite happy to provide his views to the power holders in case he is asked to do so.
However, that is something of the future. For the time being, it definitely looks like as long as Phillips is in job and he definitely is there for 7 more weeks, the youngsters can continue to have the taste of the big stage.
6 players, who were in their early twenties, took the field for the Wanderers in the last match against Reading.
It could have been 7 of them actually if Alex Samizadeh, as had planned, had been sent as a substitute late in the game, but, a last minute change of mind on the part of the manager denied the youngster his debut.
Thinking that a bulky figure would be more helpful to hinder Reading in the set pieces, Phillips put Emile on the ground rather than Samizadeh, but, it didn’t pay off as the Royals struck immediately after that substitution.