NO REGRETS
Bolton boss defiant as cash row scuppers friendly
Bolton Wanderers chairman Ken Anderson has claimed he was not prepared to be “blackmailed or threatened” into paying his players so their clash with St Mirren would go ahead on Saturday.
His failure to do so led to the cancellation of the side’s scheduled friendly with the Paisley side which was postponed at the 11th hour after Bolton’s players went on strike and refused to turn out again the Buddies.
It leaves St Mirren without having had a friendly ahead of their competitive debut this Friday when they travel to Kilmarnock for the first clash in this season’s Betfred Cup.
However, the Bolton chief was unremorseful as he defended his actions after it was claimed that none of the Bolton players had been paid their Championship retention bonus.
Anderson said: “The players gave me an ultimatum that unless these sums were received on Friday they would not take part in the game planned for Saturday against St Mirren.
“None of the players who extended their contracts raised any concerns about previous problems as suggested in their statement, and virtually every player we released wished to extend their stay.
“These are not the actions of a disaffected group, I am sure you would agree.”
Anderson continued: “I have never hidden the details of the financial crisis the club was in upon my arrival and the problems going forward.
“The support from the nonplaying staff, supporters, suppliers and the football family has been unwavering - and that is the reason why I continue to support financially from my family’s wealth.”
Saints, their supporters, and club officials were left shocked on Friday when Bolton contacted them to say the game would not be going ahead.
Social media was awash with supporters of both sides branding the situation “embarrassing”.
St Mirren have stressed that the situation was outwith their control as they outlined details of how fans who held briefs for the match could get access to a refund today.
A spokesman at the weekend confirmed: “St Mirren Football Club regrets to announce that the match against Bolton Wanderers has been cancelled.
“We would like to stress that this is completely out with our control and we are desperately disappointed that this has occurred.
“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this will cause.
“Full refunds will be available from the St Mirren ticket office from Monday.”