Tigers turn heat on Parkinson
BOLTON manager Phil Parkinson accepts the pressure is mounting after his side were jeered off after losing at home to Hull City.
With just one win from their past 11 Championship games, Parkinson’s team felt the wrath of the frustrated home supporters.
Fraizer Campbell’s seventh-minute goal settled a significant encounter for both in which the hosts fought manfully but rarely threatened to find a way through.
Hull midfielder Jackson Irvine orchestrated the goal with a sweeping cross towards Markus Henriksen on the right flank.
Henriksen played the ball towards Kamil Grosicki inside Bolton penalty’s area, but the Poland international selflessly dummied for an unmarked Campbell, whose shot was too powerful for Ben Alnwick.
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 around 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 delighted with the job I’ve done at this football club.”
Bolton at least rallied after Campbell’s goal. Hull defender Tommy Elphick robustly denied Christian Doidge from a challenging angle, while crafty playmaker Erhun Oztumer was a continual menace between the lines.
Indeed, Oztumer created the best opening of the first half for Bolton when he threaded a cute pass towards Clayton Donaldson after 26 minutes.
Goalkeeper David Marshall swiftly closed down the Bolton forward, though Donaldson should still have done much better than spoon the ball over the crossbar. Parkinson admitted a lack of incision in front of goal remains the issue.
He said: “We had enough chances to get something from the game, but we can’t keep missing the target.”
Hull remain in the relegation zone having lost their previous past five away games.
But boss 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 among the players – everyone contributed. We’ve created a lot of opportunities early on previous games and this time we’ve taken one.”