Bolton Wanderers manager Phil Parkinson has opened up on the club's recent off-field problems, saying he sympathises with the players and staff, report the Bolton News.

Both groups have not been paid on more than one occasion this season as owner and chairman Ken Anderson continues to look to sell the club, something that has seriously affected the dressing room.

“I am telling you now, the lads and the staff are very, very low,” he said.

“It’s OK for people to say ‘yeah, but footballers earn good money’ but our players are not at that end of the spectrum.

“It is a concern for them and it’s difficult because all the talk is about wages and I can stand there and feel for them, feel for supporters, but we do need some help.”

The Trotters moved one step closer to relegation to League One on Tuesday night as they lost 2-0 to Middlesbrough at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Ashley Fletcher notched both goals in the first half to help Tony Pulis to a badly needed win and their first in six matches.

Bolton now need make up an eight point gap in their final five matches of the season to have any hope of surviving.

The verdict

Parkinson has got a fair bit of stick this season, but considering the off-field problems they are enduring, I think he has done a pretty decent job.

Bolton will go down and Parkinson will almost certainly leave.

Whether that is of his own accord or not remains to be seen but that will not be of any real concern until the ownership issue is sorted.