Megson pleads for Bolton cash

25 May 2009 16:32
Manager Gary Megson believes he has earned the right to try taking Bolton to the next level. The Trotters chief led the club to Premier League survival last term after succeeding Sammy Lee in October 2007. And in his first full season in charge the former West Brom boss has kept Wanderers well clear of the relegation scrap, securing a 13th-placed finish and a ninth straight season in the top flight. Megson has also slashed the wage bill and had to get by with a thin squad last season, which he bolstered with a clutch of loan signings. But with the loanees now returning to their respective clubs, Megson has urged owner Eddie Davies and chairman Phil Gartside to invest if they are to be sure of survival again next season. "I hope it doesn't come across as threatening and stamping my feet," he said. "We have done the job they wanted doing. We have now taken it right the way down. Now it needs to go forward. "We need to bring players in. It has to be done." Megson spent in the region of £17million last summer bringing in the likes of defender Danny Shittu, midfielder Fabrice Muamba and five-goal striker Johan Elmander. But the likes of Ivan Campo, El Hadji Diouf, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Abdoulaye Meite and Kevin Nolan have all moved on in the last 12 months, leaving Megson's squad depleted. Their departures cut the wage bill and recouped around £9million in transfer fees, and Megson is now hoping some of those savings are put back into strengthening the squad this summer. "We have the nucleus of a squad," he added. "But as we stand now we have three goalkeepers and 15 or 16 outfield players. As a group, it is not the quality you need in the Premier League. "I am not criticising anybody and there is no envy looking anywhere else. We have got what we have got. "But we can't go through another season like this."

Source: SKY_Sports