Bolton Wanderers’ players have yet to decide if they will face Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon.
Reports had suggested Phil Parkinson’s dressing room were to refuse to play the Trotters’ final two games of the season against Brentford and Forest, but Whites defender Andrew Taylor says the squad have yet to decide the fate of the City Ground clash after their game with the Bees didn't go ahead.
The players are on strike over unpaid wages as turmoil reigns supreme at the University of Bolton Stadium, amid a possible takeover from former Watford owner Laurence Bassini which has yet to be concluded.
Bassini has been given a further 48 hours to prove to the EFL that he has the means to buy the stricken Championship club from Ken Anderson, after meeting the league’s chief executive Shaun Harvey on Tuesday night.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Taylor, who is the club’s PFA representative said no decision had been made by the players ahead of Sunday’s game.
"It is something we would need to discuss as a group,” he said.
“The initial thing was not to play Saturday’s game in protest to how things are going and how things are being handled.”
Taylor then went on to explain how the situation came about which saw Saturday’s final home game with Brentford called off in what were unprecedented scenes at this level.
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“It was first and foremost to get our wages for the players and the five members of staff who haven’t been paid but also to create awareness to what is actually going on at the club,” said the 32-year-old.
“We have achieved that and people are now talking about things. Obviously we haven’t achieved our wages but we need to talk as a group and decide what our next steps are.”
Bolton are likely to find themselves in hot water with the EFL after Saturday’s postponement, while a rearranged date for the clash with the Bees has yet to be confirmed, though it’s expected to happen next Wednesday – three days after the regular season finishes.
Taylor admits he’s unsure of what the punishment levelled at the Trotters will be.
“We are unsure, as a lot of people are.
"We have had no real dialogue with the Football League. They sent it off to an independent board, who assess the situation and decide on the consequences.
“We understand the implications and the effect it is having on the club as a whole.
“But that doesn’t help us in our situation. There are some boys who are starting to feel the strain, as we said in our statement, their mental well-being is massive.
“In this day and age the mental side of the game is massive.
“We just want a good outcome for everybody – the players, the staff, ultimately the club.”
“It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision.
“They are discussions that have been going on for a long time, certainly in previous months when things have been not so great.
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“But I think everything has just come to a head.
“We told people on the Thursday night of our intentions if we didn’t get paid and unfortunately Friday came and went without any real urgency or information, so ultimately, we followed through with our strike.”
