Rising in Wembley's Glow: A Bolton Wanderers Tale - Bolton vs Oxford. 18th May 2024, 4.15pm

[TANGODANCER]

I'm sure the bookies would love the majority to bet on Oxford (they'll lay their bets off anyway) then Bolton go on and win. Poor bookmakers are as rare as redundant undertakers, so the odds can all change after a last minute rush either way. I'll stick with Andy Williams's "Impossible Dream"

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go.

This is my quest to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause..

COME ON YOU WHITES...

[boltonboris]

Some memorable wins, some fairly underwhelming performances, a million goals, some of them absolutely wonderful team goals and individual goals, the like we haven't seen in many a year..

Increased attendances, some great atmosphere, some top away days.

I've enjoyed it fo' sho'

[GhostoftheBok]

Increased attendances, some great atmosphere, some top away days.

This is what gets me, to be honest.

Whether someone likes something or not is entirely personal taste and you can't directly question it. However, I do find it confusing at times.

The experience of actually going to games, home and away, is vastly better than it has been in over a decade. It's not even close.

The buzz around the place, the pre-match banter, smiles in the stands, the camaraderie and togetherness on away days. The sheer numbers going.

I really struggle to understand how people can say they like matchdays less now.

Like I say, it's personal taste and I'm not going to say "Of course you're enjoying it!", but I am baffled by that aspect. Having spent years mostly watching people trudge into the Reebok the season-on-season improvement in the "feel" of a match under Evatt has been a breath of fresh air.

I remember watching a fight break out amongst fans at a Millwall away game. Not just your usual scuffle, but a proper brawl between pro and anti manager factions and thinking "This is a new low", but it got worse (generally) in seasons after.

Long may this type of "boring" season continue.

[BWFC_Insane]

Nothing has topped Port Vale away in 2017 or whatever it was. Nor the joyous pitch invasion the game after.

Ultimately you can have all the great aways you like but seasons need the success at the end of them to be one you will remember in years to come.

[Prufrock]

I think it's fairly obvious that it's unrealistic to expect every season to be the best ever. Not every year can be 97.

Port Vale was amazing. For me Wembley last year topped it (and I wasn't at Peterborough or Forest), and maybe Saturday will, but even if not for others, we've had some amazing days.

Real shame COVID ruined Crawley as that would have been banging too.

As ghost says, there have been some slooooogs over the past decade. This is an enjoyable spell. Time will decide where it "ranks" but that doesn't make me enjoy it less (or indeed more) at the time.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Fitted for suits. Like it's a jolly day out. This lack of focus is why we'll never get anywhere.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... e-69010555

Oh hang on that's them. Can you pin a video to a wall?

[BWFC_Insane]

Fitted for suits. Like it's a jolly day out. This lack of focus is why we'll never get anywhere.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... e-69010555

Oh hang on that's them. Can you pin a video to a wall?

In 99 didn’t Watford go for a jolly day out and all get fitted suits too whilst we treated it like ‘another game’.

There is a balance to prep. We’ve done it before last year so I don’t have too many worries on that score.

Just turn up and play with confidence but not overconfidence has to be the message.

[dave the minion]

Ultimately you can have all the great aways you like but seasons need the success at the end of them to be one you will remember in years to come.

Simply not true.
Maybe you need success on Saturday to glean a semblance of joy from this season, but I will have enjoyed it regardless, for all the reasons mentioned. I'd also add into it that its an absolute joy to see the togetherness of the squad - not had that for years.

Now - clearly - if we can win one more game this season then I will enjoy it that bit more

[boltonboris]

Ultimately you can have all the great aways you like but seasons need the success at the end of them to be one you will remember in years to come.

Simply not true.
Maybe you need success on Saturday to glean a semblance of joy from this season, but I will have enjoyed it regardless, for all the reasons mentioned. I'd also add into it that its an absolute joy to see the togetherness of the squad - not had that for years.

Now - clearly - if we can win one more game this season then I will enjoy it that bit more

The 2 Parkinson seasons that ended with the pitch invasions had happy finale's but both were turgid, boring seasons with some absolutely shocking football and results into the mix. Remembered for their relative successes, not for their enjoyment. Most of that Championship season was spent watching fans fighting eachother and people getting banned for trying to get at the manager on the sidelines.

The only entertainment for most of it was Lee Anderson's emoji's in the transfer windows

[GhostoftheBok]

Nice to see we're getting our final suits for nowt due to a sponsorship arrangement.

Every penny and all that.

If we go up they'll keep those suits forever.

[boltonboris]

They provided our suits for the entirety of last season. Seems we ditched that this season. Shame really, as I thought they looked the bollocks. Players obviously didn't like it

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The 2 Parkinson seasons that ended with the pitch invasions had happy finale's but both were turgid, boring seasons with some absolutely shocking football and results into the mix. Remembered for their relative successes, not for their enjoyment. Most of that Championship season was spent watching fans fighting eachother and people getting banned for trying to get at the manager on the sidelines.

The only entertainment for most of it was Lee Anderson's emoji's in the transfer windows

Burn the witch!


This parody sails so close to the truth that I suspect sopme will nod along enthusiastically:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C62-F6jt ... hnYWY5N3F2

[Worthy4England]

Like most things, it's reasonable to say this is a good time, relative to Leagues 1 and 2. I think most folks are enjoying it. I don't think it's reasonable to expect everyone joins in singing Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.

I doubt anything will beat the 1977/78 season for me. I was young, had never seen Bolton in the top division, we'd just missed out the year before so very happy days - we'd have got 89 points that season under 3 points a win. There were a couple of games, we had more than 50,000 on. That was exciting. Football in general *for me, has become more antiseptic in just about all aspects. At my age, I appreciate the seating, but I'd likely be bored if I was 14 again...

As to the fighting mentioned v Millwall, it was pretty universal in the late 70's - most of what you see these days is handbags - not a supporting vote for fighting - just an observation that it probably only merits a tut, by comparison.

Then the wheels came off in the 80's and there were plenty of questions around our survivability - so in that sense, there's nowt new in the world, but putting the financial side away for now, we were getting some ridiculously small crowds in lower Divisions - averaged around 5k on what by this time was a ground falling to bits.

Renaissance in the 90's after a 16 year wait to get back to the top division, still with some pretty sparse crowds gave us belief again and happy days under Rioch and Todd with two promotions back to the top division, prior to some unbelievable footballers on show under Eddie's tenure, then the (probably inevitable) slide, once the money tap was reduced, then switched off.

So to now. It's the best we've had for a while, in a League One context, we've managed third, made Wembley for a second year running and not too far distantly, went on an unbelievable run up D2. 86 league goals, not to be sniffed at - it's been more than quarter of a century since we hit 100 and bagged 98 points one Division up. So impressive, yes. A long time coming, yes. Something we've not seen before - no. We've seen it before.

Not maybe my sorta football, but I'd still rate it as generally very positive, with a squad and management team that seem tight knit. Were this at the top end of Champo, or near the top end of the Prem, I'd probably be a lot more impressed. Does it beat the 78 promotion season? Not remotely close, for me.

We point to what might have been if Dion/Bax etc. hadn't picked up injuries - but what about Pompey? what have they had? 10 season enders? including 3 in Feb? dunno if that's exactly right, but you get the jist.

Hopefully, this might help Ghost understand why some of us aren't quite as excited or excitable, maybe.

[GhostoftheBok]

Hopefully, this might help Ghost understand why some of us aren't quite as excited or excitable, maybe.

I've been going to the matches since the 80s, Worthy.

None of this is news to me.

[Worthy4England]

Hopefully, this might help Ghost understand why some of us aren't quite as excited or excitable, maybe.

I've been going to the matches since the 80s, Worthy.

None of this is news to me.

I that case, I'm not sure how you don't understand some are less excitable than others and I didn't have you down as heading towards 50 (unless you were like under 10 in the 80's)!

[GhostoftheBok]

I that case, I'm not sure how you don't understand some are less excitable than others

I didn't say that. What I said is that given where we've been probably since Sam left it's hard to understand how folk aren't enjoying this period. I mean how miserable must they have been before that?

We've been on a downward spiral for a long time and we're not now. Yes, it's not Premier League football. Okay

If you can't enjoy it because "Ey, t'were better 50 year ago" then fair enough. Personally I don't get the mindset.

[BWFC_Insane]

Like most things, it's reasonable to say this is a good time, relative to Leagues 1 and 2. I think most folks are enjoying it. I don't think it's reasonable to expect everyone joins in singing Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.

I doubt anything will beat the 1977/78 season for me. I was young, had never seen Bolton in the top division, we'd just missed out the year before so very happy days - we'd have got 89 points that season under 3 points a win. There were a couple of games, we had more than 50,000 on. That was exciting. Football in general *for me, has become more antiseptic in just about all aspects. At my age, I appreciate the seating, but I'd likely be bored if I was 14 again...

As to the fighting mentioned v Millwall, it was pretty universal in the late 70's - most of what you see these days is handbags - not a supporting vote for fighting - just an observation that it probably only merits a tut, by comparison.

Then the wheels came off in the 80's and there were plenty of questions around our survivability - so in that sense, there's nowt new in the world, but putting the financial side away for now, we were getting some ridiculously small crowds in lower Divisions - averaged around 5k on what by this time was a ground falling to bits.

Renaissance in the 90's after a 16 year wait to get back to the top division, still with some pretty sparse crowds gave us belief again and happy days under Rioch and Todd with two promotions back to the top division, prior to some unbelievable footballers on show under Eddie's tenure, then the (probably inevitable) slide, once the money tap was reduced, then switched off.

So to now. It's the best we've had for a while, in a League One context, we've managed third, made Wembley for a second year running and not too far distantly, went on an unbelievable run up D2. 86 league goals, not to be sniffed at - it's been more than quarter of a century since we hit 100 and bagged 98 points one Division up. So impressive, yes. A long time coming, yes. Something we've not seen before - no. We've seen it before.

Not maybe my sorta football, but I'd still rate it as generally very positive, with a squad and management team that seem tight knit. Were this at the top end of Champo, or near the top end of the Prem, I'd probably be a lot more impressed. Does it beat the 78 promotion season? Not remotely close, for me.

We point to what might have been if Dion/Bax etc. hadn't picked up injuries - but what about Pompey? what have they had? 10 season enders? including 3 in Feb? dunno if that's exactly right, but you get the jist.

Hopefully, this might help Ghost understand why some of us aren't quite as excited or excitable, maybe.

Yeah this. All of it.

It’s been a nice time and great the club is back on its feet. But I’ve lived through all this before. And generally the 90’s renaissance is pretty unbeatable in more or less every single way.

The reason 2017 was so good to me is we’d had season after season of slide and nobody saw it being turned round like that. It ended dreadfully thanks to Ken and I’m eternally grateful to Sharon and the rest for saving us.

Getting out of league one is not a high point for Bolton I’m afraid and whilst I would be elated if we win Saturday it’s more for fear of what happens if we don’t than anything else.

[BWFC_Insane]

The 2 Parkinson seasons that ended with the pitch invasions had happy finale's but both were turgid, boring seasons with some absolutely shocking football and results into the mix. Remembered for their relative successes, not for their enjoyment. Most of that Championship season was spent watching fans fighting eachother and people getting banned for trying to get at the manager on the sidelines.

The only entertainment for most of it was Lee Anderson's emoji's in the transfer windows

Burn the witch!


This parody sails so close to the truth that I suspect sopme will nod along enthusiastically:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C62-F6jt ... hnYWY5N3F2

I’m sure Burnley fans if all equal prefer Kompany football to Dyche.

However if it was Dyche and a 15th place finish vs the season they’ve just had with Kompany then there is only one winner. And it’s ginger.

[GhostoftheBok]

I'm once again confused. When did I ever say this was my *best* experience supporting the football club?

[Worthy4England]

I that case, I'm not sure how you don't understand some are less excitable than others

I didn't say that. What I said is that given where we've been probably since Sam left it's hard to understand how folk aren't enjoying this period. I mean how miserable must they have been before that?

We've been on a downward spiral for a long time and we're not now. Yes, it's not Premier League football. Okay

If you can't enjoy it because "Ey, t'were better 50 year ago" then fair enough. Personally I don't get the mindset.

I think maybe the other way around. If it manages to really excite, then I say, "That was exciting" and if not I don't. The game is driving whether I'm excited by it, not the mindset. Your selling point seems to be "this is much better than where we've been recently." Agree, wholeheartedly. That in itself isn't going to get me too excited.