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

[BWFC_Insane]

None of these things are related of course - parking issues, flags, the performance. All entirely independent.

But it just all adds up to the ‘mental picture of the day’ that will last. Kind of symbolic.

[GhostoftheBok]

None of these things are related of course - parking issues, flags, the performance. All entirely independent.

But it just all adds up to the ‘mental picture of the day’ that will last. Kind of symbolic.

They're not related other than the club higher-ups should have sorted the details on the non-playing issues and dotted every i.

Even the announcer's prematch was bizarre. He sounded flustered and panicked next to Oxford's guy. Now he's apparently one social media having a go about Wigan.

It's all really odd from the outside. First time I've seen us look really unprofessional, regardless of how much actual blame is warranted.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Even the announcer's prematch was bizarre. He sounded flustered and panicked next to Oxford's guy. Now he's apparently one social media having a go about Wigan.

I thought ours was much better than their rather dull dude. Except when ours was reading the teams and got to Ogbeta, for whom he had no daft little name, and just said "Number 17, er... Nathanael Ogbeta."

[BWFC_Insane]

Only really sinking in today but the prospect of another season (at least) of this awful league is massively depressing.

Really hope football gets good soon. We’ve had (bar a brief false dawn in 2017) had a thoroughly miserable decade and a half topped off by the worst day of them all on Saturday. When will it be our turn to enjoy ourselves in the big time again?

[GhostoftheBok]

I thought ours was much better than their rather dull dude. Except when ours was reading the teams and got to Ogbeta, for whom he had no daft little name, and just said "Number 17, er... Nathanael Ogbeta."

Perhaps an each to their own then. Not worth verbiage hashing it out.

[nicholaldo]

Only really sinking in today but the prospect of another season (at least) of this awful league is massively depressing.

On Saturday, I was too numb to really feel it. We hadn't been involved in the match at all so there wasn't that despairing "what if?" feeling I might've got if we'd have come close.

But each day since the realisation of just how much we f*cked it has become more and more acute.

[BWFC_Insane]

Oxford singing about us on their open top bus parade. One of the worst things is how much of a laughing stock Evatt has made of us.

[GhostoftheBok]

Oxford singing about us on their open top bus parade. One of the worst things is how much of a laughing stock Evatt has made of us.

You're not telling me you're rattled by a chant

[BWFC_Insane]

Oxford singing about us on their open top bus parade. One of the worst things is how much of a laughing stock Evatt has made of us.

You're not telling me you're rattled by a chant

No - but I don’t like being the club that people poke fun at. We used to be the club poking fun at Leeds etc.

Had enough of being the laughing stock now. I want things to be good again.

[GhostoftheBok]

Oxford have earnt their party. Let them enjoy it.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We got a lot of people laughing about us when we had Allardyce. We didn't really care.

[BWFC_Insane]

We got a lot of people laughing about us when we had Allardyce. We didn't really care.

We didn’t. We were the team they didn’t want to play.

They might have not liked us but it was because we were good and they hated that.

I really want to see us be that horrible ruthless club that everyone hates because we are good rather than laughs at because we are a bit useless.

[officer_dibble]

We’ve been a laughing stock at Wembley twice now. Not sure which performance was worse… maybe Saturday is still too raw.

[GhostoftheBok]

We didn’t. We were the team they didn’t want to play.

We absolutely did. Let's not rewrite history here.

"Fat Sam and his hoofball merchants" were constant targets.

After the loss in the final against Boro it was there for months.

Same when we were going bust. When we went down under Owen. I could go on.

Didn't care then and don't now.

The difference now vs Sam is we deserve it this summer. We've cocked up and have to fix it.

[GhostoftheBok]

We’ve been a laughing stock at Wembley twice now. Not sure which performance was worse… maybe Saturday is still too raw.

Stoke. Easily.

We were crap against Oxford. Really bad. But they didn't absolutely batter us like Stoke did. If Stoke had fancied it they could have turned it on and had 8 or 9. Oxford played just about to their maximum and scored 2. Could probably have had 3.

[BWFC_Insane]

We’ve been a laughing stock at Wembley twice now. Not sure which performance was worse… maybe Saturday is still too raw.

Both equally as bad, though Saturdays more unforgivable given how important a game that was and how badly it impacts the club and its fans.

In terms of misery Saturday wins by a margin. Stoke were a good side in fairness.

[Worthy4England]

Got the Oxford chant in the I don't give a shit, bucket. Whether folks personally think it was better or worse v Stoke or Boro is likely to depend on their own circumstances.

I don't recall a load of pi$$ take after any of them (but I don't go looking), but if I was sat in an office full of pie eaters, might have been different.

Boro hardly moves the needle for me one way or t'other, Stoke was a lot worse than Boro. A proper shoeing. Oxford less so, but a bigger game in terms of Club impact.

I don't really buy the Oxford were just average but we were shit line. Oxford were good on the day. Had it been the other way around, I'd have been delighted with the winning performance. It takes good defending to limit us to no shots on target. Neutrally, you have to give Oxford plenty of credit.

[Prufrock]

Yeah it's both true that we were awful, and that they absolutely nailed it. Could see the plan and they got it bang on.

[TANGODANCER]

Yeah it's both true that we were awful, and that they absolutely nailed it. Could see the plan and they got it bang on.

And thereby hangs the tale Pru, you could see it, I could see it, and the bulk of thirty thousand Whites supporters could see it: Why couldn't Ian Evatt? Send for Sherlock...

[Worthy4England]

Yeah it's both true that we were awful, and that they absolutely nailed it. Could see the plan and they got it bang on.

And thereby hangs the tale Pru, you could see it, I could see it, and the bulk of thirty thousand Whites supporters could see it: Why couldn't Ian Evatt? Send for Sherlock...

He could see it. He articulated it pretty clearly in his post-match comments. That's even more worrying, he could see it and did nowt to change it positively. He said we knew what they were going to do before the match.

He tried - I mean he subbed Sheehan off way earlier than you might expect, if at all. This was not a "surprising substitution" - he could have made it after 20 minutes, comfortably.