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

[boltonboris]

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

That's fantastic!

[DJBlu]

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

That's fantastic!

[GhostoftheBok]

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.

Fair enough.

For me, you have to take all the joy you can from football. That's why it exists. If you're only going to really enjoy a season if it's one of the best in the club's history then you're going to spend a lot of money having a "meh" time.

This season has definitely been ratcheted up for me as it's my son's first season going home and away most games, so (as with Wembley last season) his unbridled joy has been infectious. Even so, it's been a good one all round.

[Worthy4England]

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.

Fair enough.

For me, you have to take all the joy you can from football. That's why it exists. If you're only going to really enjoy a season if it's one of the best in the club's history then you're going to spend a lot of money having a "meh" time.

This season has definitely been ratcheted up for me as it's my son's first season going home and away most games, so (as with Wembley last season) his unbridled joy has been infectious. Even so, it's been a good one all round.

Yeah all counts mate, my young 'un decided maybe footy wasn't for him, some time under Megson. Never been back! We really didn't have much to shout about, but it still improved the match day experience.

I think it's objectively been a better season of football than under Parky in some aspects points & goals, worse on defending and not yet on outcome ...

[GhostoftheBok]

worse on defending and not yet on outcome ...

Strong relationship between those two issues.

We know the biggest issue this season was going to be balancing defending with our attempt to score more goals. We've not got it quite right and thus we're in the play-offs. If we had, even with our injuries, we'd have gone up.

It's an additive process. Hopefully next season we can add more solidity to out goals and we'll be really good.

[GhostoftheBok]

Well, this time tomorrow I'll be at Wembley; all things being equal.

Dry cleaning is done and bags are packed. Kids have calmed down and are asleep. Snacks and entertainment purchased. Car cleaned and full of fuel. Up here on the moors everything is dead silent. According to my clock it's officially "departure day."

It's starting to have that real cup final feeling now. I'll be taking the kids to do the touristy thing in London and I've sorted out a few football-related surprises for them.

Hopefully the lads come through and I don't have to deal with floods of tears on Saturday night, but losing is part of football and at some point they will experience real lows. We all have. The "make a weekend of it" is somewhat designed to mitigate that, so they've had fun even if we lose.

The other side is it's my birthday coming up too, so I may treat myself to a new hat or something whilst I'm down there. I don't get to town as much as I used to and various shops have remained unbothered for far too long.

I may not be back on before Saturday night (though hotels can get boring, so I may). Just in case, I hope those of you who are going have a safe trip and good time. Regardless of varying views we're all pulling in the same direction and want Bolton to smash Oxford so we really have something tangible as "success" to hold up for years of work at the club. To those of you unable to travel down, may your TV reception never waver.

Next time we chat Bolton could be a Championship football club again. It'd be a start.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Enjoy, mate.

[Harry Genshaw]

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.

I enjoyed that post Worthy but the pedant in me wouldn't let that error go unmentioned. Soz!

[Harry Genshaw]

I've really enjoyed this season. Some great games, goals, occasions etc. Feck ups v Wigan, disgraceful reffing performance at Blackpool and a general feeling that we're a better side than our points tally, aside - there haven't been many better.

The whole memory though, and whether its been a success or not, hinges on Saturday. I'm trying to be all calm and philosophical about it but in truth, I'm absolutely bricking it and it's only Thursday!

[officer_dibble]

Highs and lows! Some of the goals we have scored and performances superb, but, as I know Dave will have saved to remind me of () that Wigan game I could have throttled the lot of em!! Or sold them all, as I said at the time.

Can the rollercoaster end on a high? And if it doesn’t so what…we go again next year! Never dull and I wouldn’t change it…

[TANGODANCER]

I may not be back on before Saturday night (though hotels can get boring, so I may). Just in case, I hope those of you who are going have a safe trip and good time. Regardless of varying views we're all pulling in the same direction and want Bolton to smash Oxford so we really have something tangible as "success" to hold up for years of work at the club. To those of you unable to travel down, may your TV reception never waver.

Next time we chat Bolton could be a Championship football club again. It'd be a start.

^^^ This, and Happy Birthday Ghost. Age makes me an armchair supporter these days, but my heart is ever with the Whites. May the spirit of Super Kev be ever with us..

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I've really enjoyed this season. Some great games, goals, occasions etc. Feck ups v Wigan, disgraceful reffing performance at Blackpool and a general feeling that we're a better side than our points tally, aside - there haven't been many better.

The whole memory though, and whether its been a success or not, hinges on Saturday. I'm trying to be all calm and philosophical about it but in truth, I'm absolutely bricking it and it's only Thursday!

For me, this is largely true. Not wholly and unconditionally. But largely - in terms of "success" rather than "enjoyment", which is a different thing.

I think we're back to the Phil Neal comparison again.
• Like Evatt, promoted from the Fourth (just);
• like Evatt, consolidated in the Third and looked upwards;
• like Evatt, glorious feelgood four-goal Wembley cup win;
• like Evatt, sneaked into the lower rungs of the play-offs and flopped in the semis;
• like Evatt, corrected that the next season and got to the play-off final.

Now. 1990/91 was a good season. We didn't lose in the league between mid-Oct and mid-Feb. We were therefore in the top three – which that season meant automatic promotion (hey, "best season to do it!") – for a goodly chunk of it, at least until John Beck's Cambridge came roaring into life. We also went to Old Trafford and did ourselves proud. Although I'd been watching us for half a decade by then, it was the first season I genuinely thought we could go up to the Second (I still clearly recall the 3-1 win at Birmingham, exultantly singing "We are going up" with genuine belief rather than hope).

However, if you say now to me "1990/91" I think "Wembley loss, to hated rivals, and the end of a managerial era."

Now, had we beaten Tranmere at Wembley, the memories would obviously be very different. Memories of Phil Neal would also be fairly fundamentally altered (however we did the next season - see Parkinson, P.) It's also true to say that had we gathered ourselves the next season, gone again and got promoted rather than flopping into mid-table and sacking the manager, Tranmere/Wembley would still be an ache but not a death-knell.

So yeah, that's where I'm at. Despite occasionally suffering depressive episodes I'm an optimist by nature and I'm sure if we lose this weekend I'll rationalise that we *could* bounce back next year. But the shadows of history will lengthen.

[BWFC_Insane]

It’s scary how similar Evatt’s and Neal’s records are. Almost a mirror image. Let’s hope the mirror is shattered this weekend.

I hear DSB’s optimism. I’m not optimistic by nature but it’s mainly because whenever I have been optimistic about Bolton Wanderers I end up disappointed. It’s an unavoidable fact of life like death and taxes that as much as your football team delights and uplifts you it also saddens and depresses you. That’s part of the joy of course.

End of the day it’s only football. Win or lose Saturday we will have another chance next season. One thing I’ve tried to do recently is properly make my peace that I won’t be seeing us compete in the top flight again. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and we will get there but deep down I think I’ve been desperate to see it again. Football is totally different now and the investment to get there is huge and it likely isn’t happening. I think making peace with that does change how I view stuff.

[HMX]

Unfortunately, I won't be going to Wembley this time. We've just moved house and have a roaming 18 month old so best I'm not out of town for a full day!

Still feeling pre-match nerves (already), despite not being there. Not sure if I'm best off watching at home or at the pub.

To those going: have a great time!

[BWFC_Insane]

I’m nervous but determined to go and enjoy the day. I really hope everyone else on here who is going enjoys it as do those who aren’t.

I’m not ashamed to admit the last few months have been personally very tough for family reasons I won’t go into and it’s taken a big toll on me personally.

Whatever happens Saturday doesn’t fix that or make it worse. It’s a game of football. I desperately want us to win - don’t get me wrong. I will be gutted if we don’t.

But I want to enjoy the day. Who knows how many more of these we will get? You never know.

Hope everyone has a great time.

[Worthy4England]

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.

I enjoyed that post Worthy but the pedant in me wouldn't let that error go unmentioned. Soz!

Which error HG? Fairly sure we had a couple of games at Burnden in the late 70's with more than 50k. Was thinking Arsenal and Everton, is my memory failing?

77 v Everton 50,400...that was one...looking for the other.

[Worthy4England]

50 hours sounds a chunk closer than 2 days. Still pretty chipper! COYWM.

[Harry Genshaw]

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.

I enjoyed that post Worthy but the pedant in me wouldn't let that error go unmentioned. Soz!

Which error HG? Fairly sure we had a couple of games at Burnden in the late 70's with more than 50k. Was thinking Arsenal and Everton, is my memory failing?

77 v Everton 50,400...that was one...looking for the other.

I thought you were referring specifically to season 77/78. Our biggest attendance, league or Cup, that year was the 34,000 that saw us clinch the title in a goalless draw with Fulham. Given how small the away following was, that's probably the greatest number of Bolton supporters in a stadium since the Burnden disaster. We ran it close with the PJ Trophy last year.

Only once did we break through the 50,000 barrier in the 70s and yes, that was Everton for the league cup. Just once did we surpass 40,000 in the league (Sunderland 1975) Utd, City and Liverpool in the league were all healthy 30,000 + crowds but obviously included a high number of away supporters.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I’m nervous but determined to go and enjoy the day. I really hope everyone else on here who is going enjoys it as do those who aren’t.

I’m not ashamed to admit the last few months have been personally very tough for family reasons I won’t go into and it’s taken a big toll on me personally.

Whatever happens Saturday doesn’t fix that or make it worse. It’s a game of football. I desperately want us to win - don’t get me wrong. I will be gutted if we don’t.

But I want to enjoy the day. Who knows how many more of these we will get? You never know.

Hope everyone has a great time.

I wish you all the best, mate.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Only once did we break through the 50,000 barrier in the 70s and yes, that was Everton for the league cup. Just once did we surpass 40,000 in the league (Sunderland 1975) Utd, City and Liverpool in the league were all healthy 30,000 + crowds but obviously included a high number of away supporters.

Next you'll be telling us Allardyce's header wasn't from 60 yards!