Gutted - but You Won It Well

[Brum fan in peace]

Another Blues fan here, wanted to echo what Tony said.

Met a few Bolton fans at New Street station after the game and they congratulated us on the Carling Cup win, fair play.

Hopefully you beat West Ham in the semis just like we did.

[Brum fan in peace]

Shocked to hear stories of violence after the game. This was the quietest, friendliest atmosphere I've seen at St Andrews in a long time. Where was the trouble? I didn't see any at all. Didn't even see any abuse/objects being thrown between the police vans outside the away entrance. The scenes after the Villa qtr-final and before the West Ham semi-final were reminiscent of a war zone, mind you.

[officer_dibble]

There was someone about 3 rows in front of me (I was row 7, to the right of the goal) who got hit by an object, I assume thrown from the upper tier of our end by a Birmingham fan. Plenty of 'banter' chanting, but overall a friendly atmosphere. I certainly wasn't intimidated drinking in Birmingham afterwards. You had the Carling Cup, we'll have the FA Cup kind of trade off.

[Bruce Rioja]

As I came out there was a shallow gathering of tough-guy acting youths singing "Where's your famous Zulu crew" to try and goad the passing Brum fans. If anyone did get a slap then hopefully it'll have been this shower of embarrassing wankers.

[Beefheart]

As I came out there was a shallow gathering of tough-guy acting youths singing "Where's your famous Zulu crew" to try and goad the passing Brum fans. If anyone did get a slap then hopefully it'll have been this shower of embarrassing wankers.

I saw that too, singing it from behind all those Police and their vans mind. Just no need for that kind of thing regardless.

[Gaz Tomorrow]

I walked straight back down the main road in a bolton shirt with a few words chucked at us from outside a pub with a load of brum fans in Stone Island gear - but that says it all about them though, clearly just p*ssed up and bitter and looking for a scrap. However on the train on the way back a group of Brum guys were sat opposite and one got off a stop before the rest of them because he was worried he was gonna get picked up by the Police for racist chants or as he deemed it 'doing nothing wrong'. Clearly bricking it he got off at Walsall in his Stone Island jacket and there were police on the station at Bloxwich.

[Bruce Rioja]

Also, on the way in I noticed a couple of lads getting arrested. I can't imagine that they were touting as people could pay on the gate, and they didn't appear to be drunk either, so God knows what they'd been up to.

[BWFC_Insane]

As I came out there was a shallow gathering of tough-guy acting youths singing "Where's your famous Zulu crew" to try and goad the passing Brum fans. If anyone did get a slap then hopefully it'll have been this shower of embarrassing wankers.

Indeed and they looked pretty scared once they realised half way down the road that the police presence and segregation ended and they were on their own till they got to the centre!

[BWFC_Wyles]

Dear Wanderers,

Just wanted to congratulate you from a Blues fan on your win. Im absolutely gutted you won what was imo a great game of football for both teams. Really hope you go on to win it now so at least we can say we lost to the victors and also sick of seeing the top 4 win all there is in the game.

Ive always liked Davies he's a good player.

So go on Wanderers winning it would be the best possible way to remember Lofthouse. I also want to see Wenger if he gets there blarrting his eyes out watching his spoilt brats get beat again.

Good luck

Tony

Keep Right On

Cheers Tony, its a pity that not all of the Brum fans are as good a loser as you....I thought we'd left football violence behind in the 80s....they need to grow up

I'm glad you brought it up mate. Absolute scumbags! We walked pretty much right into the Football Factory. Luckily me and my two mates got away but several BWFC fans weren't so lucky and one was kicked in the face then repeatedly battered. Disgusting.

[BWFC_Wyles]

Just to extend my story... we were walking down the road towards about 20/25 B'ham fans with scarves covering their faces, baseball hats and skinheads, just waiting for a fight on a corner. No one around me was wearing any colours yet they were waiting there like lions. As soon as we got anywhere near them, they started moving towards us. One lad was tying his shoe lace and looked up at my mate and said, "You checkin' in lads?".
3 of us ran off but had bottles thrown at us and we were chased. A few were caught as I mentioned above, with one Bolton fan pushed to the ground and then volleyed in the jaw. I heard his jaw break as I ran off. Luckily my two mates and I got away but as I turned round, there were about 30/40 people just in a mass brawl.
Sickening and put a serious downer on the best away game I've been to in years.

[StanDrews]

I can only add my own apologies for the actions of those responsible for violence, and best wishes to any injured.

Back to the football.

Well done, Wanderers. I decided before the sei-final draw was made that I had to be rooting for Bolton, and once I heard that you had drawn Stoke City, it confirmed it for me. The prospect of Pulis's brand of "football" reaching the FA Cup final, to be watched by millions of people all around the world as the showpiece of English football is too frightening to consider.

Apart from that, most supporters are happy to see the team that beat them go on and do well - it sort of justifies the loss.

A word of advice, with good intentions: try not to overplay the Nat Lofthouse connection, because it is the sort of thing that can eventually grate a little with opposition and neutral fans. The man was legend, but he was also one of the most quiet and unassuming gentlemen ever to play the game, so I'm not sure that he would have been comfortable with excessive references to him.

[P.O.S.]

Just to extend my story... we were walking down the road towards about 20/25 B'ham fans with scarves covering their faces, baseball hats and skinheads, just waiting for a fight on a corner. No one around me was wearing any colours yet they were waiting there like lions. As soon as we got anywhere near them, they started moving towards us. One lad was tying his shoe lace and looked up at my mate and said, "You checkin' in lads?".
3 of us ran off but had bottles thrown at us and we were chased. A few were caught as I mentioned above, with one Bolton fan pushed to the ground and then volleyed in the jaw. I heard his jaw break as I ran off. Luckily my two mates and I got away but as I turned round, there were about 30/40 people just in a mass brawl.
Sickening and put a serious downer on the best away game I've been to in years.

That's a horrible story, Im surprised there's been nothing in the news about something on that sort of scale.

As I said on a previous thread all I saw before the game was a small lot of fans from both sides goading eachother and then trying to organise a "meet" for after the game whilst walking from the Cricketers to the ground via that supermarket car park.

Makes me realise how lucky I was when walking back into the city centre after the game

[boltonboris]

I'm gutted that you can;t just wear your colours at a football game without getting a kick int he jaw! I was on the far right of the away stand close to the camera man.. Some banter was exchanged with the home fans and it all seemed a bit harmless and even jovial! Never thought it'd kick off as it supposedly did!

A thoroughly enjoyable away day made even better from the fans that I came across (apart froma few cocks in the Cricketers arms, trying to threaten my fiancee at the bar, whilst I was having a slash) who were a decent bunch and very pleasant.

[TANGODANCER]

A word of advice, with good intentions: try not to overplay the Nat Lofthouse connection, because it is the sort of thing that can eventually grate a little with opposition and neutral fans. The man was legend, but he was also one of the most quiet and unassuming gentlemen ever to play the game, so I'm not sure that he would have been comfortable with excessive references to him.

Respectfully Stan, Stanley Mathews was a Stoke lad. When he passes on he'll be well remembered there, but to the people of Bolton Nat wasn't just born here, he lived and played all of his memorable career for Bolton. He stayed with the club until his health gave out. He was Bolton. He typified Bolton. This year, very sadly, he died. How can we not try to do this in his memory? "Do it for Nat" has become the rallying call and, although time will undoubtedly fade his memory somewhat, this is Nat's year . Quiet and unassuming he certainly was, but the pople of our town will honour him whoever it grates with. Such was the man, such are the people of Bolton.

[hisroyalgingerness]

Find that Lofthouse comment strange, to be frank. Not sure what it's got to do with the price of chips?

[boltonboris]

I think Stan has a point.. As nice as it is to remember him (which we should do during this fabulous run), I don't want us get all 'Scouse' about it...

[Zulus Thousand of em]

Respectfully Stan, Stanley Mathews was a Stoke lad. When he passes on he'll be well remembered there, but to the people of Bolton Nat wasn't just born here, he lived and played all of his memorable career for Bolton. He stayed with the club until his health gave out. He was Bolton. He typified Bolton. This year, very sadly, he died. How can we not try to do this in his memory? "Do it for Nat" has become the rallying call and, although time will undoubtedly fade his memory somewhat, this is Nat's year . Quiet and unassuming he certainly was, but the pople of our town will honour him whoever it grates with. Such was the man, such are the people of Bolton.

I guess you must have missed it TD, but Sir Stanley Matthews shuffled off this mortal coil on 23 February 2000.

[BWFC_Insane]

I think there is a danger that we as fans and the players and club as a whole become so wrapped up in the "win it for Nat" thing that Stoke come and do their usual party pooping act and go and beat us.

I think that warning is right. If we keep banging on about destiny and Nat we're only likely to fire up Stoke more and Pulis and his lot don't need much "firing up".

Ironically the 58 final is a good lesson and case in point here!

[TANGODANCER]

I guess you must have missed it TD, but Sir Stanley Matthews shuffled off this mortal coil on 23 February 2000.

Shxt, yes. I completely forgot Zulu. Memory definitely not what it used to be.

[bobo the clown]

As I came out there was a shallow gathering of tough-guy acting youths singing "Where's your famous Zulu crew" to try and goad the passing Brum fans. If anyone did get a slap then hopefully it'll have been this shower of embarrassing wankers.

Yup, 100% ... the "hold me back, hold me back .... for fcks sake, hold me back ... !!" gits.

Sometimes you actually would like the rozzers to let them go. Then we'd see who's got bottle.

Tosspots.