Wigan

[AbrahM]

I don't know how you can call the championship boring. Last season at we had some absolutely brilliant games, much more exciting than being tonked 5-0 by United. Don't get me wrong, of course I'd rather be in the Premier league but last season for me was possibly the most exciting since we were in europe. You say the championship is boring because of the poor quality but i think that's why it's good, because it makes it unpredictable. Look at Peterborough beating Cardiff twice last season.

[Burnden Paddock]

Nah. Watching Bolton play well, score, win etc is exciting whatever division we're playing in. I don't need the razzamatazz or the tv cameras to make it any better.

<Picks Bovril back up and shakes head>

Harry: "Back in the good old days when I was a lad we didn't have no telly anyway, we had the wireless..."

There were 2 games on Match of the day on Saturday and that was it. None of this highlights or goals from other matches nonsense. If you were lucky you were on regional telly on Sunday. Again, 2 matches and perhaps goals from one more if you were lucky.

If you wanted live coverage - yes, you put the bloody wireless on. The drama when you heard the jingles "It's a goal" and you prayed it was for us, or when you heard "Oh no" and you prayed it was for Utd.

Were we any worse off? Nah

Bloody hell Harry, that takes me back. Also, 'Goal action on 206'!

Not forgetting the European Soccer Special nights on Radio 2! 5 Live? Pah! Remember the music, but can't find a recording of it.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

If you wanted live coverage - yes, you put the bloody wireless on. The drama when you heard the jingles "It's a goal" and you prayed it was for us, or when you heard "Oh no" and you prayed it was for Utd.

Absolutely perfectly put.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I'm probably the archetypal fan that the Bovril drinking "back in my day" types detest, but I'd much rather be in the Premier League than the Championship. It makes a big difference to me. I like being a supporter of a big club and when you're in the Premier League, that's what you are, even if it's a team near the bottom of the league. As soon as a Premier League club drops a level, they become irrelevant overnight and the only thing worth hoping for is promotion.

Supporting a Premier League team is exciting. You have the constant media attention, you see great players on a weekly basis, your club is in a position to attract genuine quality, the atmosphere is better...everything is improved. Bolton are Bolton and I'd support the club whichever league we're in but the Championship cannot compare for me. It's a depressing, dull league with a remarkable lack of talent within it.

I'm with you on this, Joe, though for different reasons. When Bolton is in the Premier League I get to see them on TV fairly regularly. In the championship I rely on infrequent and dodgy streams supplemented by Radio Tango (on 208 metres).

[bobo the clown]

In the championship I rely on infrequent and dodgy streams supplemented by Radio Tango.

... oh no. You'll upset the streaming guy again !!

[89bwfc89]

I don't know how you can call the championship boring. Last season at we had some absolutely brilliant games, much more exciting than being tonked 5-0 by United. Don't get me wrong, of course I'd rather be in the Premier league but last season for me was possibly the most exciting since we were in europe. You say the championship is boring because of the poor quality but i think that's why it's good, because it makes it unpredictable. Look at Peterborough beating Cardiff twice last season.

Completely agree. We went from near relegation to near play offs in a number of matches. That wasn't dull or boring!

[Worthy4England]

We are 15th in the championship, 3 points behind Wigan.

We have our own Coyle in a suit to worry about.

Correct, that we have our own worries.

Wanting to check whether that clueless cnut if fcking up another football club though, isn't mutually exclusive of our worries. I can check whether that's happening and laugh when it does, at the same time as worrying about where we're at. It's not "one or the other".

[Worthy4England]

Yes it's great to see the best players but when they're all wearing different colour kits to yours it does become a bit of a chore.

I can't see the likes of Youri, Campo, Stelios, Joof, Speedo, JJ, Hierro, Anelka - etc. etc. coming to a Championship club anytime soon. Whilst it's good to see the best players in different colours too, it was also good to see some wearing ours.

[Bruce Rioja]

I'm probably the archetypal fan that the Bovril drinking "back in my day" types detest, but I'd much rather be in the Premier League than the Championship. It makes a big difference to me. I like being a supporter of a big club and when you're in the Premier League, that's what you are, even if it's a team near the bottom of the league. As soon as a Premier League club drops a level, they become irrelevant overnight and the only thing worth hoping for is promotion.

Supporting a Premier League team is exciting. You have the constant media attention, you see great players on a weekly basis, your club is in a position to attract genuine quality, the atmosphere is better...everything is improved. Bolton are Bolton and I'd support the club whichever league we're in but the Championship cannot compare for me. It's a depressing, dull league with a remarkable lack of talent within it.

Frazier - Firstly, let's put the silliness to one side and strike up some genuine chat. Do you mind me asking how old you are? Genuine question. I find it interesting that different age groups have different levels of expectation and have different perceptions as to where the club lies in the great scheme of footballing things.

[LeverEnd]

In the championship I rely on infrequent and dodgy streams supplemented by Radio Tango.

... oh no. You'll upset the streaming guy again !!

Yes Monty, stop stealing Bobo's thunder. He wants to get banned from accessing the streaming site to add to his list of pubs and bakeries.

[LeverEnd]

I don't know how you can call the championship boring. Last season at we had some absolutely brilliant games, much more exciting than being tonked 5-0 by United. Don't get me wrong, of course I'd rather be in the Premier league but last season for me was possibly the most exciting since we were in europe. You say the championship is boring because of the poor quality but i think that's why it's good, because it makes it unpredictable. Look at Peterborough beating Cardiff twice last season.

I agree, that run we had wasn't great in terms of footballing quality, but there was a genuine excitement at something building up there, beats a petering out lower mid-table season in the Prem for me. I'd love to see us back up there, but I'd want us to have a go at winning a cup not just aim for 4th bottom. Interesting question by Bruce as to age. At what point did a section of fans start becoming terrace accountants and taking this pragmatic approach? I'm 38 Bruce so I'd say younger than me as for me it's all about aiming for a bit of glory and to hell with the consequences. I'd guess SF is early 30s, might be wrong. Let's have a sweep!

As for the comment about Campo, Hierro, Okocha etc, can't see us getting players like that again whether we are in the Premier League or not. It was great that we had them.

[TKIZ!]

I'm probably the archetypal fan that the Bovril drinking "back in my day" types detest, but I'd much rather be in the Premier League than the Championship. It makes a big difference to me. I like being a supporter of a big club and when you're in the Premier League, that's what you are, even if it's a team near the bottom of the league. As soon as a Premier League club drops a level, they become irrelevant overnight and the only thing worth hoping for is promotion.

Supporting a Premier League team is exciting. You have the constant media attention, you see great players on a weekly basis, your club is in a position to attract genuine quality, the atmosphere is better...everything is improved. Bolton are Bolton and I'd support the club whichever league we're in but the Championship cannot compare for me. It's a depressing, dull league with a remarkable lack of talent within it.

Frazier - Firstly, let's put the silliness to one side and strike up some genuine chat. Do you mind me asking how old you are? Genuine question. I find it interesting that different age groups have different levels of expectation and have different perceptions as to where the club lies in the great scheme of footballing things.

Completely unrelated but I really like that avatar of yours, BR

[TKIZ!]

I don't know how you can call the championship boring. Last season at we had some absolutely brilliant games, much more exciting than being tonked 5-0 by United. Don't get me wrong, of course I'd rather be in the Premier league but last season for me was possibly the most exciting since we were in europe. You say the championship is boring because of the poor quality but i think that's why it's good, because it makes it unpredictable. Look at Peterborough beating Cardiff twice last season.

I agree, that run we had wasn't great in terms of footballing quality, but there was a genuine excitement at something building up there, beats a petering out lower mid-table season in the Prem for me. I'd love to see us back up there, but I'd want us to have a go at winning a cup not just aim for 4th bottom. Interesting question by Bruce as to age. At what point did a section of fans start becoming terrace accountants and taking this pragmatic approach? I'm 38 Bruce so I'd say younger than me as for me it's all about aiming for a bit of glory and to hell with the consequences. I'd guess SF is early 30s, might be wrong. Let's have a sweep!

As for the comment about Campo, Hierro, Okocha etc, can't see us getting players like that again whether we are in the Premier League or not. It was great that we had them.

I'm 36 and whilst I enjoyed being in the Premier League nothing will ever compare to watching us under Neal, Rioch and Todd because it was a completely different feeling in the club back then

[bobo the clown]

The problem is that disparaging the Premiership doesn't actual pan out in the long term as the 'excitement' of the Championship is that you want to do well, win games and progress to ..... well, to the premiership. The problem is that once there we can only look to consolidate and now and again surprise a few people.
The great team of 6-8 years ago was stunning and I dreM of another go at that but we will rarely reach thise heights ... let alone maintain it.

The most exciting times for me have been the great teams we built to challenge for promotion. Greaves team, Rioch's, Todds, Allardyce's all-star team.was exceptional.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I'm probably the archetypal fan that the Bovril drinking "back in my day" types detest, but I'd much rather be in the Premier League than the Championship. It makes a big difference to me. I like being a supporter of a big club and when you're in the Premier League, that's what you are, even if it's a team near the bottom of the league. As soon as a Premier League club drops a level, they become irrelevant overnight and the only thing worth hoping for is promotion.

Supporting a Premier League team is exciting. You have the constant media attention, you see great players on a weekly basis, your club is in a position to attract genuine quality, the atmosphere is better...everything is improved. Bolton are Bolton and I'd support the club whichever league we're in but the Championship cannot compare for me. It's a depressing, dull league with a remarkable lack of talent within it.

Please don't take this as a dig, or that I'm having a go at you, because it isn't meant that way. But...

The other day on here I posted about these days football is a product and fans were becoming customers/consumers rather than fans in the original sense (as I remember it). The reasons you give are valid and there is nothing wrong with them per se, I am just sad about them.

It seems today's customer (fan) is as much bothered about the limelight, attention and money in the game as the football itself. The life of football has had all the joy sucked out of it. Column inches and which slot on Match of the Day we get consume more of our thoughts than the football itself. Customers seem to get more excited at the prospect of a wealthy Arab taking over the club than a new prospect rising through the ranks. But worst of all the average football customer seems to look for the negatives before trying to find any positives (not directed at you Frazier btw).

It has felt far far shitter and depressing the last 5 seasons or so than even the dark days of 3/4th division. That isn't to say it has been shitter, just the life has been sucked out of football. In my opinion that is because it is a product now.

[thebish]

^ agree - and add that all of this is made to seem worse because of the simple fact that you have also grown up since the 3/4th division days - so have I - you are not the same person you were back then - other stuff in your life has put football into a different perspective... those days couldn't be recreated with you at this age even if a magic wand were waved to de-productify the game...

[Worthy4England]

The problem is that disparaging the Premiership doesn't actual pan out in the long term as the 'excitement' of the Championship is that you want to do well, win games and progress to ..... well, to the premiership. The problem is that once there we can only look to consolidate and now and again surprise a few people.
The great team of 6-8 years ago was stunning and I dreM of another go at that but we will rarely reach thise heights ... let alone maintain it.

The most exciting times for me have been the great teams we built to challenge for promotion. Greaves team, Rioch's, Todds, Allardyce's all-star team.was exceptional.

I do think we have fairly self evidently been conditioned to move our focus from season to match. What I mean by that, is as a youngster, when the Greaves team got promoted, there were other teams that weren't necessarily the big spenders, that could actually win the League. The top 3 the year we went up were Liverpool, Notts Forest and West Brom. Arsenal finished 7th, Utd 9th, Spurs 11th, City 15th and Chelsea last. That's how big, the "big 4" were back in the day. So when we went up, and I was only a kid, I genuinely thought we could win the bloody thing.

Nowadays, I have no thoughts of winning anything other than matches - and celebrate them (occasionally in some style ). I think some thought when we went down, that maybe we could dream of winning "a league" again, but that's fairly self evidently tougher than it might have appeared at the time, even one division down.

So I find myself thinking about winning matches, rather than Leagues again, but one divison lower and with much less skill on show on either side and even less hope of winning this mythical "Cup" - it's more likely that the next one we bag is the Johnstone's Paint Trophy than the FA Cup.

My point about Hierro, Campo etc. might have been badly made, but there were plenty of players we had below that "tier" that were way better than what we have now and to concur with Frazier (gulp), what I want to see it the top of the sport with my Club in it. Let's face it, if we were playing Salford Sunday, I'd stop watching (although I can and have stretched to the old 4th Division )...

[thebish]

^ {scratches chin} hmmmm... I think you might have something there...

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

^ agree - and add that all of this is made to seem worse because of the simple fact that you have also grown up since the 3/4th division days - so have I - you are not the same person you were back then - other stuff in your life has put football into a different perspective... those days couldn't be recreated with you at this age even if a magic wand were waved to de-productify the game...

Very true. Though it would be nice in my less-than-adult moments I could experience the sheer joy I experienced in football years gone by, rather than arguing who is the least crap central defender etc.

[CAPSLOCK]

I'm also generally agreeing with Frazier, so its not an age thing

It is all about getting as high up the leagues as we can

I also like the increased coverage that comes with being the whipping boys for the cash rich big clubs

However, where he is completely wrong is the bollocks about it being boring

I would say at this stage, I'm not a football fan - no BWFC, no interest for me

One good thing about being in this League is getting shut of the fair weather mob