Thoughts going forward?

[Enoch]

We are the one and only.

COYWM!

[BWFC_Insane]

Might as well go support Chorley. Whatever a new club is called, or wherever it is based, it wouldn't be Wanderers. For me it'd be the equivalent of a Disney club.

Yep. If we disappeared I’d give football up I think.

I disagree. Same fans (minus a lot obviously), same town and probably the same stadium. What else are they going to do with it?
A football club's identity is not decided in Companies House. Does anyone really think Rangers ceased to exist in 2012 and that the current entity is an entirely new club?
It would be a disaster if it happened, but what happened next would be an adventure and one I'd embrace.

Rangers is off cited. But somewhat different. Rules in Scotland more favourable. A club that was always going to be bought lock stock in liquidation. Bolton though - have a valuable asset in the stadium. That potentially will price it out of the reach of someone buying a Northern Premier League club.

I also think the town is generally less supportive than Glasgow is of its football clubs.

[LeverEnd]

Might as well go support Chorley. Whatever a new club is called, or wherever it is based, it wouldn't be Wanderers. For me it'd be the equivalent of a Disney club.

Yep. If we disappeared I’d give football up I think.

I disagree. Same fans (minus a lot obviously), same town and probably the same stadium. What else are they going to do with it?
A football club's identity is not decided in Companies House. Does anyone really think Rangers ceased to exist in 2012 and that the current entity is an entirely new club?
It would be a disaster if it happened, but what happened next would be an adventure and one I'd embrace.

Rangers is off cited. But somewhat different. Rules in Scotland more favourable. A club that was always going to be bought lock stock in liquidation. Bolton though - have a valuable asset in the stadium. That potentially will price it out of the reach of someone buying a Northern Premier League club.

I also think the town is generally less supportive than Glasgow is of its football clubs.

Quite true about Rangers. Not meant as a direct like for like comparison. If we were liquidated there would almost certainly be a new incarnation playing at that stadium and whatever the PLC letters and legal standing it would still be Bolton Wanderers for me.

I also think for size and safety reasons we wouldn't be starting too far down the non-league ladder.

Doesn't look like it will come to that anyway, even with Ken still playing silly buggers.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

When a phoenix club makes its case to restart down the pyramid, it must cause an interesting dance among the leagues and clubs. If a sizeable 'name' had to restart, you'd imagine clubs in (say) the Conference - or as it's now called, the National League, which sadly sounds like a splinter group on a far-right march - would fancy the matchday revenue and perhaps profile-raising interest; however, they may have to vote out one of their own in order to accept the newcomer. Guess it depends on league rules.

[LeverEnd]

When a phoenix club makes its case to restart down the pyramid, it must cause an interesting dance among the leagues and clubs. If a sizeable 'name' had to restart, you'd imagine clubs in (say) the Conference - or as it's now called, the National League, which sadly sounds like a splinter group on a far-right march - would fancy the matchday revenue and perhaps profile-raising interest; however, they may have to vote out one of their own in order to accept the newcomer. Guess it depends on league rules.

I'd have thought the fairest way would be to promote an extra club in each of the inbetween divisions, however I doubt it would be that simple.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

When a phoenix club makes its case to restart down the pyramid, it must cause an interesting dance among the leagues and clubs. If a sizeable 'name' had to restart, you'd imagine clubs in (say) the Conference - or as it's now called, the National League, which sadly sounds like a splinter group on a far-right march - would fancy the matchday revenue and perhaps profile-raising interest; however, they may have to vote out one of their own in order to accept the newcomer. Guess it depends on league rules.

I'd have thought the fairest way would be to promote an extra club in each of the inbetween divisions, however I doubt it would be that simple.

I was talking about which division a new club gets to start in, before we even get to the balancing act.

There's simply no precedent for a club above the bottom tier of the Football League going out of business and leaving. It's simply never happened. Accrington chose to leave the league in summer 1893 after being relegated from the top tier (of two), but that didn't require multidivisional rejiggery: the League simply sent an invitation to a new team called Liverpool.

The simplest thing to do in a way would also be the untidiest. Just have two teams relegated from the Champo, which would thus have 25 teams next season while League One had 23 (with the numbers evened up at the end of 2019/20, with an extra relegation place - or one fewer promotion place - announced well in advance so nobody could carp). Obviously that brings final-day problems but otherwise you're just promoting various extra teams (one from L1 to Champo, one from L2 to L1, one from National to L1, where does it end?) in an entirely arbitrary way.

Not that it matters now, hopefully.

[Super Dave]

You'll be going into League one with an average attendance of what? 14000? That will be the biggest attendance in that league. That's still a valuable franchise. Someone will pick the club up and hopefully have a CVA with the creditors. You just have to cross your fingers and hope that someone has the club's interest at heart.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

You'll be going into League one with an average attendance of what? 14000? That will be the biggest attendance in that league. That's still a valuable franchise. Someone will pick the club up and hopefully have a CVA with the creditors. You just have to cross your fingers and hope that someone has the club's interest at heart.

14000?
You've got to be joking. Average home attendance next year will not be above 12,000. Still vast, like Mongol hordes compared to most of Ligue Uno, but let's keep a decent sense of proportion here.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

You'll be going into League one with an average attendance of what? 14000? That will be the biggest attendance in that league.

Excellent research or guess. Last time (2016/17), apart from the odd game with near-zero away following (McDons, Millwall, Cov), we seemed to have a steady 13,500 core, swelling towards 17/20k for the bigger/derby games. We've been up and down a lot over the last 40 years and traditionally our attendances have held up strongly for the first season post-relegation.

They do tail off a bit thereafter though, and it's worth noting that in 2016/17 season we won our first four games so it was quickly pegged as a promotion chase. I suspect and fear this term will be different: not only will we be hobbled with at least -12pts (automatic admin punishment, with more potentially to follow for not fulfilling fixtures) we're also going to be playing serious catch-up in squad terms - we only have about six players contracted, and even they will legally be entitled to leave after serial non-payment. Admin might take six weeks, by which time most half-decent players will be tied down. Oh and we may well be in embargo which would prohibit the payment of transfer fees, even if we're owned by a consortium of sheikhs, King Midas and the Queen of Sheba.

But, y'know, as long as there's a badge to kiss, we'll be there.

Thanks for coming by. I don't mind Leeds - that's the 1992 title race for you, and I married a Leeds lass. Yes, you have some idiots following you, but that's the Oasis Principle, as explained by Noel Gallagher: "When you get to a certain level of popularity, it's bound to include some knobheads."

Good luck.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

For the record, three L1 teams averaged about 14k this term. One of them was relegated, two are in the playoffs. Nobody promoted from L2 would trouble the mid-teens, and nor will Rotherham, but Ipswich might (17k this season, more than us).

[Super Dave]

What's your academy like? Has your youth setup weathered the storm?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

What's your academy like? Has your youth setup weathered the storm?

U23s won the league last season (2017/18), although it's rigidly proscribed these days so in effect it was the second division (north) because we can't afford to be in the top division. (Literally: you have to be Category One, which legislates a certain level of investment.) This season they're midtable.

We do have decent kids, but some of them are leaving, which is fair enough. This season's top scorer Luca Navarro has already started playing for Hull U23s on trial. Last season's, Connor Hall, hasn't yet made the step up to seniors (six months loaned to Accy, no goals). This year's brightest thing, Luca Connell, got some first team games at age 17 but is out of contract and understandably hasn't yet signed on again.

We seem to have a loyal bunch and a well-run academy but it's a big old jump. Especially if we haemorrhage players in this period of uncertainty (many contracts elapse each summer).