If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

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If BWFC ceased to exist

Support another club (say who)
3
9%
Become a general football fan
4
12%
Wait for a new, spiritual successor club - a non-league start-up
13
39%
Take an active role in forming a spiritual successor
2
6%
Give up on football
9
27%
Other (specify)
2
6%
 
Total votes: 33

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by BWFC_Insane » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:09 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:45 am
Harry Genshaw wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:20 am
Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:17 am

In each game I watch I usually have a team I'd like to win, for one reason or other; they might be playing United, for instance, but I might also like their football (City, Liverpool, Spurs). And even within that there's a hierarchy of needs: although I like City, this season I want Liverpool to win the league more (because I want wider trophy distribution). If they do, maybe next year I'll want Spurs to win it, for the same reason (assuming there's no ceiling-smashing 'Leicester'). But whoever wins the league, I won't cry - and no, I won't wildly celebrate either, but that's OK too. I used to be massively invested in everything I did - football, music, politics, books, art, architecture, arguments - and wasted years wondering why people would be SO DAMN WRONG. Nowadays I find pleasingly mellow interest is a much healthier mindset.
A lad I used to play footy with was a huge football fan but didn't support any team which I found really odd. Being from Bolton he kept an eye on our results but he was just enthused with any side if they played good stuff or scored a great goal.

It saved him the hell of what I had to endure on Tuesday but then he's never experienced a Wilbraham moment, an Anfield, a late Ricketts winner at OT.

Surely it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved before? :conf:
There's quite a lot of folks (of a certain age), that used to watch more than one team (not necessarily "support"). A number of the old farts I go supping with, would watch City when they were at home (as City supporters), and if away & Bolton were at home, they'd trundle up to Burnden Park for a day out.

Back in the day - there used to be heroes in pretty much every team. Even in a poor team, you could pick out one or two. Nowadays, the ones that used to be spread around lower league teams are sat in Premier/Championship "squads" earning more money than they could if they were playing 1st team football elsewhere.
I think the average standard is so high and the game played at such a pace that it isn't the case that there aren't good players scattered about - but its more that few stand out in modern football.

I watched the Man Utd Barca game last night - and honestly at times it could have been a championship game. Barca kept the ball in patches but didn't threaten all that much. Their stars nullified in the main and Utd rarely if ever looked threatening as a result of worrying more about stopping the opposition.

Some of the best players in the world appeared on that pitch last night yet watching it, you wouldn't have been able to tell. Messi was extremely subdued.

I personally think the days of each team having a talent or two with 8/9 functional types only served to highlight the genius - the brilliance of a Le Tissier, a Worthington etc...generally shone because the rest they played with weren't all that great.

But the standard overall is higher now. That doesn't mean it produces attractive football or more entertainment. You think back to the 90's and David Lee/Tommo skinning full backs 5/6/7 times a game and getting crosses in - we scored so many that way. It just doesn't happen anymore, at any level. You're lucky if a winger goes past a full back once or twice a game. Not because IMO wingers are worse - but because the way teams set up and the quality of full backs means it just rarely happens. Even when it does, teams load the box defensively so well that the odds are against you scoring from a cross. Teams can have two midfield players in their own box then a few seconds later said players are halfway down the pitch. That just didn't happen even in the 90s!

As I say I don't think it necessarily makes for a better spectacle. But I still think the talents are there - they just shine less because football overall is more competitive.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:34 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:45 am
There's quite a lot of folks (of a certain age), that used to watch more than one team (not necessarily "support"). A number of the old farts I go supping with, would watch City when they were at home (as City supporters), and if away & Bolton were at home, they'd trundle up to Burnden Park for a day out.
That's an interesting point, too - this sort of thing appears to have gone by the wayside as football has become much more tribal. I was always surprised at how my Dad, without going anywhere bar Burnden, would root for all Lancashire teams (except United, obvz), whereas my generation tended to despise Bury and Wigan (and later Tranmere) more than, say, Reading. I daresay a thousand theses have been written upon the subject.

If I weren't watching Bolton, I'd miss the matchday experience enough to go maybe once a month. Within 10 miles of where I live (south-west London/Surrey borders) I could go watch Brentford play passing football in an old-school ground, or Fulham (goals galore!) in a quaint old place, or go to Kingsmeadow for Wimbledon's graft (or Chelsea Women), or tier-6 promotion-chasers Hampton & Richmond Borough, or lower non-league sides Walton Casuals or Corinthian-Casuals or Molesey (where the semi-pro footballer/glazer Alan Pardew once mended a window). If it was fun I might go again. It'll never be the same as even the worst BWFC game, but then that's because I haven't put the time in. I can't: it's quite possible I haven't got the same amount of time left.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Lost Leopard Spot » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:35 pm

I don't come from Bolton. I don't know Bolton. My family has no connection to Bolton. I live in a completely different county. As far as I'm concerned Bolton Wanderers do not have any tie to Bolton the town. I'm a Bolton Wanderers supporter because my granddad took me to Bolton Wanderers matches when I was a child. He did that because his grandfather took him.
How can you possibly 'replace' more than a hundred years of family tradition. Just not possible.
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by CrazyHorse » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:40 pm

So no one fancies rocking up as a United fan then?
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Gary the Enfield » Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:48 pm

CrazyHorse wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:40 pm
So no one fancies rocking up as a United fan then?
https://twitter.com/dipsMUFC/status/111 ... 56/photo/1

Don't think they want us. :D

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Worthy4England » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:00 pm

We're going to be in league 1 next season. I don't think the Messi analogy applies, aside from the fact he's supposed to be carrying an injury. Cup football, they came away with what they needed, without over exerting. Last time we were in League 1, we looked like a hoof-ball team because we were a hoof-ball team.

If I look across the Championship, there's plenty of talent (at much more expense than we currently have which is zero, so I'm not suggesting we could realistically compete as it stands) - it's certainly not all been nullified. There were some neat footballing sides in League 1 - which ultimately fell to our brand of hoof-ball.

What I'm suggesting is that we need to try and unearth just a little of it next season in League 1, rather than relying on Wheavers to score from set pieces. Last time out, Morais sorta came to the fore as "borderline exciting".

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:04 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:00 pm
Last time out, Morais sorta came to the fore as "borderline exciting".
Even he largely succeeded by weaponising set-pieces. How many of that run of assists were from open play? Not that I minded, or would mind now, but to echo a memory from up the thread, it wasn't Didsy roasting Mike Marsh at Anfield.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Harry Genshaw » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:05 pm

CrazyHorse wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:40 pm
So no one fancies rocking up as a United fan then?
Growing up in Walkden the schools were awash with Utd fans with the odd smattering of City, Liverpool and Bolton.

Kid who lived at the back of us once stood up in assembly and said "I want to grow up and play up front for Bolton like Frank Worthington" to much merriment.

Ten years later, late 80s, I bumped into him and asked if he still went to games. His reply "No, I'm a red now"

What an absolute tosser
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Worthy4England » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:27 pm

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:04 pm
Worthy4England wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:00 pm
Last time out, Morais sorta came to the fore as "borderline exciting".
Even he largely succeeded by weaponising set-pieces. How many of that run of assists were from open play? Not that I minded, or would mind now, but to echo a memory from up the thread, it wasn't Didsy roasting Mike Marsh at Anfield.
I'm not against us scoring from set pieces. I'll take as many gimmies as I can. But realistically we went up as a "functional defensive team" - it was great from a promotion perspective and about the only high point we've had for a while. But the whole thing was based around us only conceding 36 goals - and I'm not against a tight defence either.

I think you're maybe missing the point, if you believe I'm trying to suggest it was DL roasting Mike Marsh. I'm not. I'm just saying that not many players stood out and in the valley of the blind etc. If you weren't a Bolton supporter, you'd probably not have named too many of a team that got automatic promotion as being "stand-out" - the whole was better than the individual parts.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by jimbo » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:48 pm

Lost Leopard Spot wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 12:35 pm
I don't come from Bolton. I don't know Bolton. My family has no connection to Bolton. I live in a completely different county. As far as I'm concerned Bolton Wanderers do not have any tie to Bolton the town. I'm a Bolton Wanderers supporter because my granddad took me to Bolton Wanderers matches when I was a child. He did that because his grandfather took him.
How can you possibly 'replace' more than a hundred years of family tradition. Just not possible.
I’m similar in that I’ve never lived in the town, and just supported them because my dad always did (he was from Bolton) and took me regularly from being 4. Me moving further away and having to stop going coincided with relegation from the PL, and each year since I’ve gone to less and less games. I’ve now got my own boy, and another on the way, and always assumed I’d be taking them to the Reebok and they’d grow up as Bolton fans. As life has changed, going to the football has become less appealing. In the last 12 Months my own apathy has grown further, and if I’m honest I’ll probably just let them decide who they want to follow and support that decision and enjoy watching whoever makes them happy. We live between Leeds and York, and I can see myself being a regular at Elland Rd in years to come.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Thu Apr 11, 2019 3:08 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:27 pm
Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:04 pm
Worthy4England wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:00 pm
Last time out, Morais sorta came to the fore as "borderline exciting".
Even he largely succeeded by weaponising set-pieces. How many of that run of assists were from open play? Not that I minded, or would mind now, but to echo a memory from up the thread, it wasn't Didsy roasting Mike Marsh at Anfield.
I'm not against us scoring from set pieces. I'll take as many gimmies as I can. But realistically we went up as a "functional defensive team" - it was great from a promotion perspective and about the only high point we've had for a while. But the whole thing was based around us only conceding 36 goals - and I'm not against a tight defence either.

I think you're maybe missing the point, if you believe I'm trying to suggest it was DL roasting Mike Marsh. I'm not. I'm just saying that not many players stood out and in the valley of the blind etc. If you weren't a Bolton supporter, you'd probably not have named too many of a team that got automatic promotion as being "stand-out" - the whole was better than the individual parts.
No, fair enough - I was broadly agreeing with you. As the last part of your post implies, that was a nick-a-win team (which is, to be fair, credit to parts-assembler Parky), which is no bad thing - it's how Sam got us promoted, too. The promotion before that - now that was a fun season.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by TANGODANCER » Thu Apr 11, 2019 3:39 pm

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 3:08 pm


No, fair enough - I was broadly agreeing with you. As the last part of your post implies, that was a nick-a-win team (which is, to be fair, credit to parts-assembler Parky), which is no bad thing - it's how Sam got us promoted, too. The promotion before that - now that was a fun season.
Imagine how boring football would/will be, if every team was a Barcelona and the amount of talent became equalised team for team. Football would become robotized and all the initial individual talent disappear in a frenzy of "by the book" stuff . (It's already on the way via the amount of time defences spend passing the ball back and forth in a re-run of Italian league stuff of fifteen years ago) Only the purely individual stars prevent that even now. At he end of it all, only ball in net even matters (as our current season seems to prove) and how it gets there the least important bit in the long run. A really significant factor for me is the way we defend to a plan where other teams make sure we never get near their goal by hunting in three-packs . One shot on goal Tuesday was a fair indication of it. They, in comparison played pot-shots at will.
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Worthy4England » Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:46 pm

Fairly sure I used Rochdale and Morais for comparison purposes and never mentioned Barcelona, Messi nor the redshite that have been used for Internet binary comparison.

The odd dribble here n there, someone capable of double figures goals in League 1, the general ability to occasionally beat a defender (who are now all similar capability as Beckenbauer), the ability to hit 6 or 7 passes to someone in a white shirt without all 8 of them being across the back four.

Another "scrape up" following the same "style" will leave us fcuked yet again.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by TKIZ! » Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:21 pm

Being a Bolton fan has run in my family for years(from my grandfather, who witnessed the FA Cup wins in the 20's) so I don't really have much of a chance/choice. I love the club and will support them through thin, thin and thinner. I've committed to buying my old man and myself a season ticket for next season, regardless.

However, I do have a 2nd side. It's been through my other half, I've mentioned it here before. She's a Gooner, has been all her life. They do play some really good stuff and I don't mind watching them on TV.

But, they would never, ever replace my team. They can't. My dad would be shamed. It's what we connect most over and what we will continue to connect over. Even through all the mess at the club at the moment
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by TonyDomingos » Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:33 pm

I've found this thread really interesting. I too have no connection to Bolton (the town). Despite that, I've been a die hard supporter for almost 50 years coz of my dad & granddad, although neither came from Bolton.

In my youth, me & my dad were going to 30 games a season, but these days, I only go to the London games (where I've lived for 30 years).
I've only ever seen one game at the Reebok when we beat QPR 2-1 in August 1999 (even then, I was in the away end with my QPR mate).

But, at QPR (away) a couple of weeks ago, when we scored, I was leaping up and down like a loon (I'm 55 next month). DSB and I probably had a bit of a hug for the second. Both of us had certainly lost our voices by the final whistle (does anyone else know that "we are the one and only Wanderers" song?). I left the ground with a slightly floaty feeling and a big grin on my (rather lovely, if I do say so myself) fizzog. Mrs Domingos would definitely tell you I was less grumpy than usual that evening.

Although I very much enjoy going to my local non-league club, it's a social thing as much as anything else. At the end of the day, I'm "Wanderers 'til I die" and that's the way it will be until one of us is no more. Let's see what happens ....
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Prufrock » Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:55 pm

Big part for me is living down here with a relatively posh set of in-laws, little Tarquin is going to need some roots in the North. Got a mate from Rochdale (Rag fan unfortunately) in the same position who I've got an agreement in principle re: Northern Kibbutz, but the little feck* is going to need to learn about disappointment so he or she is doing to need to be indoctrinated.
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by TonyDomingos » Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:15 pm

Prufrock wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:55 pm
Big part for me is living down here with a relatively posh set of in-laws, little Tarquin is going to need some roots in the North. Got a mate from Rochdale (Rag fan unfortunately) in the same position who I've got an agreement in principle re: Northern Kibbutz, but the little feck* is going to need to learn about disappointment so he or she is doing to need to be indoctrinated.

Soz, but it ain't gonna happen. Tarquin (or Tarquina) is going to be a cockney type
My 8 yo daughter constantly tells me that "you don't talk like me and mummy". :lol:
Às armas, às armas!
Sobre a terra, sobre o mar,
Às armas, às armas!
Pela Pátria lutar!
Contra os canhões marchar, marchar!

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Enoch » Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:19 pm

TonyDomingos wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:15 pm
Soz, but it ain't gonna happen. Tarquin (or Tarquina) is going to be a cockney type
'tis true me ol' cock sparra.

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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by Harry Genshaw » Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:32 pm

About 15-20 years back I started to watch Leigh RMI when Wanderers were away or weren't playing. The wife and father in law came along too and we picked a good time. RMI were about to get promoted to the conference and then held their own there for a while. The games were exciting, they had some decent players there (including ex Premier league & soon to be at HM's pleasure Mark Ward) & we even travelled to a few away games too.

It would never have replaced the Wanderers though and when the fixtures were less kind we stopped going. Our last game was a 0-4 home defeat & perhaps highlighted the difference. At Wanderers we'll sulk after a heavy defeat and then turn up the week after. It's a pleasant enough experience watching your 2nd team win and/or play well but who's going to stick with their 2nd team losing heavily every week? Not feckin me!
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Re: If Bolton Wanderers imploded tomorrow...

Post by TANGODANCER » Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:06 pm

Born and bred Boltonion right back to the halcyon days of the Green Final, The Buff and dashing home to catch Sports Report and hear about Hamilton Academicals, Stirling Albion and Queen of the South etc (I occasionally go back in time for "Bolton Wanderers Nil), I can't even envisage why I'd support anyone else but Bolton. I'll be 80 in September and don't go live anymore, so I'll stay a radio ventriloquist and just bear the pain. :D
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