Smackems v The Trotters

[TANGODANCER]

Game over Mackems, move on back up there. If Bruce is a good manager and Sunderland are a good side I'll come on your forum at season's end when that's proven and congratulate you.
We have other games to think about. Good luck against United....

[a1]

i dont get why certain sunderland fans think because a team has x number of fans less than them should be x certain place in the league behind them.

if you did that, wouldnt they be behind newcastle all the time ?

.. in somethin' like 10th and never ever qualifying for europe ?

forever ?

[Lord Kangana]

I've been to Sunderland away several times. I'm just trying to place the season you talk about, I might have been there.

You say it was a shit season. Are there any other features that might distinguish it a bit more from all the rest you have had?

yeah... was it the shit season when we had a tedious 0-0 draw?

Or the shit season when JJ taught them more about football in 45 mins than they'd seen in their team since the 1950s?

Or the shit season we had them on toast 4-1 in Elmander's last purple patch?

So many shit seasons to choose from... Still, massive club...

I remember us giving them a lesson in football at Roker around Christmas 94/95. We pissed all over them just couldn't finish them off, and one of the 7 players called Gray in their team scored from a cross that the wind got hold of and dropped into the far corner past a despairing Branagan. 1-1. Theres absolutley no justice in footbal that it wasn't at least 1-7.

We even did the conga on their terrace. And I left my flask.

The home end was full though. So a moral victory to them then.

[William the White]

I've been to Sunderland away several times. I'm just trying to place the season you talk about, I might have been there.

You say it was a shit season. Are there any other features that might distinguish it a bit more from all the rest you have had?

yeah... was it the shit season when we had a tedious 0-0 draw?

Or the shit season when JJ taught them more about football in 45 mins than they'd seen in their team since the 1950s?

Or the shit season we had them on toast 4-1 in Elmander's last purple patch?

So many shit seasons to choose from... Still, massive club...

I remember us giving them a lesson in football at Roker around Christmas 94/95. We pissed all over them just couldn't finish them off, and one of the 7 players called Gray in their team scored from a cross that the wind got hold of and dropped into the far corner past a despairing Branagan. 1-1. Theres absolutley no justice in footbal that it wasn't at least 1-7.

We even did the conga on their terrace. And I left my flask.

The home end was full though. So a moral victory to them then.

Yeah, I was there that day - was it Scott Green scored ours? Roker was such a feckin palace n all...

[seanworth]

I think the main reason they go on about attendance is that it is the only thing for them to brag about. Let's face it they haven't accomplished much for a long time. Last season in the 2nd half they started to turn things around a bit, and this season are starting to play some good football, although I hope the flopping around like some circus seal act doesn't continue. If they keep improving they may be able to move on from the attendance fixation and boast about some real accomplishments. Right now though they have only just moved ahead of us in the table. Whether Bruce will stay is another matter though.

[Lofthouse Lower]

I should think they would be 6th, considering the many many millions that they've spent. Amazing though that their ground is so empty, only 70% full. Shocking, really, especially when a small club like ours managed to get 85% for the last home one.

[youwhat]

I should think they would be 6th, considering the many many millions that they've spent. Amazing though that their ground is so empty, only 70% full. Shocking, really, especially when a small club like ours managed to get 85% for the last home one.

You haven't really thought about this one before posting have you?

Your last game was a local derby which attracted around 5,000 travelling Blackburn Rovers fans. Really, you should have sold out. On Saturday, Bolton managed to muster up around 300, it doesn't exatcly help us does it?

Providing the away end is even remotely full (3,000 - should be expected in this league), our attendance would have been around 40,000 which is quite fantastic considering the game was live on telly at 12:45 and so close to Christmas.

[Lord Kangana]

Oh jesus.

Re-read that last sentence.

F*ck sake, wheres the Turks.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Even at 40,000 you'd still be 20% short, which considering your catchment area and massive heritage etc must be a disappointment to you.

[ratbert]

http://www.the-wanderer.co.uk/bolton/its-snow-joke" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Attendance petty squabbles aside a moment; here's ginge's match report.

[Lofthouse Lower]

From the Grauniad

Bolton Wanderers lost a game of football on Saturday. Remarkably the world is still spinning on its axis. So they lost to Sunderland? Fair enough. Sunderland are a fine side, especially at home. Perhaps Owen Coyle might fret that Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies are both without a goal since 20 November. OK, that's slight cause for concern, but Elmander has eight goals already this season. He'll fancy his chances when West Brom visit on Boxing Day. No need to worry and it would be churlish to criticise him. Their supporters, too, will probably grumble about Ivan Klasnic's meltdown when presented with a glorious opportunity to equalise in stoppage time. Big deal. It happens, and he's rescued Bolton on more than one occasion. Sometimes the desire to analyse a football match to within an inch of its life cannot be justified; a defeat can be acceptable.

Context shapes our take on such matters. If, for example, this was Bolton's fifth defeat in a row and left them bottom of the table, legitimate questions would have to be asked. However, trumping most people's pre-season expectations, they will be seventh on Christmas Day, above Liverpool, Aston Villa and Everton. It is difficult to find reasons to be negative. If this all sounds gratuitously glib, banal even, that's because football is sometimes precisely that. This is not a snippy comment on the tedium of the Premier League. After all, Bolton were not atrocious on Saturday, just slightly off their game and denied a point by one of the saves of the season from Craig Gordon. Sometimes a minor setback really is worth nothing more than a casual shrug of the shoulders.

[seanworth]

Oh jesus.

Re-read that last sentence.

F*ck sake, wheres the Turks.

Surprised he didn't add the weather conditions to further back up his argument.
Almost too funny.

[BwfcDan]

I should think they would be 6th, considering the many many millions that they've spent. Amazing though that their ground is so empty, only 70% full. Shocking, really, especially when a small club like ours managed to get 85% for the last home one.

You haven't really thought about this one before posting have you?

Your last game was a local derby which attracted around 5,000 travelling Blackburn Rovers fans. Really, you should have sold out. On Saturday, Bolton managed to muster up around 300, it doesn't exatcly help us does it?

Providing the away end is even remotely full (3,000 - should be expected in this league), our attendance would have been around 40,000 which is quite fantastic considering the game was live on telly at 12:45 and so close to Christmas.

Is this a piss take

[HMX]

Lol'd at the '3,000 should be expected in this league'.

Didn't get the memo about this?

[as]

We can take 5k to Wiggin, and only a few hundred to Blunderland.

It says a lot about your 'club' that away fans just arern't interested in going to the SOL. Why bother with Sunderland when there are bigger games out there......

How many empty seats in the home end yesterday then? I could have swore your stadium was almost a quarter empty

Sod off back to Durham, whoppers.

[plymouth wanderer]

I should think they would be 6th, considering the many many millions that they've spent. Amazing though that their ground is so empty, only 70% full. Shocking, really, especially when a small club like ours managed to get 85% for the last home one.

You haven't really thought about this one before posting have you?

Your last game was a local derby which attracted around 5,000 travelling Blackburn Rovers fans. Really, you should have sold out. On Saturday, Bolton managed to muster up around 300, it doesn't exatcly help us does it?

Providing the away end is even remotely full (3,000 - should be expected in this league), our attendance would have been around 40,000 which is quite fantastic considering the game was live on telly at 12:45 and so close to Christmas.

bet you are wanking over the fought of takin thousands to c the rags

[Gary the Enfield]

Like the game on Saturday, Sunderland only just shade the 'better attendances'

S.O.L. capacity: 49000 Average attendance (this season) 38,342 which is 78.25% of capacity.

Reebok capacity: 28,723 Average attendance (this season) 22,359 which is 77.84% of capacity.

Considering we have, in the premiership alone, competition from Wigan, Blackburn, Blackpool, Everton, Man Utd, Man City and Liverpool whereas they have, um, Newcastle, I'd say any dick waving re: attendances is precarious to say the least.

[youwhat]

We can take 5k to Wiggin, and only a few hundred to Blunderland.

It says a lot about your 'club' that away fans just arern't interested in going to the SOL. Why bother with Sunderland when there are bigger games out there......

How many empty seats in the home end yesterday then? I could have swore your stadium was almost a quarter empty

Actually I think it says a lot more about you as a supporter. I don't go to see a new stadium/opposition team, I go to support my side.

Which is basically what the Reebock has been like since it opened. How many sell-outs have you had??? And this could only be achieved by offering 5,000 away tickets.

[Lord Kangana]

I'm interested now. How many sell outs have we had youwhat?

[BwfcDan]

We can take 5k to Wiggin, and only a few hundred to Blunderland.

It says a lot about your 'club' that away fans just arern't interested in going to the SOL. Why bother with Sunderland when there are bigger games out there......

How many empty seats in the home end yesterday then? I could have swore your stadium was almost a quarter empty

Actually I think it says a lot more about you as a supporter. I don't go to see a new stadium/opposition team, I go to support my side.

Which is basically what the Reebock has been like since it opened. How many sell-outs have you had??? And this could only be achieved by offering 5,000 away tickets.

Show's you know feck all about Bolton now go home...