A letter to Owen Coyle

[ralphwrightforengland]

The following was sent to Phil Gartside, he responded within a minute.



Sent: 19 April 2011 12:50
To: Phil Gartside
Subject: My trip to Wembley



Phil,



I write this summary of events, in the hope that it may actually reach the ears of Owen and our beloved players, because whilst we the fans are shellshocked about Sunday, we are also very proud of our Club and of the team for giving us a day at Wembley in the first place.





Week ending 17/04/2011



The week has been surreal, I have done virtually no work all week. I have flipped between football forums, been helping fellow supporters to find tickets from others who have spares, organised my parking at the Stadium. We have engaged in banter with the Stokies, winding each other up about famous fans and who has which pubs. It is like the approach of your Wedding Day, so many things to plan, so much excitement and anticipation, so much expense that we can't really afford but are willing to take the plunge for. I truly feel like a 5 year old with Christmas Day approaching.



Friday arrives and all of my emotions are heightened even further, we visit the club shop and buy jesters hats for the kids, Wembley T shirts for the Kids, even my wife who wouldn't normally be seen dead in football regalia buys herself a T Shirt. I can't wait any longer, the flags are attached to the car and the drive home fills me with pride. Everybody knows we are off to Wembley! Facebook is lively, all our Manchester family members are giving us banter but we proudly bite back, in the name of Sir Nat.



Our Hotel has been booked for weeks and Saturday morning arrives, I am excited about the journey down to London. We set out and it's mostly City fans that we see in the services, with a few Man U and some Bolton who are staying overnight. Bit of banter with the City fans who are all hoping for an all North West final with Bolton. Right now £600 seems a drop in the ocean but that isn't really true, its all debt.



My wife wants to do a little shopping in London but I can't focus on anything else and so it's back to the Hotel. A party of 10 Bolton fans check in that evening and tell us about their horrible journey and being ripped off by a taxi driver en route to the Hotel. The morning arrives and now we can really start to get in the mood. We find a patio area outside the Hotel and deck out the swinging chair with an 8 foot Bolton flag, the kids put on their full regalia and I feel like the proudest man alive. We get some curious looks from tourists, this is Heathrow after all but hey I'm proud as hell and this is Bolton Wanderers basecamp Heathrow.



It's still 5 hours to kick off and we are only 30 minutes from Wembley but I can't wait any longer, so we pack up and start our drive in. We get banter from the Stoke coaches and waves from the Wanderers, is there really a better feeling than this? Arriving at the car park and all we can see are Wanderers fans everywhere, God I feel sick with pride and excitement.



A 15 minute walk and we are on Wembley Way, its a mass off colour and the Wanderers fans are definitely noisier. Photos of the kids with the colours in the backround and the Wembley Arch as a frame. Wow this is a magnificent feeling. We soak up the atmosphere for a while and my 6 yr old daughter even joins in some of the singing. This is her first match but my 9 yr old son is a seasoned campaigner. £10 on programmes and into the ground with eager anticipation. Chicken Nuggets and Chips for the kids and another £20 disappears. The atmosphere builds and the noise levels lift, the teams come out and the game kicks off.



The next hour and half is a complete blur, I remember it but my mind is trying to shut it out. The Stoke fans 5 feet to my right, are keen to turn the screw and point, gesticulate and bait us and don't want to let us switch it off. We sit in disbelief, in shock and it hurts like hell. It's time to go and we gingerly walk to the exit, the catcalls and abuse gets louder as we leave. Outside the stadium it's like a scene from 28 days later. Lifeless forms meander about in different directions. Disbelief and shock is etched into their faces, no one really says anything and we quietly cross the Police cordon and get into our car. The flags still flutter on the vehicle as we hit the M1, we haven't really uttered a meaningful word and my 9 year old starts to cry in realisation about what has just happened. My wife comforts him and we settle down for the long trek home.



Two days have passed and I have once again accessed my football forums, I am still sore but I also realise that I am lucky to have experienced another Wembley trip with the Club that I love. The team sits proudly in 8th place in the Premier League and I start to feel proud again about my Club. I am grateful for the experience, I got to take my kids to Wembley to see their team but I am £600 deeper in debt. I like many others, put my life on the line to follow my team but I would do it again tomorrow. As Bill Shankley said 'A game of football is not life or death", "its more important than that!" You can safely say that that's how we all feel.



The Arsenal match is a time when I believe this club, should do it's bit and give something back to it's supporters. Not financially but by putting in more than they ever have before and righting the wrong that still niggles at us all. The Country will be watching Bolton Wanderers on Sunday and I hope that they see, a team that is on a mission, a team that understands what it has to do and a team that goes some way to restoring the faith shown by it's loyal fans. We have had some fantastic times this season and I for one want more. This email comes from the heart and involves real people, so do it for us.



I am proud to be a Wanderer and live breathe and sleep BWFC.


-Thanks my feelings too safely on its way to Owen - Phil Gartside

[Lofthouse Lower]

Makes me want to vomit

[Lord Kangana]

Sambuca to numb the pain?

[BWFC_Insane]

I think its an excellent letter. Well written.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

Probably filed it under 'B' for Bin.

[BWFC_Wyles]

The players need to make a financial gesture in my opinion. Whether that's a refund to all who went, or donating money to Bolton Hospice. Some of the squad will only be hurting for personal reasons i.e. no FA Cup Winner's medal in their career. Only players like Jussi, Davo, Cahill and maybe Robbo & Lee will be upset for the club

[BWFC_Insane]

The players need to make a financial gesture in my opinion. Whether that's a refund to all who went, or donating money to Bolton Hospice. Some of the squad will only be hurting for personal reasons i.e. no FA Cup Winner's medal in their career. Only players like Jussi, Davo, Cahill and maybe Robbo & Lee will be upset for the club

How do you know? Thats a silly thing to say IMO.

There is no evidence that any of them gets anymore of a shit than the others do.

FWIW I'm sure they're all a bit dissapointed and probably rue missing their big chance to play in a final. I doubt many of them care much what the fans think or went through. And pulling out an arbitrary list of players who "might be upset for the club" is just silly.

Who's to say Steinsson isn't really down, or Elmander or Petrov or Klasnic? Anymore than Lee, Jussi, Cahill and Davies?

It won't affect ANY of them like it does the fans, not in the same way and whilst players are paid such large amounts it never truly can!

[BWFC_Wyles]

The players need to make a financial gesture in my opinion. Whether that's a refund to all who went, or donating money to Bolton Hospice. Some of the squad will only be hurting for personal reasons i.e. no FA Cup Winner's medal in their career. Only players like Jussi, Davo, Cahill and maybe Robbo & Lee will be upset for the club

How do you know? Thats a silly thing to say IMO.

There is no evidence that any of them gets anymore of a shit than the others do.

FWIW I'm sure they're all a bit dissapointed and probably rue missing their big chance to play in a final. I doubt many of them care much what the fans think or went through. And pulling out an arbitrary list of players who "might be upset for the club" is just silly.

Who's to say Steinsson isn't really down, or Elmander or Petrov or Klasnic? Anymore than Lee, Jussi, Cahill and Davies?

It won't affect ANY of them like it does the fans, not in the same way and whilst players are paid such large amounts it never truly can!

Fair enough, I just feel Davo & Jussi are Bolton through & through. Speculation with the others I guess.

The last sentence is spot on. They won't be anywhere near as upset as we are and they never will.

[BWFC_Insane]

The players need to make a financial gesture in my opinion. Whether that's a refund to all who went, or donating money to Bolton Hospice. Some of the squad will only be hurting for personal reasons i.e. no FA Cup Winner's medal in their career. Only players like Jussi, Davo, Cahill and maybe Robbo & Lee will be upset for the club

How do you know? Thats a silly thing to say IMO.

There is no evidence that any of them gets anymore of a shit than the others do.

FWIW I'm sure they're all a bit dissapointed and probably rue missing their big chance to play in a final. I doubt many of them care much what the fans think or went through. And pulling out an arbitrary list of players who "might be upset for the club" is just silly.

Who's to say Steinsson isn't really down, or Elmander or Petrov or Klasnic? Anymore than Lee, Jussi, Cahill and Davies?

It won't affect ANY of them like it does the fans, not in the same way and whilst players are paid such large amounts it never truly can!

Fair enough, I just feel Davo & Jussi are Bolton through & through. Speculation with the others I guess.

The last sentence is spot on. They won't be anywhere near as upset as we are and they never will.

I have no idea I don't know any of them. Judging by Davies on twitter he seems down. But he's hardly going to be posting "ah well who cares?" is he?

[Cheese]

The players need to make a financial gesture in my opinion. Whether that's a refund to all who went, or donating money to Bolton Hospice. Some of the squad will only be hurting for personal reasons i.e. no FA Cup Winner's medal in their career. Only players like Jussi, Davo, Cahill and maybe Robbo & Lee will be upset for the club

What a ridiculous concept. Get a grip.

[BWFC_Wyles]

Brilliant post from you "Cheese". Objective and debate worthy!

[TANGODANCER]

Brilliant post from you "Cheese". Objective and debate worthy!

After the initial kicking and sceaming's over (mine too) the anger and disappointment dies in most folk. Anybody who's ever played in a final of any sport is disheartened after losing. The players also be most upset at getting a tonking like we did, badly dented pride etc and a real chance for a trophy missed. I reckon everyone of them will be down for a couple of days and that's where OC's attitude comes in. He'll get them back up for Arsenal and I'm sure they'll have points to prove. Saturday was one of those days you hope you never have and want to blot from the memory. Rory McIlroy had one last week, doesn't make him a bad golfer or somebody who'll not want to get back on winning track. I reckon the Whites will feel the same.

[CrazyHorse]

The players need to make a financial gesture in my opinion. Whether that's a refund to all who went, or donating money to Bolton Hospice.

Put the glue down, you've had enough already.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

It won't affect ANY of them like it does the fans, not in the same way and whilst players are paid such large amounts it never truly can!

Although player wages are upsettingly high, they have little to do with the emotional ties that bind us fans (and that make us see things through an unrealistic prism). We are fans - fanatics - of Bolton Wanderers. Players, although some may display passion, are workers paid to do a job, and have been since the 1880s when Lancastrian clubs started paying the best players to move to their clubs and thus started defeating the wealthy amateur Home Counties old boys' clubs (literally - peruse the list of FA Cup winners). Although some players form attachments to clubs – staying in the area, getting tattoos, engaging in questionable public fan-level "banter" - they are mostly essentially economic migrants, and have been for more than a century, and especially so in the half-century since the maximum wage was abolished.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

Their pride will be hurt as professionals, at being beaten so heavily by those they would consider themselves superior to. But yeah i dont think this translates into them feeling they should have to pay the fans back in terms of money.

[boltonboris]

Brilliant post from you "Cheese". Objective and debate worthy!

He's right though.

[Lofthouse Lower]

I won't be happy until Steinsson has paid for my pint in Wembley. Then I'll forgive.

[BWFC_Wyles]

Brilliant post from you "Cheese". Objective and debate worthy!

He's right though.

Only ridiculous as there's no way they'll put their hands in their pockets

[CrazyHorse]

Brilliant post from you "Cheese". Objective and debate worthy!

He's right though.

Only ridiculous as there's no way they'll put their hands in their pockets

No. What's ridiculous is you expecting them to.

[Prufrock]

I'm not saying they 'should' nor that they will, but it isn't just any old defeat. Wigan players refunded the (admittedly 7 or so) fans who went to their 9-1 thumping at Spurs, and I think it went down as well as it could for a team who'd just lost 9-1.