Category Archives: Uncategorized

Only twice this century have Bolton Wanderers gone the entire month of July without signing a single player: 2019-2020 and 2021-22. The circumstances for that to have happened are quite different. It is the difference between could not and did not. It is the difference between life support and free will. A couple of yearsContinue reading “But I’m Not The Only One”

It’s a gloomy Autumn afternoon. The smell and sound of on-pitch fireworks overwhelm the young, excite the bulk and irritate the old. 633 Squadron cuts through the mist as the cult-hero boy-to-man leader thumps a mascot’s ball to the corner where North meets East. This is it: the glory days. Scratch that – that WASContinue reading “Remember: This Is Only The Beginning”

It isn’t an unreasonable claim to say that Saturday represents the biggest game in Morecambe’s history. The Shrimps have never been as high as the third tier and victory against Bolton would see them edge extremely close to a truly remarkable achievement. For Bolton, it must be viewed as a similarly colossal fixture. Bolton WanderersContinue reading “Three Little Birds”

“Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we can’t satisfy the rich.” Football is the playground of the dreamer and the escape of the worker. It is the refuge of the troubled and the company of the lonely. It belongs to me, him, her, you and us; not them.  The English didn’tContinue reading “Bye Bye Badman: Part 2”

The pros, cons and basic practicalities of the concept of modernity can be debated and challenged but the fundamental principles are relatively simple; the demand for change is constant. It can be slow or fast but, generally, the need to evolve is essential. Football cannot and does not escape the concept. Tactics, positions, the ideaContinue reading “A Fondness For Familiarity”

Six months ago, promotion was an inevitability. The manager and the supporters viewed the League Two title as an extrinsic reward on the path to perfection and the implementation of a style of play that would leave the division in awe; it was to be pure footballing righteousness. Four months ago, promotion was still probableContinue reading “Endymion”

It was roughly half seven and it lasted for about, roughly, five or so minutes. Bolton Wanderers slipped to 20th in League Two. The sentence itself is crazy to be actual words on an actual screen. The previous sentence itself is crazy because of its repetition; bewilderment at Bolton’s current status and stature has becomeContinue reading “Both Things Can Be True”

Throughout the last decade, Bolton Wanderers had continued to exist on the brink. ‘The brink’ almost seems too much of an understatement; the club, and therefore large parts of our town’s pride and culture, had already began a free-fall into obscurity and irrelevance but, more importantly, extinction. A celebration of its survival and continued existenceContinue reading “Express Your Emotion”

Barrowcelona – a mildly amusing term to try and describe the style and quality of play at Ian Evatt’s Barrow. Something that hasn’t been replicated at Bolton whatsoever. It should mean fluidity, verve and attacking intent; we’ve witnessed an over-complication of an, admittedly, fairly complex system: slow, confused and lacking any thrust. Aside from 105Continue reading “Easy as 4-3-3”

Tobias Phoenix left his role as Wanderers’ Head of Football last week. Ian Evatt was promoted to manager this week. These were developments that were surprising and, to a few fans, a bit confusing. Phoenix’s role as Head of Football could not be made any clearer than his title. He was the head of allContinue reading “From Head Coach to Manager: Does it Matter?”