Is Bolton full of moaners? Is this a new fashion? Has our taste of the Premier League spoilt us as supporters? Has it got to be that we either play in the top flight or we don't bother? Are we only passionate when we are successful? Are we part-timers, glory-hunters, band-wagon jumpers?

The Macron Stadium is magnificent. It is nothing like Burnden Park which from the twenty years I went there, was nothing but an open-air toilet.  But it was our ground and we loved it.  Not the structure, not even the bricks and mortar, it was what happened on the pitch that gave Burnden Park its magic. 

Of course that was in the early days and towards its demise- there was a lot of dross in between.  It's about time we took our rose tinted spectacles off. We are not going back to Burnden Park, the Macron Stadium is our home. It is up to us Wanderers fans to put the atmosphere there. As vocal supporters we are among the quietest in the country.  The Macron Stadium is Bolton's third ground following on from Burnden and Pikes Lane. How did Bolton fans in the 1890's deal with the move from Pikes lane to the new "atmospheric" ground in the Burnden area of the town?  Well not very well according to all accounts, and remember, this was the 1890's and the club didn't lay on subsidised transport from all over the borough.  If you lived in Deane, you probably would have had to walk to Burnden.  

I'm not surmising all of this.  It's in a book called "The Babel of Burnden" and was released by the club in the fifties.  It tells of a character known as Greybeard who stands behind the goal, takes a look around and proclaims "We could see better than this at Pikes Lane."  Greybeard goes on to wax lyrical about the virtues of Pikes Lane over the new Burnden Stadium.  After a while an exasperated bystander demands "Where the hell is Pikes Lane?" Sorrowfully the old man regards him gently and says, "T'last where t'Wanderers 'ad a proper team".  Sound familiar?  Well..one hundred and twenty years later and Bolton supporters are still moaning.

Another extract from the book also proves the point that nothing ever changes. It goes on to say, "Burnden Park is the only place in Bolton where 30,000 folk gather to watch 22 people do something they couldn't do themselves and then they tell them exactly how to do it. In victory they are triumphant but in defeat they are anything but sympathetic."

As for the quality of the players, have they always been so bad?  Well apparently so!  Listen to what was said about some of Burnden's favourites.
"He ne'er were any good, and he ne'er will be cos e's got too much round't backside and too little in t'yed." - "I don't blame 'im, I blame t'directors for payin 'im." If any of this sounds familiar, it's depressing isn't it, to know that supporters are a set of moaners, always have been and from what I have heard from the Macron, always will be.  And when in the end after supporters have blamed everything they can think of, they turn on themselves! 

Another quote from the old Burndenites: "It's not t'players fault, it's not t'directors fault, it's crowds fault, they should've brought a machine gun long sin."
So watch out Dougie or the moaning will stop and the shooting will begin! 

Author: The Unknown Wanderer (Extracts courtesy of "The Babel of Burnden")

This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
T.S. Elliott - The Hollow Men

Have you ever had that dream where you are falling and you jump out of your sleep, sweating and breathing heavily, yet relieved that although you are in the dark, you are safe in bed? Supporting Bolton Wanderers is a lot like that at the moment, but I cannot seem to wake up. Firstly, no matter how much we do over the summer: the tours to Scandinavia, team bonding exercises, snapping up those few players we can actually afford in the hopes that they will prove to be the missing piece of the jigsaw and trialling players we cannot and releasing the latest snappy kits to give the illusion that we are really trying to do well as a club, we never seem to really start putting decent efforts in until we are well and truly neck deep in the sticky brown stuff I have mentioned here before.

Whenever we manage a win, there is a feeling of mild optimism that we may turning the mythical corner only for reality to smack us hard in the face. This time we were "happy as Larry" to quote Dean Moxey, to see Joe Mason score the first hat-trick many Wanderers fans have seen (I include myself in this number, being a relatively new convert to the art of self-flagellation that is supporting the Whites) and although it was only a win against the mighty Rotherham, happy as Larry we were.

Further cheerful news in the signings of Max & Paddy prior to the clash of the Wanderers led many to exercise guarded optimism that we may have begun the long awaited upturn in fortunes that we were sure must happen soon. So much for that idea. All the positive play and effort we displayed for half of the allotted 90 minutes failed to disguise that this team is lacking in confidence and in some cases, ability. The fact that we won a penalty and on-loan midfielder Garvan 'grabbed the ball' and missed with not one but two bites of the cherry, tells its own story.

Young striker Max Clayton who has been coveted by a number of teams including Sunderland in the Barclays Premier League (thanks, Owen!), has been eyed in the past by teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal and has represented England regularly in the various age-group teams. While our record with England age-group strikers is not exactly noteworthy, (cough)Sordell(cough), it is encouraging that the requisite backing was obtained to bring him in on a three year deal. It is hoped that this time, a player with promise and potential that is brought in, will benefit the club substantially while here and in the event of his departure.

The recent photograph of Club captain Jay Spearing 'partying like a rockstar' in Ibiza, resulted in heated debate in many quarters. For the most part, it was felt that young Spearing would have been better served leading the troops in extra sessions designed to improve the results on the pitch , rather than not seeming to care when he is off it. The truth is, however, that not many professionals take their work home with them.

Tottenham defender Benoît Assou-Ekotto probably said it best in his famous interview in 2010. To him, football is little more than a job and the driving force has always been the money. "If I play football with my friends back in France, I can love football," he says. "But if I come to England, where I knew nobody and I didn't speak English … why did I come here? For a job. A career is only 10, 15 years. It's only a job. Yes, it's a good, good job and I don't say that I hate football but it's not my passion."

Why then should Liverpudlian Spearing be expected to have the same passion for Bolton Wanderers as those who were born supporting the club and lunatics like myself who chose the club and support from afar? The fact is, while you and I would suit up in the famous white shirt in an instant and give our all on the pitch (and probably do at least as good a job as some - but that's a different topic), the reality is that for many, football is simply a job that ends after the match or after training each day.

The major problem that faces Dougie Freedman - apart from finances - is in getting the players to give a damn and to demonstrate this on the pitch for 90 minutes, and for every game. Doug himself, however, is known for being quite emotionless and clinical in his demeanor and if he doesn't look as if he really gives a damn, we can hardly expect the players to. This is why many have been calling for a former player and fans favourite, Ivan Campo to take the reins. Indeed, Campo threw his hat into the ring via twitter and who can forget his impassioned letter to the fans after he left  the club? Something needs to change - and fast, as this sensation of vertigo makes it difficult for me to type...

Author: Keegan

Check out the video highlights of Bolton Wanderers' goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday
 at the Macron stadium from Saturday 13th September.

I pride myself, usually, on being Dougie Freedman's biggest fan. But today I have started to falter slightly. In fact, more than the atrocious display on the pitch today, I am more disturbed by the managers' refusal to accept reality. We played badly today against Sheffield Wednesday and it's high time he admitted it. I have taken it upon myself to translate Dougies' post match comments from "Utter Tripe" (in which I am fluent) to Actual Real Life...

"Sheffield Wednesday made it tough for us." 
WE MADE IT EASY FOR SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY.

"They're a very good side who are full of confidence, especially away from home."
THEY'RE AN AVERAGE SIDE AND WE LET THEM DO WHATEVER THEY WANTED, EVEN AT OUR HOME GROUND.

"I felt we defended very well today."
WE GOT AWAY WITH IT AT THE BACK TODAY, WE EVEN CLEARED ONE OFF THE LINE, THEY SHOULD HAVE SCORED FIVE.

"We probably didn't do enough going forward to win the game, but we certainly had our fair share of possession and passed it very well today."
SOME OF OUR PASSES WERE OK AND WE FINALLY MANAGED TO HAVE 50% OF THE POSSESSION IN A GAME.

"We showed great spirit - we didn't lie down against a team who are riding high at the moment, and on another day, we'll get that win."
WE SHOWED NOTHING AND WE DIDN'T LIE DOWN WE JUST KEPT FALLING OVER, ON ANOTHER DAY WE WILL GET BATTERED PLAYING LIKE THAT.

"We had enough of the ball, but we need to create more opportunities. We were very brave in our play." 
WHEN WE HAD THE BALL WE BARELY MANAGED A SHOT ON GOAL. I AM VERY BRAVE COMING ON HERE SPOUTING THIS TOSH.

"I am very happy with how the players dug in."
HOW CAN I BE HAPPY? THE PLAYERS HAVE DUG ME INTO A HOLE.

"We probably didn't ask enough questions of Sheffield Wednesday in the last 15 minutes of the game, but all in all, we got a point which was probably what we deserved."
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE BALL BUT I STILL THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO BRING PRATLEY ON FOR THE LAST 15 MINUTES. WE GOT A POINT BUT WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE IT REMOVED FOR BEING SO USELESS.

"I believe we are playing in the right way and we've been creating chances, so that win will come. It's just a matter of time."
I BELIEVE THAT NO MATTER HOW YOU PLAY, STATISTICALLY, EVENTUALLY WE ARE BOUND TO GET A WIN AND THAT'S MY BEST HOPE.

My name? Dougie Freedman.
I AM LUCKY TO STILL BE IN A JOB.

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Article by - Biggie