News/Opinions - Articles for the site

Ivan campo just retweeted the link to the macron invasion?  Is that a good thing. I'm newish to twitter

y2johnny wrote:Ivan campo just retweeted the link to the macron invasion?  Is that a good thing. I'm newish to twitter

Yes that's great! He obviously enjoyed it too

hes not got one of them blue tick things though. Could that mean its a fake account

Its the real one - Him and Kevin Davies chat occasionally

Made my night

To counteract the "All Doom and Gloom" thread on the forum, here is one for us, that, after yesterday's game particularly, are feeling a tad more positive about the season.
 
After reading various views and opinions and watching the unwatchable in channel 5's new football league coverage, I have to say I am definitely feeling like we can do better than most people think we will.
 
The main aim of the season has to be retaining the current squad, free up some funds, adding where necessary and the biggest ask of all, keeping the key players fit.
 
When you look at our first 14 or 15 players, we have as good a squad as any, capable of getting results and challenging at the higher end of the table.
 
So let’s look at the four areas’s mentioned above;
 
Retaining Current Squad
 
So let’s narrow this down, as really, it is the key players we will be looking to retain.
 
QPR seem to be heavily chasing Tim Ream.  Whilst he played no part in a good hard fought draw at home to derby at weekend, he is a very key member of our squad.  Two years running player of the season for us and a very flexible player in the positions he can play for us.  All across the back line and also just in front, which is arguably his best position, and hopefully he will get the opportunity to play there again.  This is a player that we must keep.
 
Spearing.  I am not Spearing's biggest fan.  Not one bit.  I think he can be very temperamental and can be a negative impact on the squad.  BUT.  He had a good game on Saturday, regardless of whether his sending off was right or wrong, and again, if he stays fit both mentally and physically he can play a key part in pushing us onwards and upwards.
 
Clough.  Not for all the tea in China should we sell Zac Clough.  The youngster is only going to get better and as we improve and are less desperate to find money his value is only going to increase.  This isn't to say that one day should Real Madrid need a replacement for Christiano or Barca need to replace Messi that we shouldn't sell, but at this moment in time he is a key figure in this squad.  He will find it a lot harder this season as his reputation now proceeds’ him and he will be watched like a hawk whoever we come up against.  But cometh the hour, cometh the man and Zac will have a big opportunity now to showcase what he really has in his locker.
 
Freeing up some funds
 
This will have to be done by players that shouldn't really be in the squad (first team players that could be banished and a youngster or loanee could replace.) or youngsters going out on loan.
 
The two that immediately springs to mind are Trotter and Medo.  Sell, loan or cut the contracts short, freeing them up to go somewhere else and save us some cash to bring in some loans/fresh legs.
 
Any youngsters that are also not quite there yet in terms of making the first team should also go and gain experience so they can come in and hopefully be the next Clough/Walker or Vela.
 
Squad Additions
 
There are three Key areas’ to try and get cover for still.  Keeper, wide Left/Right and Upfront.
 
If we can get these positions in way of loans to either better what we currently have or to at least challenge for these positions, again, it can only be good and raise the current squad’s game.
 
Keeping the players fit.
 
This really is an act of God.  There is no way of knowing if a player is going to get injured during a game, but if we can keep the likes of Davies, Vela, Clough, Wheater etc. fit, then we won't have to look at as forcing through more youngsters, as well as that turned out for us last season.
 

Overall I think with the squad as it is today, all the players fit, we can challenge for the play offs.  A few changes for the better with some last minute additions and we can challenge higher up.  A few changes for the worse in losing key players and it could be another long season.  It really is on a knife edge, but at least it's exciting!!

I will get this one up shortly for you.

Good article again Johnny

i'm in the office today and doing a presentation all day for someone else to now present so thought i would give my views on the opening game

plus i am now fame hungry and want more retweets off my main man Ivan.

Just wondering kp and btid (sorry this might be boring, so stop reading nat if you are) what about a news round from the last few days out something. Particularly the way off transfers.  Like the bbc does a gossip column but just bolton stuff

Tuesday Morning News Round Up

Boss Neil Lennon calls for repeat defensive show from Bolton Wanderers


"I thought it was a remarkable performance from Prince.
"He came in on Thursday and didn’t train really because we were still waiting clearance from Atalanta in terms of insurance.
"He just did some fitness work then had a light training session on Friday.
"In the meantime you have all these things going on in his head in terms of negotiations, getting international clearance, staying in the hotel with his family and so everything was up in the air for him.

"Then he has to go out and play against one of the best teams in the Championship and I thought he was absolutely fantastic.
"(Dean) Moxey played probably his best game under me; Lawrie (Wilson) was very steady defensively and Dorian (Dervite) has just carried on from pre-season when he was probably our best player.
"I think having natural full-backs helps.
"We have been after a right-back for a while and Lawrie knows we are looking to strengthen that position again in terms of competition for him.
"He understands that and knows his way around the position and he will get better as the season goes on."
"I thought the attitude, intensity and application was fantastic and the quality was there in abundance at times.
"We are all very pleased.
"At the end of the game you saw the reaction from the crowd and that’s exactly what we are trying to create here.
"I thought we got a second wind.
"We didn’t really create a lot in the first half and were looking to make changes.
"But they galvanised themselves and found a little bit more.
"Towards the end we were certainly the stronger team.
"I was really pleased we created really good chances.
"In Madine I thought we had a real threat for the whole 90 minutes – I thought he was brilliant.
"He is fantastic in the air and his link-up play is very good.
"If you add goals to that we have a very good player on our hands."

Super Whites to take the League Cup Seriously


"I've got very happy memories of the competition as a player," Lennon said.
"I got to three finals with Leicester, winning two, and it meant so much to us as a club and as individual players. Particularly the first one, having come up from Division One the year before.
"Me being me, I want us to compete in every competition. We only have three, so I'd like to progress as much as we can.
"We have dangerous opponents in Burton. I've watched them a couple of times and Jimmy (Floyd Hasselbaink) has done a fantastic job there.
"The transition from Gary Rowett, who had built a real good foundation, to Jimmy has been seamless. They got promotion and they got a great result at the weekend, so it's a very dangerous game for us.
"Just looking at them against Derby (in pre-season), he's got them very tactically organised and sprinkled with a little bit of talent in there as well. In (Stuart) Beavon they've got a goalscorer who's been around for a while, so we're not taking this game lightly at all."

Pratters Injury Blow


 "Darren Pratley went in for a tackle very early on – I think it was the incident when Bryson got injured for Derby.

"He felt it but had it strapped up at half time and played on which is exactly what I want.
"He was hurt but played through the pain barrier.
"He has had a scan and unfortunately there is a bit of ligament damage there which may keep him out for a week or two.
"Hopefully it’s nothing more serious but he will see a specialist.
"We are pretty confident there is no surgery required.
"It will just be a question of rehabilitation on that.
"But he has shown the attitude that I want.
"He has maybe sacrificed himself for a week or two but he played through the pain and played very well."
"Obviously we have enforced changes but I don’t want to make too many – I have to respect the opposition.
"Tom Walker trained most of last week and looked good.
"I just wanted to go with experience at the weekend.
"We had a strong bench as well so Tom was unfortunate to miss out but he will come into our thoughts for tonight.
"Derik and Wheater are still about a week away, while Tim Ream will be a doubt for the weekend.
"It is no ordinary dead leg.
"Speaking to Steve Megson (physio), he said it’s probably the worst one he has seen in his career.

"The muscle damage and bleeding was quite intense.
"He’s lucky there was no calcification because with the thigh it can be career-threatening.
"It is just a case of healing with time."

"He’s lucky there was no calcification because with the thigh it can be career-threatening.
"It is just a case of healing with time."

Under 21's Start as the mean to go on
Bolton Wanderers Under-21s opened their league season with a win against Bristol City on Monday night.

George Newell fired home Niall Maher’s low cross to open the scoring for the Whites early on, only for Ashley Harper to level for the visitors soon after.

However, Jamie Thomas skilfully fired Bolton back ahead shortly after the break as the Trotters saw out the game to clinch the points.

Bolton to Face Motherwell during internationanl break


Bolton Wanderers will face Motherwell as part of a testimonial match for Keith Lasley.


In two separate spells Lasley has spent a total of 14 years with Motherwell, registering over 400 competitive appearances for the Fir Park outfit and continues to wear the captain’s armband to this day.


And a game to mark midfielder Lasley’s service to Motherwell will be staged, with Bolton Wanderers to make the journey north of the border on Saturday 5 September.


The game will take place at Fir Park, kick off 3pm, with admission details for the game to be announced in due course.

Thought you might be interested in this letter about Lofty I found in The Guardian a few years ago.

John Hudson writes: At about the time Nat Lofthouse was winning the FA Cup for Bolton Wanderers in 1958, he came to the north Manchester suburb where I lived to publicise a new sports shop. When I arrived, there were already hundreds of other kids milling around, but my friend, a year older and wiser, said: "Think about it. Nat lives in Bolton. He'll have to come through Radcliffe. We'll catch him at the Radcliffe bus stop."
It was market day in Radcliffe and the bus was packed with housewives, laden with shopping bags. But there in among them, sure enough, towered the Lion of Vienna, brilliantly Brylcreemed and neat and tidy in his belted-up fawn mac.
There was brief disappointment as he brushed aside the scraps of paper and magazine photos we thrust out to him to sign. "Look lads, I'm a bit late, there'll be plenty of time when we're there," he explained. But we still had the kudos of watching the others boys' excitement as he emerged around the corner, the two of us trotting along close on either side of him, as if we were all the best of mates.
The maximum wage for footballers was lifted in 1961, too late for Nat. Within 10 years, George Best and successive Miss Worlds were flitting around in his E-Type between his boutique, his nightclub and his posh house in Cheshire. But in 1958, the Radcliffe bus was good enough for Nat; and what strikes me most now is our utter certainty that it would be.

boltonbonce wrote:Thought you might be interested in this letter about Lofty I found in The Guardian a few years ago.

John Hudson writes: At about the time Nat Lofthouse was winning the FA Cup for Bolton Wanderers in 1958, he came to the north Manchester suburb where I lived to publicise a new sports shop. When I arrived, there were already hundreds of other kids milling around, but my friend, a year older and wiser, said: "Think about it. Nat lives in Bolton. He'll have to come through Radcliffe. We'll catch him at the Radcliffe bus stop."
It was market day in Radcliffe and the bus was packed with housewives, laden with shopping bags. But there in among them, sure enough, towered the Lion of Vienna, brilliantly Brylcreemed and neat and tidy in his belted-up fawn mac.
There was brief disappointment as he brushed aside the scraps of paper and magazine photos we thrust out to him to sign. "Look lads, I'm a bit late, there'll be plenty of time when we're there," he explained. But we still had the kudos of watching the others boys' excitement as he emerged around the corner, the two of us trotting along close on either side of him, as if we were all the best of mates.
The maximum wage for footballers was lifted in 1961, too late for Nat. Within 10 years, George Best and successive Miss Worlds were flitting around in his E-Type between his boutique, his nightclub and his posh house in Cheshire. But in 1958, the Radcliffe bus was good enough for Nat; and what strikes me most now is our utter certainty that it would be.

I remember doing some GCSE coursework on Nat Lofthouse.  Most people where united fans in my class (In a school in Farnworth, that is shocking!)  It was a stand up in front of the class presentation that counted towards my final grade.  I Started by saying "George Best wasn't fit to lace Nat Lofthouse's boots"

My teacher laughed.............i got an A  

Have the article entries been rejected. The news one is probably stale now

I'm just in the process of dismantling 2 old wardrobes, they will be up this evening when I do Radio Nuts.

I promise x

If you hadnt put that kiss there would of been big trouble.

Back the popular view

With news and views so readily available these days, it is very hard to have a mind and opinion that is your own.

Taking a step back to just over two years ago, a pay day loan company had agreed to sponsor us and due to fan power, the powers that be at the club we all love backed down and went with someone else.  Without the internet and social media would we have been able to react as quickly as we did in time for the club to get out of the contract?  Imagine we had the same methods of communication when Normid was building it's new store practically on the half way line!

How many of the people who opposed the sponsor, did so, because it seemed like the popular thing to do.  I know i did, because from what i read, it seemed like the right thing to do.  Other clubs have been sponsored by the same industry since, Newcastle and Wonga springs to mind, so, did we miss out on vital revenue because of our own stubbornness or ability to have a mind of our own and just say "well, if the club think it is the right thing to do then let's just go with it!"

Now behind the scenes, it is popular opinion that the club isn't run very well, so the fans voices need to be heard to guide the club in the right direction.  Masses of debts, little-to-no transfer activity, training methods under scrutiny due to countless injuries and disarray in the changing rooms when things aren't going our way on the pitch.

Or so we are told.

By complete strangers on the internet.

Let's face it, the internet, forums, social media, it is just one huge massive game of Chinese whispers.  We know what we see in black and white, done deals, the clubs accounts, "official" press releases, but how much do we know about what is actually going on in the background.

Football used to be about going to the matches, cheering the team on and every so often checking teletext to see if a rumour you have heard from little Timmy (the one on the playground, not the one trapped down a well)  that we are about to sign a star striker is true or not.  Now we have news forced in our faces 24/7.  We even have a 24 hours a day news TV channel dedicated to sport.

Everyone has an opinion, and in order to give their opinion successfully do they go with the grain and what people want to hear?

So, getting to my main point now, (i will get there in the end) is it how we feel as fans that drive the news and views that is put in front of us.  Is it due to the fact that we aren't in the top flight any more, that the squad is a depleted make shift effort that has been tied together using the weakest of shoe strings and the constant threat of huge debts crippling the club that is breeding the negativity and the dark and gloomy views splashed all over the news?

Would that news still be there if we all just agreed that the club can sort it's self out and as long as we support the team things will come right in the end?  Positivity breeds positivity right?  Or would we just be fooling ourselves and ignoring the glaringly obvious?

So now I've finished forcing my opinions on you, what's yours?

"Back the popular view" has now been posted.

The other 2 will go up in due course as i like to spread them out a little.

Apologies for the wait.

good article y2jonny. Cheers