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For 90 glorious minutes of laughter, nostalgia and ‘some’ football it was as if this whole sorry season never happened.
Who knew that the antidote to the misery which has infested the Macron for the last 12 months was quite this simple?
Most of the players unashamedly have left their better days behind them, one had been tragically cut down in his prime, and others barely missed a beat from the days when fans sang their name on a weekly basis.
This was a celebration of what it meant to be Bolton Wanderers. And if the mood and passion around the stadium could be bottled and resold next season, League One won’t know what has hit it.
It is only when you see the giddiness of a seasoned entertainer like Paddy McGuiness asking Jussi Jaaskelainen for his autograph that it really hits home what this club means to its fans.
But that feeling is reciprocal. Seeing one of the club’s owners, Dean Holdsworth, down there on the pitch embracing such rich and passionate history rather than hiding from it is a big leap forward.
“We’re stronger together,” he said, in a message of thanks at the end of the game. And he’s right.
Putting on an event such as the legends game is no mean feat. Herding footballers is a lot like herding cats – and no-one quite believed Jay Jay Okocha would once again grace the turf until he was actually introduced to the crowd.
Bringing Fabrice Muamba back proved equally elusive. Though slightly late to the party, his arrival on the pitch was every bit as moving as the incredible mosaic created by the crowd four years ago as he fought for his life in a London hospital.
Do not underestimate just how much a game like this means to the old pros. Alan Stubbs drove overnight after a desperately disappointing defeat in the Scottish Premiership play-offs to play – alongside his son, Sam – while Jaaskelainen turned down a chance to join the victorious Wigan Athletic squad in Las Vegas to make a memorable return, which included an unlikely stint up front!
The day was, of course, about raising money for the Supporters’ Trust and Community Trust. With a fine crowd of 10,727 breaking all expectations and a packed-out gala dinner to follow, that objective has surely been achieved.
Organising the event, and most certainly publicising it, fell largely on the shoulders of two men who epitomise what is right about Wanderers.
John McGinlay, who just had to open the scoring, is quite simply a force of nature when it comes to such things. He called in favours from all over town and continues to show he is just as important to the club now as he ever was as a player.
Alongside him, Tony Kelly, a man who personifies the club’s spirit better than most. His emotional words to the fans at the end of the game got a reaction every bit as positive as Jay Jay’s rainbow flicks or Muamba’s return.
Whether it was Alan Stubbs and Alan Thompson trading raking cross-field passes, Abdoulaye Faye and Gavin McCann showing there isn’t any such thing as a friendly, or Jussi proving a Wigan Athletic player CAN get a standing ovation at the Macron, Saturday afternoon was the just the dose of positivity we all needed.
There are problems to be solved in the future. There are concerns about the present. But there is a club, and what a club.
Source
Who knew that the antidote to the misery which has infested the Macron for the last 12 months was quite this simple?
Most of the players unashamedly have left their better days behind them, one had been tragically cut down in his prime, and others barely missed a beat from the days when fans sang their name on a weekly basis.
This was a celebration of what it meant to be Bolton Wanderers. And if the mood and passion around the stadium could be bottled and resold next season, League One won’t know what has hit it.
It is only when you see the giddiness of a seasoned entertainer like Paddy McGuiness asking Jussi Jaaskelainen for his autograph that it really hits home what this club means to its fans.
But that feeling is reciprocal. Seeing one of the club’s owners, Dean Holdsworth, down there on the pitch embracing such rich and passionate history rather than hiding from it is a big leap forward.
“We’re stronger together,” he said, in a message of thanks at the end of the game. And he’s right.
Putting on an event such as the legends game is no mean feat. Herding footballers is a lot like herding cats – and no-one quite believed Jay Jay Okocha would once again grace the turf until he was actually introduced to the crowd.
Bringing Fabrice Muamba back proved equally elusive. Though slightly late to the party, his arrival on the pitch was every bit as moving as the incredible mosaic created by the crowd four years ago as he fought for his life in a London hospital.
Do not underestimate just how much a game like this means to the old pros. Alan Stubbs drove overnight after a desperately disappointing defeat in the Scottish Premiership play-offs to play – alongside his son, Sam – while Jaaskelainen turned down a chance to join the victorious Wigan Athletic squad in Las Vegas to make a memorable return, which included an unlikely stint up front!
The day was, of course, about raising money for the Supporters’ Trust and Community Trust. With a fine crowd of 10,727 breaking all expectations and a packed-out gala dinner to follow, that objective has surely been achieved.
Organising the event, and most certainly publicising it, fell largely on the shoulders of two men who epitomise what is right about Wanderers.
John McGinlay, who just had to open the scoring, is quite simply a force of nature when it comes to such things. He called in favours from all over town and continues to show he is just as important to the club now as he ever was as a player.
Alongside him, Tony Kelly, a man who personifies the club’s spirit better than most. His emotional words to the fans at the end of the game got a reaction every bit as positive as Jay Jay’s rainbow flicks or Muamba’s return.
Whether it was Alan Stubbs and Alan Thompson trading raking cross-field passes, Abdoulaye Faye and Gavin McCann showing there isn’t any such thing as a friendly, or Jussi proving a Wigan Athletic player CAN get a standing ovation at the Macron, Saturday afternoon was the just the dose of positivity we all needed.
There are problems to be solved in the future. There are concerns about the present. But there is a club, and what a club.
Source