Burnden Park circa 1985 or The Macron Stadium 2016.

It's 2016, we're in the third division with a clueless manager and a bunch of shite players and we can't even string three passes together at home, let alone score a goal.

Those of you old enough to do so, cast your minds back to the wonderful days of Chin Neal and his band of disparate renegades (including The Fat Man) in the mid-80s.

We were in the third division then too.

And we had a poor manager and a bunch of crap players.

But I don't recall too much gnashing of teeth and uncontrollable wailing at our plight back then.

Because we all knew we were shite and nobody worried about it too much.

If we won, we won. If we got drubbed, so be it - We're Bolton and we're rubbish. Accept it and move on.

But it's very different now.

We've tasted the fare on offer at the Top Table and we liked it.

We even went on a couple of European adventures and ate exotic stuff like Bratwurst and it was delicious!

So my question is this:

Given what we know now, where and when would you rather be: Standing in a puddle of someone else's wee in a half empty Burnden Terrace watching us lose to 1-4 to Bury (Google it) or sitting in your cold, hard plastic seat at The Macron watching us not have a single shot on target, as we lose to Oxford Utd?

85 was just before my time as i started going in 87 when we went to the old 4th division but i do still prefer the Burnden era and would happily go back to it.

We hadn't been anywhere near the top 2 divisions for a while then and expectations were a lot lower and there wasn't the pressure there is now. The problem we have now is that a lot of our younger fans have only started going when we were in the Premiership so this now is all a massive culture shock to them.

Once Rioch took over we also saw a lot better football than we do currently that's for sure

Back in the day you could talk to the players and tell em they are shit, and you were probably earning just under what they were, like you say we were shit, but we knew it and could take the piss out of ourselves, the top table will be available to us again not sure it'll be in my lifetime though.

It seems worse nowadays because of the internet. In 1985 I'm guessing people just went home and moaned to the wife or cat.

Nowadays the world is full of keyboard warriors who can't wait to give their opinion, and like mugs we reply to them while stating our own opinion.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Nowadays the world is full of keyboard warriors who can't wait to give their opinion, and like mugs we reply to them while stating our own opinion.

Is that what passes for subtlety in your penthouse?

Neil Fisher( yes I didn't remember him neither ) was a speaker in the corporate box yesterday, he spoke of Neals time at the club, and his inability to handle players.

Then went on to when Rioch took over, some big egos got a culture shock, McAteer made his debut for ROI, and went out and bought a Porche boxter, when he turned up for training in it Rioch told him get it back to where you bought it or you won't play for me again! and he's the main reason we rose through the leagues.

Bread2.0 wrote:

Is that what passes for subtlety in your penthouse?

Actually it wasn't, it was more me suggesting my opinion is what matters.

I don't doubt you were there in 1985.

Natasha Whittam wrote:It seems worse nowadays because of the internet. In 1985 I'm guessing people just went home and moaned to the wife or cat.

Nowadays the world is full of keyboard warriors who can't wait to give their opinion, and like mugs we reply to them while stating our own opinion.

 so speaks the forum Gay Queen, lets face it Nat where else would you get to act like this?

MartinBWFC wrote:Neil Fisher( yes I didn't remember him neither ) was a speaker in the corporate box yesterday, he spoke of Neals time at the club, and his inability to handle players.

Then went on to when Rioch took over, some big egos got a culture shock, McAteer made his debut for ROI, and went out and bought a Porche boxter, when he turned up for training in it Rioch told him get it back to where you bought it or you won't play for me again! and he's the main reason we rose through the leagues.

 i remember him vaguely but he only played 24 first team games in 5 years, hardly a legend worth dragging out at half time

Norpig wrote: so speaks the forum Gay Queen

Laughable that the mods defend poor Johnny yet nothing is done about this blatant bullery.

Who's voted for the Macron option, just out of interest?

Not saying you're wrong (obviously because the whole idea of a poll is to find out what people think) but I am interested to hear why you've voted for it.

Cheers.

i'm pretty sure i didn't write the word gay? How did that get there? 

I noticed that too.

You've been fitted up, mate.

Skulduggery's afoot.

naughty KP 

Bread2.0 wrote:Who's voted for the Macron option, just out of interest?

Not saying you're wrong (obviously because the whole idea of a poll is to find out what people think) but I am interested to hear why you've voted for it.

Cheers.

 It would have to be one of the younger ones on here, there's probably some who never went to Burnden

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Norpig wrote: so speaks the forum Gay Queen

Laughable that the mods defend poor Johnny yet nothing is done about this blatant bullery.

Obsessed

I just don't understand why the mods are so desperate for you to post, despite the fact you keep slagging them off (the Facebook photos of your kids for instance).

Natasha Whittam wrote:I just don't understand why the mods are so desperate for you to post, despite the fact you keep slagging them off (the Facebook photos of your kids for instance).

Here we go.

Sociopath

My heart wanted to vote for Burnden, but the move to the Macron was the right thing to do, there isn't any point looking back except to recall the good (and the bad) memories. Better atmosphere with 5k at Burnden than 15k at the Macron though