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Wanderers fans may be united in frustration at the club’s current plight but as the hours tick down to the most widely-publicised protest in living memory there is still a sense of conflict across the fanbase as a whole.
Supporting a team through such a rapid decline, as Bolton fans have done so admirably in recent times, requires a special kind of rationality.
Memories of Youri Djorkaeff, Jay Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro are almost as fresh as those of league games at AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham and Oldham. In a 10-year window this club received £15million for Nicolas Anelka and were also unable to accept the offer of Shola Ameobi to play for nothing.
Few, bar perhaps Leeds United or Portsmouth, have explored such extremes and yet despite the chaos often evident off the pitch at Wanderers, backing for the players on it – in UEFA Cup or Checkatrade Trophy – has not wavered. And nor do I expect it to on Monday night.
That sense of hard-baked duty to the team has possibly prevented this situation from escalating on the terraces earlier. There has been obvious discontent and the occasional flashpoint but in general supporters have been patient and understanding as Phil Parkinson’s team continues to chip away at the business end of the Championship.
The angry scenes at Burton Albion last season were as close as Bolton fans have come to full-on mutiny but a week later they rolled-up their sleeves once again to support the team vociferously in their miraculous escape against Nottingham Forest.
Yet since the start of December there has been a noticeable sea-change. Some pockets of supporters have become more vocal in their views on the running of their club and that has led to several online forums and websites uniting in an effort to create a unified protest on Monday.
Plans to walk out of the ground on 58 minutes have wisely been shelved but the protest as it stands involves supporters meeting at the Nat Lofthouse’s statue at 7.15pm on Monday and marching on a lap of the stadium before congregating again at the front of the stadium in full view of the TV cameras.
Don’t forget this is new territory for Bolton Wanderers. There have been banners, there have been chants, but nothing quite so visibly demonstrative – and understandably it has caught the attention of both national and local media.
It is also entirely fair to point out at this stage that the protests have not been universally embraced. Some factions question what a public show of defiance will achieve, some whether it will do more harm than good, others feel it more effective to stay away altogether. It is also reasonable to assume there are fans who are supportive of Wanderers’ ownership and have no reason to protest.
However, what is accepted, both inside and outside the stadium walls, is that little can be done to prevent those who wish to voice their frustrations from doing so.
“Words can’t really change what the supporters are planning to do or take away the negativity that they’re feeling,” reasoned Phil Parkinson at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
We will not know until the night how many will choose to air their views outside the stadium but using social media as a barometer there seems to be a fair take-up among youngster supporters, in particular.
Another person who has helped keep news of the protests into the public eye has been John McGinlay, who has been vocal in his criticism for the current regime.
"It's come to the stage where he's got to realise and know how much this football club means to us,” he said at a BBC fans’ forum on Wednesday night.
"Mr Anderson will take notice. He doesn't like criticism. He reads everything that's written on social media that's concerning him.
"I think we have to show a voice, get our feelings across within reason - nothing silly - but he's got to know.”
Partly as a result of his views, McGinlay understands he will not be welcome in the press box, where he was due to work as a pundit for BBC Radio Manchester. At time of writing no-one from the club has called to confirm the 'ban' and it remains to be seen whether it will extend further than Monday.
Thankfully, all signs point to a peaceful, if pointed protest.
The club has issued strict instruction about what will be tolerated and will enforce extra security measures on the turnstiles to prevent unsafe items being brought into the stadium.
There also seems a determination to make the atmosphere inside the ground as supportive as it possibly can be for the team, which is another very encouraging sign.
Whether you carry a placard to the front doors and march, or a Thermos and sit down in your seat 10 minutes before kick-off. There should be no judgement or conflict between people who all have the club’s best interest at heart and will be here long after the current regime has been and gone.
If you protest, keep it decent and make your point to the world, but please remember what it is you are fighting to protect. If you don't - respect those who feel differently.
Source
Supporting a team through such a rapid decline, as Bolton fans have done so admirably in recent times, requires a special kind of rationality.
Memories of Youri Djorkaeff, Jay Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro are almost as fresh as those of league games at AFC Wimbledon, Gillingham and Oldham. In a 10-year window this club received £15million for Nicolas Anelka and were also unable to accept the offer of Shola Ameobi to play for nothing.
Few, bar perhaps Leeds United or Portsmouth, have explored such extremes and yet despite the chaos often evident off the pitch at Wanderers, backing for the players on it – in UEFA Cup or Checkatrade Trophy – has not wavered. And nor do I expect it to on Monday night.
That sense of hard-baked duty to the team has possibly prevented this situation from escalating on the terraces earlier. There has been obvious discontent and the occasional flashpoint but in general supporters have been patient and understanding as Phil Parkinson’s team continues to chip away at the business end of the Championship.
The angry scenes at Burton Albion last season were as close as Bolton fans have come to full-on mutiny but a week later they rolled-up their sleeves once again to support the team vociferously in their miraculous escape against Nottingham Forest.
Yet since the start of December there has been a noticeable sea-change. Some pockets of supporters have become more vocal in their views on the running of their club and that has led to several online forums and websites uniting in an effort to create a unified protest on Monday.
Plans to walk out of the ground on 58 minutes have wisely been shelved but the protest as it stands involves supporters meeting at the Nat Lofthouse’s statue at 7.15pm on Monday and marching on a lap of the stadium before congregating again at the front of the stadium in full view of the TV cameras.
Don’t forget this is new territory for Bolton Wanderers. There have been banners, there have been chants, but nothing quite so visibly demonstrative – and understandably it has caught the attention of both national and local media.
It is also entirely fair to point out at this stage that the protests have not been universally embraced. Some factions question what a public show of defiance will achieve, some whether it will do more harm than good, others feel it more effective to stay away altogether. It is also reasonable to assume there are fans who are supportive of Wanderers’ ownership and have no reason to protest.
However, what is accepted, both inside and outside the stadium walls, is that little can be done to prevent those who wish to voice their frustrations from doing so.
“Words can’t really change what the supporters are planning to do or take away the negativity that they’re feeling,” reasoned Phil Parkinson at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
We will not know until the night how many will choose to air their views outside the stadium but using social media as a barometer there seems to be a fair take-up among youngster supporters, in particular.
Another person who has helped keep news of the protests into the public eye has been John McGinlay, who has been vocal in his criticism for the current regime.
"It's come to the stage where he's got to realise and know how much this football club means to us,” he said at a BBC fans’ forum on Wednesday night.
"Mr Anderson will take notice. He doesn't like criticism. He reads everything that's written on social media that's concerning him.
"I think we have to show a voice, get our feelings across within reason - nothing silly - but he's got to know.”
Partly as a result of his views, McGinlay understands he will not be welcome in the press box, where he was due to work as a pundit for BBC Radio Manchester. At time of writing no-one from the club has called to confirm the 'ban' and it remains to be seen whether it will extend further than Monday.
Thankfully, all signs point to a peaceful, if pointed protest.
The club has issued strict instruction about what will be tolerated and will enforce extra security measures on the turnstiles to prevent unsafe items being brought into the stadium.
There also seems a determination to make the atmosphere inside the ground as supportive as it possibly can be for the team, which is another very encouraging sign.
Whether you carry a placard to the front doors and march, or a Thermos and sit down in your seat 10 minutes before kick-off. There should be no judgement or conflict between people who all have the club’s best interest at heart and will be here long after the current regime has been and gone.
If you protest, keep it decent and make your point to the world, but please remember what it is you are fighting to protect. If you don't - respect those who feel differently.
Source