Opening Day Memories

Thank you to Natasha for writing the following piece:

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If anyone else fancies writing something just forward it to me by PM and it will be put up for all to read.

So, what are your favourite memories of opening day fixtures?

One of my favourite memory of opening day was Grimsby 3-3 Bolton, Mixu Paatelainen getting a brace on his debut. I was on holiday in the South of France and listening to the results on the radio, it was magic.
And I remember us playing Huddersfield on opening day and I think we may have won 1-0? Again, I was in France on the South West coast and hearing the score and feeling really happy.
I used to love hearing Bolton scores when on holiday abroad, there was something magical about it.

The Grimsby games were ace, both games in 93 & 94 were hot days with the Bolton end packed out.

I miss those days.

One of my favourites was last season, funnily enough.

Leicester 0 - 5 bolton. Will never forget that one!!

JonnyRandom wrote:Leicester 0 - 5 bolton. Will never forget that one!!

I don't think we ever do better than that.

i have happy memories of the first game of the 2007/2008 season against Spurs, it was my wedding day and i remember as i was giving my speech i was told we were winning 2-0. What more can a man ask for?

Norpig wrote: What more can a man ask for?

To actually be at the game rather than ruining his life?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Norpig wrote: What more can a man ask for?

To actually be at the game rather than ruining his life?

 i should have guessed you would pop up with a comment like that! i'm very happy thank you and the wife is even happier when i go to the match and leave her in peace, especially if i take my son with me.

Norpig wrote:

 i should have guessed you would pop up with a comment like that! i'm very happy thank you and the wife is even happier when i go to the match and leave her in peace, especially if i take my son with me.

Why the hell would you schedule your wedding day for the first day of the football season.

Go and stand in the corner Norpig.

Despite the glass half empty tone of the article, we've only lost 6 opening matches in the last 20 years so on balance opening days haven't been too unkind to us. It wasn't always like that although i remember some cracking opening day games from the 60s and 70s. However one that sticks out was just the season before the list in the article i.e. '92/'93 which began with a 2 nil home win against Huddersfield in Div 2.
I'm not sure exactly what it was about that game that got me so excited, but I think it was the confidence I had in the manager and the team before the season started. Burnden was fairly empty as I remember - 8 thousand or so attendance - and in many respects it was a routine win, but the big difference for me was that IT FELT like we were going to kick some serious butt that season. We had a great team that had been built on a budget by an astute manager and this was the year we were going to dominate and we did (apart from Stoke who finished above us)
That season we had a couple of 5 nil wins (and incidentally beat Burnley home and away) on our way to 90 points, beat Liverpool in the cup and generally whupped ass.
That opening day win against Huddersfield certainly wasn't as spectacular as other opening day wins, but it is probably the last opening day game that I came away from genuinely feeling confident that the team was just about as good as it could realistically get. (God how our expectations have changed since then!) And Andy Walker scored.

The 4-1 win against Charlton, 4 great goals (Okocha 2 & Pedersen 2 I think). 

Also enjoyed the 1-1 draw at Port Vale the season we got 98 points and 100 goals, It was my first away match I went to without parents/grown ups. Possibly the warmest day I can remember in my life.

wanderlust wrote:I'm not sure exactly what it was about that game that got me so excited, but I think it was the confidence I had in the manager and the team before the season started.

Exactly. I think we'd signed Andy Walker permanently and the whole club had a buzz about it.

if Doogie had been boss back then Walker would have been sub for the first half of the season.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

wanderlust wrote:I'm not sure exactly what it was about that game that got me so excited, but I think it was the confidence I had in the manager and the team before the season started.

Exactly. I think we'd signed Andy Walker permanently and the whole club had a buzz about it.

if Doogie had been boss back then Walker would have been sub for the first half of the season.

Whilst your second sentence is pure speculation, I think you've got the gist of what I'm trying to say in the first. That season I had no doubt we were going to do well. Throughout the Allardyce years that followed, we were either concerned about relegation or optimistic about getting into Europe but at no time were we confident we could win the League - although occasionally there was that feeling that "on our day" we should fear no-one. But it was never quite the same as starting the season with the belief that we could take on anyone (and play great expansive football) - even though we were a second division side. We began that season feeling like champions even before a ball was kicked.

This year reminds me of the early days of the Rioch era. No money to speak of. A sense that we should be at the top table. A lot of work to be done on the training ground and in the transfer market.
The only difference is that when Rioch took over, the fans were prepared to give him plenty of time to do it (which isn't surprising seeing as we'd been scraping the bottom of the barrel for years before that)
Dougie won't get that support as we've recently been in the Premiership and a lot of our fans expect a quick return.
It will be a disaster if Dougie gets hounded out by a bunch of impatient wankers before the club is rebuilt on sustainable lines.

Copper Dragon wrote:One of my favourites was last season, funnily enough.

 WUM

Boggersbelief wrote:

Copper Dragon wrote:One of my favourites was last season, funnily enough.

 WUM

I'm seething at the suggestion.

Don't worry it isn't a favourite because it was against Bolton or that we gained 3 valuable points. It is a favourite because it was nice and sunny and we beat that lying former manager of ours, again.

Did you organise the fly over banner, coppe?

No I didn't Boggers even though I offered.

Apparently it's against the law to fly banners with swear words on them.

I expect to see one over the reebok when we play the piemen