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Bit of a tale about Today which I think is well worth relaying.. my old man’s bday on NYD which was a milestone birthday for him so decided to take him in to the LoV today. A couple of weeks ago off the cuff I decided to email Sharon (or what I assumed was her email address) explaining he was a lifelong ST holder etc etc and anything she could do / any time spent with him would make his day. A couple of weeks went by with nothing. Eventually this week received an email from someone else at the club stating Sharon had received and read the email and to arrange a meet with her this afternoon. so took the old man down to reception at 2:30 to meet the girl who emailed me as requested. Took us up to the chairman’s suite and we were stood outside for a while him still unsure as to what the hell was going on. Eventually Sharon comes out and apologises as she “couldn’t get away from sir Alex” and welcomed us both as though she’d known us for years. Bit of a chat ensued and he’s bowled over that she’s made the effort. He then apologises and says we have to make our way back round to the LoV to see the KO. Instantly she says No! “ I’ll find you seats in the exec box with me” shouts her laccy over and pretty much says they’re friends of mine, find them some seats to watch the match in the box. At HT come in to the chairman’s suite and we will have a brew. So ended up spending the whole game in her (distant) company, made us feel so welcome. Had more than enough time for us. it may have meant nothing to her in the grand scheme of things but will last my old man a lifetime. The woman is absolute class from top to bottom and I can’t imagine our club in better, more thoughtful or considerate hands.

After, shall we say, rather challenging couple of weeks in my home life that today meant absolutely everything. And I mean everything. Makes me realise why we all do what we do, putting ourselves through the wringer of life for that simple bit of escapism. That goal goes in, life is good, bad stuff is forgotten, and leaping about with my dad, wife and kids is just the world honestly. I fucking love it. The boys will enjoy bowling into school on Monday morning that's for sure. Up the fucking murderers.

Might be an idea to let's just watch a football match without all this attention seeking bumcbuffery.

All the analysis and data aside, I just don't get how the board can seriously be sat thinking anything else but that change needs to happen. And if they think that Evatt can be the one to change things around then they themselves are also incompetent at their jobs. Sharon comes from a good place and I do agree with managers being allowed to have time. But in football you have to make proactive decisions or get left behind. Circumstances slightly different yes, but Evatt had been in charge a year longer than Kieran McKenna had when he came into the job at Ipswich when we were both competing in League One(we finished above them in our first season back in League One). On Saturday Ipswich beat Tottenham away in the Premier League where we got beaten 5-0 by Stockport County in League One And Ipswich are not just an anomaly. Des Buckingham at Oxford, only managed in India and Australia before managing in England properly, he exposed Evatts style for the whole world to see at Wembley and in that video. John Mousinho at Pompey another one. All those managers just as young and inexperienced as Evatt have all had less time than him and got their clubs out of this league. And look now, there's another 2 coaches sitting in the top 2 of League 1, way above us and just as young and as inexperienced as Evatt, Matt Bloomfield and Chris Davies. Evatt is playing the same formation and style since we played Ipswich last in League 1, they're in the Prem and we're still playing the same style. My biggest gripe with Evatt is we don't ever appear to LEARN and ADAPT. As fans we don't need any more signs of a manager that has reached the end of his limits. And we certainly don't need more excuses. He's already blamed the players, fans, illnesses, a mysterious dark cloud since Wembley, opposition players for winding him up and getting a 3 match ban, and it's only November! We've all had enough.

For all those tonight saying it’s delaying the inevitable - fuck off. Not because you might be wrong. But for coming on here thinking you need to make a point to people who are pointing out some positive aspects of the game. I think you must be insecure to have to keep making your point, or misguided that people don’t see this game for what it was. We know this result doesn’t tell us much about what will happen next. But we are allowed to say that Dempsey played well, it’s good to get 2 strikers scoring goals, it’s good to see the 2nd half come back and see the players playing for each other and the manager. Glad I went. Another ground ticked off and a win watching the Wanderers which is never a bad thing.

@Wanderlust do you find when you go on Wrexham's board they all start posting in Welsh?

Well I was fucking dreading today. Thought it would be a morgue and the place full of negativity. Seems it was all left on social media bar the absolute cock end that bought a banner in NSL. It seemed all those mongos peddling bullshit on social media were the ones that stayed away, thank fuck they did. Atmosphere was bang on the players were bang up to prove a point and actually scoring in our usual blood and thunder first 10/15 makes all the difference. Playing an actual midfield makes all the difference too and we can safely say we can say goodbye to the silly 3 up tip 5 at the back malarkey we've been trying. Nice one for trying something new Ian, but burn that fucking memo. Fair play to players and manager fronting it out today, was ace at the end when they came over. Said it all week, we are better together. Fuck division and making the place toxic. Fuck all the shit stirring hysterical pricks on that Racist Nonces Facebook group. The manager will get either himself sacked or turn this around, we just need to keep turning up every week and supporting them. Might have been papering over cracks but it's better than leaving them wide open. Onwards and Upwards.

I don't want to go. My kids won't want to go either. But I'll be there and so will my kids. You enjoy your day watching Soccer Saturday 👍 We are Bolton Wanderers fans not bloody Ian Evatt fans and we will all be here a lot longer than any manager or set players. Just when I thought we had our core support back on track, this week have reminded me what a bunch of fickle, dramatic and faux outraged set of soft arses we have amongst our fanbase. It's actually embarrassing and exactly what I've been fearing all summer. Nobody wants whats going on, everyone probably thinks it's time for change. The results are terrible and the performances worse. But is boycotting or waving bedsheets about the way out of it? Or we better cracking on and supporting our club through thick and thin, digging deep and keeping our heads held high knowing we did all we could? Our fans have been absolutely superb over Evatts tenure. Let's not spoil it now.

I had a great Bolton moment this morning. My 10yr old grandson moved to Australia 4 yrs ago and all his mates wear City, United, Liverpool, Arsenal kits. He WhatsApp'd me this morning...

Ffs come on. Just about respect isn't it. The blokes done his best and probably made himself ill in the process. He very nearly got us there. So close. It was a perfect storm that stopped us going up and this season is/was probably a season too far. But overall he's done us well. He certainly doesn't deserve the probable hound out.

My youngest is 6, it was his first night game and he was bouncing. He's got his first season ticket next year. All I heard last night was 'Cosgrove is a knobhead'. 😆 My eldest his had a season ticket for a few years, he is autistic but loves coming to the match. He cried when Collins equalised, just sheer emotion, that's the experience you only got following a team. Can't wait to take them both next weekend, first trip to Wembley for them, I just hope we get over the line and they get to experience what we did last April.

Echoing sentiments above, cant express how emotional that all felt yesterday. FV, the current squad and Ian Evatt must have gone to bed last night thinking fuck me what a club this is. My dad said to my lads coming out that we've always been a family club and it couldn't be truer. We have always seemed to made a connection with players hence they always want to come back and speak about us warmly. (Bar the odd few ) On the back of nearly losing our club and the horrendous KA years, yesterday was the cherry on the top, and just makes you realise just how much we all had to lose. After a difficult few weeks it was great to put a smile on the old fellas face as well x

just got the call. Got the job! Sweet, sweet relief. 12 contract, time to build up my new business with my other directors, I've never been so pleased to take a pay drop!! This year! This for all the well wishers, means a lot and I can now go back to getting some sleep and looking forward. Too early for a beer?!

Shite game but we ground it out. Young lad had an amazing time as Mascot. If you've got a kid and can afford the (what I think is very expensive) price then go for it. Brilliant experience. Even for to meet Super John and am now the proud owner of a Dan Nlundlu match worn shirt (I'll start the bidding at £100). Little lads face as is walked out with Dion Charles was worth the money alone. PS - I don't know what our kit man's called - but he's an absolutely lovely bloke and was brilliant with the kids and let them press their favourite players numbers onto their match shirts for the day. Everyone at the club was a credit. Fantastic day! 👍

I don't care what anyone's posted or done. Direct messaging a young lass calling her fucking slag amongst other things because she had the blind audacity to defend her husband from equally abhorrent abuse is fucking embarrassing. The lad needs his teeth smashing in and she needs to stop reading social media and Santos needs to differentiate from the hell hole of social media and match going fans.

Sat in a bar at Toronto Pearson waiting for boarding. Come on you Whites!

It’s a long read, but some of you might be interested.. On Sunday 10th April 2022, my 81 year old dad, Dave Vickers, will embark on his last tour, having been the official BWFC Tour Guide for 16 Years. It was a never a job for Dad, more a hobby, a pleasure, a pastime which allowed him to recall treasured memories and indulge himself into the history of Bolton Wanderers. To the delight of many customers 1 hour tours often took a lot longer as he ensured every photo, every trophy, every room, every stand low and high into the gantry were visited and stories relating to their importance were shared with detail, knowledge and passion which took fans back in time to relive some famous nostalgic bwfc moments. Dad often used to receive thanks usually verbally and occasionally through cards and emails to the club. One example came from George and June Quinn. “Our tour guide was Dave, he made us feel very welcome and we were treated to the most friendly and interesting tour. All parts of the stadium we saw were most impressive which together with Daves vast knowledge and friendly manner, made it a very enjoyable and memorable day” (30/01/2008) Dads love of BWFC goes back 75 years, when as a 6 year old in 1945 he made his first visit to Burnden Park. He was taken by his dad, Jack Vickers, who has an extremely important claim to fame. Jack, while living next door to Nat Lofthouse on Thicketford Road, took Nat to his first ever Bolton game and from there Nats lifelong love affair with BWFC began. Dad has continued to follow the Whites throughout the decades recalling special memories from the teams of the 70s, the renaissance years under Rioch, the famous European visits under Big Sam and the exciting current Era as Ian Evatt looks to bring BOLTON back to where they belong. He has passed this BWFC passion down a further 2 generations and now attends the game with his son Craig and 3 grandchildren Jack, Adam and Charlotte. Dad will really miss sharing his love and passion of BWFC with others on his tours, but now is the right time for him to finally hang his boots up. Dad is looking forward to celebrating his retirement and tributes will be officially paid to him at a future game.

Embarrassed. It’s not my money, I just made the contact. BUT, it just reinforces the fact that this club is in the hands of bloody good folk who care and have a lot of class. Proud to be a Wanderer, indeed.

I just listened to Evatt and Johnston's interviews. They mentioned that it's a tough place to go and that they're big and physical and their fans rallied behind them. Cambridge United. 22nd in League One. Less than 5,000 supporters. 10 men for an entire half. And we want to be playing in the Championship? That is the funniest joke I have heard. Absolutely calamity and joke of a mentality. When the players and manager think with this mindset then it's no surprise why it's 5 years later and we're still playing at places like Cambridge and suffering. We will get absolutely nowhere if radical change doesn't happen.

I can't abide Evatt, I'm fed up with the club. But on a day like today the game is an entity in itself, a derby with history and a needle all of its own. Fuck the Blackpool. That's 38 years unbeaten at home against them still intact. I hope they cry salt tears all the way home in the rain and wind. Cunts.

We deserved that. Was dreading the subs today, but Charles and Williams played well and Lolos popped up when it mattered most. Evatt: "Pete, it's time to bring Arfield on" Atherton: "Boss ... boss ... you're breaking up ... can't hear you"

Just to add to this . I am an ex nurse both general and mental health with nearly 30 years experience and as someone who has suffered with mental health problems , diagnosed and medicated for nearly 25 years , If anyone wants to reach out and talk my contact details are redily available . I know I can be a bit spikey on here but I am absolutely professional and can guarantee total confidentiallity . I am happy to help in anyway I can if anyone thinks that may be of benefit.

Pulling our current shit show of a government up for the absolute shit show they've precided over isn't depressing. Speaking and fighting for change with a proper plan and backing the people to do it isn't depressing. Blindly backing the most corrupt and inept government in our history is 100% depressing. This weird little conservative little Englander bullshit shit that's led us off a cliff edge is depressing. Imagine backing this lot then all of a sudden jumping into bed with Nigel bloody Farage and his dogmatic politics. Now that is depressing.

Its been mentioned elsewhere but lets try and keep all this respectable. A nice mention before the game and a clap on either the minute the game got stopped or the poor fellas age. Nothing more needs to be done. No playing in black, no songs or chanting. Lets keep it right. We arent scousers and we are not grief junkies. All about dignity, respect and class.

My uncle lost his battle to this in Royal Bolton this morning, so he will be one of today’s numbers. last rites over the phone held by a nurse with no family there. made an exception yesterday evening and allowed my Aunt in for a short while to say goodbye , she was so covered up and him in such a way will never know if he knew, but my aunt said he did and took comfort from it. None of his kids have seen him since last Thursday and can’t even be with their mum now. Not writing this for sympathy, very few know me and I know most on here are decent enough without needing to say anything. writing this to firstly echo how brilliant the staff Bolton are, cannot express how fantastic and hard working they are while remaining compassionate and patient. Special breed of person . Thank you to all posters on here who work there, for all I know you were the one that sat and held his hand in the absence of his family secondly, from reading not many do, but, if you think the virus doesn’t kill but rather underlying conditions do, be in no doubt this virus killed him, he wasn’t going to die if he got flu or a cold. thirdly, if you can’t imagine what we are going through, if you go out and ignore the rules you’ll be risking putting someone else through this and maybe even your own family will experience it or yourself and believe me, it’s fucking grim so stay home. Its also a better place for me to just write this than Facebook etc so thanks for obliging me in that.

That was one of the loveliest things to ever happen. Stood in my garden sobbing like a baby! Proud to work for the NHS 👏👏👏👏❤️

VID20240825121741.mp4

Just about all of the other threads are very understandably very negative and that's my over-riding emotion since Saturday too. What a bunch of bottlers. Any year Bolton Wanderers spend out of the top two divisions is a year too long. We are now going to spend a sixth consecutive season in the lower divisions. Slowly but surely we're escalating towards the full decade we endured in the 80s and early 90s. However ... taking the long view, are there reasons why a further year in League 1 might prove to have been the right thing? 1. This team bottles big games. In the Championship there are big games far more often. Quite apart from debating the balance of the squad and the quality in the side they simply seem to lack to the big game mentality. The Championship would surely have chewed up and spat out our lily-livered playing staff. 2. Ipswich are an outlier. It's not often promoted teams thrive at tier 2 these days. You have to get a foothold and scrap your way to safety. That would be a problem linked to (1) but how many of the current squad can we honestly say are Championship ready in terms of playing standard alone? Going back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, we would not have been ready for tier 2 with a forward line of Storer/Philliskirk/Reeves - as much as they did good things for us. However we were ready with Walker/McGinlay/Lee. Things sometimes just need to evolve a bit more before they align. 3. There are scores to settle in League 1. We still want that win at Bloomfield Road (hopefully while preserving our own long unbeaten home run against the orange wankers). Then there is Wigan. That run of misfortune v them has to stop. Next season we get at least two more shots at it. I recall the double over Wigan in 92/3 when Bruce got us promoted. It felt like the right way to be saying goodbye to them (for what proved to be more than a decade). A much lesser local issue but Stockport fans are a mouthy lot and like to point out they've never lost at the Reebok. Be nice to sort that. 4. Combining the themes of derby matches and whether we were Championship ready this year - I'm not so sure I'd have fancied having to play Burnley, Blackburn and PNE with this present lot. It could have been carnage. Hopefully we will come to view our failure this season as a necessary evil as we develop/evolve further so that when we do hit the Championship we are properly equipped.

The only good thing about the entire day yesterday was before the game when we were watching the players warm up. Our Head Kitman came over to get my attention and pointed at my lad - then threw him an official play-off final first team shirt signed by the entire squad. My lad was absolutely fucking beaming. He felt like the luckiest kid in the stadium. That'll be our only lasting memory of an otherwise miserable day.

1 year on

Right - I've got a bit of good news here. And maybe something to read if you're down or struggling. I've not mentioned it on here previously, but I've been off work since just before Christmas with mental health problems. Quick synopsis - break of of relationship, dead dad, stressful job and trying to complete a masters got well on top of me and I completely broke down. I couldn't eat, sleep or get out of bed. I thought about suicide every day and couldn't get the thought from popping into my brain and ruminating on it. Even if I knew in my heart of hearts I'd never follow through with it. I genuinely didn't think I would ever be able to recover from this episode and that my life was over. Fast forward a couple of months and I'm ready to return to work. In fact I'm really looking forward to it. I'm exercising again - going out and enjoying life and am optimistic about the future. If you're going through a shit time (and all of us do at times) then just know that it DOESN'T last forever (even if it feels that way right now)..... If anyone's struggling and needs a chat - you can always DM me. Always! 💪👍

Read all 46 pages of this thread last night. Rang doctors first thing this morning, and got GP appointment. Now hooked up with referral to a couple of support services. You don't know me, but thanks all.

I will be far from alone but fuck me Im missng the match. Home but more Importantly away. I miss the pre match tension that starts days sometimes weeks before a big day out. Knowing what your wearing ages before, debating which trainers and the weather conditions. I miss the night before, that moment you finish work having thought about nothing else all day. Nip in the local on the way home for a pint to take the edge off. You tell yourself dont get too giddy its a big one tomorrow. Few cans at home and get all your clobber ready. Cans in the fridge. I miss spending all night tossing and turning like a kid on xmas eve. Waking up with full on anxiety, couple or nervous shits and force some breakfast down. All you want is a can. I miss checking my pockets 300 times, tickets, money, phone, tickets, money, phone....(gear ) I miss being on the station platforn at daft o'clock, standing out like a sore thumb with a sack of cans while other folk are waiting with coffee on their way to work or somewhere much more civilised. I miss the journey, train or coach, with all the characters you havent seen since the last big away, all the different scenarios off the day whizzing round your head, everyone full of it and in fine form. I miss being on your 5th can at 10am I miss that moment you realise its gonna be 'one of those days' ...when every mad fucker past and present is out. I miss the pre match boozer, seeing fellas you only ever see at distant corners of the globe, handshakes and hugs like long lost friends, even though you're struggling to remember their name. All the tales, all the craic, all the chants. I miss the old bill wandering through with their cameras telling everyone to get to the match. I miss that walk to the ground as the fresh air hits, time to sober up and sort your head out. I miss the sound of police dogs, helicopters and the smell of burger vans. I miss the stewards patting you down and the clunking sound of the tursntiles. Theres always some lad being told hes too pissed to get in. I miss walking on the concourse to a scene of chaos, youths ballooning about, old boys singing old songs, the clamour for a quick pint before kick off I miss walking up the steps with our fans already in full voice I miss that buzz when the teams come out, bit of tickertape flying about and the players heading over to a packed away end, everyone singing and together. Hairs standing on end as you belt out wanderers all together in unsion. I miss thinking this is why we do what we do. I miss the half time queues for luke warm piss. I miss smoke bombs and pyrotechnics. I miss the sheer ecstasy and pandemonium when we score. Grabbing the person next to, whoever it is. I miss topling down stairs, getting crushed under bodies or dragged off a fence by overzealous stewards. I miss that deafening sound and segregation line charging when they score. Watchin their fans goad us and climb over netting. I miss taking it all personally. I miss the argy bargy afterwards, police dogs, police horses, "get back get back" being screamed by police in riot gear. I miss the delcline in mental state throughout the day. I miss getting home 24 hours after leaving the house. I miss not knowing the score till dinner time the next day. I miss feeling like death for a full week afterwards and vowing thats me done for the season Fuck me I miss it. I know you all do too folks. When the next one comes, its gonna be the away day of all away days. COYWM

Making GT Captain is one of the best decisions Evatt has ever made. His evolution is a pleasure to witness.

Just enjoy the last minute winner and beating a local rival you massive fucking dick head.

You really are a condescending twat. I should have known not to get drawn in. I've been on here long enough for you and anyone else to know that I'm a million miles from entitled or arrogant about our club. I've seen us play in all four divisions at least twice, ridden all the ups and downs, the good spells and the bad, seen us be nearly out of existence twice, not once. The aspirations and ambitions have been clearly articulated by the club, especially the manager, and well supported by the owners. We are not at the stage where we're just establishing ourselves and finding out feet in the division, where a few bad days at the office would be understandable. It's a reasonable expectation therefore that we should, by now, have ironed out the propensity for no-shows like yesterday three or four times a season.

The manager, players and board included need a big fat reminder of the very club they represent, we got turned over in this league by a local rival for the umpteenth time today under this lot. With no disrespect (I hardly care right now), but we are not Cambridge United, Stevenage, Burton Albion etc. We are Bolton Wanderers. We cannot just simply "move on" from this and "go again". This is simply unacceptable, it's a disgrace to the 150 year history of this founding member of English football. A bad loss can happen, I can accept. But since being back in League 1, we have lost countless games to promotion challengers, lost 4-0 to Wigan twice and not beaten them at all, lost twice to Stockport, 5-3 & 5-0 lost to Blackpool 4-1, Huddersfield this season 4-0. As a fan base we had to endure the lowest of the lows in 2019, losing 5-0 every week with our kids playing. But that was under a crisis with no team. This is 5 years under Ian Evatt who has been given absolutely everything and has had millions to spend. Yet look we are in the same position as we were when Stockport battered us last time in the Cup 3 years ago. Unacceptable, he has to go.

Come off social media, it will instantaneously remove a lot of the stress / anger / bewilderment related to our ‘fan base’. I was guilty of being swept up by a twitter storm. Our ‘fan base’ thought this or that, to me it felt like the overall feeling of all fans and often it made me really pissed off - because like everything on twitter, you get the dregs of society spouting the loudest and even 50-80 of them can make it feel like it’s the general consensus, whereas it’s about 0.2% of fans. Now, I don’t hear any of that shit on Twitter or Facebook from these so called fan groups full of clowns (until you lot post it on here). I’m blissfully ignorant and basically have my own thoughts and views, discuss it with Bolton supporting mates, and then obviously on here where in the main I’d say there’s a brilliant spread of views that in the main are well considered and well meaning, even if different to others. The Twitter and Facebook clan can get to fuck, they’re all as dense as each other and can happily live in their online world getting each other all worked up and thinking they’re really important. Life’s far better not reading it all.

Well if he's staying it really is last chance saloon. We may as well all get behind him. It is what it is. Making the place a hell hole will just make the situation worse.

Old man was 90 last weekend, he couldnt manage (thankfully ,as it turned out I guess) Wembley, but he may well be watching them at home for the first time in a good number of years at Christmas. Thanks for organising @L/H White, hope everything goes well for the run, and we are all hoping that your missus is on the road to a full recovery.

I just wish folk would stop producing bollocks information and spreading it. 3 kids have been murdered ffs and the first thing someone can think of is set up a fake twitter profile and post some bollocks to get everyone outraged. Kids aren't even cold yet and there's fuckers making mock ups of random black dudes and blokes with swords attacking the white cliffs of Dover. What a shit show the human race has become.

Not a particularly prolific poster on here I know, but I've been here for a good few years now and I must say, there's recently been an increase in people taking offence at what would be previously assumed "pub humour" and even well used and accepted phrases and sayings getting people all sulky. Sort yourselves out you massive fucking bumders. It's all good. Very very rare that the line gets crossed on here as far as I can tell.

30k is an outstanding effort really. 10 day turnaround, ticket prices especially for families prohibitive, cost to get down there is ridiculous, many will have treated last years visit as their day out. I’d say 30-32k is the realistic top end of our fan base so a really good effort by all

And as we stand on the cusp of promotion to the Championship, let's not forget how far we've come. I posted this on Facebook three years ago today...

Thanks for all the well wishes folks, my old man read every single one. Hes still a bit in shock with it all, worried he could've done more etc which is natural I suppose. Hes going to sort something on the remembrance group later and Ill email the club. Roy actually played for Bolton in the 60s as he liked to tell my kids every week He was an entertainer by trade, comedian and organ player. Played The Stanley Arms in Blackpool which was the start of the Ma Kellys empire. Regularly played at BWSC events when we had meetings over this way. He did a gig at the opening of McGinlays in the 90s too. Roy Rolland the stage name, Roy Halliday proper. Just a few details folk might be interested in anyway. Love to all x

Right then, I watched it live on Sky. Frightened the life out of the missus and half the fucking estate when Sarce scored. Swigging Flensburgers like a madman then the second went in and it was over to celebratory Moscow Mules. Pissed as a rat by midnight singing out on my balcony with the BWFC flag on display (some on here have proof! 😄). Quietly sitting around recovering on Sunday, the dawn of realisation started to set in. Absolutely remarkable what the club has achieved. Not just the players, owners, management but most of all our magnificent loyal supporters. That Morecambe day was pivotal. As others have said, a few of the squad suddenly would have realised what this club means on that day. European Super League? Fuck off. BWFC are a prime example of what football is about and don't you ever forget it. Proud.

I’ve sat with my mum who is slipping away, literally breathing her last today. She idolises the Queen, and whilst she didn’t in all likelihood hear that, I know she would have loved every single word. When she said ‘we’ll meet again’ I lost it and don’t think I’ll recover for a long time. Lost.