Ziggy

They don't have it.

I sent a complaint to the BBC after the Paranoia programme, via their complaints web page. I received a reply today, here it is: Thank you for your e-mail regarding the 'Panorama' investigation - 'Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets'. We raised your concerns with the programme's production team and Panorama's Executive Producer who have asked us to pass on the following response: "We believe the programme was a faithful representation of the results of our investigation. We believe it made an important contribution to the public understanding of what is happening behind the scenes in the world of football. We did not set out to "target" any particular individual or club, and we offered those who were criticised an opportunity to put across their point of view and comments. Whether and how they did so was obviously up to them." Thank you again for contacting the BBC. Regards BBC Information "we offered those who were criticised an opportunity to put across their point of view and comments" That's bloody news to me!

My uncle was a, once a week, visitor to Bolton Hospice & he couldn't speak highly enough about the place & staff. When he was diagnosed with cancer we talked about him attending a Wanderers match with me (He was always a Wanderers fan, although never at the ground after his wife/my aunt died (They both attended the FA Cup finals in 1953 & 1958 together & went to home matches regularly). One of my favorite memories was when we played Everton (A) in the League cup semi final. My dad drove & he had a ticket for the stand, with my mum. I wanted to stand so my uncle decided to come along with me. Due to the traffic getting to the match (so many Wanderers fans... 18,000 I think), when we eventually found somewhere to park, my uncle & I had to run (about a mile) to get on in time for the kick-off. I think we actually missed kick-off. What a night, we drowned the scousers out with our support, in spite of going behind, & when we equalised, in the last few minutes of the game, the Bolton end of the ground & the upper tier of the large stand, erupted. As we were walking down the steps, leaving the ground, my feet didn't touch the floor for half of the way down, such was the crush &, for some strange reason, I'll never forget the sight of a Wanderers fan who was holding a wooden milk crate above his head as he cheared & danced his way down the steps. Anyway, back to the thread, the match we eventually attended together, when my uncle was attending Bolton Hospice, was Leeds (H) (The season they got relegated). I had arrranged for a friend to sit alsewhere so that my uncle could sit next to me & we actually parked on the away fans car park so that my uncle didn't have too far to walk . We had are usual few scoops in the Whites hotel, before the match (My uncle more than happy with a cup of tea) & nipped round the corner to sit in the East stsnd lower....back row. I'm sure you remember the game, & the score (which sent dirty Leeds down), but the joy I shared with my uncle that day will live with me forever, he sadly died 10 days later, but how precious that day was & how highly he spoke of Bolton Hospice.

Very emotive subject, we all know ticket prices have peaked, but whilst the top/big teams are filling their stadia, the rest of us, who are trying to compete with them, are struggling to justify dropping the ticket prices whilst still balancing the COMPETATIVE books. This is a copy of an email I sent to our chairman this week, to which I have, so far, received no reply: Phil, There have been many discussions and debates recently regarding the cost of attending Premiership football matches, here are my thoughts, including a couple of ideas which could help to retain our fans. First of all, here are the 4 main reasons, in priority order, why I believe attendances are falling: High cost of a Match day ticket Season ticket costs (at Bolton) remain reasonable (Not cheap, but okay). Family season tickets offer excellent value. Match day tickets are expensive, for anything other than Cat. C matches. Membership brings the match day costs down considerably but I don't think this is pushed/publicised well enough. Match day tickets for away fans are expensive, for anything other than Cat. C matches. This is a major reason why the away fans attendances, at The Reebok, are down from what they were two, or three, years ago (And also why Bolton's following, away from home, is much less than it used to be). Too many games on TV (Sky & foreign channels) Football overload is one factor (i.e. football matches constantly being on TV. causing the senses to be numbed). We witnessed this years ago (When Brian Clough was still managing) & attendances were falling. Sky TV then came onto the scene, & with their innovations & quality coverage, they reignited the country's passion for football. This caused the Premiership, & then other divisions, attendances to soar. Unfortunately, Sky TV is now commonplace, it's novelty has worn off & it's product is not so exciting anymore. Too many of our games are on Sky TV. Whilst this is good for income it will invariably affect the attendance, especially if the ticket price is high & even more so for away fans. This will clearly have a negative effect on income. Virtually all our games (home & away) can now be viewed via foreign satellite channels, in the main at pubs (of which there are now a vast selection, locally) or at home, if you possess the correct equipment. According to newspaper reports, there are more & more publicans appearing in court charged with showing live premiership matches, via foreign channels, AND WINNING. Evidently this practice appears to be legal & is therefore not going to go away (even if it is illegal it won't go away!). The local pubs (right across the borough & beyond) are full, for home as well as away matches, of Bolton fans watching their team. It is clearly a lot cheaper & certainly more convenient & comfortable, to watch a match live at the pub than actually going to the stadium. Kick-off times are often inconvenient due to Sky TV coverage This is quite an old chestnut now, but nevertheless it does prevent &/or discourage fans from attending matches &, perhaps more significantly, purchasing season tickets because they don't know how many matches they will be forced to miss (e.g. through work commitments if they work nights or Sundays). Disillusionment with the obscene wages that Premiership players are earning Although there is nothing much that individual clubs can do about this, it cannot be ignored as a growing factor why some fans have stopped attending matches & why others might join the protest. When things are going well, the majority of fans will turn a blind eye to this (even though the multi-thousand pound, per week, wages do not sit comfortably with virtually every fan), but if a club is struggling then this factor just speeds up the rate at which fans cease to attend matches. So, what can we do about it? I had a play around with a simple spreadsheet (attached for interest/reference) to see how match day prices might affect attendances: <<Ticket costs.xls>> On the spreadsheet I have made lots of assumptions & applied averages, plus, the complexities of family tickets, etc. has been mopped up into the average costs. The revenue from programme/beer/food sales, which is dependent on attendances, has also been ignored. Nevertheless, it probably gives a reasonable indication of the situation. My conclusion, having played around with the match day ticket cost, & subsequent effect on attendances, is that the price is currently about right, IN RESPECT OF MAXIMISING THE INCOME. I.E. In my opinion I don't see how we can attract more fans through the turnstiles without dropping the ticket price, which will then have a negative effect on the overall gate income. If our average gate (for the season) drops further, say below 18,000 (heaven forbid), then reducing costs to increase attendances, without losing income, becomes more viable. Hence why Blackburn & now, possibly Wigan, are looking to drop their prices. Their gates are so low, they have enough vacant seats to fill which (if filled due to lower prices), could have an overall positive effect on income, with the major added bonus of larger attendances. I'm sure your aware of most, if not all, of the above points (I'm honestly not trying to tell you how to suck eggs), however, the dilemma remains, how do we maximise attendances without reducing income? As stated in my introductory sentence, I have a couple of ideas which could help: 1) Next season, as you know, the new TV deal kicks in &, I understand, the TV income will rise substantially as a result of this new deal. No doubt the number of televised matches & the inconvenience to fans, caused by the additional televised matches, will also increase. This will inevitably put even greater pressure on attendances. My suggestion, to counter this threat, is to reduce match day prices (from the current average of approx. ??28 to an average of circa ??20), obviously this will lead to reduced gate income (evidenced by my spreadsheet.... assuming it is a reasonable indicator) but larger gates. The, circa ??1.2m, lost revenue will be more than made up for by the new TV income (an additional ??8m if the press is to be believed). Obviously, if BWFC drop their prices & other clubs don't, our competitive edge will be reduced (due to the reduction in our RELATIVE income) but I think it's a step which will reap benefits. I.E. Increased gates (home & away fans), & therefore better (full) attendances, but, more importantly, stacks of goodwill. My point, above, about the fans unease with the huge wages players receive will only be exacerbated if the extra money from TV next season drains out of the game & into players pockets, this suggestion will go a long way to pacifying fans on this point. As a loyal fan, of over 30 years, whilst it is irritating that some (lots) of my fellow fans choose to watch the match at the pub, instead of at the stadium, it really is understandable; The football industry gets huge amounts of revenues from the TV companies, the TV companies need to recoup their outlay by showing football matches on TV (either directly or by selling their footage to other channels) with the result that fans can now watch virtually all their teams matches on TV. Couple this with huge ticket costs to watch a match live at the stadium ..... Shooting & feet spring to mind! 2) How do we keep our existing fans, especially the season tickets holder, who are the mainstay of the gate (& probably all other ) income? My suggestion is to reward season ticket holders who renew their season tickets. E.G. Give each season ticket holder a ??10 discount (for an adult, other categories would need to be pro-rata) if they renew their ticket, & do this every season up to a maximum of say 10 years. No doubt you will be thinking 'more reduced income', which will be true if looked at only in the short term, but when viewed with the 2,000 - 4,000 season ticket holders we lost compared to last season (you'll know the precise figure), at least 50% of those might still be season ticket holders if they had an incentive to stay loyal. Okay, I agree, many of the season holders (myself included) will renew if we get a discount or not, but an increasing number won't, and for the 'waverers' after say 5 years, a loss of the ??50 discount if they have a year or two off, will have a major impact on their decision to renew or not. If you think their is merit in this idea, then the details of the scheme can be 'developed' (e.g. it might be prudent to give a bigger discount after the first years renewal, say ??20, with ??5 discounts for each of the following 6 years, this would give a stronger incentive, earlier. Hope this helps. UP THE WHITES!

Make him squirm like a little piggy.

Look out for these on Sunday. Best to stay away from the river too.

I'm here. How can I help? & what time's tea?

Thanks for the compliments guys, glad your enjoyed it.

3rd & final Anyway, off we set again for our final night before flying back to Blighty, this time we were off to Rome. Up until then the Italian driving style hadn???t been as ferocious as expected, however, when we got within about 40 min???s. of Rome that changed. We were still in the countryside but were being overtaken regularly on blind bends, but that was nothing compared to what it was like in the middle of Rome. They???re absolutely crazy, they form their own lanes at traffic lights, if there???s 3 lanes they create five, the mopeds create 3 more. They ALWAYS set off from red lights before they change to green & they blast their horns at you if you don???t. They don???t mind at all if you suddenly realise your turn off is fast approaching & swerve in front of 3 lanes of traffic, but if you are a little slow in turning they are honking their horns & waving like Rafa having a bad day with a blind linesman . Somehow, we managed to find a place to park (in a street) whilst we took a walk around the sights??? Vatican, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, we did the lot, however whilst heading for the Coliseum, 5 or 6 young girls were walking towards us, making a slight commotion &, when they got very close, the oldest, who was about 14, lifted her T shirt to reveal her pre-pubescent little mounds. They then surrounded us & started touching my mates arm. Then they stopped & started to walk away. My mate then said, they???ve nicked my passport! so we ran after them & I grabbed the 14 year old (ahhhmmm??? by the arm). By then my mate had checked his wallet & there was some money missing also??? little bastards! So we were shouting at them to give it all back & of course they went into ???we don???t understand you??? mode. This went on for a few minutes during which time we both realised the seriousness of not getting the passport back. A few more minutes of arguing, with me still firmly holding the little brats arm, before we spotted a copper, so we feverishly shouted & gesticulated for him to come over. Eventually he strolled over & we attempted to describe the situation, he couldn???t speak English either??? bloody foreigners! Anyway, these girls were still dancing around us & the next moment, low & behold, one of them walks to the nearby kerb, threw something into the gutter then pointed to it??? it was of course the passport & some cash. My pate picked it all up, checked it & said it???s all here. So I let go of the scroats arm & they all legged it. We thanked the copper, who had done bugger all (& it turns out he was a traffic warden anyway) & continued to the coliseum. After that we headed back to the car & set off to find somewhere to stay. The traffic was horrendous & we soon found ourselves on Rome???s equivalent of the M25. at 4.00pm on the day before xmas eve, not the best time to be there. We were moving slowly, in very heavy traffic, in the outside lane & were getting honked at from the car behind???.. where did he expect us to go? After a few miles of this we pulled into the middle lane to allow him to pass, then pulled right back in behind him. We took great pleasure at giving him a taste of his own medicine. We eventually pulled off the motorway, blindly looking for suitable accommodation. Occasionally stopping when we saw something promising, to ask ???how much???? then back into the car to look elsewhere, more than an hour later we were no nearer finding anywhere, we were knackered & lost! We had been in & out of the outskirts of the city at least 3 times but were still homeless. Eventually we both agreed, we would carry on down this road, towards the city, & the next hotel we came to we would stay there, sod the cost. As it happens the next one was really quite plush, but we had made our decision so we parked up, got our bags & went to reception. ???Have you got a twin room for the night??? we enquired, yes came the reply, ???how much???? we asked. I forget how many Liras but it worked out at about ??60 for the room??? not bad considering it was a really plush hotel. We settled in, had a nap to refresh us for a night on the town, then showered & we were off, errrm except??? my mate re-checked his wallet & NOW realised he was approx. ??100 down! In his relief at getting his passport & (some) cash back he hadn???t checked properly???. What a plonker. I said, you???ll be able to claim on the insurance, but only if you have written confirmation from the police that you have reported the theft. It was our last night, we were flying home early the following morning, so we had to get it reported that night. We asked the hotel for directions to a police station & duly set off on foot because it was fairly close by. Fifteen min???s. later we found it??? CLOSED. So we headed for the underground to go to the city centre, which is where we wanted to go anyway, plus we decided it would be the best chance to find an open cop shop. Within a few yards of getting off the tube in the centre of Rome we spotted a copper, complete with machine gun, stood by his cop car. So we walked over & asked for directions to a top cop shop. He gave us directions & we set off, about 30 min???s later we found it, entered, queued up, explained our problem & was told ???you???ve come to the wrong place, this is the Carabinieri (state & military police) you need the state police", we asked for directions & set off again, 20 min???s. later we found it, only to be told a similar thing by them! (Apparantly there's 6 different types of police force in Italy, thats a recipe for bungs if ever I heard one). More directions, more walking, hungry, tired, thirsty, frustrated & now lost we decided to get something to eat before continuing our search. Suitably refreshed & with new directions from the waiter (who said it would have been the Gypsies who robbed us) we set off again on our cop shop search. Another 30 min???s. passed before we found the latest one, ironically very close to where we were robbed. We explained our dilemma for the umpteenth time &, really weary by now, heard the same old story. We were getting really angry now, not least because we should have been pissed by this time not pissed off! Then one of the coppers (who were all stood outside the entrance to the cop shop) took pity on us , he took us inside, switched the lights on, pulled out a manual typewriter & duly typed our reported robbery. Hallelujah. It was now quite late, we were knackered but thirsty so we hit the first bar we came to, which was 2 doors down from the cop shop & virtually overlooking the scene of the crime. We ordered two beers, drank them & ordered 2 more &, fortunately, we were so drained we decided to call it a night & go back to the hotel. So, we asked for the bill........ bloody hell, the robbing bastards, ??16 for 4 beers (nearly 13 years ago now) we didn???t know whether to pay up or go back to the cop shop to report them. Of course we paid up & then made a mistake, we decided to walk back to the hotel because it didn???t look far, on the map we had, & we didn???t want to get ripped off again in a taxi. 50 min???s. later we were lost, really knackered, fed up & getting desperate. So we flagged a taxi down & judging by the route he took we had been walking AWAY from our hotel. If anyone says you can???t see Rome in a day, tell them that???s bollox. We saw it at least 3 times! The morning after (which was Xmas eve), we were off to the airport, then to Gatwick, collected the hire car & set off to Bolton, again not the best time to be travelling, but we finally got home, tired & weary, although we turned out for another session a couple of hours later. The flights, car(s) & accommodation cost us ??20 more that the official travel club were charging for the flights & one night???s accommodation & we had 5 nights, saw a load of Italy & had the freedom to come & go as we pleased. My mate eventually got his money back via the insurance & we had a bag full of never to be forgotten memories of one hell of a trip, oh & of course we saw the Whites draw away in Europe.

I've been trying to post part 3 but it's not being accepted for some unknown reason, either that or it will suddenly appear 3 or 4 times. Anyone help?

bolty 58, I agree I need to get out more, so as soon as I've posted this that's exactly what I'm going to do (there's some pool fans out there that need winding up). Here's Part 2, I must admit I've suprised myself how much effort I've put into typing this lot out, but once I got started I couldn't stop, enjoyed the memories I suppose. Well, we had a walk around Ascoli, looking for somewhere to eat & drink, but we didn???t find any bars & only ???posh??? restaurants, not really suitable for our attire or our wallets, and it was still colder than swimming across the Blue Lagoon in January, so we regrettably decided to head back to the hotel. Little did we know at the time, but this turned out to be an excellent decision. When we got back to the hotel we managed to persuade the management to rustle up something for us to eat, which, although not very appetising, if I remember correctly, we scoffed the lot down with relish cos we were so cold & hungry. Fed & warmed, we then settled ourselves down in the bar area, which was adjacent to the hotel entrance, for a nights drinking . About 10 minutes later in walked (well, dashed really), the ref & linesmen. The ref went straight to reception for his room key but the 2 linesmen came over to us. One of them said ???blimey, what a game! We got assaulted by the Ascoli players as we were leaving the pitch, they were kicking us as we walked down the steps to the underground corridor leading to the changing rooms. We had to run the full length of the corridor (half the length of the pitch) to escape them!??? They went on to say ???We were planning a night out in the bars & then onto a disco, but because of the furore at the end of the match we were advised not to by the club officials & the police, in fact they???ve just given us a police escort back to the hotel??? We were amazed at this ???inside information??? but were also chuckling at their obvious distress, they seemed more than a little relieved to be back at the hotel & in the company of fellow Brit???s. They asked if we were staying here (in the bar) all night & we told them our tale of woe & yes we were staying. So they said ???we???ll be back as soon as we???ve changed???. Back they came & joined us for a night of football, referee & linesman chat. They were great lads, one was from Brum. & the other London. The ref. never joined us, he was either to scared to leave his room or was a boring git. Anyway we spent a great evening together, taking it in turns to get a round in & chatting about all things football, it gave us a great insight into the ???officials??? world??? I know it???s hard to believe but they???re quite human when you meet them face to face. We asked them how they operate the offside rule when they need to look in 2 directions at once (across the pitch for offside & down the pitch for the player kicking the ball). They answered that they always look across the pitch & LISTEN for the ball being kicked. Bloody hell we said, but sound doesn???t travel too fast, well, not as fast as light (sight) anyway, therefore by the time you hear the ball being kicked could be a few milliseconds later & by then the attacking player could be offside, whereas when the ball was actually kicked he wasn???t offside (are you keeping up?). We bloody well had ???em, they had no defence for our argument, so they said ???that???s why we sometimes get it wrong??????. 1 ??? 0 to the Bolton fans . The linesman who hadn???t flagged for offside was taking the piss out of the one who had, he said to his colleague ???if it hadn???t been for you we would be jiving in some disco now with an Italian bird in our arms???, to which the other one said ???I???m British me mate, I was only doing my duty???. Suffice to say we all retired very late & very pissed. When we awoke the following morning, as we peered out of our room window we could see the ref & linesman loading their bags into a taxi. We went down for breakfast & just caught them before they left & the 2 linesmen thanked us for a great evening. After breakfast we packed & went to reception to pay, only to find the 2 lads had paid ALL our bar bill, which was long & large???. Top lads. (Does this constitute a bung? Ssshhhhhhhhhh) Last part (3) to follow

I went to most of those games, however, surely the most impresive of the lot to attend was the 2nd on your list (Ascoli, away). Bet there's not many on here that went because there were only 11 that travelled with the official travel club (on the same plane as the players I think) plus me & my mate who travelled independently. We booked a fly-drive from Gatwick to Pisa (could have flown from Manchester the day before, but that would have meant us missing a home game.... can't remember who we played) & hired a car (one way x2) to get us too Gatwick & back. After landing at Pisa we drove to the city centre to have a look around (It was about 10.30pm by then) then set off for Florence. where we had booked out 1st nights accommodation. When we eventually found the hotel it was after midnight, but, naturally we wanted a few scoops. We didn't fancy the boring (& expensive) hotel bar so we set off too look for somewhere else. The hotel was in the commercial district of Florence so it was full of offices etc., but no bloody bars! Undeterred we kept walking & after about 45 min's. was considering giving up when we spotted an illuminated sign in the distance.... that might just be a bar we said hopefully. 10 minutes later, when we got close we could see the place was open, but it didn't look like a bar, more like a cake shop, maybe a cafe. Anyway, having walked so far (& now past 1.00 am) we said "sod it, lets have a cup off coffee & bog off back to the hotel". Whilst pondering what to order my mate jokingly asks " do you sell beer"? Bloody hell! Not only did they understand the question, the answer was YES! .....Sorted. So we sat there in this cafe come cake shop, supping bottles of beer watching the locals come & go on their way home from their nights out in Florence... they were generally ordering cakes... at 1.30 - 2.30 in the morning.... weird! Anyway, we eventually headed back to the hotel nicely pissed. The morning after we had a walk around Florence then headed off for our next stop off point on our way to Ascoli........ Sienna. We had only pre-booked the first nights accommodation so when we arrived in Sienna we had to find somewhere (affordable) to stay.... easier said than done in a strange place, when it's dark & you can't speak the lingo. Anyway, we eventually found somewhere, not very luxurious (or clean!) but affordable. So we were soon out on the town eating & drinking, more than the previous night since we had longer too drink. Sienna's a fine place, like stepping back in time, & it's where they have that horse race thing in the middle of the town square (oval), very atmospheric. The morning after, much the worse for wear, we set off again for our final stop before reaching Ascoli, this time it was Perugia. Another fine place where we, eventually, found some nice accommodation... after negotiating their unfathomable one way system (which takes you up to the top of the hill, where the town centre is, & half way back down before you can mace a turn... very frustrating). As some of you probably know, in Italy the shops stay open really late (8.00 or 9.00pm) & the place is buzzing with shoppers (This was 3 days before Xmas day so the atmosphere was superb. However as soon as the shops close & everyone buggers off home, the place is dead, except for 2 Bolton fans. After an hour or 2 of looking for a bar with some 'life' (& sampling a drink in them) we were getting to the point of giving up when we, luckily, stumbled across a basement music bar. Okay it was a karaoke place, but it was buzzing & after a couple of beers we soon got friendly with the locals & had a cracking night, evidenced by a major hangover the morning after. We really did feel lousy, struggled to eat our breakfast but set off again knowing this was the day we had waited for... too see the Whites away in Europe (In case anyone was wondering, we couldn't make the Pisa away game due to work commitments). A few miles after leaving Perugia we stopped for petrol & after my mate had been to pay, he came back to the car & said they sell fresh coffee here, do you fancy one? I said yes & in we went. They had this bar arrangement, right next to where you pay for your petrol, so we staggered onto a stool & ordered 2 coffees & 2 donuts (filled with custard)... boy do those babies cure a hangover! We had another round (coffee & donut) each just to make sure, then we set off on our journey over the mountains (snow & all) to Ascoli. Ascoli is a fairly drab place & it was bloody freezing. whilst driving round looking for some accommodation we spotted a coach with a BWFC sign in it. We couldn't make out if it was the team or fans, but we chased after it (in the car). We went through some traffic lights very late to try to catch it, but got stuck at another set anyway. Buggers! Undeterred we headed in the direction it had gone, then, when we came to the first junction we guessed which route they had taken & headed off.... wrong! So we backtracked & tried another one...... wrong! Back again, 3rd time lucky, less than a mile away we found the coach outside a hotel. In we went only to see Bruce & Colin (who looked quite shocked too see 2 independent Wanderers appear from nowhere) as soon as we entered reception. We then saw the fans (all 11 of them) & Des McBain, who asked about our trip & offered us free tickets for the nights match He suggested we follow the coach to the ground & stick with them because the locals weren't too friendly, but we declined the offer (but not the free tickets) because we still had to find some accommodation. An hour later we found somewhere to stay, got showered & changed & set off for the match. As we were walking down the stairs we could here some English voices, great some more independent Wanderers fans we thought. When we saw these guys we asked "are you going to the match"? & they replied "Yes" we're the officials (Ref & Linesman to you). We thought of offering them a bung but knew there was a chance panorama might be lurking so we decided against it. As we left the hotel, the linesmen shouted "good luck tonight" Found the ground, entered with free tickets (Thanks Des) & took our seats. It was absolutely bloody freezing & we were sat in front of this Italian 'family' (no segregation here) who's eldest member sounded like THE GODFATHER & he looked very similar too. I said it can't be him he died in that 2nd film. Anyway it was a crap match but we were hanging on for a draw when Ascoli scored, about 15 mins. from the end I think, but no, the linesman then flagged for offside no goal! Jeeesssss one of the Ascoli players pushed the Ref in the back (but didn't get sent off) & the Godfather went ballistic, we daren't turn round, We whispered to each other I hope he doesn't know we're supporting Bolton. things were staring to get heated on the pitch too. The Ascoli fans were all going wild & the Mafia, behind us, were making us feel very unwelcome. We considered making a run for it before the final whistle whilst they were all still wound up in the controversy. But then we thought bollox, why should we miss the celebration of an away draw in Europe. So we stayed, celebrated & despite getting lots of dirty looks etc. (god knows what they were saying) we applauded our team off... who were now running off the pitch, being chased by the Ascoli players after they had berated the ref & linesmen (who were staying in our hotel ). We then left the ground & headed off for something to eat & drink. There's a little more to this story but it's kinda late right now, so I'll finish it off tomorrow night, if anyone's interested.

BRITISH BULLSHIT COMPANY Sack em all

Being a spectator is fine, enjoying the match experience at the pub more than at the Reebok is also fine. I, myself, am a supporter. I take the rough with the smooth, some games will be entertaining & exciting whilst other games will be boring & dull... whatever, I will continue to support my club. But please hear this Mr & Mrs spectator......... When my beloved clubs falls by the wayside due to the lack of funds to compete at the highest level, caused by falling attendances, don't blame anyone but YOU that your match day experience at the pub no longer exists because the foreign TV chanells aren't intersted in non Premiership teams.

Try the Newcastle Arms, decent pint, 10 min's. from the ground, always a good atmosphere & Bolton friendly. We'll be in there. http://www.pubsnewcastle.co.uk/NewcastleArms.html

When the german bombers song was being sung in that square in Marseille, I wandered over to a young fan who was singing it & asked (tongue in cheek) "do you know where the runway is in Bolton"? He looked at me with a very puzzled expression on his face, so i repeated the question, adding "for the Bolton RAF". He then replied "I think it's near the British Aerospace site". Bless him!

We're at the New Vieux Port hotel... right next to the port, saves walking down that nasty main road.... where all those nasty mars men are.

Saintgreavsie, yes, we'll be on that one.

Insult the Marseille fans by calling them French!

To all shammers fans: First of all you have to recognise that we were only playing a little team (west sham) which obviously wasn't a very attractive fixture for us. Secondly, west sham were playing against a much bigger team (BWFC) which was obviously a very attractive fixture for you. Thirdly, west sham have only just been promoted from the championship (a division the mighty BWFC have NEVER been in!) & therefore you are still on honeymoon (albeit amazingly extended). You are getting more fans, home & away, because of the novelty factor & because you are making the most of visiting the top teams whilst you can, very similar to Wigan. Finally, how many points do you get for a league win when there are 'x' thousand fans watching you? I'll hazard a guess: ........ it's the same as us!, & everyone else!, whether there is 15,000 or 70,000 fans watching. So you see, it doesn't f'ing matter how many fans are there, & to constantly carp on about the importance of it merely shows you up for what you are... very insecure about the future success & status of your club..... & who can blame you for that?!

Would that be Heathrow to Manchester, Manc to Gatwick then Gatwick to Marseille? No that would be Manc to Heathrow, taxi to Gatwick, Gatwick to Marseille. Return journey misses out Heathrow.

Me + 3 more, via Manchester, Heatrow & Gatwick. Arrive Wed. evening, return Fri. morning.

If your pissed off with OUR club, fine, no problem, but please leave quietly & don't spread your bitterness around. Your obviously a JCL (albeit of a few years) & all you know is 'relative' success. Most of you young uns are all the same, "I want it now, I want it forever & I want it to constantly get better". Grow up, get real, realise that football, as life, has it's up & downs. And if you think this is a 'down' (BWFC wise) then it really is time you left... just do it quietly for fucks sake!

Well said Bristol!

When is it going to be finished? Maybe they'll have to play the fixture at Cardiff if it's not ready.