It's worth celebrating just how unbelievably shit our beloved neighbours, the self proclaimed "greatest club of the world" have become. Compared to their insufferable spell of success under old purple nose, the current state of affairs is the stuff of dreams and could never have been foreseen in our wildest dreams

• Now 12 years without a Premier League title
• Lost their status as the club with the most Prem titles - now 20-20 with Liverpool with the scousers far likelier to get to the 21 mark in the next year or two
• NOT the most successful club in English football, Liverpool again. 
• A 15th placed finish, their lowest since being relegated to the old Division 2 in 1974 
• A stadium that is essentially crumbling having been neglected for many years.
• Finances in a mess
• Several reports this week that their support abroad (especially in Asia) is hemorrhaging 
• Beaten by a Spurs side who are even more dreadful than they are in a European final. 

Feel free to add to the above list. There must be plenty of other elements of their decline to crow about.

We've got our own woes as have most clubs. On this quiet Saturday with no footy until tonight and very little other sport of note it's worth reflecting just what depths these arrogant cunts have plumbed. What a pleasure it is to see their cretinous support base having to keep its head down and feel what it's really like to be a football fan.

The only downside is that we were in the Prem in the wrong decade. I rather suspect we'd have chalked up several memorable wins home and away if our spell had been 10 years on from the one we had.

 

Busby advert!

I had to expand the picture, as my first though upon reading was "Sir Matt"...

Hated them will all my heart as a kid and youth. 

Had Munich 58 scrawled all over my text books. 

They did their best to ruin my childhood. Black Sunday was the worst day of most of our lives. Only bright point seeing how bubbling and full of hate Burnden was that day. Think United realised that day the true feeling.

But let's not pretend their general match going fanbase has ever seen us as anything else than a tasty away day.

Unless you live in pink zones like LH and stuff or we're around in the 60/70s they just don't give a fuck about us and never have. Leeds take their 3rd place in rivals by a distance. 

My hate for them wained in that last few seasons in prem. I grew up a bit realised we could never lay a glove on them in the long run and they just generally don't care about us, it's all one way so what's the point in spending my life full of hate for a global corporation that barely knows we exist.

I still hate them, they'll always be the first result I look for, this time is fantastic watching the fuckers squirm and realise their fall from grace. But in reality Wigan and Blackpool are better to hate. Because they hate us. 

My lads don't hate United, theyve never even seen us play them or be remotely in the same airspace. 

Most Bolton fans under 30 wouldn't even mention United as being our rivals.

 

Fuck everything about them.

Scum.

2 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Hated them will all my heart as a kid and youth. 

Had Munich 58 scrawled all over my text books. 

They did their best to ruin my childhood. Black Sunday was the worst day of most of our lives. Only bright point seeing how bubbling and full of hate Burnden was that day. Think United realised that day the true feeling.

But let's not pretend their general match going fanbase has ever seen us as anything else than a tasty away day.

Unless you live in pink zones like LH and stuff or we're around in the 60/70s they just don't give a fuck about us and never have. Leeds take their 3rd place in rivals by a distance. 

My hate for them wained in that last few seasons in prem. I grew up a bit realised we could never lay a glove on them in the long run and they just generally don't care about us, it's all one way so what's the point in spending my life full of hate for a global corporation that barely knows we exist.

I still hate them, they'll always be the first result I look for, this time is fantastic watching the fuckers squirm and realise their fall from grace. But in reality Wigan and Blackpool are better to hate. Because they hate us. 

My lads don't hate United, theyve never even seen us play them or be remotely in the same airspace. 

Most Bolton fans under 30 wouldn't even mention United as being our rivals.

Pretty much the same here Gonzo. I could never get why school had loads of Manc fancs. Or why people, pre M61, would go past Burnden to get to their shite hole in Salford.

It's tempered a bit but I still love them getting stuff wrong so consistently.  Plus I added Liverpool to my despise list. I thought there'd be no more room but it turns out there's plenty.

2 hours ago, BobyBrno said:

Did some declutterring this week and coincidentally came across these😊

Finished work at lunchtime as we always did the last day before Christmas. Kicked out of the pub at 3, I wandered around town wondering if the match would be on as there was some doubt. Met a Bobby friend of mine in the town hall square and he said they had been told it would go ahead. Brilliant night. 
We were well and truly back!

Fantastic, thanks for posting.  I was at that game, sat in the Burnden stand towards the Lever End for virtually the only time ever, and the view of Worthy's goals with the backdrop of the Burnden Paddock was stunning.

Gowling's goal at the Embankment was a great strike, I don't recall him refusing to celebrate and apologising to the United fans behind the goal, maybe I missed that bit.

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

Hated them will all my heart as a kid and youth. 

Had Munich 58 scrawled all over my text books. 

They did their best to ruin my childhood. Black Sunday was the worst day of most of our lives. Only bright point seeing how bubbling and full of hate Burnden was that day. Think United realised that day the true feeling.

But let's not pretend their general match going fanbase has ever seen us as anything else than a tasty away day.

Unless you live in pink zones like LH and stuff or we're around in the 60/70s they just don't give a fuck about us and never have. Leeds take their 3rd place in rivals by a distance. 

My hate for them wained in that last few seasons in prem. I grew up a bit realised we could never lay a glove on them in the long run and they just generally don't care about us, it's all one way so what's the point in spending my life full of hate for a global corporation that barely knows we exist.

I still hate them, they'll always be the first result I look for, this time is fantastic watching the fuckers squirm and realise their fall from grace. But in reality Wigan and Blackpool are better to hate. Because they hate us. 

My lads don't hate United, theyve never even seen us play them or be remotely in the same airspace. 

Most Bolton fans under 30 wouldn't even mention United as being our rivals.

 

“As we walked towards the ground an hour before kick-off, there was unusual congestion,” described one of those fans, Pete Molyneux. “We soon realised several hundred Bolton fans, instead of going through the turnstiles or into the pubs, were walking round trying to spot any United fans. We were in it before we realised how sinister it was. Luckily, no colours were on show among us but anyone with a hint of red and white got sneering verbal abuse or a slap round the head, or both. The scene was ugly. Very ugly.”

An article about it from their side:

https://archive.ph/xefbe

Edited June 1, 20251 yr by Clarence Carter

50 minutes ago, Clarence Carter said:

“As we walked towards the ground an hour before kick-off, there was unusual congestion,” described one of those fans, Pete Molyneux. “We soon realised several hundred Bolton fans, instead of going through the turnstiles or into the pubs, were walking round trying to spot any United fans. We were in it before we realised how sinister it was. Luckily, no colours were on show among us but anyone with a hint of red and white got sneering verbal abuse or a slap round the head, or both. The scene was ugly. Very ugly.”

An article about it from their side:

https://archive.ph/xefbe

From their side we don't really register until we're in the same division. Then they know derby day will be an event and they know of the history/intense dislike on our side. That piece is not completely devoid of the usual hardwired conceit that is evident among the infestation that's their support base but less so than usual.

It's a bit like us going to Bury.

I never realised how much they hated us till that 1999 season. Could see the hatred in their eyes. 

Remember looking across at their end on that Friday night game and thinking fuck me this lot really don't like us.

We know it's there. Same way United know it's there with us.

We just laugh at Bury and pat em on the head. Same way those red rags do with us.

Their lads respect us massively btw. All that's a different story all together...

12 hours ago, MancWanderer said:

Just for you pal

A mate of mine back in the day had a scrapbook of BWFC related newspaper cuttings , there were plenty more of this incident & others much worse taken from side on .

Probably a bad idea to start from Irlam .

 

 

 

The stats from that night in December 78. Someone said on another thread that my generation were the most privileged ever. I think he may have been bloody well right! 😊

2 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

The stats from that night in December 78. Someone said on another thread that my generation were the most privileged ever. I think he may have been bloody well right! 😊

christ I had to double check and that is Oldham's Andy Ritchie playing

8 hours ago, gonzo said:

Hated them will all my heart as a kid and youth. 

Had Munich 58 scrawled all over my text books. 

They did their best to ruin my childhood. Black Sunday was the worst day of most of our lives. Only bright point seeing how bubbling and full of hate Burnden was that day. Think United realised that day the true feeling.

But let's not pretend their general match going fanbase has ever seen us as anything else than a tasty away day.

Unless you live in pink zones like LH and stuff or we're around in the 60/70s they just don't give a fuck about us and never have. Leeds take their 3rd place in rivals by a distance. 

My hate for them wained in that last few seasons in prem. I grew up a bit realised we could never lay a glove on them in the long run and they just generally don't care about us, it's all one way so what's the point in spending my life full of hate for a global corporation that barely knows we exist.

I still hate them, they'll always be the first result I look for, this time is fantastic watching the fuckers squirm and realise their fall from grace. But in reality Wigan and Blackpool are better to hate. Because they hate us. 

My lads don't hate United, theyve never even seen us play them or be remotely in the same airspace. 

Most Bolton fans under 30 wouldn't even mention United as being our rivals.

 

aye

realised it was a one way street and not worth bothering with them for the sake of bothering about them

I reckon I enjoyed that last minute winner at wigan more than did winning two years in a row at OT

well

maybe not the first win in 01

20 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

The stats from that night in December 78. Someone said on another thread that my generation were the most privileged ever. I think he may have been bloody well right! 😊

Did we score either side if half time? Or both in one half?

2 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Did we score either side if half time? Or both in one half?

I’ll go and get the paper and have a look. My memory isn’t that good.😊

11 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Did we score either side if half time? Or both in one half?

According to the papers. Worthy 12 and 20 min. and Gowling 48 min. second half. I didn’t look at the times. Pretty sure the rest is accurate although I thought there were more on. ( As I said, I finished work at lunchtime. It was a long day)

One other minor point, notice the reports are from the Express and The Mirror. For balance.😉

All very Wigan hating a team who don’t consider you remotely rivals 

2 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

According to the papers. Worthy 12 and 20 min. and Gowling 48 min. second half. I didn’t look at the times. Pretty sure the rest is accurate although I thought there were more on. ( As I said, I finished work at lunchtime. It was a long day)

One other minor point, notice the reports are from the Express and The Mirror. For balance.😉

Oh

 

Just that it says 45 45 and 90 on that above.

6 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Oh

 

Just that it says 45 45 and 90 on that above.

Yes I know. Obviously wrong. I just found that when I searched for the attendance. As I said, I’m assuming the rest is accurate. The score is.😊

13 minutes ago, Big E said:

All very Wigan hating a team who don’t consider you remotely rivals 

It varies depending on age and where you live. Speak to any Bolton or United fans on the borders of the two conurbations and you’ll get a different reaction. Less so when we are in different divisions of course but when we are, it’s a different story. I was brought up in L/H & Walkden and it was intense at times. It’ll be reignited when we next meet but it’s looking more likely that they’ll be coming down than us going up.😉

Most Man yew tourists don’t even know where Bolton is. 

1 hour ago, BobyBrno said:

The stats from that night in December 78. Someone said on another thread that my generation were the most privileged ever. I think he may have been bloody well right! 😊

Take McNab out and put Allardyce in and that’s my favourite ever BWFC line up

I'd never heard of Tom Connell who played for them that night. Just had a look. One of just two appearances he made for them.

2 hours ago, MancWanderer said:

Take McNab out and put Allardyce in and that’s my favourite ever BWFC line up

You’d want Big Sam in midfield? Change the centre half; sure.

12 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

You’d want Big Sam in midfield? Change the centre half; sure.

Sam centre half alongside Paul Jones. Mike Walsh left back. Sorted.
I can’t argue with the Manc. lads opinion.👍

4 hours ago, BobyBrno said:

The stats from that night in December 78. Someone said on another thread that my generation were the most privileged ever. I think he may have been bloody well right! 😊

The stats being scoreline, scorers and team sheet. The only stuff that matters as opposed to shots on target, xg and all this other nonsense.

One question for the older folk on here, why was the attendance 32k for this match? I'm imagining Normid was after this in the 80s but it's still way down on the 60k attendances of the absolute peak of Burnden. Was it gradually reduced for safety, or had various bits of the stadium turned to seating by then?

48 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

You’d want Big Sam in midfield? Change the centre half; sure.

 

31 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

Sam centre half alongside Paul Jones. Mike Walsh left back. Sorted.
I can’t argue with the Manc. lads opinion.👍

As Boby says