Research

[TotalBelief2024]

After my initial research, I've come to the conclusion that WW was the first Bolton forum and launched in July 1999.

Do any of you know much about its origins, how it came about, what the early days were like etc?

I want to mention it in my upcoming book but struggling to find much about it.

Thanks

 

Also desperately after a certain edition of Tripe N Trotters (August 1997 - Sasa Curcic on the cover) and White Love (August 1997 - Female backside on the cover) if anyone can lend/sell/scan one of each for me, would be helpful

[W.cramp]

Smiley for white love.   Don't know if he still comes on,  he is now a sheep worrier !  

Sure there's still a few on from origins,   Satan,  miamiwhite has reappeared, Casino, zico.  

[burnden]

Lots of folk on here used to be on the Bolton board at rivals.net in the old days....  Honestly I can't remember why @Happy Wanderer and us all migrated over here.

[Whitestar]

Was it not the spin off from the message board on the official website before it got closed down as it started to get toxic at one point????

[Tonge moor green jacket]

2 minutes ago, Whitestar said:

Was it not the spin off from the message board on the official website before it got closed down as it started to get toxic at one point????

Not entirely changed then! 😀

[gonzo]

Aye it all started on Rivals.

Switched to Wanderersways.com about 2000 iirc. 

I remember selling White Love fanzine for @Smileyoutside the West Stand and @Happy Wanderer(RIP) came and asked who and where he could find Dick Smiley.

That was the start of Wways being promoted in White Love.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2025 by gonzo

[Ani]

1 hour ago, Whitestar said:

Was it not the spin off from the message board on the official website before it got closed down as it started to get toxic at one point????

No, Rivals changed the deal Happy got for running the site and as he was IT savvy he set up this one and everyone jumped over. Bar a couple who get high and mighty for a week before fucking off.

 

This site it the best site for Wanderers fans if a certain age I think.

At its best when it does not take things too seriously. 
 

Gonzo has been the best mod since day 1. 

[Eddie]

Ever wondered how many hours you’ve spent reading the site?

Next year is my 20th anniversary, which is mental! Even an average of an hour a day, which is probably conservative, puts me at 7,300 hours - nearly 1 year of my life 😂

[only1swanny]

Been on since rivals and remember the swap.. didn't even realise it was a swap at the time, think I will have been 16.. 

26 years posting shite haha 

[ZiggyStardust]

from 94ish (?) there was the mailing list that Jonathan White ran from Bolton Institutes mail server. The mailing lists were the forerunners of the forums, and an alternative to usenet groups and IRC at the time.

I know @jazza and @bgoefc were on the mail lists, probably others from here too.

First Bolton only forum I remember was a sub page on Danny Kellys Football365 around 97.

[DirtySanchez]

26 minutes ago, only1swanny said:

Been on since rivals and remember the swap.. didn't even realise it was a swap at the time, think I will have been 16.. 

26 years posting shite haha 

But you did post one of the most iconic images 

[TotalBelief2024]

Neil wrote this in July 1999. It suggests that the site existed before it moved to Rivals (and then moved back). It is the bit from 1999 that I need to know about i.e. before it went to Rivals

 

Today sees WanderersWays turn 20 years.

Back then in 1999 the internet wasn’t a big thing and certainly no BWFC sites existed. I’d like to think we have come a long way since those early days and thanks to you we have been successful in many fronts.

when I first set the site up it was published using Microsoft FrontPage if anyone remembers that? Then it was it was the turn of Dreamweaver for a while, then phpbb as the forum took off so that members could interact. Then another PHP content management software that allowed pages and a forum.

I was approached by Rivals.net back in 2001 and moved the site to them for a successful 3 years, however I took the bold step to be a fully independent site again. All members followed WanderersWays back again, this time using the software we still use today, which I must say is perhaps one of the best out there.

[Winchester White]

Fuck knows when it was but I remember being a member then having to re-register again to something else.

Back then I think I was just called Blackrod or Blackrod White. I used to be so imaginative.

[Krimzon]

13 hours ago, TotalBelief2024 said:

After my initial research, I've come to the conclusion that WW was the first Bolton forum and launched in July 1999.

Do any of you know much about its origins, how it came about, what the early days were like etc?

I want to mention it in my upcoming book but struggling to find much about it.

Thanks

 

Also desperately after a certain edition of Tripe N Trotters (August 1997 - Sasa Curcic on the cover) and White Love (August 1997 - Female backside on the cover) if anyone can lend/sell/scan one of each for me, would be helpful

Ive got a spare of the White Love issue you mention you can have .

[Krimzon]

I was on another forum , cant remember the name but George the programme collector was on it regularly . When that forum was closing I just googled other forums and this came up . Bit of research at the time said it had more members than any other football forum in the UK so I joined . No idea the year . Got banned for a year and still came back here . 

[Zico]

13 hours ago, ZiggyStardust said:

 

First Bolton only forum I remember was a sub page on Danny Kellys Football365 around 97.

Good shout, good memory

I recall going on that at uni occasionally so 97 sounds about right, was ok but not that popular so not much "community" and too many fans of other teams all mixed together

Didn't discover rivals till about 99

[gonzo]

Think my first foray in to message boards was Yahoo messenger which was just full of groomers and Paul Dodd.Com

Met Smiffs on the latter who I already knew and he said get on wways.

 

[L/H White]

14 hours ago, only1swanny said:

Been on since rivals and remember the swap.. didn't even realise it was a swap at the time, think I will have been 16.. 

26 years posting shite haha 

I think I'm on over 20 years, signed up when I was around 17-18 I think

[Rizlar]

Initially I was on Bolton Banter for several years then it closed so found wways and been on here ever since.

[bwfc2003]

Just checked and been on 20 years - introduced by Bob Da Plumber

[matty2094]

I think I migrated over when 606 got shut down in 2011(?). Although I don't think I know anyone off here personally, I don't think there's a any better space out there for our little old club. I've shared issues on here that some of my own family aren't even aware of. Long live WW.

[Piemon]

Remember going to a sportsmans dinner early 2000s and being made aware of WWays then. time flies 🫢

[SatanGreavsie]

Just checked and 22 years on it for me come October. Main memory of the Rivals switch was chatting, in real life, to a poster who bemoaned the username he'd come up with for the latter. "BWFC Underpants". He was hoping to come up with something much less silly for WWs. 😄

First main memory of the real power and usefulness of the board came with Europe. Would have been more hassle and less enjoyable if we hadn't had WWs.

Bloody hell, Plovdiv will be 20 years ago in a couple of months time!

[Take Hunt Off]

On 30/07/2025 at 15:17, TotalBelief2024 said:

After my initial research, I've come to the conclusion that WW was the first Bolton forum and launched in July 1999.

Do any of you know much about its origins, how it came about, what the early days were like etc?

I want to mention it in my upcoming book but struggling to find much about it.

Thanks

 

Also desperately after a certain edition of Tripe N Trotters (August 1997 - Sasa Curcic on the cover) and White Love (August 1997 - Female backside on the cover) if anyone can lend/sell/scan one of each for me, would be helpful

Think I have the female arse one (you’ve seen the bottom now let’s find the top or words to that effect) Might take a while to find it , I will pm you when I find it.

[Zico]

9 hours ago, SatanGreavsie said:

Just checked and 22 years on it for me come October. Main memory of the Rivals switch was chatting, in real life, to a poster who bemoaned the username he'd come up with for the latter. "BWFC Underpants". He was hoping to come up with something much less silly for WWs. 😄

First main memory of the real power and usefulness of the board came with Europe. Would have been more hassle and less enjoyable if we hadn't had WWs.

Bloody hell, Plovdiv will be 20 years ago in a couple of months time!

You'll have been in it longer 

Anyone who signed up in October 2003 was probably in it for a year or two before, but happy had to reset it and we all signed up again 

I'm sure you were rivals so pre 2001