If we're looking to sign Kenny, wonder how much he's likely to cost? I was thinking around 1.5 million, might be miles off though!

I can't be the only one getting a little anxious about the upcoming season?

As things stand, we're gonna get hammered quite often.

6 hours ago, Sweep said:

I'd very much like us to sign him, but he's OK, nothing more than that really - as mentioned above, he does seem to be being built up to be the man who will save us

The finishes v Wycombe and Bradford were better than 'OK'

And tbf I was a late convert

41 minutes ago, Traf said:

I can't be the only one getting a little anxious about the upcoming season?

As things stand, we're gonna get hammered quite often.

Like Hull will in the Prem

Beat the shit

It’s tricky with a limited budget & the fact we are not a bigger fish in a small pond in terms of attracting players as last season in L1. Hopefully we can muddle through this coming season , loanees will be pivotal as they need to be the right ones to give us an attacking edge in tight games.

As far as Kenny is concerned I think we’ve seen enough to see he gives us the ability to get behind the opposition I actually think we need another target type forward to compete with Dalby , don’t think Forsse is the right type of signing.

1 hour ago, Traf said:

I can't be the only one getting a little anxious about the upcoming season?

As things stand, we're gonna get hammered quite often.

A little, but I’m also excited in anticipation of us being back in the championship after so long, playing some good clubs.

I think we need to look at it at being 2/3 mini-leagues within the division.

So while we might well get a few turning-overs from the likes of West Ham, Wolves, Burnley etc. (and don’t get be wrong these will be disappointing!)

When it comes to the likes of Cardiff, Lincoln, Blackburn, Charlton, Portsmouth (and no doubt a few others) then let’s hope we can compete consistently.

Yes we are still short and yes we are very much at the lower end of competing financially and experience wise.

But let’s look at this as a challenge, let’s see if we can push an extra 10/20% from what we have.

There may also be a few surprises along the way!

Let’s embrace it, not be anxious and worried about it.

Reality in check - 21st here we come!

We stayed up with 10 wins, 39 goals and 43 points last time!

1 hour ago, Traf said:

I can't be the only one getting a little anxious about the upcoming season?

As things stand, we're gonna get hammered quite often.

Could be a battle

Just need to stay up

29 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

Could be a battle

Just need to stay up

Think that realisation is only just landing for a lot of fans.

Think it was inevitable that the goal is to stay up. Going to be some grumpy fans this year

I said straight from the off after Wembley that one place above relegation is the aim and anything above is a bonus. Nothing has changed.

Some folk need a serious head wobble, this will be a challenging season. But I am also a Bolton fan, so hope beyond hope we can turn in a few decent performances to give us some buzz and for fucks sake keep our dour pessimistic fans quiet. Talk about kill our soul with their negative vibes when we should be hoping for another season in the championship?

I'm aware it'll be a challenge and I'm looking forward to being up against it and battling away in a mini-league

My concern is that we're currently a way off even being capable of that

We'll obviously bring more in but they have to be quality additions and the pressure really is now on

A huge few weeks ahead

29 minutes ago, only1swanny said:

Going to be some grumpy fans this year

Grumpy fans and know-it-all fans who think they have all the answers after every defeat will definitely be hard going.

Even though I’m probably pretty high up on WWs happy clappy scale, it’s always balanced and with pretty low expectations.

I’ve heard folk on other socials predicting us for top half and even top 8 - I’d like some of the drugs they are on! 😂

21 minutes ago, desperado said:

Grumpy fans and know-it-all fans who think they have all the answers after every defeat will definitely be hard going.

Even though I’m probably pretty high up on WWs happy clappy scale, it’s always balanced and with pretty low expectations.

I’ve heard folk on other socials predicting us for top half and even top 8 - I’d like some of the drugs they are on! 😂

Wtf, staying up is the aim.

I've taught my kids,

We go to the match, it's a break away and a day out, if we lose, we enjoy the match anyway.

When we drove back from Wembly after Oxford we weren't upset, because we're bolton and we're used to it.

But a lot of the social media lot will turn toxic this year, they're already heading that way towards fringe players

5 minutes ago, only1swanny said:

I've taught my kids,

We go to the match, it's a break away and a day out, if we lose, we enjoy the match anyway.

When we drove back from Wembly after Oxford we weren't upset, because we're bolton and we're used to it.

But a lot of the social media lot will turn toxic this year, they're already heading that way towards fringe players

You must have been the only ones, not upset after Oxford. I'd flown over from Spain and still haven't got over the total surrender.

4 minutes ago, only1swanny said:

I've taught my kids,

We go to the match, it's a break away a day out, if we lose, we enjoy the match anyway.

When we drove back from Wembly after Oxford we weren't upset, because we're bolton and we're used to it.

But a lot of the social media lot will turn toxic this year, they're already heading that way towards fringe players

Such is the way when you support a shit team. it'd be too stressful watching a team expected to win things.

Although my Man City supporting mate still forgets city are meant to be winning things he's convinced they're heading back to the Franny Lee and Alan Ball days soon.

6 minutes ago, only1swanny said:

I've taught my kids,

We go to the match, it's a break away and a day out, if we lose, we enjoy the match anyway.

When we drove back from Wembly after Oxford we weren't upset, because we're bolton and we're used to it.

But a lot of the social media lot will turn toxic this year, they're already heading that way towards fringe players

Great way to be.

Did the same when mine were young.

Still have a good day out now, win or lose on the booze!

Oxford - with them all being too old, the disappointment was too hard to hide! 😩😂

I am quietly confident our main incoming transfers have yet to happen. Will again be a interesting post match interview with SS tomorrow when he has yet again being asked the same questions.

The squad we have presently will be relegated...Some like me think we need a minimum of 5 decent Championship standard players just to compete......While a few would be happy to go with what we have got plus any forward and any two wingers. If money is tight and we bring in say three or four gambles ie loan players i for one will not be having a go at SS because he clearly has not been backed. We will reap what we sow. I doubt our owners will let us go back down without a fight and SS is just frustrated his targets are not in the door yet. Still a month to go

Just now, desperado said:

Oxford - with them all being too old, the disappointment was too hard to hide! 😩😂

As disappointing as Oxford was nothing will beat the frustration of The Stoke Debacle^TM if you come back to supporting your club after that nothing should kill off your support

7 minutes ago, waffer cup 07 said:

You must have been the only ones, not upset after Oxford. I'd flown over from Spain and still haven't got over the total surrender.

Don't get me wrong, dome players wound me up, standing on the ball on the half way line etc

But I wasn't getting a shoreline ruin an expensive day out with the family

3 hours ago, Casino said:

Like Hull will in the Prem

Beat the shit

2 hours ago, desperado said:

A little, but I’m also excited in anticipation of us being back in the championship after so long, playing some good clubs.

I think we need to look at it at being 2/3 mini-leagues within the division.

So while we might well get a few turning-overs from the likes of West Ham, Wolves, Burnley etc. (and don’t get be wrong these will be disappointing!)

When it comes to the likes of Cardiff, Lincoln, Blackburn, Charlton, Portsmouth (and no doubt a few others) then let’s hope we can compete consistently.

Yes we are still short and yes we are very much at the lower end of competing financially and experience wise.

But let’s look at this as a challenge, let’s see if we can push an extra 10/20% from what we have.

There may also be a few surprises along the way!

Let’s embrace it, not be anxious and worried about it.

Reality in check - 21st here we come!

Yes, of course.
Beating the other strugglers is going to be the key.
I just worry about the club's ability to manage expectations of over half of our fanbase who are expecting us to spend £20m+ and make a run for the play-offs.

52 minutes ago, frank_spencer said:

As disappointing as Oxford was nothing will beat the frustration of The Stoke Debacle^TM if you come back to supporting your club after that nothing should kill off your support

Stoke remains a bit of a turning point for me in always desperately wanting to get to an FA Cup semi. Getting to such an occasion had no negative previously. Then I realised getting to Wembley can be a negative as well as positive, it did the club a lot of damage in the short term. Post-Stoke if I'd been offered a guarantee of no semi for 5 years I'd have taken it. Of course I'd take another semi final now, but its lost its innocence, I don't want us like lambs to the slaughter playing City or Arsenal, or even Bournemouth or Brentford.

There was a feeling post-Oxford of not wanting to get to another play off final for a bit, it was perfect that we gave it 2 years then produced one of our most memorable games in our history, to put Oxford to bed.

49 minutes ago, Traf said:

Yes, of course.
Beating the other strugglers is going to be the key.
I just worry about the club's ability to manage expectations of over half of our fanbase who are expecting us to spend £20m+ and make a run for the play-offs.

So 3 of our first 4 home games are biggies, we'd best get a striker in 😄

On the expectations/realism discussion, I'm only looking at the first few games of the season, its not about will we stay up by next May, but can we get some points in August and September and get our season up and running even if that means being 2nd or 3rd bottom.

13 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

So 3 of our first 4 home games are biggies, we'd best get a striker in 😄

On the expectations/realism discussion, I'm only looking at the first few games of the season, its not about will we stay up by next May, but can we get some points in August and September and get our season up and running even if that means being 2nd or 3rd bottom.

Does feel a bit like a 4-5-1, try and 1-0 it kinda job early doors in the season. We might get away with it against Preston, QPR, Lincoln. Against the likes of West Ham and Wolves though, no chance.

Edited August 1Aug 1 by jmjhb

I am long enough a BWFC supporter now to know there are going to be decent spells of next season when we are jjust going to have to wear disappointment. Its all about having the right mindset from the off. The aim is 50 points and fourth bottom or betterr. It is definitely the case that we need significant further strengthening to equip us for that battle. But week by week between August and May we need to individually manage the lows and turn up on Saturday and Tuesday and get right behind the team. Anything other just further reduces our collective changes of getting a foothold in this league.

If we survive that first season back I do think as a club and support base we have other gears to go up. We have proved that so often before. But first we have the 2026/7 season to battle our way through.