Prompted to start this thread as a result of some conversations on others. Obviously a topic for those of a certain vintage and it's the time to do it while there's nothing current to discuss! 

The three difficult seasons at the very start of the 80s are often overlooked being as they are between the Ian Greaves era and the decade long spell in the lower divisions from 83-93. What are people's memories?

It was a time of financial crisis, rapidly dwindling crowds across football and a Burnden Park managerial merry-go-round that accounted for Stan Anderson and George Mulhall before John McGovern arrived (it could have been Pele!)

It all started in August 1980 with an underwhelming 2-1 defeat at Notts County, welcome back to Div 2! And it ended with the infamous 4-1 defeat at Charlton on May 15, 1983. The much maligned Ian Moores scored for us part way through the second half in a game we had to win. .... but we conceded four quick goals and the relegation trap-door opened.

A few from me - restricted to games I've not heard discussed much: 

1980/81

Aug 23 and our first win of the season in the third game, against a poor Newcastle side - a 4-0 thumping with a hat trick for our new signing Brian Kidd. We'd spent daft money on someone with no re-sale value, but for the short term his experience was very handy. When the 4th went in the Geordies walked out en masse in disgust before the end of the game. By their current standards it was a paltry following for them. Dennis Peacock, our new cock up prone goalie, was between the sticks.

April 20: Bolton 1 Wrexham 1. Twelve months before we were in the top flight. Now we were scrapping for our lives to survive in Div 2. The third last game of the season was at home to Wrexham with only 6100 at a nervy Burnden. We'd gone 0-1 down and were missing chances galore. A penalty brought hope - but Paul Jones missed it. The ref clearly liked us because in the last minute there was another penalty awarded. Brian Kidd tucked it away and week later we got a point at Orient to ensure safety. 

1981/82

September 5: Bolton 1 Luton 2: The first home game of a new season with George Mulhall as the gaffer.  We'd lost at Chelsea a week earlier. A sunny day at Burnden saw us take a second half lead through Alan Gowling. However this was David Pleat's Luton who would be crowned champions in May. They blitzed us with the likes of Ricky Hill and Brian Stein in their ranks, 1-2 flattered us. I have a memory of tannoy man repeatedly playing "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell at this game! By 11 games in to the season we'd won 2 drawn 0 lost 9. 

April 12: Blackburn 0 Bolton 2: mid-table safety for our banjo playing friends but Bolton were scrapping for safety for the second year running. Despite poor recent form and a shocking away record we won 2-0 at the old Ewood with Chris Thompson scoring both before he eventually signed for our rivals. There were battles in and around the ground as well! 

1982/83

November 6: Bolton 1 Shrewsbury 4: A pathetic performance as a poor start to the season deteriorated further. New boss John McGovern dropped half the side for the next game and a woman sat near me in the Manny Road stand spent the entire second half reading a book. Tony Henry's pen was scant consolation. 

December 11: Bolton 4 Charlton 1: Only 5645 in attendance but over Christmas and New Year we had our one good run of this relegation season. Part of that was this convincing win which was achieved despite the appearance of world class player and Danish international Allan Simonsen in Charlton's ranks. Neil Whatmore scored two in one of his periodic loan returns to Burnden. 

Give us some memories folks!!

 

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Indeed.  Dave Hoggan was another talented player that left that season, for America.  Could have been competitive if we'd kept those 3.  

I dunno why I can remember the name of the team he signed for but I do. Pittsburgh Spirit! 

Dave Hoggan, David Burke, Chris Thompson, Mike Graham, Mick Bennett, Phil Wilson, Mike Carter, Wayne Foster, Geoff Langley, Neil Berry, Simon Rudge. We either sold them, ruined them by throwing them in too soon or kept them for Div 3 only to ruin them there by playing them with even younger kids towards the end of 82/3 onwards like Warren Joyce, Steve Thompson, Neil Redfearn, Steve Saunders etc. Even if you look at keepers we had Dave Felgate and sold him and then Simon Farnworth who was great for two years but then completely lost his confidence.

I remember a league cup game v Chelsea

Pretty sure it saw home debuts for Graham and Burke

Both of em were excellent, that night

14 minutes ago, Casino said:

I remember a league cup game v Chelsea

Pretty sure it saw home debuts for Graham and Burke

Both of em were excellent, that night

Suspect that would have been late 70s when we were still in Div 1. Pretty sure they played in the top flight for us. David Burke definitely did.

6 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

Suspect that would have been late 70s when we were still in Div 1. Pretty sure they played in the top flight for us. David Burke definitely did.

29th August 1978 

They both played (their debuts) 2-1 win ( Worthington 2).

1978/79 season 

Burke played  23 games ( 19 in the league) 

Graham played 12 games ( 9 in the league )

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by dusan nikolic

2 minutes ago, dusan nikolic said:

29th August 1978

I remember it now. It took four or five games for us to win in our first season in Div 1. It was great that we'd won that Chelsea League Cup game ... but it wasn't quite the win we really wanted. That came against Derby in September and we came from a goal down to win 2-1.

5 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

I remember it now. It took four or five games for us to win in our first season in Div 1. It was great that we'd won that Chelsea League Cup game ... but it wasn't quite the win we really wanted. That came against Derby in September and we came from a goal down to win 2-1.

I've put Burke and Graham's appearances for the season on my previous post , I was surprised by how much they figured ,  I had always thought they were thrown in the following season , but they had actually played a few top flight games between them . Whether they were good enough is another story I suppose.

5 minutes ago, dusan nikolic said:

I've put Burke and Graham's appearances for the season on my previous post , I was surprised by how much they figured ,  I had always thought they were thrown in the following season , but they had actually played a few top flight games between them . Whether they were good enough is another story I suppose.

Stan Anderson picked a lot of the kids later in 79/80 .... but I was certainly surprised to read they played quite so much in 78/9!

4 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

Stan Anderson picked a lot of the kids later in 79/80 .... but I was certainly surprised to read they played quite so much in 78/9!

In 1979/80 Burke played around 30 games or so , but Graham actually played 4 less than the previous season.

Edited April 6, 20206 yr by dusan nikolic

8 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

In 1979/80 Burke played around 30 games or so , but Graham actually played 4 less than the previous season.

I've a recollection of Mike Graham playing against us for Mansfield in the lower divisions in later years so he made a career for himself but not at the top level. David Burke meanwhile played for Palace and Huddersfield and in Div 2 and the top flight. It was only really when he came back to us in 1990 that he was in lower division football. Even then his last year with us was back in the second tier - and he started that season in central defence!

25 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

I've a recollection of Mike Graham playing against us for Mansfield in the lower divisions in later years so he made a career for himself but not at the top level. David Burke meanwhile played for Palace and Huddersfield and in Div 2 and the top flight. It was only really when he came back to us in 1990 that he was in lower division football. Even then his last year with us was back in the second tier - and he started that season in central defence!

Yes , him and whatmore played against us in 86/87 , you put the game on for me a while back.

 

Both looked to have played 500 or so career games each.

Edited April 7, 20206 yr by dusan nikolic

Mick Bennett did ok for himself in his career, mostly in the lower leagues.

Played in a charity game with him about 10 years ago for Help the Heroes.

Still lives in Over Hulton, really nice fella.

5 minutes ago, miamiwhite said:

Mick Bennett did ok for himself in his career, mostly in the lower leagues.

Played in a charity game with him about 10 years ago for Help the Heroes.

Still lives in Over Hulton, really nice fella.

He's not got a wikipedia page. Unusual these days. I remember him playing, decent full back. Looked a bit like he could fit straight in a band photo of Depeche Mode! 

Did he end up at Preston? 

Just now, paulhanley said:

He's not got a wikipedia page. Unusual these days. I remember him playing, decent full back. Looked a bit like he could fit straight in a band photo of Depeche Mode! 

Did he end up at Preston? 

Played at Wolves, Cambridge, Preston, yes, think he ended up there.

Went to Hayward School.

Just now, miamiwhite said:

Played at Wolves, Cambridge, Preston, yes, think he ended up there.

Went to Hayward School.

I think Ian Greaves signed him for Wolves as well! 

Wasnt bennett the tower fm summariser for a bit

20 minutes ago, Casino said:

Wasnt bennett the tower fm summariser for a bit

Yes, I think he was, good shout.

Played in kick abouts with him on Canon Slade a few times when we were kids, he was a mate of my cousin. Wasn't anything special on the ball but was like a fucking whippet! 

8 hours ago, RONNIE PHILLIPS said:

Played in kick abouts with him on Canon Slade a few times when we were kids, he was a mate of my cousin. Wasn't anything special on the ball but was like a fucking whippet! 

That's the main thing I remember about him. He was very slight in his build but very quick. 

Last I heard Bennett was coaching in Azerbaijan. They're throwing tons of money at their youth set ups. 

Think both Burke and Bennett represented England at youth or u21 level, thought they both did well for Bolton!

3 hours ago, nantwichwhite said:

Think both Burke and Bennett represented England at youth or u21 level, thought they both did well for Bolton!

Pretty sure Mick Bennett played at youth level, don't think he made u21s

8 minutes ago, RONNIE PHILLIPS said:

Pretty sure Mick Bennett played at youth level, don't think he made u21s

Your right , They both only played for England youth , along with Chris Thompson.

Chis Thompson presented our trophy when we won the Chorley Sunday League, was a really nice bloke what a shame he died so young.

Burkey used to go to Roxie/Bowie nights on Tuesdays seemed like a nice fella too.

4 hours ago, nantwichwhite said:

Chis Thompson presented our trophy when we won the Chorley Sunday League, was a really nice bloke what a shame he died so young.

Burkey used to go to Roxie/Bowie nights on Tuesdays seemed like a nice fella too.

Chris Thompson did our end of season presentations when I had a year playing for a team in the old Bolton Federation. We won 3 games all season so fuck knows why we deserved medals! He'd gone to Blackburn by then - would have been about 83.

A great shame how he died. Essentially found weeks after he'd passed away. Suffered from depression and had cirrhosis of the liver. Hard to reconcile with the young lad we saw making his way in the game in the early 80s.

Some apt words about him just after his death from Peter Reid, Seamus McDonagh and John Thomas.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/9750845.tributes-to-ex-wanderer-chris-thompson/

Edited April 8, 20206 yr by paulhanley

Anybody on here from Espana 82?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/989992901078930/permalink/2871628076248727/