Bolton Boys We Are Here

[champers]

7 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Asks the man who supports a football club with all the history of ManU, who were bought by americans who didnt just want a little plaything at a good price but a cashcow and have no clue about the traditions of the club.

 

Strikes me that there is general feeling running  through TV footie forum that it's not on to be foreigned owned (when the reality is most if not all our clubs are foreign owned) but hey Americans don't  count.

 

 

I think about half of Championship clubs are now foreign owned. The 3 relegated clubs this season are all English owned. Promoted Norwich are English, Sheff Utd have an ongoing dispute between English and Gulf part owners.

Forest, Leeds, Villa, Brum, WBA, QPR, Reading, Wednesday, Blackburn, Swansea all have foreign ownership, wholly or in part.

[mrbojangles]

9 minutes ago, champers said:

The big boys in the EPL might consider a bit more money trickling down the leagues. How, I don't know.

I always struggle with heart and head on these issues. Heart says yeah, the bigger clubs should help out. The head says why should they. Other clubs aren't their responsibility, especially as they don't have any say over how they are run or financially managed.

 

For me, it's as simple as supply and demand in the football clubs area. If the people in the area don't want to go and support anymore, the club can slip into oblivion and make room for a club to be promoted who maybe can survive. Bolton are currently getting under 15,000 average attendance which is about half the capacity of the stadium. It really isn't looking like the local area are willing to support the club

[champers]

3 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

I always struggle with heart and head on these issues. Heart says yeah, the bigger clubs should help out. The head says why should they. Other clubs aren't their responsibility, especially as they don't have any say over how they are run or financially managed.

 

For me, it's as simple as supply and demand in the football clubs area. If the people in the area don't want to go and support anymore, the club can slip into oblivion and make room for a club to be promoted who maybe can survive. Bolton are currently getting under 15,000 average attendance which is about half the capacity of the stadium. It really isn't looking like the local area are willing to support the club

I think the attendances are pretty good at Bolton considering. Smaller clubs struggle to make ends meet, but is it bad management, lack of interest in the towns or uneven distribution of money in the sport? 

Bolton are the architects of their own misfortune, so need to resolve their own problems. I get that,and we will come good again in time. We were in Div 4 in 1987, eight years later we were in the Prem and playing in a League Cup final.

[champers]

It appears that 5 prospective buyers have paid 25 grand to study the club's financials. I hope they aren't all put off by what they have seen. Bidding closes on the 7th of June, in one week.

2 players have joined other clubs in League 1, Peterborough and Accrington.

Ex players Peter Reid and Phil Brown seem to have thrown their hats into the ring as the next manager, though Phil Parkinson is still in place.

Up the Whites!!!

[champers]

Sad news about Jay Jay Okocha; he was in court in Aberdeen on Friday up on money laundering charges. How the mighty fall.

[champers]

Deadline for bids for the club has closed. Six bidders in, with the winner to be announced in a week, on the 14th June. There seems to be much surprise that there are so many bids.

A new era beckons.

Up The Whites!!!

[Bredbury Blue]

On 5/24/2019 at 12:49 AM, champers said:

I think the attendances are pretty good at Bolton considering. Smaller clubs struggle to make ends meet, but is it bad management, lack of interest in the towns or uneven distribution of money in the sport? 

Bolton are the architects of their own misfortune, so need to resolve their own problems. I get that,and we will come good again in time. We were in Div 4 in 1987, eight years later we were in the Prem and playing in a League Cup final.

As a local, it disturbs me that Bolton and particularly Bury are on the slippery slope. I don't know whether the local big boys such as City, ManU and possibly the scousers should step in to assist financially with loans, player loans, etc, and i don't know whether they are permitted to financially assist under PL and EFL rules, but if they can it would be a great thing if they did now before it's too late. City fan / Guardian  journalist David Conn has been writing some great articles to publicise their plight. Here's another report (not by Conn) i read today:

 

https://www.footballfancast.com/league-one/bury/could-the-manchester-giants-do-more-to-help-out-their-ailing-neighbour-bury

 

[champers]

25 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

As a local, it disturbs me that Bolton and particularly Bury are on the slippery slope. I don't know whether the local big boys such as City, ManU and possibly the scousers should step in to assist financially with loans, player loans, etc, and i don't know whether they are permitted to financially assist under PL and EFL rules, but if they can it would be a great thing if they did now before it's too late. City fan / Guardian  journalist David Conn has been writing some great articles to publicise their plight. Here's another report (not by Conn) i read today:

 

https://www.footballfancast.com/league-one/bury/could-the-manchester-giants-do-more-to-help-out-their-ailing-neighbour-bury

 

I believe clubs should stand on their own 2 feet. Local businesses have been shafted because clubs overspent and made bad business decisions. Bury "bought" promotion to L1 last season and took a promotion place that a properly run club missed out on.

City helped Bury with free use of a training ground and paid a fee for a youngster from Bolton when they could have had him for nothing.

There needs to be a better distribution generally of monies in the game. Wycombe, for example, have no reserve or youth teams because they cannot afford them. Luck of the draw, having rich neighbours should not be a criteria for disbursement of monies. How would remote clubs like Exeter and Carlisle fare?

Edited August 10, 2019 by champers

[Bredbury Blue]

6 minutes ago, champers said:

I believe clubs should stand on their own 2 feet. Local businesses have been shafted because clubs overspent and made bad business decisions. Bury "bought" promotion to L1 last season and took a promotion place that a properly run club missed out on.

City helped Bury with free use of a training ground and paid a fee for a youngster from Bolton when they could have had him for nothing.

There needs to be a better distribution generally of monies in the game. Wycombe, for example, have no reserve or youth teams because they cannot afford them. Luck of the draw, having rich neighbours should not be a criteria for disbursement of monies. How would remote clubs like Exeter and Carlisle fare?

I agree with everything you say but sadly some clubs don't seem able to keep their head above water, and rather than see them kicked out or closed down , if it's possible for the big local boys to do more to help them, then that's  what id like to see happen.

 

My nephew is a coach at youth level, was at Bury a few years back, and has had to move on 3 or 4 times when local clubs both sides of the pennines he's  worked for shut down their youth setup. The very sad situation of local lower league clubs (though one was briefly in the Premier).

[champers]

1 hour ago, Bredbury Blue said:

I agree with everything you say but sadly some clubs don't seem able to keep their head above water, and rather than see them kicked out or closed down , if it's possible for the big local boys to do more to help them, then that's  what id like to see happen.

 

My nephew is a coach at youth level, was at Bury a few years back, and has had to move on 3 or 4 times when local clubs both sides of the pennines he's  worked for shut down their youth setup. The very sad situation of local lower league clubs (though one was briefly in the Premier).

I think we are nearly on the same page, but what you propose sounds like the setting up of feeder clubs who will cherry pick the best young talent and use the loan system as a proving ground. I don't want that. The help should be put into a pot for disbursement by the EFL, rather than big clubs picking teams to help.

[mrbojangles]

2 hours ago, champers said:

I believe clubs should stand on their own 2 feet. Local businesses have been shafted because clubs overspent and made bad business decisions. Bury "bought" promotion to L1 last season and took a promotion place that a properly run club missed out on.

City helped Bury with free use of a training ground and paid a fee for a youngster from Bolton when they could have had him for nothing.

There needs to be a better distribution generally of monies in the game. Wycombe, for example, have no reserve or youth teams because they cannot afford them. Luck of the draw, having rich neighbours should not be a criteria for disbursement of monies. How would remote clubs like Exeter and Carlisle fare?

Totally agree with all of that. Seeing as a football club in the main is only important to the local community, maybe the local council could help out in some way. Rochdale council helped out years ago as well as ground sharing with the Rugby team

[champers]

40 minutes ago, mrbojangles said:

Totally agree with all of that. Seeing as a football club in the main is only important to the local community, maybe the local council could help out in some way. Rochdale council helped out years ago as well as ground sharing with the Rugby team

In a way Bolton Council have helped as they are one of the non-football, unsecured creditors who have lost 65p in the £ of what they are owed. Other entities funded by the council have also taken a hit, the police and ambulance sevices for example.

It looks like one part of our prospective new owners business model may involve selling the ground and leasing it back from the buyer. Maybe the council will be the buyer. We will see.

Edited August 10, 2019 by champers

[Bredbury Blue]

2 hours ago, champers said:

but what you propose sounds like the setting up of feeder clubs who will cherry pick the best young talent and use the loan system as a proving ground. I don't want that.

No i definitely wasn't proposing that.

 

I was suggesting, that if it's possible, that the big clubs step in and help with temporary measures if it's legally allowed. For example, a temporary financial loan until a Bury or a Bolton finds new investors, or, as both clubs are/were short of players so a temporary loan of players until a Bury or a Bolton finds and signs up new players.

 

[Bredbury Blue]

For Bury, im wondering if the Nevilles will step in and help out financially before it's too late.

[champers]

19 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

For Bury, im wondering if the Nevilles will step in and help out financially before it's too late.

I don't think they can while they have their interest in Salford, but I stand to be corrected.

[Bredbury Blue]

So both Bury and Bolton Wanderers have been set a deadline of 17:00 BST on Tuesday to complete the club's sale or provide "credible plans" they can complete this season, or else face expulsion from the English Football League. That's not a lot of time to finalise their deals considering it's a Bank holiday weekend but they have had long enough to sort something out. Terrible situation for the fans, club workers and the players - stop for a minute to think if it was your club in this situation - and i really hope they pull through. 

[champers]

1 hour ago, Bredbury Blue said:

So both Bury and Bolton Wanderers have been set a deadline of 17:00 BST on Tuesday to complete the club's sale or provide "credible plans" they can complete this season, or else face expulsion from the English Football League. That's not a lot of time to finalise their deals considering it's a Bank holiday weekend but they have had long enough to sort something out. Terrible situation for the fans, club workers and the players - stop for a minute to think if it was your club in this situation - and i really hope they pull through. 

Bury look sorted, being bought by a football analytics company, whatever that may be.

Bolton had a deal agreed on Friday but it has been scuppered by previous owner Ken Anderson, not for the first time. Expect a further 2 week deadline being imposed on Bolton after 5pm Tuesday.

[mrbojangles]

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 9:23 AM, champers said:

Expect a further 2 week deadline being imposed on Bolton after 5pm Tuesday.

It looks a bit more serious than that mate. 

 

Joint administrator Paul Appleton said:-

 

Quote

"On Sunday evening, there was some tentative dialogue but we are still some way from reaching a solution. Therefore, I am appealing to those parties whose position seems intractable to do everything to reach a compromise.

"The club is currently not in a position to carry on trading and, as such, the process of closing down the company will commence on Wednesday.

"This will ultimately lead to its liquidation, the expulsion of the club from the EFL and the inevitable loss of over 150 jobs. More than that, it will devastate a community for whom the football club is a beacon of hope and expectation.

"I reiterate, unless there is a change of position from any of the parties involved, the process of closing down the club and ultimately placing Bolton Wanderers into liquidation will begin this week."

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11672/11794597/bolton-wanderers-face-liquidation-after-proposed-sale-falls-through

[Bredbury Blue]

I'm really and honestly hoping that I don't wake up tomorrow morning (the deadline set for them is 11pm Thailand time) and check the BBC news to find that Bolton or Bury have been kicked out of the league or even worse Bolton have been put in to liquidation.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Bredbury Blue

[champers]

Brinksmanship is in play at Bolton. A deal will likely be sorted very close to the deadline. 

Bolton are due to play Bury weekend after next, live on Sky. I would bet the game goes ahead.

[champers]

3 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

It looks a bit more serious than that mate. 

 

Joint administrator Paul Appleton said:-

 

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11672/11794597/bolton-wanderers-face-liquidation-after-proposed-sale-falls-through

My initial comment was overtaken by Admin's admission that the club has run out of money. No season tickets have been sold; they can't be till a new owner is in place. The prospective new owners, who are still in the game, have plenty of revenue streams to get up and running once their takeover is completed.

I haven't given a running commentary of the takeover because events would have rendered such narrative as redundant from day to day. 

There are 2 meaningful constants:

1. FV, the prospective buyers have been steadfast in their resolve to buy the club.

2. Former owner, Ken Anderson, has been equally steadfast to delay the process and maximise the amount of money he walks away with, not unlike Steve Dale at Bury.

[mrbojangles]

6 minutes ago, champers said:

My initial comment was overtaken by Admin's admission that the club has run out of money. No season tickets have been sold; they can't be till a new owner is in place. The prospective new owners, who are still in the game, have plenty of revenue streams to get up and running once their takeover is completed.

I haven't given a running commentary of the takeover because events would have rendered such narrative as redundant from day to day. 

There are 2 meaningful constants:

1. FV, the prospective buyers have been steadfast in their resolve to buy the club.

2. Former owner, Ken Anderson, has been equally steadfast to delay the process and maximise the amount of money he walks away with, not unlike Steve Dale at Bury.

I really hope your right mate and there's a way out of this for Bolton. It would be scandalous if the worst happened

[champers]

Bury buyer pulled out after doing due diligence. I hope EFL give them a further extension to explore any other interested parties.

[mrbojangles]

13 hours ago, champers said:

Bury buyer pulled out after doing due diligence. I hope EFL give them a further extension to explore any other interested parties.

They haven't given Bury any extra time and they have now been expelled from the Football League. What a shame after 125 years.

 

At least Bolton got an extra 2 weeks like you said they would

[champers]

1 hour ago, mrbojangles said:

They haven't given Bury any extra time and they have now been expelled from the Football League. What a shame after 125 years.

 

At least Bolton got an extra 2 weeks like you said they would

It is a disgrace; little more than 6 months ago Bury's owner was endorsed by the EFL. They should hang their heads in shame.

[champers]

Bolton sold, at long last. Now we can start bringing in out of contract and loan players, appoint a manager and sell season tickets. It will be interesting to see what plans the new owners have. The season starts here.

I hope Bury can get the awful decision to kick them out of the league reversed and pronto. The EFL have disavowed themselves of any responsibility, when they are infact highly culpable.

[jellydog]

20 minutes ago, champers said:

Bolton sold, at long last. Now we can start bringing in out of contract and loan players, appoint a manager and sell season tickets. It will be interesting to see what plans the new owners have. The season starts here.

I hope Bury can get the awful decision to kick them out of the league reversed and pronto. The EFL have disavowed themselves of any responsibility, when they are infact highly culpable.

A member of Pink Floyd involved?

[champers]

1 hour ago, jellydog said:

A member of Pink Floyd involved?

Drummer Nick Mason is a business partner of our new Chairwoman Sharron Brittan, he is more known for his love of motor racing rather than football. Well into his 70s but still gigging. He rocked up at Manchester Apollo last year and all Bolton fans expect that he will be teaming up soon with Waters and Gilmour at our stadium for a reunion gig. Big improvement on that skanky Manc chav boy band whose junkie fans sullied the premises a few years back.

[Bredbury Blue]

"Representatives of Bury are considering legal action against the English Football League following the club’s expulsion on Tuesday, having failed to receive a response from the league to a list of questions they wanted answered...and why the league considers it proportionate to make the club drop down five divisions." Seems a very reasonable question to a very harsh measure.

 

While it's great that Bolton were given another 2 weeks to get their act together, Bury seemed to have been treated severely.

[champers]

24 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

"Representatives of Bury are considering legal action against the English Football League following the club’s expulsion on Tuesday, having failed to receive a response from the league to a list of questions they wanted answered...and why the league considers it proportionate to make the club drop down five divisions." Seems a very reasonable question to a very harsh measure.

 

While it's great that Bolton were given another 2 weeks to get their act together, Bury seemed to have been treated severely.

Bury have been treated shabbily and I hope they get another opportunity to complete a sale and return to League 1.

I am relieved that Bolton have been bought; it remains to be seen what the new owners business model is. They haven't shared that information yet, so time will tell.