Handbags & Handshakes

[Natasha Whittam]

I’m bored of Bolton Wanderers and I’m bored of Premiership football in general. Is it just me or has the last season been the most tedious in recent memory?

Several things are to blame but I think it all stems from the complete lack of passion on the pitch. This has filtered into the seats, and I think we’ve now come to a point where fans just don’t care anymore.

There was a time when things were ferocious on the pitch. A Bolton-Wolves game would always produce some sort of punch-up on the pitch and more than a few off it. Same for a game against Rovers, Burnley, United and plenty of others. But now it’s all handshakes and handbags. The players only interest is money and where their next big signing-on fee is coming from.

But this handshakes and handbags attitude has also brought change to the way the game is played. Players don’t want to get stuck in anymore, they want to do fancy flicks and wear gloves in Summer. Hence the “tackle” is slowly being phased out in favour of flower arranging. Probably.

Games mean very little to me anymore. I was more up for an away game at Mansfield or Grimsby 15 years ago than I am today for a trip to Man Utd, Liverpool or Chelsea. Football was less predictable back then. Nowadays you can virtually predict the outcome of a game before a ball has been kicked.

Watching the after-match interviews on MOTD yesterday it hit home just how mediocre the Premiership has become. Alex McLeish was celebrating finishing 9th, and Roy Hodgson said he was happy to finish anywhere outside the bottom three. And there you have it, more proof that most teams only ambition is to stay in the Premiership. Pathetic.  Even our own Player of the Season poll on this website was won by a player who has probably had 4 good games all season and has been dropped towards the end. Another celebration of mediocre.

So what’s the answer? The Premiership isn’t going to change for a long time. Too much money making average players multi-millionaires. Too many stupid fans who idolise these average players as though they are Gods. I need to get away from this ridiculous league. I miss the terraces, I miss the real smells of matchday, I miss the banter, I miss the last minute wins at Rochdale, Bradford and Bury. But most of all I miss the real Bolton Wanderers. What has happened to my club?

[Ibelieveingarymegson]

haven't read that but do you think we should get Earnshaw in the summer?

[Big_Sharps]

I'm bored of Bolton Wanderers and I’m bored of Premiership football in general. Is it just me or has the last season been the most tedious in recent memory?

Several things are to blame but I think it all stems from the complete lack of passion on the pitch. This has filtered into the seats, and I think we’ve now come to a point where fans just don’t care anymore.

There was a time when things were ferocious on the pitch. A Bolton-Wolves game would always produce some sort of punch-up on the pitch and more than a few off it. Same for a game against Rovers, Burnley, United and plenty of others. But now it’s all handshakes and handbags. The players only interest is money and where their next big signing-on fee is coming from.

But this handshakes and handbags attitude has also brought change to the way the game is played. Players don’t want to get stuck in anymore, they want to do fancy flicks and wear gloves in Summer. Hence the “tackle” is slowly being phased out in favour of flower arranging. Probably.

Games mean very little to me anymore. I was more up for an away game at Mansfield or Grimsby 15 years ago than I am today for a trip to Man Utd, Liverpool or Chelsea. Football was less predictable back then. Nowadays you can virtually predict the outcome of a game before a ball has been kicked.

Watching the after-match interviews on MOTD yesterday it hit home just how mediocre the Premiership has become. Alex McLeish was celebrating finishing 9th, and Roy Hodgson said he was happy to finish anywhere outside the bottom three. And there you have it, more proof that most teams only ambition is to stay in the Premiership. Pathetic.  Even our own Player of the Season poll on this website was won by a player who has probably had 4 good games all season and has been dropped towards the end. Another celebration of mediocre.

So what’s the answer? The Premiership isn’t going to change for a long time. Too much money making average players multi-millionaires. Too many stupid fans who idolise these average players as though they are Gods. I need to get away from this ridiculous league. I miss the terraces, I miss the real smells of matchday, I miss the banter, I miss the last minute wins at Rochdale, Bradford and Bury. But most of all I miss the real Bolton Wanderers. What has happened to my club?

Good post, I came on the scene when we come out of the dark days so I cant really compare playing the likes of Rochdale and Torquay to now but I think its the financial aspect of what could happen to the clubs if they were to go down which makes managers so Premier League focused.

Football has gone wet because of the police overexaggeration and the opinion that everybody is a hooligan which needs to be slapped with a banning order before they do commit what the police would deem a serious offense.  

I actually do wish I could visit the 80s to experience what proper football and a match day experience was like as it is probably alot more my scene.  I was alot more downhearted at the end of last season as it was boring enough 95% of the time but when we was pretty much safe from the middlesborough win onwards and we are playing for the draw against the teams below us to ensure they done gain any ground was just embarrassing.

[Weststander]

The game's gone too soft for me. Good tackles get yellow cards, players get sent off because someone rolls over holding his face when replays show there was no contact. This daft idea of kicking the ball out every time somebody lies down annoys me. What happened to it being the ref's decision or the game only to be stopped for a facial injury?

On Sunday Klasnic was lying down rubbing his shin in their half, Steinsson kicked it out but before it went out Klasnic was up and running about again. If I were a Birmingham player I wouldn,t have thrown it back to us. Players should be booked for deliberate timewasting when they kick it out like that.

I read somewhere a comment from Tommy Banks, a great player I believe from the 50s/60s. He was asked what happened when a teammate was writhing around on the floor. He said " when one of us ran past him he would be told to bloody well get up " I much prefer that attitude to the game and that was when they didnt play in plimsolls like today  and a leather ball with laces in.

[DaveBWFC]

I miss the terraces, I miss the real smells of matchday, I miss the banter, I miss the last minute wins at Rochdale, Bradford and Bury. But most of all I miss the real Bolton Wanderers. What has happened to my club?

All that died with Burnden Park and promotion to the premier league.

[Natasha Whittam]

I read somewhere a comment from Tommy Banks, a great player I believe from the 50s/60s. He was asked what happened when a teammate was writhing around on the floor. He said " when one of us ran past him he would be told to bloody well get up " I much prefer that attitude to the game and that was when they didnt play in plimsolls like today  and a leather ball with laces in.

I think most people want a return to the good old days, but while Sky control football there is no chance.

If only we'd kept Megson in charge, we might have one foot back in the good times.

[Howfen White]

It's been touched on numerous times in different threads and I'll sum up my view on it:

The governing bodies of football are too soft.

As you all know I'm a big Rugby League fan but what has made the game so good is the competitiveness of it. In the late 80's and early 90's, Wigan used to win everything, and I mean everything. No-one could get near, and it was because Wigan used to buy all the best players. What do the RFL do? Bring a salary cap in. Apart from this season where Wigan have been back at their best, it's really brought them onto the same level as everyone else. Last season's champions Leeds Rhinos are currently in about 6th place, Warrington Wolves are 2nd when I think they finished 6th last season. It's great to watch because it's very well balanced and all comes down to the rules in place.

We should have a worldwide salary cap and the money that's been saved as a result should be invested into the governing bodies to spend on grass roots football and improve the standard of amateur clubs. It's as simple as that. Yeah there might be ways round a salary cap, but if the punishment was harsh enough, I can bet clubs wouldn't even consider it.

Take a look at this article on Melbourne Storm, an Australian Rugby League team. None of this '£5k fine' crap, a REAL punishment:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/apr/22/melbourne-storm-stripped-nrl-titles

If only football was like that.

[Natasha Whittam]

You make some good points and I wish the FA/Premier League were as tough as the people running Aussie Rugby League. A salary cap would certainly take some control from the players and give it back to the clubs but it will never happen because the people who make these decisions no doubt have their noses in the trough.

[Sluffy]

Sky has put too much to much money into the Premiership - and clubs are scared of not getting their share and thus have a huge fear of relegation - hence such uninspired football for at least the last 3 seasons.

I've put on record before my disinterest in Premiership football - I think its ruined football as I know it.

It's only because I've followed Bolton for about 45 years and it is in my blood, that I put up with it.

I won't blame anybody for walking away from football as it is now.

[Howfen White]

I've given up on hoping for something from Bolton, I go purely for the entertainment and for watching now. I'm hoping that under Owen Coyle we'll see some entertaining football, the reality is I don't think we're ever going to get in Europe again via the league until the authorities step in, but it's just not going to happen in the near future.

[Big_Sharps]

It wont happen at all, there to busy pandering to likes of United and Chelsea to care about us and it will always be the same until people take a stand and stop watching Sky Sports during the live games but we all know that's never going to happen.  The sad reality is that fans will get sick of scrapping about for fk all other than prize money and it will result in attendance's getting lower and those clubs getting relegated because they cant compete financially.

The new experience of the premier league will keep the fans of the teams that got promoted happy for a few years until they get board and the cycle will just keep going like that.  I cant help but think that this league will eventually collapse.  Didn't Ice Hockey or Baseball collapse in the states because of players salary's etc?

[Sluffy]

Don't think so.

In fact in the USA they impose salary caps - and drafts (where the worst teams of last year get the first pick of the new players for the new season).

They don't have a transfer system (at least as we know it), and most teams have a  chance of being the best team each season.

In fact they have a far superior way of organising their sports in terms of fairness and achieveability than anything we remotely have in the Premiership.

[Big_Sharps]

I meant that one of there Main sports in America went bust due to financial reasons, I am pretty sure it was ice hockey and they took a break for a year or 2 whilst that was resolved.

[Ibelieveingarymegson]

The NHL had a lockout a few years ago because they needed to impose salary caps to avoid bankruptcy of a few teams.

NHL just doesn't get the TV coverage of say Am. Football or Basketball in the states so it suffers.

[Big_Sharps]

The NHL had a lockout a few years ago because they needed to impose salary caps to avoid bankruptcy of a few teams.

NHL just doesn't get the TV coverage of say Am. Football or Basketball in the states so it suffers.

Gracias.

[Outpost]

Sky has put too much to much money into the Premiership - and clubs are scared of not getting their share and thus have a huge fear of relegation - hence such uninspired football for at least the last 3 seasons.

I've put on record before my disinterest in Premiership football - I think its ruined football as I know it.

It's only because I've followed Bolton for about 45 years and it is in my blood, that I put up with it.

I won't blame anybody for walking away from football as it is now.

I'm sure you didn't mean exactly what you said, Sluffy. There's lots of real football outside the Prem and the Football League. I keep sane by watching non-league games between Wanderers games (the ones I can get to).

[Sluffy]

I've always been a Bolton supporter first - and a football fan second.

I've had spells when I've worked away when I've been a regular at teams such as QPR, Brentford, Leeds and Oxford but they were just days out with mates - whereas I've travelled miles on my own to see Bolton play.

I just can't get interested in other teams - and certainly have no interest in non league footy.

Up to three years ago I played football (5 a side) regularly - but my body simply can't stand the knocks anymore.

So if I can't get to a Bolton match (or stream), I now don't bother with games - although I do follow the results.

It's got to the stage now that I don't even mind missing Bolton games - due to the way they have been playing the last few years - if my daughter wants to go somewhere (usually London shopping).  I do check how they are doing on the internet on my mobile phone - but I've not had the passion to suffer it any more.

Bolton's always been important to me - but they have never been my God. 

Football is all about striving to be the best - but the best now end up in the Premiership - and that for all but the mega rich clubs, comes down to survival.

Sunderland have paid out over £200 million in transfer fees in the last 3 years (I'll say that again - £200 million!) and finished exactly one place higher than us this season - what’s the point any more?

Portsmouth went into Admin - Hull is financially fucked - United and Liverpool are millions in debt - Chelsea and City are multi billionaires play things - we are £70 million or so in debt - just seems madness to me -young men earning millions a year for kicking a ball - what’s the point to it all?

I've fallen out of love with the game - but I'm still hooked on it still.

I'm to old to change - I'll just suffer in silence, hoping something good will come out at the other end - but I honestly can't see that ever happening.

[The Ghost of Burnden]

I've always been a Bolton supporter first - and a football fan second.

I've had spells when I've worked away when I've been a regular at teams such as QPR, Brentford, Leeds and Oxford but they were just days out with mates - whereas I've travelled miles on my own to see Bolton play.

I just can't get interested in other teams - and certainly have no interest in non league footy.

Up to three years ago I played football (5 a side) regularly - but my body simply can't stand the knocks anymore.

So if I can't get to a Bolton match (or stream), I now don't bother with games - although I do follow the results.

It's got to the stage now that I don't even mind missing Bolton games - due to the way they have been playing the last few years - if my daughter wants to go somewhere (usually London shopping).  I do check how they are doing on the internet on my mobile phone - but I've not had the passion to suffer it any more.

Bolton's always been important to me - but they have never been my God. 

Football is all about striving to be the best - but the best now end up in the Premiership - and that for all but the mega rich clubs, comes down to survival.

Sunderland have paid out over £200 million in transfer fees in the last 3 years (I'll say that again - £200 million!) and finished exactly one place higher than us this season - what’s the point any more?

Portsmouth went into Admin - Hull is financially fucked - United and Liverpool are millions in debt - Chelsea and City are multi billionaires play things - we are £70 million or so in debt - just seems madness to me -young men earning millions a year for kicking a ball - what’s the point to it all?

I've fallen out of love with the game - but I'm still hooked on it still.

I'm to old to change - I'll just suffer in silence, hoping something good will come out at the other end - but I honestly can't see that ever happening.

Sluffy,


What a very moving post (seriously) and can fully understand where you are coming from.

Last few weeks (bar yesterday as I was at the game) I have been going to my usual place with mates to watch the footie but absolutely lost interest in it and now seem to chat, mess around and general have fun, rather than watching the numerous screens

I honestly do not know what it is but it seems the heart of the game has been ripped ouot and its a very soulless game nowadays, unfortunately :-(

Bolton first, and football second - same with me and will always try to find the Bolton score.  But watching, I honestly do not know whetehr I will or not in the future.