It has been a while since Palace and Bolton Wanderers have had to face each other so we jumped at the chance to catch up with the goings on at the Macron with Chris Manning from the popular fan site The Lion Of Vienna Suite.
Q. What were your hopes and dreams for the new season before a ball was kicked?
Promotion. If Wigan Athletic can do it then so can we. Definitely on track to challenge at the moment which is a blessed relief from the struggles of the last five years.
Q. Was it a successful transfer window for the club or are there areas that still need improving?
We brought in five new players on the last day and we are potentially to lose Henry and Ameobi and so our attacking numbers may be diminished. As yet we haven’t brought in any new bodies during January but the chairman said as much in the recent Q&A session held at the club that this window is more about keeping those players that we cannot afford to lose such as Josh Vela, Mark Beevers and Zach Clough.
Q. Relegation is never easy for any club so how have Bolton dealt with dropping out of the Championship?
Better than we thought. Although our financial situation remains as murky as ever, on the pitch we have no complaints whatsoever. The chairman brought in Phil Parkinson and he has reorganised what was a shambolic mess of a team into a solid and successful unit which is, for once, making the fans proud of their team. It’s been a long time coming.
Q. How are you finding League 1 and how has your season gone so far?
I really like it. Playing new teams is always interesting and it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond, than a small fish in a big pond. Going to games expecting to win rather than expecting the worst is also a great feeling. We started well, and despite a September blip we have been solid ever since. Being in the top three heading into the New Year is a great spot to be in and should give us a strong base to push on in the second half of the campaign.
Q. Will Sam Allardyce get a good reception from the Bolton fans?
I think so. There is always an element of the fanbase who will look at the football that we played towards the end of his time with us – which lived up to all the stereotypes – but for me he will always be welcome back. His time at the club remains the most successful and most enjoyable in my thirty odd years of supporting Bolton Wanderers and I’ll be forever grateful to him for the success he brought to us.
Q. What is your favourite moment in your time supporting Bolton?
I have loads. You can have my top three – the first time I saw us beat United in 2001 was massive to me, then the away game against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup, and then thirdly I would say the 1995 Play Off Final which saw us go 0-2 down to Reading, before winning 4-3 in extra time and gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time. It’s never dull, I can say that much.
Q. Perhaps you could share your views on Palace as a club.
I’m not trying to be rude, but to be honest you’ve always gone a little under my radar. As a young fan I was always more aware of you through the groundshare with Wimbledon, which I know sounds odd but there you go. In recent years it was always a fixture I enjoyed as we did have a favourable record against you – the 5-2 at the Reebok remains a fond memory.
Q. Name one player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about?
For Palace it has to be Chungy, one of my favourite Bolton players of the last few years. I know what he is capable of and expect that he’ll be fired up given the opposition as well as not really having the chance with you guys. For Bolton, Zach Clough. I mainly hope he plays as this will cup tie him, and give the fans a good indication that we are hoping to keep him.
Q. Prediction?
2-0 Bolton. I’m basing this on our good recent form and that I expect you will put out a weakened side to concentrate on the league.
Q. And finally, tell us a little about your site, what you do and any projects that you are currently working on.
Well, we are the largest Bolton Wanderers blog on the internet, mixing a style which is sometimes hyperbolic with good old fashioned opinionated writing. We have and can be divisive amongst the fanbase but through our website and podcast we have a great reach and a very popular website. I’ve been running things for about 18 months now and we’ve gone from strength to strength. It’s been an interesting ride but one that I am enjoying very much.
