I'd say on the evidence of the home atmosphere and a rather pitiful 15 hundred fans going to one of thee biggest games of the season today at Bolton.. a season with no local derbys..the vast majority of fans are not behind the way the club is being run. Collins gets a dogs abuse for his pass side pass back stile.. but is it his style? Cos I'd say you could sack Collins tomorrow and whoever comes after will play the same way, he'll have to, to get the job. We play in a way...(remember Khaleds famous 'we may have got within a whisker of the prem but no one came in for our players" quote) based totally on analysis and database. So we play in pretty patterns and look good on the ball..but most of the time without getting very far..A head coaches job is just to make em fit and... As they say 'better without the ball' plus practice set plays and such.. but whoever's in the dugout will have to play just the same.. The board put money in.. had to do because of relegation.. but that won't last. This club will not be bankrolled by people from halfway round the world it has to at least stand on it's own feet if not make a quid or two. That's why Bobby didn't get the Head of sport job, he would have been the perfect choice..But this club is sailing in a different direction.. data and analytics is the master and the only game being played at Oakwell.. with the end game..to sell players.. The only question is/are the fans behind this, I'm sure the fans think if they moan loud enough they'll get their way.. 'the problem is Collins, blah blah so get rid of Collins and everything is rosey and back to normal. But oh no this runs way deeper than the head coach, to the very heart of the club.. remember in c'ovid.. The New Normal.. well we have a new normal at oakwell. And it ain't going back to what it was.. I feel we've reached a pivet point.. either get behind your club (but not your club) as it is, tippytappy football n'all or the club will continue to fracture until it's demise.. I know which one my money's on..
1500 isn't pitiful when it's 30 quid for an hour and a half of division three Football. Throw in our lack of clean sheets and the style we play and it's a decent number. If we've eyes on automatic today is must win.
Away followings have been large and loud all season so not sure your theory stacks up. Home atmosphere hasn’t been great, but it wasn’t until about this time last year either. MLH was consistently mentioning it in his post match interviews last season.
I respect your opinion.. and now ask.. how would you like the club to be run? Would you rather analytics not be used and we sign players without any statistical analysis? Would you rather we were run like "bigger" clubs who are run unsustainably and mean we inevitably go into admin/out of business? Genuinely i want to know how would you build and grow the football club? I see an awful lot of critisism but not alot of answers (thats not aimed directly at you, more a general statement when i see comments like the above)
I don't think it's all that complicated, it's £30 for L1 football which is astronomical, I know lots who've chalked on it out of principal over price, as mentioned above we've took similar numbers further distances, it's purely down to ticket cost.
just your opinion-remember this board is a self selecting very small minority of fans-I'd guess our home attendances this season have been about what you'd expect. If we are still in with a shout with 8 games to go they will increase.
Not sure what remit Collins is on with regard to our style of play. Previous coaches were recruited with regard to implementing a high press. Many on here have argued that, with regard to our defensive personnel, we don't have players who can press high up the pitch and get back quickly to cope with opposition attacks. Let's see if Pines and Earl bring that option back in for us.
£30 match tickets, train strikes, £8 to park at the Toughsheet. You didn't start your post particularly well....
Can't win either with the following. If we had packed out the end Bolton fans would have said we are gullible and would pay anything. 8f we take amount that's deemed too few we are laughed at.
Read the opening paragraph and thought, that's your opinion and you've clearly no idea about away attendances, they've been brilliant this season. I didn't bother with the rest, it was like a propaganda piece.
Losing interest because of the OP’s reasons, so that’s 2 people not going to Bolton today, otherwise I would definitely be there with my Dad. The latest recruit as sporting director is just another reason why the soul of the club is being ripped away, all this data & analytics bulls***! Instead of recruiting players to suit a system our head coach wants to play, not what he’s being told to play.
I think it’s more Bolton apathy. Didn’t we play them away 3 times last season? And the tickets are dear. I’ve picked a couple of other away games that are new grounds for me.
I'm so happy I opened this post. I needed a positive uplift before one of the biggest games of the season.
30 quid a ticket. Factor all the other costs in and it’s minimum of 60 quid to watch a 3rd division game. Our style is dull but sometimes efficient and that’s not going to lure many to spending their hard earned cash.