The following is a joint-piece between us and all the leading Wanderers fan-sites.
This has been one of the most tumultuous periods in Bolton Wanderers’ history. Despite the actions of chairman Ken Anderson being seen in some quarters as dividing all and sundry he has instead had the opposite effect and united a large number of the club’s fanbase into thinking that they have had enough.
With that in mind, now is the time to act. The future of your club is uncertain but what isn’t uncertain is that YOU can do something about it.
So, the plan of action is as follows:
Get your extra free tickets. Give them to a friend. Bring them with you on the night and hand them to a stranger. We need bodies in the ground.
7pm – get yourself to Nat’s statue. That is the meeting point. At 7.15pm there will be a peaceful (but hopefully noisy) lap of the outside of the ground for all taking part, congregating eventually outside the front doors of the stadium where the singing and chanting will continue. We believe Ken is not going to be there but we want to make such a noise regardless to allow ourselves to be heard.
8pm – Kick Off. What is important to remember is that we are there to support the team. The game should ideally not be disrupted in any way.
Regardless of the off-field mess, the lads need our backing and they should receive that without question. Support the lads with a party atmosphere resembling something from the Premier League days. Old school chants, ex-player tributes, whatever you feel appropriate, bring the noise the lads deserve. These players have played for us without the guarantee of when their next wage will come – we have a duty to let them know that we’re behind them whatever may happen in the weeks and months to come.
58th minute – with the number 58 so ingrained in our club’s history it will be at this moment that fans are encouraged to leave the ground to show their displeasure at the way that Anderson has treated not only the players but also the backroom staff, the office staff and everyone else who has been left wondering whether they’ll be able to pay the bills on time.
The idea is not to dwell on the concourse or return to the stands, but to leave and have the Sky cameras show the swathes of empty seats whenever they pan to the crowd, emphasising the size of this movement.
We may not be able to force Ken Anderson into selling the club but what has become abundantly clear in the last few days is that enough is enough and we are not prepared to stand back and allow this to continue. The chairman might openly admit that he ‘doesn’t care’ about what happens to the club, but we do. We were there before him, and we’ll be here long after he’s gone.
Ken likes his little motivational messages, so here’s one from us fans:
Whoever’s name is above the door
Whoever holds the key
They’ll never own our football club
It belongs to you and me.
Be loud, be proud.
See you on the 21st.