Bolton

[RotherhamDale]

Sorry, but that’s complete whataboutery.

The only reason the average age was 19 is because we had one 24 year old playing. In reality, the average age was even less.

Within our starting line-up, we had four 17 year olds, an 18 year old and a 19 year old - On the bench we had three 16 year olds, three 17 year olds and a 18 year old.
None of whom had played any professional game of football two weeks ago.

To expect them to play at a level 3rd tier level every three days which is what is currently happening and will do at a number of stages over the course of the season, is asking for health problems. Hence the welfare concerns raised by trained medical staff.

I do fear for our season, not sure what we’ll do if the takeover isn’t done before the window closes.

They wouldn't be worried about health issues if they'd beat Tranmere at weekend. Cheating the system... again.

 

[LancashireTrotters]

They wouldn't be worried about health issues if they'd beat Tranmere at weekend. Cheating the system... again.

I imagine they would considering they raised these concerns on Friday with the EFL prior to the Tranmere game.

If you’re going to accuse the club of cheating, at least do some prior research.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Sorry, but that’s complete whataboutery.

The only reason the average age was 19 is because we had one 24 year old playing. In reality, the average age was even less.

Within our starting line-up, we had four 17 year olds, an 18 year old and a 19 year old - On the bench we had three 16 year olds, three 17 year olds and a 18 year old.
None of whom had played any professional game of football two weeks ago.

To expect them to play at a level 3rd tier level every three days which is what is currently happening and will do at a number of stages over the course of the season, is asking for health problems. Hence the welfare concerns raised by trained medical staff.

I do fear for our season, not sure what we’ll do if the takeover isn’t done before the window closes.

Sorry but the bulk of that squad is old enough to work 40 hour plus weeks the welfare angle is bullshit. The hope being you get players in to give you a better chance of winning. Before you’re comeback we were in the same situation 20 years ago but managed to play all our fixtures that season even though we got hammered week in week out. I feel sorry for you as fans but have zero sympathy with your club as they have brought this on themselves by continuing to overspend

 

[Kim Mitten]

I'm going to be honest, not really getting the age issue here. If there is such a rule about workload for younger players then why are under 20's allowed to play week in week out. We've had various teenagers play 3 games a week over the last few seasons, no one from the EFL/FA has stopped them playing or told the club they shouldn't be playing that amount of games.

I find it a bizarre stance to just cancel the game, without telling the opposition especially. Any club can ask the EFL to postpone a game and give their reasons for doing so. It's still a breach of rules and ends up in a disciplinary but the way Bolton have gone about this is like they just want another points deduction rather than seeking to explain their situation.

 

[Shrimpurh]

Yeah I totally think they’re taking the piss here. If this was mentioned before the Tranmere game then I’ll eat my words but I bet all the kids are chomping at the bit to play they won’t be saying their knackered and crying off, they’re playing league 1 football..

 

[Plumbob]

Sorry but the bulk of that squad is old enough to work 40 hour plus weeks the welfare angle is bullshit. The hope being you get players in to give you a better chance of winning. Before you’re comeback we were in the same situation 20 years ago but managed to play all our fixtures that season even though we got hammered week in week out. I feel sorry for you as fans but have zero sympathy with your club as they have brought this on themselves by continuing to overspend

Agreed.
Bolton aren't currently cheating. They are taking the piss.
Sorry for fans of Bolton, and Bury, but it has to stop.

 

[T.A]

Agreed.
Bolton aren't currently cheating. They are taking the piss.
Sorry for fans of Bolton, and Bury, but it has to stop.

Lots of clubs are cheating. Our situation would have been solved if one they had rules where clubs couldnt change hands without their knowledge and then continue to do fuck all through the whole season and summer. They have no clue what they are doing. They are being shown up by a conman and a club that doesnt even have any owners.

 

[Franchisor]

Also think Bolton are taking the piss. As others have said, there are 17/18 year olds in professional football that play two or more times a week and train on top of that. They should be desperate to play - some of them may never have had the chance to play for Bolton's first team in a league fixture if it wasn't for the squad situation.

Don't buy this physical/psychological welfare BS one bit - think of the 17/18 year olds in the armed forces or apprentice tradesmen/labourers doing 40+ hour weeks in physically demanding jobs - compared to these Bolton lads living the dream of playing professional football which hundreds of thousands of people their age would love to be doing.

 

[Gladders]

Yes Bolton are taking the piss, but think most are missing the point that there is only one organisation at fault here and that's the EFL.

Neither club should have been allowed to start the season and if the EFL/FA could actually govern the game properly, clubs should never find themselves in this position.

 

[#Beebot]

Will they get points deducted for this? Will Bury get a deduction for each game they've failed to put on so far?

Fed up of the EFL's haphazard way of dealing with all this.

Another pathetic non-committal statement from the EFL here.

https://www.efl.com/news/2019/august/efl-statement-bolton-wanderers

 

[Pablosammy]

This isn't a welfare issue, it's damage limitation pure and simple.

Over half the starting line up at Tranmere were in their twenties, four of them 24 or over. There were three 17 year olds and a couple of 18 year olds. There is no reason other than not wanting to get spanked for them to pull out of their next fixture.

It's a cynical move.

 

[Huntsman94]

Bolton did raise the issue before the game against us but that’s beside the point really.

Firstly, as has already been mentioned, U17 and U18 players have a similar schedule to first teams. They play each weekend and on similar midweeks so that argument doesn’t have much weight. They also get the luxury of what the first team have in terms of recovery/nutrition etc. Plus they should be jumping at the chance to play first team footy week in week out. There’s definitely a couple of those lads on Saturday who showed their worth that no one had ever heard of previously.

Secondly Bolton have just postponed the game without consulting anyone almost with a “we’ll do what we want” attitude. Wasn’t the same done against Brentford last season? There should be some sort of punishment for that as it has knock on effects to clubs like Doncaster, Lincoln, Ipswich etc..

Whilst it’s the fault of the EFL for allowing all the financial troubles to mount at Bolton and Bury (and whilst I have sympathy for fans of both clubs), as soon as the knock on effects start hitting those clubs that are being run in a proper way, something more drastic has to be done.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

Feel for the Doncaster fans, some may have booked non refundable train tickets, had to take time off work etc. for this game. Will Bolton refund them, no.

Looking at that team above we've put out similar in the past, especially during our admin, and never had the option just not to bother with matches.

Oli McBurnie played 3 times in a week for us at 17, and Danny Devine at 18 under Parkinson and McCall respectively. Should they be punished for forcing the little darlings to play so much?

I have sympathy for both the fans at Bolton and Bury, but lets me honest if the youngsters had turned out to be world beaters and they'd won their first 3 games this game would be played, it's a cynical move and one that leaves a sour taste due to the late nature of it and they did't even bother to consult with Donny.

I wonder if it would have been played if the EFL had turned around last night and said, you're out of the league if you don't complete the fixture?

 

[LeonTheGreen]

These young lads will have come through academy’s playing twice a week, training regularly. Bolton clearly just don’t fancy getting spanked every week. I assume Doncaster will get 3 points, given that Bolton can field 11 players and 7 subs?

 

[Hooped Wizard]

These young lads will have come through academy’s playing twice a week, training regularly. Bolton clearly just don’t fancy getting spanked every week. I assume Doncaster will get 3 points, given that Bolton can field 11 players and 7 subs?

Doesn’t sound like it, Bolton will get away with it again, one of the premier league old boys - the EFL have lubed up repeatedly and let Bolton give them a beating for years now.

 

[gary]

Doesn’t sound like it, Bolton will get away with it again, one of the premier league old boys - the EFL have lubed up repeatedly and let Bolton give them a beating for years now.

 

[gary]

Bolton should be relegated now and told to sort themselves out ready for next season.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

The problem is simply down to wages.

It needs new laws to cap wages at Champ, L1 and L2 level.........teams can then if they wish offer better signing on fees to tempt better players but this cannot be paid by the owner in a form of a loan.

The biggest two issues in the efl are wage inflation (we are not the prem with a ridiculous tv deal) and most owners, whatever their wealth.......loaning not giving their clubs money.

Spend if you wish, but out of own pocket, not loans to club building debts.

Time to stop this farce of L2 players on 3-5 grand a week.

Sadly the so called answer is crying to prem league who will find it useful to add b teams

 

[KeithH]

First I'm a Bury fan so biased
I "hate" Noblot with a passion, but its only football "hate" not real.
I also have a son who was constantly played above his age grade at a very high level (Rugby not football so more physical)
He ended up injured and unable to play again.
I am very much on Noblots side here BUT
They could have handed 1-week non-contract terms (with EFL permission) to out of work players who need a shop window to try and find a club.
To postpone without informing Donny was a stupid move.
To those saying Bury should not have been allowed to start the season, what planet have you been on? We have not been allowed to start and rightly so until we get our house in order and Grizzly is no more.
Noblot thought (and the EFL agreed) that a takeover was arranged and only the actions of a madman taking a court order and a group of speculators (here we go again) who think they can get a hotel on the cheap have prevented this.
Who knows what the answer is but I for one would not like to be in the FFL's shoes, they are dammed if they do and dammed if they don't.
Re Noblot or Bury being stronger later ALL teams will look to strengthen in the January window so IMHO that holds little weight.
The biggest losers in all of this? Accrington Stanly who would have budgeted on 2 very large away followings they may not get or they will be very much reduced due to games being played on a Tuesday not a Saturday.
It's a complete clusterfuck and something needs to give before next Friday, I really hope both of us survive and look forward to many more years of hating the buggers.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

As others have said, it's the EFL's yet failing again. I don't blame Bolton for using the EFL's own rules to stop their kids getting thrashed every week. But it makes a mockery of the competition if teams that play them now win an easy 3 points (or get given them) but teams meeting them after they can sign players in January come up against a full-strength side. Only possible fair decision can be to relegate them now for next season.

Final league places may be determined when you played Bolton, which is a lottery. Or they get kicked out later and the teams that played them risked their players for nothing. Like you I don’t blame Bolton, but...

 

[Imp in Branston]

I do feel for the fans of Bolton and Bury, but by paying ridiculous wages and not sorting out the in house stuff, it has now spiralled into a total fiasco of a situation. Not only that but it then also affects the other clubs, let alone the poor local businesses and people that will have been shafted by what has happened.

It’s time for the EFL to grow a pair, but we all know that isn’t going to happen.

 

[David Curries Mullet]

These young lads will have come through academy’s playing twice a week, training regularly. Bolton clearly just don’t fancy getting spanked every week. I assume Doncaster will get 3 points, given that Bolton can field 11 players and 7 subs?

They will have, but then they are playing a non contact game, with no tackling. Totally different to meeting a team of grizzled lower league professionals every three days. Still a farce of the EFL's own doing.

 

[Plumbob]

Final league places may be determined when you played Bolton, which is a lottery. Or they get kicked out later and the teams that played them risked their players for nothing. Like you I don’t blame Bolton, but...

League placings might also be affected by teams having a free midweek when their weekend opponents have to play. We play Donny away on Saturday after visiting MK tonight, yet Donny can sit back and relax this week. Last season and our start, might suggest that we might be close together come the end of the season, but Saturdays playing field is slightly tilted against us through no fault of ours or Doncaster.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

There is a counter argument plumbob we now have to rearrange this fixture which could come at a time where we have a backlog of fixtures due to cup and weather postponements and possible injury problems, do you think the EFL will sympathise with us?

Just to add more fuel to the welfare fire, the average age of the Bolton team on Saturday was 21, Barnsley’s in a division higher was 22.5 I haven’t read anywhere that our Dingle cousins are wanting a postponement.

 

[Liam_SWFC]

They just need kicking out now, taking the piss with this bollocks about player welfare. Poor little fuckers having to play 90 minutes of football 3 times a week, most people that age are in 40+ hour jobs. Bury the same, feel for the fans but when it starts fucking up other clubs and losing them money there has to be a point where enough is enough. Either that or relegate them now, give them while May to sort themselves out, but seems the Bury owner wants them to go under so that will just delay the inevitable.

 

[Muzzle]

They just need kicking out now, taking the piss with this bollocks about player welfare. Poor little fuckers having to play 90 minutes of football 3 times a week, most people that age are in 40+ hour jobs. Bury the same, feel for the fans but when it starts fucking up other clubs and losing them money there has to be a point where enough is enough. Either that or relegate them now, give them while May to sort themselves out, but seems the Bury owner wants them to go under so that will just delay the inevitable.

You know what forget it, kick us out of the league. There will be more teams failing as us and Bury are doing, ESPECIALLY those who have spunked more money trying to go for promotion from the Championship

 

[WhiteRussian]

If you take the emotion out of it and look at football clubs as a business, most of them outside the Prem and top Championship would shut as being non viable.

Winkleman has said that we need the big shows and sports events at Stadium MK to fund the loss making football team which is one of the reasons Stadium MK was made so much too big for us.

For clubs with small or old stadiums then they need other financial streams to compensate losses or a generous owner.

I don't suppose there are too many lower league clubs that aren't a bad owner away from Bury's or Bolton's situation, especially ones with stadiums occupying prime real estate.

After saying all that I still think Bolton are taking the piss. They escaped Burys punishment because they had the takeover in place but if it hadn't happened by the cut off date they should not have been allowed to start the season. This age thing is a cynical attempt to gain an advantage in my view. However if it's in the rules then to a certain extent why not use those rules to your advantage.

I certainly don't think issues like this will end with these 2 clubs. Others will follow.

 

[Liam_SWFC]

Weren't Bolton 200M in debt while they were still in the Prem?

 

[Muzzle]

Weren't Bolton 200M in debt while they were still in the Prem?

Define debt, all money was owed to our owner, only £10million was owed to the banks, our owner just stopped funding us hence the issue now. Imagine your team or say Derby suddenly found themselves with an owner who refused to fund the running of the club, I'm guessing you both would be in the same position

 

[Pompeyblueboy]

Define debt, all money was owed to our owner, only £10million was owed to the banks, our owner just stopped funding us hence the issue now. Imagine your team or say Derby suddenly found themselves with an owner who refused to fund the running of the club, I'm guessing you both would be in the same position

Bolton and Bury should be made to play their games with whatever players they can muster. They might get thrashed but at least they'll be giving it go. (plus Pompey are due to play both soon)