Bolton Wanderers fans' column: Straight From the Stands

Problems are all relative

By Liam Hatton

AS Wanderers return to league action this weekend after the international break, there are a few issues facing Ian Evatt and his team in the form of injuries.

The main concern is that of summer signing Carlos Mendes Gomes, who is expected to miss anywhere from four to six weeks of action due to a ‘significant hamstring strain’. The individuals returning from international duties have picked up a few knocks, but nothing deemed too concerning.

When we talk about concerns though, I suppose that pales in comparison to this weekend’s opponents in Reading - who on Thursday received a further three point penalty after their owner failed to deposit an amount equating to 125 per cent of the club’s monthly wage bill.

This follows on from a one-point deduction last month after three instances of late payments of player wages occurred. If this sounds all too familiar to Bolton fans, that is because we have been there, we have bought the t-shirt, before going back and buying the same t-shirt.

Does it impact Reading, who have had a slow start to life in League One and sit in 21st place? Can it benefit Bolton? I do not buy into that much, all I can say is that Evatt’s men need to take care of business in ways they only know how.

Mendes Gomes has not been a regular starter so far, but he scored a cracking goal against Salford which still has the net shaking as I write this article. You would think he was in contention to start, but obviously that is not going to happen for the foreseeable.

Bolton have reacted well since that result against Wigan in which the scoreline shall not be repeated, they are currently second in the table and can go top if they win their game in hand.

Optimism is rightfully high, but with Evatt’s comments about the status of some international players, it makes you wonder who could be rested. Eoin Toal has been imperious since returning to the line-up, but he may need to be carefully managed to avoid any long term setbacks.

Bolton’s depth in midfield also indicates that Josh Sheehan may start from the bench, but Dion Charles will probably be tasked with playing from the off, mainly because he is Dion Charles, and he scores goals.

This is a game that Bolton should not fear, although I have said previously that they should not shy from any team in this league. We can talk about that infamous 7-1 defeat following the very questionable banter between the two clubs on social media years ago, but that bears no relevance here.

So now it is back to the grind, but if we look at Reading’s situation - just as has happened with other clubs in the not too distant past - it offers us the opportunity to be thankful for the strength in ownership that we currently hold. We never take it for granted, because we know that it can always be much worse.

The worst feeling is to support a club you feel you are losing a connection with because of the ownership. I felt it under the Anderson era (although I am sure a few individuals will remind me I did back him once upon a time).

Notwithstanding, that is in the past and will hopefully never be repeated. I do wish Reading well moving forward, aside from tomorrow of course.

Bolton Wanderers fans hold a banner in protest at former owner, Ken Anderson, in January 2019 (Image: Camerasport)

Not a tale I remember fondly

By Tony Thompson

IF someone is not working on a book about Reading’s demise entitled “Live fast, Dai Yongge” then can I be the first to trademark the title?

How very sad that a club can gamble such a fortune and end up in the relegation zone of League One in just a few years, the owner looking like he has grown tired or bored of paying for things like wages, so finding something better to do with his time.

Reading bet the farm on promotion to the Premier League and I can remember thinking when they spent tens of millions a few years ago that they were risking real problems further down the line.

We can’t throw stones. As much as I loved the decade Bolton spent up there in Big Sam’s day, the way the club was run after relegation was nothing short of a crime. You look back at those few years in the Championship with Owen Coyle, Dougie Freedman and Neil Lennon and think it was a completely different club to the one we have now.

I am not a financial expert, in fact my eyes glaze over whenever I start reading about accounting and profit margins. There are too many people who pretend they know about these things, anyway. It looks like Sharon Brittan and the current owners are keeping things stable, I don’t have to read The Bolton News peeping from behind the sofa anymore, so that is a blessing.

I can remember being invited to the game where fans were protesting against Ken Anderson and saying I wouldn’t go within 10 miles of that stadium. It was on telly (against West Brom) and you just knew the cameras were there to rubber neck at us like they were a passengers in a car creeping past the scene of an accident. I don’t miss that one bit.

I wish Reading good luck and I hope they get rid of their onerous owner with less hassle and drama than Bolton did back in the day. It all seems so long ago when you consider what has happened at the club and in the world in general over the last four-and-a-half years but it could happen to anyone.