FANS COMMENT

Bolton Disgrace

I attended the Bolton game with four Danish friends who had not attended an away game for many years. As we move forward and are supposed to be treated as customers or even 'fans' we found the whole experience somewhat strained. Bolton are run by an army of thugs, from the manager, the players and down to the stewards.

We were warned they do not like opposition fans in any other parts of the ground. This is enforced by the reminders on the tickets and above the turnstiles. Surely they understand the passion of supporters who go to any length to support their team? This game was held on a Bank Holiday afternoon when surely a ground which has not had a full capacity for five years would open their arms if not their hearts to people paying £36 to watch a second-rate backwater team?

During the game, genuine supporters around us mentioned to stay quiet if Everton scored as the response would be to throw us out. Unfortunately we witnessed two young supporters who were not only attacked by fans — they suffered the indignity of being forcibly removed by stewards (not the police). This experience left my Danish colleagues exasperated, and questioning the legality of it all.

In future Bolton, can fuck off when I choose what grounds I visit. May I digress at this point and send a warning to fans of what we can look forward to when the inevitable stadium development comes to fruition. You are out in the sticks with only shops and an infrastructure developed for cars — not people. Everton's new stadium will only be a bigger version of the Reebok. If you did not have the opportunity to go on Monday have a look at Google Earth.

If you want to take your partners for a day's shopping so you can escape for a couple of hours, this will suit you. If you want to go and have a pint, visit local cafes, contribute to a true local economy or culture... forget it. This is for the club to extract every penny off your day out and forget the rest. Thatcherism comes to mind, fuck the rest — I come first and only.

Best wishes to all blue fans and give the manager some respite end respect. We all felt that things will come good in the next two years. We have waited a long time — let's not blow it now. I have said consistently for ten years that we will win the Premiership before Liverpool. I still believe that now.

Responses:

I was also at the Bolton game, sat in the North Stand with my dad.  My best mate has a season ticket in that area of the ground and he told me before the game about the attitude of other Bolton 'supporters' towards away supporters in their end.  I didn't think much of it though; there is never any trouble with visiting fans at Goodison, or at any other ground I have been to.

We tried to blend in as much as we could but obviously when Vaughan scored we instinctively jumped up out of our seats, just as we would at any other game at Goodison.  The attitude of the home supporters was disgusting. T wo left their seats to get the stewards to throw us out, whilst their mates started with anti-Scouse chants.  We spent half-time convincing the stewards that we weren't causing any trouble we just wanted to watch the game (at £39 a ticket, shocking anyway).  They finally let us stay but the fans behind were nuisances until the end of the match.

This was made worse because we couldn't get away from the stadium until 7o'clock with all the traffic (imagine what it would be like at Kirkby with 40,000 trying to leave).  So I suggest to any Blues fans who are thinking about going to the Reebok next season — if the Away end is full, don't bother!
Rob Randle

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