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Is this the end of the beginning? I think so

Is this the end of the beginning? I think so

With only nine matches to go the Wanderers are going to do the unthinkable and cling on to their Championship status. There I said it, no doubt in my mind. In true Liam Gallagher style, some might say we’ve had a huge helping hand from the 3 amigos of Birmingham, Burton and Sunderland below us and their lack of quality but I disagree. We’re where we are on merit, we’re better than them and despite all our problems, the lads in that dressing room are all singing from the same hymn sheet, which will be enough to get us over the line. Suffice to say every Wanderers fan would have bitten your right and left arm off for the position we find ourselves in now, as opposed to 11 games in with only a couple of scrappy draws to shout about.

So where did it all go right? For me the Bristol City game was the turning point. Ken, being the shrewd man that he is, made sure everybody knew it was big Gaz who wanted to jump ship and with the £6m price tag round his neck, I bet KA drove him there himself with a smarmy beaming smile on his face. So there we were, Madine-less, replacement-less and Parky was a tad upset about losing his main man.

Two days later we were in front of the Sky TV cameras and up against a team that had taken Manchester City all the way in the semi finals of the League Cup. Their manager hugged the limelight with an over indulgent 10 minute in-depth analysis of his side before the game telling us all how his team have done so well of late. To me, he near enough said ‘I don’t need to be in the dressing room talking to my players because we’ll beat these lot’. Piss off!

In the end, one classy goal from a rejuvenated Sammi was the difference and yes ok maybe we got away with a couple of penalty shouts but when our backs were against the wall and the world was watching, Bolton Wanderers stood strong and let out a mighty up yours to the doubters. We showed in that game that we are fighting all the way for this and if you think we’ll just fall apart now Gaz has gone, think again. We’re Bolton Wanderers and we’ll win when we want. Seriously though, that gave us a massive confidence boost and the belief that we had enough to survive. Our football has improved from there on in.

Of late, PP has shuffled his pack and come up with some unusual choices, but despite a few puzzled looks and unexpected formations the results have been encouraging and our football has evolved. Yes we still play a lot of hoof ball, but our general play and increase in possession shows we do have a plan B. No one can dispute Parky works hard, studies the opposition and picks a team to suit. That said, sometimes we’re just not good enough, but sometimes we are and that’s been our season all over. Ups and downs, good results, poor results, lucky results, scrappy results and some that just drifted right past us, but I’d give us a chance in most games including tomorrow against Villa.

The low point of the season for me was the home defeat against Burton and the manner of it, we were shite – it was the first time I thought we needed a change in management. It was a game we expected to win not lose, never mind a 3-0 drubbing. But, I’m pretty confident that when we go back down to Burton in a few weeks, we’ll have something to prove and we’ll right that wrong. We’re a better team now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was season defining, with a goal from Pratters that seals our Championship status….aaahh I can but dream.

So I for one think things are looking a lot rosier in the Macron garden than we expected, We’re rebuilding, regrouping and …...refinancing but we have a lot to be thankful for;. Madine has repaid us in every sense of the word, we can look forward to another season in the championship, we have a few more quid in the bank and the deadwood is slowly drifting down stream. All we need now is that billionaire tycoon to come over the hill and we’re laughing.

Until then we’ll have to rely on the late Ken Dodd’s twin brother (Warnock) having the nouse and the nose, to poke Madine into the Premiership and put a few more quid in the pot.

Madine is dead….long live Madine



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