Bolton v Plymouth Argyle - the build up + Q&A | PASOTI
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Bolton v Plymouth Argyle - the build up + Q&A

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The countdown to Bolton

Tuesday

The referee for the game is Rob Lewis who was the man in the middle for Argyle's 1-1 draw at Swindon Town last month. So far this season he has issued 50 yellow cards and three reds in 12 games.
He will be assisted on Saturday by Steven Rushton and Paul Newhouse while the fourth official is Paul Graham.

Alan Houghton, Chair of Bolton Wanderers Supporters Association, has kindly agreed to give Pasoti users an insight into his club with a Q&A ....

Q: What are your thoughts on Bolton's season so far?
A: Absolute rollercoaster so far. We've gone from the depths of despair to some rays of hope for our future. The problems with administration and our previous owner have been well documented and we came very close to going out of business. We had no pre-season and we nearly didn't have a season. Food banks for unpaid staff, playing squad down to three, player strikes and humiliation over unpaid bills but the youngsters kept us going for the first five matches and all credit to them. The fans have really rallied round to the cause and we are just grateful that we have a club to support unlike our unfortunate neighbours Bury.

Q: What are your views on new manager Keith Hill?
A: Seems to be the right man for the job at the right time. He's a Bolton man, along with David Flitcroft and that suits us right now as there is a feeling of sorting this out together. He's brought an attacking style of football back to Bolton and the fans are right behind him.

Q: Having been in administration ourselves Argyle fans have been watching the financial situation at Bolton with keen interest, what are your views on new owners Football Ventures and are your financial problems now over?
A: The new owners seem to be genuine people who care about the club and football. Michael Walsh is a local businessman and Sharon Britton has a love of football, nutured through watching Burnley with her Dad. They are very approachable and have set about rebuilding the club in a calm, sensible way. We feel that we are in good hands.

Q: Can Bolton achieve the impossible and avoid relegation or is the club now building for a new era starting in League Two next season?
A: Probably not. The gut feeling is that we will be relegated and that if we can get get a competitive squad together, we can give it a good go next season in League 2. We've had to start from scratch and the big unknown is what the EFL will dish out as punishment for not playing the Brentford match last season and the Doncaster match this season. Having said that, you shouldn't be a football fan if you're not an optimist, so who knows? Keep your fingers crossed and the impossible may happen.

Q: Without giving too much away what style of football and formation are Bolton likely to use against Argyle?
A: Probably 4-4-2 but it depends upon who is available. We haven't got a big squad and the team tends to pick itself depending upon who is fit. Most matches, we don't name a full bench of substitutes and most of the subs are young lads.

Q: Looking from afar what are your views on Plymouth Argyle?
A: It is looking from afar as you are miles away. I was hoping that we played you at your place as I've never been. I know that you have been through similar difficult times as I heard stories from when Peter Reid was your manager. Outside of the Premier League there is a camaraderie building up between fans as most clubs have either been through or are going through traumatic financial difficulties. I've not heard much recently about Plymouth Argyle other than your recent promotion and then relegation. How are things at Plymouth these days?

Q: And finally do you have a prediction for the game?
A: 2-1 but you never know with the Cup.
--------------------------------------------------------

University of Bolton Stadium .... Away Day Guide

According to Sky Bet Bolton are favourites to win with odds of 6/4, an Argyle win is ranked at 13/8 and the draw is on offer at 23/10.

After not winning any of their first 14 games of the season Bolton have now won their last three games - a 2-0 win at Bristol Rovers, beating the Manchester City under-21 team 3-1 in the EFL Trophy and winning at home against Fleetwood Town last Saturday.

The draw for the second round of the FA Cup is on 11 November and will be shown live on BBC Two between 19:00-19:30.

Argyle fans have so far bought just under 900 tickets for the game.

Pubs for away fans
The Beehive on Chorley New Road is the main pub for away supporters. It is about a 10-15 minute walk away from the stadium and you can park your car park there. Another pub is the Barnstormers pub on Lostock Lane which does admit away fans.
Alcohol is also served within the stadium.
There are a number of bars on the nearby Middlebrook Retail Park, however most of these usually admit only home fans.
On the same retail park are food outlets such as KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut plus a Bolton Wanderers themed McDonalds.

Wednesday

Argyle have played Bolton 14 times away - all at the Burnden Park stadium, winning three games, drawing one and losing 10. The last away win was in December 1967.

Argyle are yet to play at Bolton's new stadium which opened in 1997, originally called the Reebok Stadium, it changed to the Macron Stadium in 2014 and is currently titled the University of Bolton Stadium, holding a capacity of 28,000.

Bolton's season so far .... club website

Bolton could have up to 10 players missing for the game ...Bolton's injury list

The match is now all ticket for Argyle fans with no pay on the day ....

Just under 1000 tickets have been sold.

Thursday

Bolton striker Joe Dodoo is happy that are favourites to win ....
“To be honest when you look around the changing room and train with these players, I have never felt like an underdog. It’s just circumstances that have put us where we are.
“We are a very good team. I always look at us as favourites because nobody sees how hard we work.
“We’ve had 12, 13, 14 new players. Every day we’re learning something different about each other so it’s still a work in progress but it doesn’t worry me to go into Saturday as the favourite, because I believe we will win any game at the moment.

“The competition is special, there’s always a different feel about it,” he said. “Anything can happen.
“I always look forward to cup games because I’ve got good memories, goals, it’s the competition that brought me to the scene.
“The goals will come. So long as I create then I don’t mind. As long as we’re winning games I don’t care.”

The Bolton squad have finally been paid any outstanding wages owed during the recent financial troubles.

Inside Bolton

Captain Gary Sawyer has fond memories of the FA Cup .... club website

Friday

Bolton fan Chris Mann of website Burnden Aces and @BurndenAces has kindly agreed to give Pasoti users an insight into his club with a Q & A ....

Q: What are your thoughts on Bolton's season so far?
A: To be frank, after the events of the past couple of years I'm relieved just to have a club to support - especially following the demise of our neighbours at Bury.
We should never have been allowed to start the season in the state we did. Full credit to the youngsters who stepped up, but they should never have been put in a position where they were on the receiving end of 5-0 and 6-1 defeats on a weekly basis. As a club, we'll take those results and move on, but the potential long-term impact on a 16-year-old forced into games such as those could be serious.

Keith Hill and David Flitcroft arrived with less than 48 hours of the transfer window to go and somehow managed to shape together some sort of team. It took time but we're in a good place right now - let's just see whether that 15-point bridge to survival isn't the impossible pipedream it once looked.


Q: What are your views on new manager Keith Hill?
A: I've always admired Keith Hill's success at Rochdale and on reflection don't think the job he did at Barnsley was all that bad.
It's early days but he seems to utilise one approach and formation, switching players as and when he sees fit rather than the system.

Aside from a 3-1 defeat at home to Rochdale, there haven't been any major gripes from the fans. Whether that changes in the long run remains to be seen, but for now we're picking up results when expectations are low and that can never be a bad thing.


Q: Having been in administration ourselves Argyle fans have been watching the financial situation at Bolton with keen interest, what are your views on new owners Football Ventures and are your financial problems now over?
A: The Football Ventures consortium have come across very well in their limited public interviews thus far, which is a very welcome change to the previous ownership who shall forever remain nameless.
There were a couple of interesting documents uploaded to Companies House several weeks ago which seem to explain their funding, although questions have yet to be asked regarding those. It's difficult to say whether our problems are over.

As a club, we've cut costs in every way possible since our relegation from the Premier League in 2012. All the big contracts are finally gone after SEVEN years of trying, so it's very much a case of putting building blocks in place and seeing where things go from there.
With a stint in League Two highly likely to come in our near future, it may be a blessing in disguise for us to start that rebuilding job without the pressure of having to remain in a division such as the Championship. Our promotion out of League One in 2017 was great to watch but almost served as an accelerator for our collapse.


Q: Can Bolton achieve the impossible and avoid relegation or is the club now building for a new era starting in League Two next season?
A: I've touched on this already and, unfortunately, I think our answer depends on how the EFL deal with our postponed fixtures against Brentford (last season) and Doncaster Rovers.
Sam Allardyce used to look at games in blocks and aim for a given number of points over, let's say, a six-game period.

One popular target amongst supporters was that if we could half the deficit of our 12-point deduction to six by Christmas, then we may well be in with a shout.
That deficit rose to 20 recently and currently stands at 15, albeit with us having three games in hand on most teams around us. With four of our five league games before the festive programme being against the four teams directly above us, this is our chance. If we can get to January being between six and 10 points from safety, who knows what the future may bring?
The killer, though, would be another deduction from the EFL - which is highly likely given the behaviour of our previous owners and management.


Q: Without giving too much away what style of football and formation are Bolton likely to use against Argyle?
A: Our formation has been consistent since Keith Hill took charge - with an adaptation of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.
With former Argyle goalkeeper Remi Matthews likely to start in goal, a flat back four almost picks itself at the moment. Adam Chicksen, Jake Wright, Yoan Zouma and Josh Emmanuel are perhaps our only available options, so don't expect major surprises there.
A couple of holding midfielders are normally used to aid the defence, with two pacey wingers supporting Chris O'Grady who will sit just behind Daryl Murphy.

The names may change but the system should stay the same, with our transition from 'hoof' ball to a more entertaining style still very much a work in progress.


Q: Looking from afar what are your views on Plymouth Argyle?
A: It'll be great to see Joe Riley back at the ground where he made his professional debut - a 5-0 victory over Stoke City, eight years ago this past Wednesday.
I know Argyle picked up a number of Bury players over the summer, something that was always going to happen with Ryan Lowe, and with their success last year I'm a little surprised to see you in mid-table.

The promotion and play-off race could get interesting over the next few months if the table remains as tight as it currently is.


Q: Finally do you have a prediction for the game?
A: There are some fans who are interested in cup runs, and some who aren't.
Given our unique league situation this season, I don't see why we shouldn't have a go. Alright, we're not going to be in the Royal box at Wembley next May lifting the trophy, but why not aim for the third round and a potential big-money tie?

I think Bolton will have enough to progress. Historically, we make hard work of games against lower-league opposition, but Keith Hill will surely want to keep the momentum going after three consecutive wins.
I'm expecting a tight game but will go 2-1 in favour of Bolton.

----------------------------------


Captain Gary Sawyer looks ahead to the game ... club website

Bolton manager and former Argyle player Keith Hill talks about his time at Home Park, the remoteness of Plymouth and the potential of PAFC .... The Bolton News



The winner of the game will receive £36,000 in prize money. Gate receipts will be shared as 45% to each club and 10% to the FA.

Argyle/Bolton are ball number 8 in the draw for the Second Round of the FA Cup which takes place on Monday 11 November and will be shown live on BBC Two between 19:00-19:30.

Saturday



Captain Gary Sawyer is hoping to draw Tottenham Hotspur if Argyle progress to the Third Round of the FA Cup .. club website

Mascot selection takes place just before the match ... Bolton club website

Bolton boss Keith Hill is expected to select a strong side to face Argyle today ... The Bolton News

Match preview

Bolton team news .... Burnden Aces

Former Argyle manager Peter Reid talks about the previous financial problems at Home Park and Bolton .... The Bolton News

Ryan Lowe looks ahead to the game ... club website
 

JannerinCardiff

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Jul 16, 2018
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I think this game will be hard. I’d take a draw right now to bring them back to Home Park.
 

bodspafc

🇰🇪 Welicar Donor
Aug 8, 2005
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Crikey, the Reebok stadium opened in 1997? I still think of it as a 'new' stadium....I feel old!
 
Jan 4, 2005
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Emeraldinho":rz9900fq said:
Respect to the 900 but I reckon it could feel like a VERY long trip home. :thumbdown:

Do not be so pessimistic. There is always chance of a modest green giant killing in the Cup. The ex-Bury contingent will feel relaxed by being temporarily home in their former backyard. It could work to Argyle's advantage.
 
Sep 6, 2006
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Quintrell_Green":2o90lxw3 said:
Emeraldinho":2o90lxw3 said:
Respect to the 900 but I reckon it could feel like a VERY long trip home. :thumbdown:

Do not be so pessimistic. There is always chance of a modest green giant killing in the Cup. The ex-Bury contingent will feel relaxed by being temporarily home in their former backyard. It could work to Argyle's advantage.

How is playing in Bolton helping the Bury contingent?! I fear it will go with current form.
 
Jan 4, 2005
8,730
969
NEWQUAY
Balham_Green":159rmhcn said:
Quintrell_Green":159rmhcn said:
Emeraldinho":159rmhcn said:
Respect to the 900 but I reckon it could feel like a VERY long trip home. :thumbdown:

Do not be so pessimistic. There is always chance of a modest green giant killing in the Cup. The ex-Bury contingent will feel relaxed by being temporarily home in their former backyard. It could work to Argyle's advantage.

How is playing in Bolton helping the Bury contingent?! I fear it will go with current form.

It is that special relaxed feeling of getting back home again mate. I do passing over Dunheved Bridge on the A30. I doubt whether Balham can generate that same feeling. I never ever saw anybody getting energised passing through Clapham on the Tube.
 
May 22, 2006
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Don’t understand why this has been made all ticket for Argyle supporters. Might be able to go tomorrow but won’t know until the morning. This also seems to exclude Bury fans wasting to join the Argyle supporters. With bad weather up north, there could easily be a other people looking to do something after other events have been cancelled.

With such a big stadium and in so much need of finances, it seems illogical to turn fans away.
 
Apr 5, 2008
1,462
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Some bookies have us as favourites to win this weirdly,certainly not much between the sides regarding the odds to win the match.
These are the sort of games Argyle tend to do well,most of us I feel are expecting Argyle to get beat,and they most possibly will win the match.
:scarf:
 
Jan 4, 2005
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Agreed, but perhaps it is a policing issue? Do they really want surprise extra 1000's as they cannot afford the additional numbers of security men / coppers