OFFICIAL - Bolton Wanderers YouTube documentary PART ONE BELOW!!!

Here's everything we know so far

FOR several years now Bolton Wanderers fans have joked that the club’s fluctuating fortunes should have been made into a Hollywood drama.

Relegations, promotions, ownership battles, administration – the truth at the University of Bolton stadium genuinely has been stranger than fiction, for the most part.

At the start of the year a top-secret project was launched by production company 5or6 Creative, charting the recent history of a founder member of the Football League, which had by that point fallen into the fourth tier for only the second time in its history.

Cameras were given exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the dressing room, the training ground and everywhere in between to bring a unique view of Ian Evatt’s side in action.

On Friday, the first of a two-part documentary will air on Wanderers’ official YouTube channel entitled: Born to be a Wanderer.

The producers were responsible for the video which has accompanied Bolton’s season ticket campaign, which has gone down well with supporters, and a trailer released in midweek for the forthcoming documentary has also sparked excitement.

The sneak peek outlined a few of the things we can expect from the programme, which also contains appearances from chairman, Sharon Brittan, chief operating officer, Andy Gartside, Bolton’s media guru, Paul Holliday, manager, Ian Evatt, and Wanderers legend, John McGinlay.

But what else can we glean from the minute-long preview? We decided to take a look…

A TASTE OF HISTORY - “People of the town, the supporters, they are proud of their football club, they are proud of their town,” begins McGinlay, before stock footage of Nat Lofthouse, Frank Worthington, McGinlay himself and a snippet of commentary from the much-missed Dave Higson plays in the background.

“We have seen some hard times lately,” he adds, as a clip of Michael Ricketts scoring the winner against Manchester United in 2001.

A qualified narrator of all things Wanderers, the former Burnden Park favourite knows what makes fans of his beloved club tick.The sneak peek outlined a few of the things we can expect from the programme, which also contains appearances from chairman, Sharon Brittan, chief operating officer, Andy Gartside, Bolton’s media guru, Paul Holliday, manager, Ian Evatt, and Wanderers legend, John McGinlay.

But what else can we glean from the minute-long preview? We decided to take a look…

A TASTE OF HISTORY - “People of the town, the supporters, they are proud of their football club, they are proud of their town,” begins McGinlay, before stock footage of Nat Lofthouse, Frank Worthington, McGinlay himself and a snippet of commentary from the much-missed Dave Higson plays in the background.

“We have seen some hard times lately,” he adds, as a clip of Michael Ricketts scoring the winner against Manchester United in 2001.

A qualified narrator of all things Wanderers, the former Burnden Park favourite knows what makes fans of his beloved club tick.

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looking forward to this

Part One

Watched it last night and it was interesting, especially the part with Evatt dishing out a HT bollocking 

Tbh I thought is was more on the sickly sweet side for my liking.

I was hoping for a warts and all documentary not a loving and emotional one.

The Evatt tantrum was what I was hoping to see rather the hearts and flowers stuff although it did make me laugh when Paul Holliday was talking about how the staff wouldn't let the club die and would never go on strike - maybe not Paul but Wheater and the rest of the players did - a few times as well!!!

Sluffy wrote:Tbh I thought is was more on the sickly sweet side for my liking.

I was hoping for a warts and all documentary not a loving and emotional one.

The Evatt tantrum was what I was hoping to see rather the hearts and flowers stuff although it did make me laugh when Paul Holliday was talking about how the staff wouldn't let the club die and would never go on strike - maybe not Paul but Wheater and the rest of the players did - a few times as well!!!

I haven't watched it, Sluffy, and I'm not sure I'm going to bother. From what I've heard it sounds a lot like tosh for TWE*PS

Give it a go Bob, it's bona.

Ten Bobsworth wrote:

Sluffy wrote:Tbh I thought is was more on the sickly sweet side for my liking.

I was hoping for a warts and all documentary not a loving and emotional one.

The Evatt tantrum was what I was hoping to see rather the hearts and flowers stuff although it did make me laugh when Paul Holliday was talking about how the staff wouldn't let the club die and would never go on strike - maybe not Paul but Wheater and the rest of the players did - a few times as well!!!

I haven't watched it, Sluffy, and I'm not sure I'm going to bother. From what I've heard it sounds a lot like tosh for TWE*PS

It was only about 20 mins long, so very much shorter than I was expecting and I mistakenly thought it would be about the players and managers behind the scenes as the second half of the season unfolded - and really what a great story it was with a cliff hanger up to the last day to see if we would go up automatically or not but instead we had Dearden, Iles, Gartside, McGinlay, Holliday and Sharon telling us what a wonderful club we had, we lived the dream but spent foolishly, acted badly (I can't recall Ken Anderson was ever mentioned but clearly he was clearly the name that no one mentioned but everybody meant as the bad guy) and how Sharon had a dream as a child to own a club and here she is now living it!

The to wrap the first part up we had Evatt telling us he shared Sharon's dream and together they will lead us back to the promise land.

I'm a bit too hard nose for such sentimental slush but no doubt many others loved every word of it all.

Maybe the concluding part will be about our rise from 20th (iirc) at the end of January to almost champions a few months later, or about whatever Phoenix was about and why he was shown the door, or what really happened with Madison (I've read different story's about why he went!).  Let's see the team bonding and the bollockings, the dirty tricks played on us and us on other teams, the player personalities, the jokers and the driven - there's really so much good stuff to see.

I somehow think it's going to be more of the hearts and flowers though - hope I'm wrong.

Sluffy wrote:

It was only about 20 mins long, so very much shorter than I was expecting and I mistakenly thought it would be about the players and managers behind the scenes as the second half of the season unfolded - and really what a great story it was with a cliff hanger up to the last day to see if we would go up automatically or not but instead we had Dearden, Iles, Gartside, McGinlay, Holliday and Sharon telling us what a wonderful club we had, we lived the dream but spent foolishly, acted badly (I can't recall Ken Anderson was ever mentioned but clearly he was clearly the name that no one mentioned but everybody meant as the bad guy) and how Sharon had a dream as a child to own a club and here she is now living it!

The to wrap the first part up we had Evatt telling us he shared Sharon's dream and together they will lead us back to the promise land.

I'm a bit too hard nose for such sentimental slush but no doubt many others loved every word of it all.

Maybe the concluding part will be about our rise from 20th (iirc) at the end of January to almost champions a few months later, or about whatever Phoenix was about and why he was shown the door, or what really happened with Madison (I've read different story's about why he went!).  Let's see the team bonding and the bollockings, the dirty tricks played on us and us on other teams, the player personalities, the jokers and the driven - there's really so much good stuff to see.

I somehow think it's going to be more of the hearts and flowers though - hope I'm wrong.

No room for Terrie and the Dreamers then, Sluffy? Are they saving the ST mob for Part 2?



Did anyone mention who paid for the Reebok? Good luck to her, but could it be that its Sharon that's 'living the dream' and that she hasn't had to pay much for it? Well not yet anyway.

There was a small clip of an unattributed bloke saying something outside the Reebok who I believed to be Ian Bridge of the ST but he nor the ST were mentioned by name.  There was a clip of the pointless crowd protest of the lap around the Reebok (just shows how many 'sheep' there are in life) but I can't recall the commentary stating what the clip was about.

Tbh I don't really know why they've done this documentary at all?

Who is the intended audience?

Who commissioned it and why?

I mean there is a 'story' there which is of interest, namely a 'fairy tale' rise of a club on the brink of relegation out of the league to automatic promotion against all the odds but the documentary, up to now anyway, has just been about 'look how nice we are' sort of thing to my eyes.

Let us see what part two brings.

Sluffy wrote:There was a small clip of an unattributed bloke saying something outside the Reebok who I believed to be Ian Bridge of the ST but he nor the ST were mentioned by name.  There was a clip of the pointless crowd protest of the lap around the Reebok (just shows how many 'sheep' there are in life) but I can't recall the commentary stating what the clip was about.

Tbh I don't really know why they've done this documentary at all?

Who is the intended audience?

Who commissioned it and why?

I mean there is a 'story' there which is of interest, namely a 'fairy tale' rise of a club on the brink of relegation out of the league to automatic promotion against all the odds but the documentary, up to now anyway, has just been about 'look how nice we are' sort of thing to my eyes.

Let us see what part two brings.

That was Ian Bridge. Lost a lot of weight. Hope he's OK.

Heard the voice of Maggie Tetlow too.

Its intended for those who are relatively easily seduced by nicey nicey gestures, PR and lip gloss and is evidently something of a collaboration between the Beeno, the ST and the club's PR set-up.

I was reminded of that Panorama programme where the Beeb tried to stitch up Phil Gartside and Sam Allardyce based almost entirely on innuendo and dubious hearsay.

Mistakes were made by somebody at sometime and we're too smart to do the same! Yeh right.

Ten Bobsworth wrote:

Sluffy wrote:There was a small clip of an unattributed bloke saying something outside the Reebok who I believed to be Ian Bridge of the ST but he nor the ST were mentioned by name.  There was a clip of the pointless crowd protest of the lap around the Reebok (just shows how many 'sheep' there are in life) but I can't recall the commentary stating what the clip was about.

Tbh I don't really know why they've done this documentary at all?

Who is the intended audience?

Who commissioned it and why?

I mean there is a 'story' there which is of interest, namely a 'fairy tale' rise of a club on the brink of relegation out of the league to automatic promotion against all the odds but the documentary, up to now anyway, has just been about 'look how nice we are' sort of thing to my eyes.

Let us see what part two brings.

That was Ian Bridge. Lost a lot of weight. Hope he's OK.

Heard the voice of Maggie Tetlow too.

Its intended for those who are relatively easily seduced by nicey nicey gestures, PR and lip gloss and is evidently something of a collaboration between the Beeno, the ST and the club's PR set-up.

I was reminded of that Panorama programme where the Beeb tried to stitch up Phil Gartside and Sam Allardyce based almost entirely on innuendo and dubious hearsay.

Mistakes were made by somebody at sometime and we're too smart to do the same! Yeh right.

Yes I thought the same too about Bridge's weight loss and similarly wish that he's well and healthy.

I also noticed at the end credits it mentioned The Wanderer podcast - who has Tetlow has one of the main leads on there.  (Personally I am not a big fan of the podcast and seldom listen to it but I know many people are avid listeners).

The documentary is clearly under the control of Sharon as it is just directly echoing what she wants us to hear, namely the one club, one community mantra she wants us to believe and buy into - which of course many will.

I'm not against that in its self but I still can't see why she has gone to the trouble of buying our particular club and potentially be millions of pounds out of pocket to do so and run it when she hasn't even got a Bolton connection with either the club or the community herself???

There's got to be more to it in my mind and if people want to believe in Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny and Sharon is doing all this simply from the goodness of their heart, well that is up to them.

Anyway let us see what part two brings, maybe we will see a bit of the football rather than the flowery gush we've had served to us so far?

As promos go it wasn't bad. Easy to pick holes in it but given the very specific content I guess the target market is former and potential season ticket holders and the objective is to boost season ticket sales - and they haven't done a bad job. Not sure how effective it will be as the low hanging fruit has already been picked but let's hope it works.

Just been trying to figure out what all this is about and have come up with this -

Fiveorsix is the company that made the documentary and call themselves this from their twitter account -

We are 5or6 Creative, a global specialist in #branding, #digitalmarketing #webdesign #videoproduction Here to help you tell your brand story.

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Their web site is a bit weird but if you 'fish around' with your cursor on their front page (their front page is completely black and counts up from 1 to 100 them just stops?) you can find things (at the top right) to click on - and even then it seems to take an age to load their next (scroll up) pages?

Anyway this is what they say they've done for BWFC -

In a season with no fans in the Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new owner, new manager and 11 players making their league debut on the first game of the season, the club wanted to reach its supporters by bringing them access like they’ve never had it before. We were given open-door access to the historic club to tell the story of their 2020/21 season.

After the highs of Premier League successes and European adventures, Bolton Wanderers find themselves struggling in League Two with its very existence in the balance. This series reflects on some of the darkest moments in recent history and for the first time, gives an insight into the new owner Sharon Brittan and what’s driven her to save the football club.

After an initial teaser trailer, the two-part documentary aired via Bolton Wanderer’s social media channels. The first episode tracks new manager Ian Evatt just as the club starts to turn the corner after a tough few months in League Two. Episode 2 charts club Player of the Year Ricardo Almeida Santos and top goalscorer Eoin Doyle as the season reaches its dramatic climax.

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Tbh, I'm still non the wiser of what the purpose of the documentary really is?

I don't think it is aimed at selling ST's, Wanderers fans know the score and will buy them or not irrespective of this 'documentary'.

Is it some sort of advert to help sell the club, attract investment?  Is it to put Santos and Doyle in the shop window?  Is it a vanity project?  Is it a dry run for the company to do a Netflix type Sunderland documentary at presumably a 'big' club - as I can't see the nation tuning in to see how we get on in Division 3 can you?

I don't know, wonder if Fin has got some sort of professional take on this?

Any opinion Fin?

At least there should be some football in part 2!

5 or 6 Limited is a micro company with net assets of £1,269. 

Global specialist? More like fur coat and no knickers if you ask me but there's plenty of TWE*Ps who like that sort of stuff.

And well done Sluffy for sniffing it out.

Ten Bobsworth wrote:5 or 6 Limited is a micro company with net assets of £1,269. 

Global specialist? More like fur coat and no knickers if you ask me but there's plenty of TWE*Ps who like that sort of stuff.

And well done Sluffy for sniffing it out.

Thanks Bob.

I was just curious to learn what the purpose of the documentary was all about - and I still don't - but I am beginning to wonder if the benefit of it all was not for BWFC (as we all assume it to be) but for 5or6 Ltd themselves?

Dr Peter C Simmons is the CEO of 5or6 Elite as per his Twitter account...

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...but if you care to look at his background (all in the public domain I add) he also turns out to be the Vice President of Loughborough University's Football Club

Loughborough University
18 years

Vice President
May 2012 - Present - 9 years 2 months

Loughborough, England, United Kingdom

Vice President of Loughborough University football club.

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(Now if you recall we held our preseason at Loughborough University - so I guess there must be some sort of connection dating back to then if not before).

If you look at the previous work 5or6 has undertaken it ALL seems to be sports related and sport has, as we know, been badly effected by Covid so much so that most outside the elite sport level has been stopped/suspended for a year or more.

I'm beginning to wonder that 5or6 had no work to do, possibly normally use or employ university students from Loughborough University, and thus had the time and resources to undertake a several months long project starting in January, for someone they already knew (Sharon/BWFC) funded by Loughborough University and not actually BWFC and this being part of the University 'teaching' for students who also have been impacted by the pandemic?

Whoever did the filming/interviews etc had to be part of the 'bubble' at the club, particularly if and when they were interviewing and filming with Evatt and the players - so I'm guessing the clubs PR staff themselves were somehow directly involved behind the scenes of the documentary?

I'm just guessing really but it could be an explanation behind as to why such a strange documentary has been made - and I mean strange in the sense that it clearly isn't commercial (who will see it other than Bolton fans - and remember it is free to view - ok a few adverts added but you can skip them like I did), it clearly doesn't feature on the main general interest namely our unexpected fairy tale promotion which coincided with the filming, and why presumably it was free or little cost to the club which had to play a full year without fans and match day revenues.

A sort of win, win collaboration for both sides (including the University) rather than a commissioned work from BWFC.

Definitely promotional. As it says on the tin "here to help you tell your brand story".
PR is a a very broad church - not just old school advertising.

wanderlust wrote:Definitely promotional. As it says on the tin "here to help you tell your brand story".
PR is a a very broad church - not just old school advertising.

A promotional for what though?

Sluffy wrote:I don't think it is aimed at selling ST's, Wanderers fans know the score and will buy them or not irrespective of this 'documentary'.

Is it some sort of advert to help sell the club, attract investment?  Is it to put Santos and Doyle in the shop window?  Is it a vanity project?  Is it a dry run for the company to do a Netflix type Sunderland documentary at presumably a 'big' club - as I can't see the nation tuning in to see how we get on in Division 3 can you?

It has been done for a reason but what is that reason?

As I say, the reason may not even have been driven by BWFC at all and the club could simply be more the recipient and beneficiary of rather than having even commissioned and paid for it?

Not that it matters either way, I'm simply just curious what is the reason why one was done and what presumably a two twenty minute documentary, destined to be seen by precious few other than existing Bolton fans, is a worthwhile outcome of following a club for half a season in which we got promoted in fairy tale style!

I can only assume there is more to the reasons than just a promotional video - and let's be honest, one that even could have been done by the clubs own inhouse PR team - indeed it wouldn't surprise me in the least if large parts had!

I suspect the Loughborough University connection is the key to understanding all of this.

I just read the "documentary" as being part of their overarching brand campaign. It's still an ad. Whatever their mission statement is, whatever they consider their USPs to be, I'd imagine their intention is to build on their (so far) commendable efforts to better connect the club to the fanbase - which it does a good job of - and gradually grow it. These spots sell the history of the club with legends like Lofthouse, Worthington, McGinlay which appeals to the older fans and makes us proud to be Bolton fans. Gives them some good social media content too which has been very poor to date.

Ultimately though, these brand spots are in support of their Welcome Home season ticket campaign which seems to focus on the current regime of our exciting young manager Ian Evatt and our promotion winning heroes who hopefully appeal to a younger fanbase.

At the end of the day it all ladders up to the same message... Buy a season ticket!

I think the creative agency did a pretty good job with what I would imagine was a pretty small budget. We were once a great club, sank to the depths of the football league but now we're on the rise again with great things to come. Seems like the right narrative to me.

'Global specialist' or Loughborough University wallah doing a bit on the side?

PR folk employ the same tactics as scammers. Press their buttons and see how many daft b*ggers fall for it.

Lets see the accounts. I'd be interested to know if anyone's put in, or left in, as much as Michael James/Prescott Business Park Ltd (who rarely  get a mention).