How Did You End Up Supporting Bolton?

Peter from Sweden (inf) says he started following Bolton because Johan Elmander signed for us. How did you all end up supporting Bolton Wanderers?

Were you like me having a parent who was already a regular at Burnden/Reebok or something more complicated? Was there another club you almost supported?

I was born in Bolton and all my family are Bolton supporters. They started taking me from a young age and I was hooked. The bastards.

I was born and brought up within the Bolton boundaries but on the Manchester side. My father was born in Macclesfield and lived and worked in Manchester throughout the first half of his life. He was a City fan deep down but he supported all the local teams. He used to sneak into Maine Rd as a kid in the late 50s. My mother was born in Salford and isn't really a football fan.

So there was no history of supporting BWFC in my family. When I was 9 one of the kids on the street started going to Burnden with his dad. His dad had a van and my brother and I ended up going with them, sitting on the wheelguards in the back of the van. Within a few games we were hooked, had joined the Junior Whites, and that was that.

When I was about 5 I was a Liverpool fan, because I was a little kid and they were on TV and they were the best team, and that's all you care about at that age.

I'm Bolton born and Bolton bred, strong in the arm and definitely thick in the head for following our lot over the last 40 odd years!

Natasha Whittam wrote:Peter from Sweden (inf) says he started following Bolton because Johan Elmander signed for us. How did you all end up supporting Bolton Wanderers?

Were you like me having a parent who was already a regular at Burnden/Reebok or something more complicated? Was there another club you almost supported?

my father likes hockey, but i never followed his steps there. i think hockey is pretty boring to watch.

when i was 15 i played ultimate soccer manager '98 with my cousins, and i always played with middlesbrough but i never followed them for real.
and some year after that i didn't follow any football at all (except from when sweden played). and now, 1,5 year ago, a friend at work (united supporter) asked me if i thought football was boring? i said no. and he said that i should follow a team, it's lots of fun.

so it became bolton, for the reasons natasha said.

and sure, it's lots of fun to follow a team.. but i can also bang my head in the wall sometimes! so much emotions in being a supporter.. well, it's fun.

We moved here from Stirling when I was 12 - and some friends from school took me along to see Nat play in one of his last ever games. (so that's aged me!!) It was against Everton. I was hooked and have followed them to the gates of hell and back ever since.
It's like an addiction. I've tried to shake it off but its in the blood now. There's been more pleasure than pain though!!

my reasons are that they are my local team, I'm Bolton born and bred along with former generations of my family as far back as the family tree goes.

I dont have a choice.

it also means that I look down my nose at glory hunting Chelsea and united fans who live miles away from the clubs 'catchment' area... im allowed to have this 'holier than thou' outlook with them due to the fact i support my LOCAL team.

I think everyone should support the town they were born in (international fans are not included in this - Africans for instance as these 'fans' generally have a connection with the club, such as Senegalese or Nigerian people with Diouf and Jay Jay respectively) no excuses...

Born in Watford - support Watford.
Born in Bolton - support Bolton.
Born in Torquay - support Torquay united.

non of this... I support united for (insert pathetic reason here)

funny how nobody's granddad ever had an 'undying love' for Grimsby town...

rammywhite wrote:We moved here from Stirling when I was 12 - and some friends from school took me along to see Nat play in one of his last ever games. (so that's aged me!!) It was against Everton. I was hooked and have followed them to the gates of hell and back ever since.
It's like an addiction. I've tried to shake it off but its in the blood now. There's been more pleasure than pain though!!

this is also a totaly valid reason...

I was born fairly close to Old Trafford but first became interested in Bolton Wanderers simply by seeing the Burnden Park ground when passing it on family trips out in the car. Just stuck in my mind & grew over time. At different times I've been at college in Bolton, lived in Bolton and worked in Bolton. Only been able to afford a season ticket in the last 11 years tho.

Born in Bolton (not Farnworth), brought up in Bolton.



Dad was born in Salford and supported United

Mum doesn't like the game

My 2 uncles don't really have an interest in the game.

My first game dad took me to Bolton - wanted me to support my local team. Been a Bolton fan ever since, and even given me the few grey hairs in more recent seasons!!

Reebok_Rebel wrote:my reasons are that they are my local team, I'm Bolton born and bred along with former generations of my family as far back as the family tree goes.

I dont have a choice.

it also means that I look down my nose at glory hunting Chelsea and united fans who live miles away from the clubs 'catchment' area... im allowed to have this 'holier than thou' outlook with them due to the fact i support my LOCAL team.

I think everyone should support the town they were born in (international fans are not included in this - Africans for instance as these 'fans' generally have a connection with the club, such as Senegalese or Nigerian people with Diouf and Jay Jay respectively) no excuses...

Born in Watford - support Watford.
Born in Bolton - support Bolton.
Born in Torquay - support Torquay united.

non of this... I support united for (insert pathetic reason here)

funny how nobody's granddad ever had an 'undying love' for Grimsby town...

I'm born and raised in Birmingham, I never have and doubt I ever will live in Bolton. My Dad was born in Bolton, my Grandad was born in Bolton, my great grandad etc etc etc and hence they took me to see Bolton play when I was young (first match was Birmingham Bolton don't remember the year) and I didn't have a choice.

So really I'd fit your bracket of my granddad having an undying love for (in this case) Bolton.

None of my family are from Bolton but I was born in this wonderful town and decided to follow this wonderful club (around the mid 90s). Now Im knocking on 30 its an excellent excuse to meet up with some old friends, get drunk and cheer on the lads. BWFC... it's just ingrained in to you.

bwfc1874 wrote:

Reebok_Rebel wrote:my reasons are that they are my local team, I'm Bolton born and bred along with former generations of my family as far back as the family tree goes.

I dont have a choice.

it also means that I look down my nose at glory hunting Chelsea and united fans who live miles away from the clubs 'catchment' area... im allowed to have this 'holier than thou' outlook with them due to the fact i support my LOCAL team.

I think everyone should support the town they were born in (international fans are not included in this - Africans for instance as these 'fans' generally have a connection with the club, such as Senegalese or Nigerian people with Diouf and Jay Jay respectively) no excuses...

Born in Watford - support Watford.
Born in Bolton - support Bolton.
Born in Torquay - support Torquay united.

non of this... I support united for (insert pathetic reason here)

funny how nobody's granddad ever had an 'undying love' for Grimsby town...

I'm born and raised in Birmingham, I never have and doubt I ever will live in Bolton. My Dad was born in Bolton, my Grandad was born in Bolton, my great grandad etc etc etc and hence they took me to see Bolton play when I was young (first match was Birmingham Bolton don't remember the year) and I didn't have a choice.

So really I'd fit your bracket of my granddad having an undying love for (in this case) Bolton.

...my gripe about dads and granddads etc was more targeted towards people using it as an excuse to glory hunt... either these people are full of shit or their grandparents/parents were also gloryhunters.

your fine... you are as holy as my fair self!

In 1998 after Jamaica's historic appearance in the World Cup in France, an unknown club (to most Jamaicans) in the English Championship paid £1 million for the services of young Ricardo 'Bibi' Gardner. They followed up that signing with fellow Jamaicans Jermaine Johnson and Donovan Ricketts.

The rest, as they say, is history. Bolton would now have to go out of existence for me to be interested in another club and I still would not have the same emotional attachment to any other club. I'll support Bolton Wanderers until the Good Lord calls me to that armchair in the sky.

I don't support Bolton, but let me tell you how I came to hate them so much. When I was 11 my Dad got a new job in Manchester so we ended up moving to Bolton. From day one at school I was picked on for being from Blackburn, Bolton people really seemed to think they were better than Blackburn folk. It's why I'm so tough nowadays, so I should probably thank the wankers.

This is going to upset Reebok Rebel but read on.

The first football game I ever watched was the 1958 Cup Final on the family's brand new television. Being an impressionable 8 year old (= glory hunter) I decided to support the team that won. I have persevered with my support ever since even when we dropped into the old fourth division, but I do occasionally wonder how different my life would have been if the result had gone the other way.

I was taken to a match as a four year old in the season we last won the FA Cup by my dad and his mates. They took it in turns to sit me on their shoulders and get abuse from the fans behind. We were on the Embankment though I grew into a Lever Ender. Loved the game, loved the atmosphere (packed in those days), laughed at the abuse my dad was getting - and giving - and it's been downhill ever since.

Keegan wrote:In 1998 after Jamaica's historic appearance in the World Cup in France, an unknown club (to most Jamaicans) in the English Championship paid £1 million for the services of young Ricardo 'Bibi' Gardner. They followed up that signing with fellow Jamaicans Jermaine Johnson and Donovan Ricketts.

The rest, as they say, is history. Bolton would now have to go out of existence for me to be interested in another club and I still would not have the same emotional attachment to any other club. I'll support Bolton Wanderers until the Good Lord calls me to that armchair in the sky.

I got a little cold shiver reading this... is that a bit weird

Bolton Hater wrote:I don't support Bolton, but let me tell you how I came to hate them so much. When I was 11 my Dad got a new job in Manchester so we ended up moving to Bolton. From day one at school I was picked on for being from Blackburn, Bolton people really seemed to think they were better than Blackburn folk. It's why I'm so tough nowadays, so I should probably thank the wankers.

Its your own fault for being from a backward place like Blackburn and thus subjected to inbreeding - children dont like what's different, I suspect your 6 fingers, toes and extra ear made them scared of you - the fear breeds bullying, the fear of something not normal - this is why you were bullied I can assume.

xmiles wrote:This is going to upset Reebok Rebel but read on.

The first football game I ever watched was the 1958 Cup Final on the family's brand new television. Being an impressionable 8 year old (= glory hunter) I decided to support the team that won. I have persevered with my support ever since even when we dropped into the old fourth division, but I do occasionally wonder how different my life would have been if the result had gone the other way.

its such a good story, il let you off...

you have also passed the 'non glory hunter' test too - your undying support I feel gives you 'genuine fan' status...