Rivalries

Exactly ten years ago today, the Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel was published. If you read it from Page 61 onwards you'll find a name that should be familiar to every Bolton fan, but isn't.

It recounts how Assistant Chief Constable Robert Goslin, son of Harry Goslin, averted a potential disaster at Hillsborough in 1981 and the abuse he got for his efforts.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229038/0581.pdf

Bob Goslin was plainly a leader of men like his father before him. He later became  Chief Constable of Norfolk.

The first major disaster in British football occurred in 1946 at Burnden Park where Bob's father had made that memorable speech in 1939.

"We are facing a national emergency. But this danger can be met, if everybody keeps a cool head, and knows what to do. This is something you can't leave to the other fellow, everybody has a share to do.", said Harry.

Harry Goslin plainly was  not a man who would leave it 'to the other fellow' and Bolton Wanderers evidently wasn't that kind of club.

Harry was killed in action in 1943 leaving a widow and two children. Maybe one of them hadn't forgotten the Burnden disaster  when he was the man responsible for the safety of supporters at Hillsborough all those years later.

Bob Goslin's role in the Hillsborough story seemed to have been forgotten about or ignored when Bob's obituary was published in the Bolton News in 2008.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/3626999.former-police-chief-dies-after-illness/

Not heard from you in a while, Conor. Are you keeping up?

So the thing was, back in 1939 our late Queen was thirteen and her duty-bound father was the monarch having, with some reluctance, taken up the obligation his elder brother had decided he didn't really fancy.

The  country was, once again, faced with having to go into battle against Germany and Hitler's fascists. Amongst the first footballers to volunteer, encouraged by manager, Charles Foweraker, and led by its captain Harry Goslin, where Bolton Wanderers players.

I think its safe to say that Boltonians were immensely proud of the town's football club and its players but  not too impressed with local rivals, Manchester United's, limited efforts to defend King and Country. How do you suppose they might have felt when the heroic Goslin, credited with taking out four German tanks in the evacuation from Dunkirk, was killed in the fierce fighting of the Italian campaign?

Ten Bobsworth wrote:Not heard from you in a while, Conor. Are you keeping up?

So the thing was, back in 1939 our late Queen was thirteen and her duty-bound father was the monarch having, with some reluctance, taken up the obligation his elder brother had decided he didn't really fancy.

The  country was, once again, faced with having to go into battle against Germany and Hitler's fascists. Amongst the first footballers to volunteer, encouraged by manager, Charles Foweraker, and led by its captain Harry Goslin, where Bolton Wanderers players.

I think it’s safe to say that Boltonians were immensely proud of the town's football club and its players but  not too impressed with local rivals, Manchester United's, limited efforts to defend King and Country. How do you suppose they might have felt when the heroic Goslin, credited with taking out four German tanks in the evacuation from Dunkirk, was killed in the fierce fighting of the Italian campaign?

Sorry I’ve been moving back to uni so it’s all been a little busy. I’ve been keeping up with all the reply’s just not had a chance until not to reply

Conor_Student21 wrote:
Sorry I’ve been moving back to uni so it’s all been a little busy. I’ve been keeping up with all the reply’s just not had a chance until not to reply

Pleased to hear it, Conor.

I did have a look at the questionnaire but I couldn't bring myself to consider Morecambe, Fleetwood Town or Accrington Stanley as 'rivals'.

And I've nothing but respect for clubs like Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth, Derby County and Charlton Athletic. These are all clubs, not dissimilar to ourselves, that I remember us playing in Division 1 when I was nobbut a lad.

All five of the clubs listed as similar to BWFC have had well-publicised financial difficulties in recent years, all have long-standing local rivals who are presently in leagues above them, all have won the FA Cup and all, with the exception of Charlton I think, have won what used to be known as the league title.

Their rivalries are all based on geographical proximity whereas Bolton’s rivalry with MU seems to owe more to history than it does to geography.

Sorry, Conor, I have been doing my best but there’s not much that interests the Nuts contributor confederacy. They also seem to have a weird, but selective, aversion to history but never mind, there’s been over a thousand views so that’s summat.

When BWFC was in the Premiership there was a survey done on football supporters. Bolton supporters came out as the best educated and least well paid.

I’ve often wondered why so many of the best educated seemed to fall so easily for claptrap.

See, for example, the economics Professor who thinks the Beeno’s Chief Football Writer is his ‘go to’ expert on football finance.

Just over a week to go before we renew our rivalries with the Galacticos of the  Cotswolds, Cheltenham Town and Forest Green Rovers. FGR tickets are sold out and the numpties can't wait to get out their NoKenDo T-shirts for old times sake.

Its not been the best weekend for the shy, self-effacing chairman of FGR. A thumping 0-4 home loss to Exeter City followed Kwarsi Wotsit's big tax giveaway to the Premier League on Friday.

Dale doesn't like Tories and he doesn't pay much tax either, so there was next to nowt in it for him.

Where's all his money come from if his businesses do nothing but lose money, do I hear you ask?