Club Overview

The Bolton Wanderers were established in 1874 under the name Christ Church FC. The club changed its named when it became a professional organization, and acquired the nickname the Trotters. It played out of Burden Park for a major of the club’s history and moved to Reebok Stadium in 1997.

The best years for the organization were during the 1920s. It had a stable winning record and won the FA Cup three years in a row. From 1970 till 1985, the club was at its worst, getting relegated and not having the pool of talent needed to bring it back to the top. Under the management of Bruce Rioch, the got promoted back to the Premier League where it currently plays.

Club History

Bolton Wanderers FC was founded in 1874 by Revered John Wright under the name Christ Church FC. The name changed to its current title in 1877. The newly named organization played out of Burden Park, in the Bolton borough of England. Bolton became one the few founders of a national Football League in 1888.

During its first few decades in the new league, the club was very successful. The Bolton Wanderers reached their first FA Cup in 1894, losing to Notts County 4-1. A decade later they were runners-up in the FA Cup, for a second time, losing 1–0 to local rivals Manchester City at Crystal Palace.

The Trotters continued their streak of success from the 1920’s into the 1930’s. Luton Town got paid £2,500 for full back John Elvey to transfer to Bolton. Goalkeeper Fred Hinton was also signed from Southern Leaguers Swindon Town. As a result, in 1923 the club won its very first FA Cup, defeating West Ham United at Wembley Stadium with goals from David Jack and John Smith. The club won another FA Cup in 1926 defeating Manchester City by one goal in the 78th minute scored by David Jack. That same season Bolton won the Lancashire Cup. In 1928 the Trotters won their third FA Cup defeating Portsmouth by 2 goals in the last 12 minutes of the game.

During the 1930’s the Trotters seasons all started out well but finished poorly. The club was unable to build on the lead that it made itself from the start of the season. The organization tried to fix the problem through coaching changes and player transfers. However, as World War II approached many professional football players joined the army. On September 6th 1939, the Football League of England cancelled all games and contracts between players and clubs were all terminated.

Due to the cancellation of the Football League, a new football league called the North Division War League was established. Bolton Wanderers FC was one of the teams that took part in it. Because many of the pre-war players departed, new players were signed to the squad, which heavily contributed to the squad’s success. The club defeated Manchester United in the 1944/45 season, earning the League North Cup.

The Football League resumed its games in 1946. The Bolton Wanderers, just like a lot of other teams in the league were facing difficulties. The players were about to strike due to the low wages and club was not selling many tickets. Also the lead striker for the past seasons Ray Westwood retired. These difficulties forced the organization to restructure.

After an agreement between players and the organization was reached and financial problems were sorted out, the club brought in new players. These players which included Captain Eddie Hopkinso and Nat Lofthouse played very well together. After 5 seasons of disappoints losses, the club won an FA Cup championship in 1958 by defeating Manchester United by a score of 2-0. Lofthouse scored both goals in the game. In that same season, the club won the Charity Shield.

After winning two of the biggest cups in English football and playing well on the international level for England, the Bolton Wanderers squad was looking to cause a storm in the First Division at the beginning of the 1960s. However, despite newly adding Irish international Bill McAdams, the team was not having much success. The players were plagued by injuries. The club was fighting continuously with relegation. Finally in 1965, the Trotters lost the battle and were relegated for the first time in team history.

While in the Second Division the club continued to do poorly. It brought in new players such as John Byrom to try remedying the situation. Chairman Harry Tyldesley appointed former Trotters star Nat Lofthouse to management position. However despite all these changes, the Bolton Wanderers still continued to perform poorly, resulting in relegation to the Third Division.

Off the field the club was experiencing financial hardships once again. It could not find a good assistant for Lofthouse and did not have money to stay afloat. As it result the club sold its best players to different teams.

Lofthouse was sacked in 1972 and Jimmy Armfield replaced him. Armfield had brought a long with him new players from his previous club. He also imported Grahame Rowe on a free transfer, and paid small fees for both Peter Nicholson and Henry Mowbray, bringing some experience to the team. As a result the Trotters won the Third Division championship in 1972-73.

After three seasons with the club, Armfield moved to Leeds United and Ian Greaves became manager. Under Greaves the club continued its success. It fell just short of promotion in 1975, losing to Manchester United 1-0 in the league final. However, in 1978 the club was promoted back to the Second Division.

As the 1980’s began, Greaves was sacked despite the club’s success in the Second Division. He was replaced with Stan Anderson as manager and Tony Dunne taking over as coach. Both celebrated their initial game in charge as the Wanderers recorded their first League win for 24 games with a Neil Whatmore goal being enough to defeat Nottingham Forest at Burnden. This preceded the club's best run of the season with only two defeats in a seven game spell, although there was never any real chance of escaping the drop, and this was confirmed with five games remaining.

As the decade progressed the Bolton Wanderers faced many challenges. Several coaching and player changes created instability in the Trotter’s game. As a result the club was demoted all the way to Division Four after only scoring 7 goals in 17 games during the playoffs in 1987.

However, after only season in the Fourth Division, the club was promoted to the Third Division. The deciding goal was scored by Robbie Savage in a 1-0 win at Wrexham. The club’s decision to stick to Neil, the manager during relegation paid of. The team was scoring many goals and was a competitor for the Division Three title. Neal remained in charge until the summer of 1992 when he made way for Bruce Rioch, who a few years earlier had won two successive promotions with Middlesbrough.

Under Rioch the club was promoted through out the divisions in football, eventually landing in the Premiership in 1995. He successfully coached talented young players such as John McGinlay and Andy Walker. The Trotters also beat powerhouse teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool. They also had great FA Cup runs, but lost in the semi and quarter finals, preventing them from being champions.

From that point till present day the Boloton Wanderers have stayed in the Premier League. The Trotters have gone up and down, not winning any titles. They moved to Reebok Stadium, in 1997 and continue to play there. They are currently coached by Gary Megson and owned by Eddie Davies.

Club Rivalries

Manchester United

Chelsea

Stars of the Current Squad

Kevin Nolan

Matthew Taylor

Nicky Hunt

Club Legends

Most Appearances

Most Goals

Player Recognition & Awards

Team Honours

Major Honours:
FA Cup Winners (4) - 1923, 1926, 1929, 1958
FA Cup Runners up (3) - 1894, 1904, 1953
League Cup Runners up (2) - 1995, 2004
FA Charity Shield (1) - 1958
Second Tier:
Football League First Division Champions (1) - 1997
Football League Second Division Champions (2) - 1909, 1978
Football League First Division Play-Off Winners (2) - 1995, 2001
Third Tier:
Football League Third Division Champions (1) - 1973
Football League Trophy Winners (1) - 1989
Football League Trophy Runners up (1) - 1986
Others:
Football League War Cup Winners (1) - 1945
Football League War Cup North Winners (1) - 1945
FA Premier League Asia Trophy Winners (1) - 2005
Peace Cup Runners up (1) - 2007
Lancashire Cup Winners (11) - 1886, 1891, 1912, 1922, 1925, 1927, 1932, 1934, 1948, 1988, 1990,
Reserves:
Central League Champions - 1955, 1995
Premier Reserve League North Champions - 2007

Club Management

Gary Megson- manager

Phil Gartside- chairman

Uniforms

Home	Away

Stadium

Reebok Stadium- Built in 1997, the stadium holds a capacity of 28,723. It has 4 stands: The Debt Matters (North) Stand at one end, the Woodford Group (South) Stand:the away end, at the other end, the West Stand at one side of the pitch and the Nat Lofthouse (East) Stand at the other side.

Sponsors

Reebok

Important Links

http://www.bwfc.premiumtv.co.uk

References

http://www.bwfc.premiumtv.co.uk