‘Meeting the opposition’ – Bolton Wanderers
This upcoming Saturday afternoon, Tranmere Rovers will travel to Bolton Wanderers’ ‘University of Bolton stadium’ as the ‘Trotters’ host the ‘whites’ in league two action. With that in mind, I placed questions towards Jonnie Tickle ‘@JonnieTickle’ who supports this encounters’ hosts. I thought it would be interesting to see the thoughts of a fan who’s club will soon face Rovers, to get his opinions of Tranmere as well as his thoughts on the position of the Greater Manchester club at the moment, on and off the pitch; amongst other subjects.
How long have you been a supporter of Bolton and how did you discover the club?
I’ve supported the club all my life pretty much, I have a family full of Bolton fans and grew up right next to the stadium so it was the perfect fit really.
Where did Bolton finish last season?
They finished 23rd I think, last season was a bit of a write off with the points deduction so wasn’t really much to expect. Unfortunately, we were relegated. I think it was fairly inevitable though.
What are your thoughts on your current manager – Ian Evatt?
I like him, the football has been frustrating to watch but it’s nice to see a manager come in and try and implement a new style and have this confidence that it’s gonna work, hopefully it does.
What are your expectations for this season? What are your thoughts on your start to the campaign?
I mean I think we should be getting promoted regardless, I always knew it would be a tough league but with a squad of our stature we should be looking to the top end of the table. It’s obviously been a disappointing start but we’ve shown glimpses of what we can do so hopefully we’ll be okay.
Which one player is your danger man, why?
A fairly obvious one really, Eoin Doyle. He is on a scoring run and was the league’s top scorer last time round, he certainly knows where the net is.
What is your score prediction for the game on Saturday?
I’m gonna be optimistic and go 2-1 Bolton, it’s at our place and I’m hoping that we can get the 3 points
Random fact about Bolton? (Famous fans, something about the town etc)
The stadium is the only ground in the UK to have a separate home and away tunnel.
Do you support/like any other clubs other than Bolton , why?
Bolton’s my main one, I always keep an eye out on the Liverpool score due to family connections and also Chorley because I’ve been there a few times.
Proudest moment as a supporter of Bolton?
There’s been a few tbh, I’m sure any other Bolton fan would say the 3-2 against Forest when we stayed up the last minute but unfortunately I couldn’t make it. Thus, I’ll say the Peterborough game where we won 3-0 that got us promotion to the Championship in 2017.
What is your opinion of Tranmere Rovers?
I’ll try and be nice haha, they are a big club for this division and they have got some good players. However, I don’t know why Keith Hill was appointed as the new manager after the state he left us in.
I would like to thank Jonnie ‘@JonnieTickle’ for his time answering the questions that I placed towards him. This league encounter should be an interesting occasion between two clubs that have a feisty history and I hope that readers enjoyed this Q+A.
Thank you very much for reading,
Stay safe,
Ethan Hoijord
- Bolton’s ‘University of Bolton stadium’, where the action will unfold on the Weekend.