NEXT year will be the 20th anniversary of Wanderers’ move from their spiritual home at Burnden Park and to mark the occasion we want you to pick the best all-time XI to play there from a shortlist chosen by our panel of experts.

Each day this week until Saturday we will feature different positions in the team. First up today we want your vote for the best Burnden manager

HUNDREDS of Wanderers fans submitted their all-time Burnden XIs to us in the last few weeks via post and email – but we needed a panel of experts to whittle them down to just four.

After compiling all the nominations into a long list, The Bolton News’ chief football writer Marc Iles sat down with three judges to compile a shortlist for each position in our fantasy team.

This survey is now closed. The results will be published in a special Bolton News supplement in the New Year ​

Wanderers club secretary, official historian and author, Simon Marland, communications officer and lifelong fan Paul Holliday and lotteries manager Andrew ‘Mr Bolton’ Dean argued long and hard over the names who would make the final list, to be voted on by fans.

Readers to pick all-time best Burnden Park XI to mark 20 years since Bolton Wanderers left iconic ground

The first position in the all-time Burnden XI up for debate was the manager, and the judges had little doubt who should be the first name on the list.

CHARLES FOWERAKER
His reign lasted longer than any other Wanderers manager, between 1919 and 1944, and also took in the most trophy-laden spell in the club’s history.
Cigar-chomping Foweraker did not have an extensive football background but after helping the Whites to three victorious FA Cup finals in the twenties, became a famous figure in the European game.

BILL RIDDING
The second name on the list was also a trophy-winner, Bill Ridding, who managed the team to success over Manchester United in the 1958 FA Cup final.
Ridding was a former player, representing both United and Manchester City, who became a trainer at Burnden in 1946. After a spell in temporary charge he officially became manager in 1951 and two years later led the Whites to the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by a Stanley Matthews-inspired Blackpool.
Victory over the post-Munich Manchester United in 1958 was Wanderers’ last major trophy.
It had initially been planned to have just three options for Burnden’s all-time best manager but splitting two of the modern day’s most famous names caused uproar between our judges.
As such, both Colin Todd and Bruce Rioch are eligible for nomination from supporters.

COLIN TODD
Ex-England international who joined as Rioch’s assistant in 1992 but got promoted to the top job alongside his former Derby County defensive partner Roy McFarland in 1995. The pairing did not work out and Todd took solitary charge as the club slid out of the Premier League.
His crowning glory came in 1996/97 when he led the side to the Division One championship in record-breaking fashion as the club waved goodbye to Burnden.
In the Reebok era, Wanderers’ Premier League stay was unfortunately short – goal difference sending them down on a cruel final day of the season. After that, diminishing finances saw the break-up of an attractive side that still reached the play-offs in 1999.

BRUCE RIOCH
England-born former Scotland captain won promotion to the First Division in his first season and took the club to a famous FA Cup win over Liverpool in what became known as the White Hot era. Another fine cup run followed the next season, with more scalps, but Rioch’s third and final campaign ended with defeat to Liverpool in the Coca Cola Cup final and then a glorious play-off final win over Reading at Wembley.

You can also vote by post to: c/o Marc Iles, The Bolton News, The Wellsprings, Civic Centre, Bolton BL1 1AR 

All submissions must reach us by noon on Friday, December 9.