Bolton Wanderers: The 100 moments that shaped the club's decade

Popular in his time as a striker at Burnden Park, the Scot had made a good start to management North of the Border and was at St Johnstone when a recommendation from former Bolton chairman Phil Gartside got him the job at Burnley. His move across Lancashire was a controversial one, given it came just several weeks after guiding the Clarets into the top-flight via the play-offs. Coyle said Bolton were “10 years ahead” – and those words have haunted him ever since.

2. BITTER RIVALS (Jan 26, 2010)

Rivalry between Bolton and Burnley was tenuous despite the Lancastrian similarities, at least until Coyle quit Turf Moor for the Reebok. Just a couple of games into his Bolton tenure the Glaswegian welcomed his former club and more than 5,000 travelling fans had brought masks, banners and some deeply unpleasant songs.

But it would be Coyle who finished the game smiling as Chung-Yong Lee struck 10 minutes before half time for the game’s only goal. Burnley were in the relegation zone, and Wanderers moved up to 15th.

3. JACK SWINGS BY (Jan 29, 2010)

Coyle wasted no time improving his squad, bringing in Manchester City’s Wladimir Weiss and Arsenal’s much-feted teen midfielder, Jack Wilshere. The Londoner had made 15 first team appearances at that point for the Gunners but the exposure to regular football with Bolton pushed his game on considerably, and within eight months he had made his England debut against Hungary.

4. WANDERERS WIN A TROPHY (July 10, 2010)

They haven’t won many – but Kevin Davies held aloft the Carlsberg Trophy to cap-off what had been a productive tour of North America.

The final, played against Toronto at the BMO Field, finished 1-1 after Maicon Santos had cancelled out Matt Taylor’s early strike.

Stuart Holden, Robbie Blake, Sean Davis and Gary Cahill had converted penalties for Owen Coyle's men before Jussi Jaaskelainen guessed right to deny Oscar Cordon and win Bolton the spoils.

5. SUPER KEV'S BIG MOMENT (OCTOBER 12, 2010)

Wanderers fans had been calling for Kevin Davies to get international recognition for years but at the age of 33 years and 200 days he finally got the call from Fabio Capello.

Replacing Peter Crouch as a substitute in the 69th minute at Wembley in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Montenegro, he picked up a yellow card, but sadly didn't get a second cap.

6. HOLDEN LATE GOAL TO SINK SAM (December 12, 2010)

Diamond in the rough Stu Holden had enjoyed a fine first year in English football, capped off with a goal against Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn Rovers that will go down as an era-defining moment.

Fabrice Muamba put Bolton ahead but after Mark Davies was sent off on the hour, Rovers pushed for an equaliser, finding one in the 87th minute through Mame Biram Diouf.

Their joy lasted 49 seconds as a long punt from the back – right out of Allardyce’s playbook – was flicked on by Kevin Davies, leaving Holden to burst through and spark scenes of unbridled celebration.

7. A LEGEND LEAVES (January 15, 2011)

Nobody personified Bolton Wanderers like Nat Lofthouse, England’s Lion of Vienna, and a man who dedicated his life to his hometown club.

Nat had withdrawn from public life some time before he passed away, but news of his death prompted a mass outpouring of tributes from the footballing world.

Perhaps the most feared centre-forward of his generation, he played only for Bolton from signing his first contract at the age of 14 to his retirement in 1960.

He went on to fill a number of different jobs, from manager, chief scout and life president – and his work to establish the Lifeline Lottery helped keep the club afloat during difficult financial times in the eighties.

8. BOLTON SAYS GOODBYE TO NAT (January 26, 2011)

A footballing who’s who turned out to pay their respects to Nat Lofthouse, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Tom Finney, Jimmy Armfield, Colin Todd, Bruce Rioch and Sam Allardyce.

Thousands of Boltonians also lined the streets to see the funeral cortege wind its way up Bank Street and into Bradshawgate before turning into Silverwell Street and heading to the parish church.

9. DANNY'S THE BOY (Jan 31, 2011)

After Jack Wilshere’s success, Owen Coyle pulled another rabbit out of the loan hat to sign Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge for the rest of the season. Bolton hadn’t won in six games and had dropped to ninth place in the Premier League before hosting Wolves at the Reebok – when sub Sturridge raced on to a poor backpass from Ronald Zubar to snatch three points in injury time.

It was a dream debut and the future England international went on to score eight in 12 appearances by the end of the season.

10. CHUNGY THE SAINT (March 12, 2011)

After Lofthouse’s passing, there were some who thought Bolton’s name was on the FA Cup.

It certainly seemed that way when they snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory against Birmingham City in the quarter-final to book a Wembley date with Stoke City.

Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies had traded goals with Cameron Jerome and Kevin Phillips in a bruising game which looked to be heading for a replay until South Korea star Chung-Yong Lee leapt to score a winner in the 90th minute, sending more than 5,000 away fans into delirium.

11. HOLDEN HORROR (March 18, 2011)

Holden’s star was on the rise and top Premier League clubs were starting to take notice. But then in one brutal moment at Old Trafford it all stopped.

Jonny Evans was red carded for a lunging challenge on the Bolton midfielder which caused serious damage to his knee joint but the impact on Holden’s career was considerable. He played again for Wanderers, albeit briefly, but many believe his absence marked the start of the club’s decline.

12. THE NIGHTMARE AGAINST STOKE (April 17, 2011)

Much has been said and written about Bolton’s Wembley failure – a 5-0 defeat against Stoke which ranked as the biggest hiding ever handed out in an FA Cup semi-final. Coyle’s team looked ill-prepared and were most certainly out-thought and out-fought on the day.

But the team, on paper, was more than enough to match Tony Pulis’s side and their total capitulation on the day is still a mystery to every one of the 30,000 fans who ventured from the North West.

Stoke went on to lose against Manchester City in the final but got a European campaign for their troubles.

13. TAMIR COHEN’S GOAL DEDICATION (April 24, 2011)

Bolton’s Israel international Tamir Cohen lost his father, the ex-Liverpool star Avi Cohen, in a motorbike accident the previous December. He supplied a bit of cheer to the fans post-Wembley by netting a winner against Arsenal and displaying a T-shirt in memory of his father.

14. AL HABSI LEAVES FOR LATICS (July 2011)

At the end of the 2010/11 season Bolton fans debated whether Ali Al-Habsi was ready to finally usurp Jussi Jaaskelainen in goal. The Oman international had impressed on loan at Wigan, winning their player of the year, and at 29 needed to be playing regularly.

The decision to sell him to Wigan rankled with some, although the deal made him the third most expensive sale of the decade behind Gary Cahill and Kevin Nolan.

15. DAVID NGOG ARRIVES (August 31, 2011)

Owen Coyle had tried to prise the French striker away from Liverpool 12 months earlier but could not match the £7million asking fee. He got his man eventually and the former PSG front man became the club’s most costly signing of the decade at £4m.

16. UNITED HIT WHITES FOR FIVE (Sept 10, 2011)

Wayne Rooney hit a hat-trick as Manchester United inflicted a record 5-0 home defeat on Wanderers – their worst at the new stadium. Javier Hernandez also scored twice – and Kevin Davies came under fire after the game for a heavy challenge which left Reds midfielder Tom Cleverley with a broken foot.

Asked for his view on whether United were ‘unplayable’ after the game Coyle said: “Jussi Jaaskelainen had two saves to make all game. You look at all your facts and stats and tell me if they were unplayable.”

17. UNHERALDED HERO (September 11, 2011)

Ellesmere Port-born striker Ralph Gubbins whose goals sent Bolton to the FA Cup final in 1958, passed away at the age of 79. Gubbins was memorably left out of the team in the final. But his service is fondly remembered by the club where he played 101 times and scored 18 times.

18. FIVE STAR SHOW (November 6, 2011)

Wanderers had been hit for five in the FA Cup semi-final and then at home by United… But this one felt a lot better.

Youngster Joe Riley made a memorable debut at full-back as Bolton got a measure of revenge back on Tony Pulis’s men.

Chris Eagles and Ivan Klasnic netted two apiece after Kevin Davies had opened the scoring.

19. JUSSI’S LAST GAME (Dec 31, 2011)

There was very little sign when the Big Finn strapped on his gloves for a New Year’s Eve game against Wolves that it would be the last time we saw him in Bolton colours.

The game finished 1-1 as Steven Fletcher cancelled out a screamer by Sam Ricketts but by the time the next game at Everton kicked-off, Adam Bogdan was the new number one and Jaaskelainen had agreed to join Sam Allardyce at West Ham.

20. GARY CAHILL SOLD (Jan 16, 2012)

Speculation over the England international’s future had continued for 12 months or more with every top Premier League club linked at one time or another.

Manchester City had a £20milllion-plus bid turned down at one stage, Tottenham also testing the water, but as the centre-half’s contract ticked down, so did the price.

In the end, Chelsea paid £7m, just £2m more than Gary Megson had paid for him from Aston Villa in January 2008.

21. SORDELL’S LATE DEAL (February 1, 2012)

Wanderers were in the bottom three of the Premier League and looking for a striker to fire them to safety – but after bids were rejected for Wilfried Zaha and Matt Phillips, among others, Owen Coyle paid £3.2million for young Watford striker Marvin Sordell – who had not yet played in the top flight. The move was completed in the last seconds of the window but Sordell, who did go on to represent Team GB at the Olympics in 2012, never settled.

22. FAB’S COLLAPSE (March 17, 2012)
Troubles on the pitch were put into perspective when during an FA Cup sixth round game at Tottenham, Bolton’s midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed after going into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, the quick actions of medical staff at White Hart Lane and the London Chest Hospital conspired to save his life.

23. PRAY FOR MUAMBA (March 24, 2012)
Thousands of tributes to Fabrice Muamba lay outside the stadium as Wanderers played their first game after the midfielder’s collapse. He had recovered consciousness and attempted to watch Match of the Day as David Wheater’s brace sealed three points.

24. SPURS TOO HOT (May 2, 2012)
Wanderers slumped to a club record 11th home defeat of the season despite Nigel Reo-Coker cancelling out Luka Modric’s early effort. Emmanuel Adebayor (2) and Rafael van der Vaart did serious survival damage.

25. IN THE BAG (May 6, 2012)
Owen Coyle’s Wanderers blew a two-goal lead against West Brom to take just a point, which meant their fate was no longer in their own hands going into the last game of the season.

26. END OF AN ERA (May 13, 2012)
An 11-year stay in the Premier League came to an end at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium as Wanderers failed to find the win that would have kept them up.
Jonathan Walters put Stoke ahead but Mark and Kevin Davies gave Bolton the lead before half time – one they held until the 77th minute when Walters converted a penalty given for a soft foul against Peter Crouch.

27. BYE BYE BIBI (May 16, 2012)
Relegation saw a handful of first-team stars leave the building but none more established than Jamaican international Ricardo Gardner, who had made more than 400 appearances for the club since signing as a teenager after the 1998 World Cup from Harbour View.

28. COYLE SACKED (October 9, 2012)
Wanderers had won just three of their opening 10 games in the Championship and sat 18th when they took the decision to part ways with manager, Coyle. The Scot’s final game was a 2-1 defeat at Millwall.

29. FREEDMAN APPOINTED (October 23, 2012)
Jimmy Phillips had been put in temporary charge and seemed the popular choice to replace Coyle – but Wanderers opted to bring in young Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman, who had fashioned an exciting side at Selhurst Park.

30. BLACKPOOL ROCKED (May 4, 2013)
Freedman had led the team to the fringes of the play-offs and victory against Blackpool would have sealed their place in the top six. But a curious starting line-up, including debutant Rob Hall, went 2-0 down after 35 minutes. Chris Eagles and Mark Davies brought the Whites level but they could not find the crucial third.

31. DAVIES LEAVES (March 27, 2013)
The Blackpool game saw Kevin Davies say an emotional farewell to the Bolton fans on the lap of appreciation. The striker, then 36, had been told earlier in the month that his contract would not be renewed after 10 seasons with the club. His final appearance came in a 1-0 defeat to Ipswich on March 16, 2013.

32. GETTING SHIRTY (May 29, 2013)
Wanderers angered fans by agreeing a shirt sponsorship deal with pay-day lenders QuickQuid. The feedback from local media and supporters forced the club into a rethink and the deal was quickly dropped.

33. KENNY’S A FIRST (July 26, 2013)
In light of new research, an honour was officially bestowed upon former Bolton Wanderers striker Kenny Davenport for having scored the first goal in the Football League against Derby County at 3:47pm on September 8, 1888.

34. LOST A FORTUNE (December 31, 2013)
Wanderers posted the biggest-ever losses in a financial year outside the Premier League when accounts showed a £50.7m rise in debts post-relegation, taking the debts owed to Eddie Davies to £163.8million.

35. ROYALS ICING (January 18, 2014)
Freedman’s first full season was not going well – and a 7-1 defeat at Reading had the Bolton boss admitting that some of his players were not up to Championship standard.

36. THE JUKE ARRIVES (January 28, 2014)
Bolton reached for new attacking blood after selling David Ngog to Swansea for £500,000 and found burly Southampton front man Lukas Jutkiewicz on loan. He proved a big hit with the Bolton fans, scoring seven goals in his stay.

37. A HAT-TRICK! (Sept 16, 2014)
Nobody had scored a league hat-trick since Fredi Bobic in 2001 until on-loan Cardiff City striker Joe Mason managed it against Rotherham United. Wanderers won the midweek game 3-2.

38. DOUGIE SACKED (October 3, 2014)
Pressure had been building on Freedman who failed to build on his play-off near miss, finishing 14th in his one full season and winning just once in 10 games in the new campaign. A 4-0 defeat at Fulham was his last match in charge.

39. LENNY GETS THE GIG (October 12, 2014)
Bolton secured somewhat of a coup landing ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon, who had been poised to take a job in the Middle East. The charismatic Northern Irishman certainly got the place buzzing again – and his firebrand reputation came straight to the fore as he was sent off in his first game against Birmingham City!

40. ROY HARTLE (November 5, 2014)
The powerful full-back may have had a fearsome reputation on the pitch but was a gentleman off it and had been honoured by the club by having a suite at the newly-named Macron Stadium named in his honour. He made 499 appearances for Bolton and played in the 1958 FA Cup victory.

41. EIDUR RETURNS! (December 4, 2014)
Fourteen years after he last played for Wanderers Eidur Gudjohnsen returned to forge an uber-experienced front line with ex-England international Emile Heskey.

42. ZACH’S DREAM DEBUT (Jan 3, 2015)
Homegrown striker Zach Clough burst on to the scene with a winning goal against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup – barely looking back after that as he cemented a reputation as one of the most exciting youngsters to come through the club’s ranks.

43. ANFIELD RAPPED (January 24, 2015)
Some 22 years after the famous White Hot victory, nostalgic fans were dreaming again as Bolton produced an exceptional defensive performance to earn a goalless draw at Anfield. With the replay heading for extra time, Phillipe Coutinho snatched a dramatic late winner for the Reds to end hopes of a repeat shock.

44. MJALLBY GONE (September 12, 2015)
Ex-Sweden international Johan Mjallby was a major part of Neil Lennon’s backroom but when he decided to move back home for family reasons the backroom balance was never the same again.

45. “NO MORE MONEY” (November 17, 2015)
There had been strong rumours of Bolton’s financial problems with Eddie Davies seeking to sell – but the first time they went public was when Neil Lennon had to cancel loan deals for Rajiv van la Parra, from Wolves, and Joao Teixeira from Brighton.

46. BIRCH ARRIVES (November 17, 2015)
Insolvency specialist Trevor Birch was called in to run the club, with chairman Phil Gartside having fallen gravely ill. His chief remit was to find a buyer and avoid Wanderers going into administration.

47. WIPE-OUT (November 24, 2015)
In order to facilitate a sale, club owner Davies let it be known that he would be wiping £172million from the club’s books. History has shown he did leave some debt in the club after the sale – but nevertheless it was an impressive financial gesture.

48. TABLOID SHAME (December 20, 2015)
Wanderers were on a low – the Football League about to confirm a transfer embargo for failing to file financial reports. Lennon heaped extra pressure on the club after sordid details of his private life were exposed in a national newspaper. He apologised – but the manager never really recovered.

49. SUPPORTERS TRUST CREATED (January 6, 2016)
With genuine concern building about the financial state of the club an open meeting was held at the Premier Suite to allow for the creation of a Supporters’ Trust. A packed house of Bolton fans backed the project and signed up.

50. PHIL GARTSIDE PASSES AWAY (February 10, 2016)
After a short battle with cancer, the long-standing chairman passed away aged 63. He had served the club for 16 years in the job, through of the most successful times in its history.

51. EUXTON SOLD (February 19, 2016)
Wanderers needed to raise funds to pay bills and wages, leading to their decision to sell their state-of-the-art training ground at Euxton to near neighbours Wigan Athletic.

52. TRAGIC ANNIVERSARY (March 9, 2016)
It had been 70 years since 33 people were killed and 400 injured at Burnden Park when barriers in the Embankment End gave way during an FA Cup sixth round match against Stoke.

53. TAKEOVER COMPLETE (March 10, 2016)
Former Bolton striker Dean Holdsworth’s Sports Shield group finally sealed a deal to buy Wanderers from Eddie Davies but only with the late financial assistance of former football agent Ken Anderson.

54. LENNON SACKED (March 15, 2016)
New ownership wasted little time in dispensing with Lennon’s services and appointing Jimmy Phillips and Peter Reid as the team to see through the rest of the season. Lennon won 18 of his 79 games in charge.

55. SIX UNAPPEALING (March 19, 2016)
It proved a rocky start for the caretaker manager team as Wanderers were hit for six by Bristol City at Ashton Gate. Phillips and Reid opted to give the club’s youngsters a taste of Championship football but relegation was all-but confirmed.

56. CUP HERO GARRY (April 6, 2016)
Tributes poured in for former Bolton player Garry Jones, who passed away at the age of 65 after a battle against cancer. Jones made a total of 247 appearances for Wanderers, scoring 55 goals between 1968 and 1978.

57. DOWN AGAIN (April 9, 2016)
A fans’ banner described their feelings: “No effort, no hope.” And it was hard to see what Wanderers’ future would hold as they dropped into the third tier for the first time since 1993.

58. WE’VE HAD OUR FUL (May 6, 2016)
Bolton skipper Darren Pratley urged the boardroom to “sort it out” after bickering between owners Anderson and Holdsworth had hit the headlines. Wanderers fell to a record 19th away defeat of the season at Fulham on the final day.

59. LEGENDS GAME (May 14, 2016)
There was something to brighten the mood as former players gathered to play a special game to raise funds for the new Supporters’ Trust. Jay Jay Okocha, Jussi Jaaskelainen, John McGinlay, Alan Stubbs, Keith Branagan and Sasa Curcic were among the stars on show.

60. PARKY GETS THE NOD (June 10, 2016)
Seen by some as a surprise appointment, Parkinson quit Bradford City to join Wanderers with a remit to take them back into the Championship. In his first press conference the new boss says he has been assured the transfer embargo affecting the club will quickly be lifted.

61. AWAY CURSE LIFTED (August 13, 2016)
Liam Trotter’s goal was enough to beat AFC Wimbledon and end a 495-day wait for an away win. The last had come at Cardiff City on Easter Monday, 2015.

62. NEW LOW (August 30, 2016)
Wanderers were involved in the Checkatrade Trophy, which now controversially included some Premier League Under-23s teams. The attendance of just 1,540 was a new stadium low, reflecting the public’s attitude to the competition.

63. DEAN LEAVES (July 20, 2016)
The relationship between Dean Holdsworth and Ken Anderson had never been a happy one but when Holdsworth quit his day-to-day role as director of football the rift was publicly exposed. Anderson claimed sole control of the club, eventually, but not before some major wrangling over his former partner’s shares.

64. AMEOBI OUT OF TOON (January 15, 2017)
Another tell-tale sign that all was not well. Sammy Ameobi had started well after a loan from Newcastle but money was owed on the deal and Rafa Benitez decided to keep him after January, leaving Bolton without one of their attacking assets.

65. CLOUGH SOLD (January 31, 2017)
Zach Clough had matured into an exciting striker under Parkinson in League One but with Anderson keen to recoup some cash he was controversially sold on deadline day in a £3million deal with Nottingham Forest.

66. ALFIE ARRIVES (January 31, 2017)
As recompense for Clough’s exit, Wanderers brough back fans’ favourite Adam le Fondre – who had been electric in a loan spell under Neil Lennon. Whether he fit into Parkinson’s tactical plan was another matter altogether.

67. VALE VALIANTS (April 22, 2017)
Wanderers had wobbled post-January but they thought they had snatched automatic promotion on the penultimate weekend of the season when David Wheater put them ahead with a header. Gary Madine overcame a shoulder injury to score the second. Fleetwood managed get the result they needed, however, and the race would go to the final weekend.

68. ON THE UP (April 30, 2017)
Wanderers needed to beat Peterborough on the final weekend to clinch second spot behind Sheffield United, and beat them they did.
Jem Karacan, David Wheater and Adam Le Fondre scored the goals to spark incredible celebrations.

69. LIQUIDATED (August 21, 2017)
The summer was all about Anderson gaining sole control. Holdsworth’s company was officially liquidated, strangled by its inability to satisfy a loan owed to BluMarble taken out to buy the club, leaving the way clear for a one-man board.

70. GAZ GETS PAYBACK (December 30, 2017)
Gary Madine had become the sole focus of Phil Parkinson’s attack and his goal at Sheffield United not only silenced the Bramall Lane boo-boys, it earned Bolton their first away win in the second tier for an incredible 999 days.

71. MADINE SOLD (January 31, 2018)
Cardiff City had a couple of bids turned down for Madine – but a whopping £6m deadline day was too hard to resist for Anderson, despite the fact it left Wanderers without their top scorer and an obvious replacement.

72. DUGOUT DANGER (April 24, 2018)
With Wanderers heading for defeat at Burton, and potentially relegation, angry fans confronted Parkinson and members of the coaching staff during the game. The ugly scenes left little hope that Championship survival could be attained.

73. AND THE MACRON HAS EXPLODED (May 6, 2018)
Wanderers needed to win on the final day against Forest and then hope others in the relegation fight failed. They were heading for defeat when Jack Colback put his side 2-1 up but David Wheater’s equaliser four minutes from time set up a grand finale… And then.
Scenes of joy spread across the stadium when Aaron Wilbraham headed home Adam Le Fondre’s cross with two minutes to go. The most remarkable escape had been completed.

74. JLLOYD TRAGEDY (May 15, 2018)
Former Wanderers full-back Jlloyd Samuel was killed in a car accident shortly after dropping his children off at school near to his home in Cheshire. He was just 37 years old.

75. STRIKE ONE (July 16, 2018)
Just 24 hours before a pre-season friendly at St Mirren, Bolton’s players sent a statement to The Bolton News to say they were refusing to play the game after Ken Anderson failed to pay bonuses associated with promotion, or the wages of selected players.

76. BLUMARBLE AFFAIR (September 10, 2018)
Late on September 9, Ken Anderson announced that finance company BluMarble were calling in administrators over a £5million debt. Less than 24 hours later Anderson announced a deal had been struck to repay at a lower price.

77. THANKS, EDDIE (September 11, 2018)
Eddie Davies had made Bolton’s Premier League and European dreams come true and invested significant sums of his own wealth in his hometown club. News that he had passed away on a family holiday prompted a flood of tributes.

78. KEN’S LOAN UNCOVERED (September 20, 2018)
Incredibly, it emerged that Anderson had agreed a bridging loan with former owner Davies just days before his death. Fans were upset that he had played out the brush with administration in public.

79. WING WIZARD (December 31, 2018)
Peter Thompson, who had enjoyed a massively successful career with Liverpool before joining Wanderers in 1973, passed away at the age of 76. A huge fan favourite at Burnden Park, he made 132 appearances for the club and scored twice.

80. FEE DOIDGE-D (January 1, 2019)
Another hole appeared in the Anderson arsenal as Christian Doidge, the Forest Green striker, was forced to cancel his move to Bolton. A fee of around £1million had been agreed in August but the player initially came on loan – during which FGR had actually paid his wages.

81. NO KEN DO (January 8, 2019)
Forest Green owner Dave Vince poked fun at Ander-son by selling T-shirts to Bolton fans bearing the slogan “No Ken Do.” Accusing his Bolton counterpart of being a “rogue owner” Vince also invited Bolton fans down to Gloucestershire for a free pint.

82. GENTLEMAN JIM (January 22, 2019)
Jimmy Armfield passed away at the age of 82. The well-loved former England international managed Bolton and led them to the 1972/73 Third Division championship. The voice of Five Live for more than 30 years, his passing was mourned across football.

83. FANS PROTEST (January 22, 2019)
The relationship between supporters and owner Anderson had become seriously strained – prompting several groups to mount a protest before a televised home game against West Brom. Anderson had not visited the stadium on a matchday since November 2018, and would never do so again.

84. FV PULL OUT (March 19, 2019)
Ken Anderson continued to try and sell the club – and a consortium led by Cheshire businessman Parminder Basran and London businesswoman Sharon Brittan reached the advanced stages of negotiation. So-called ‘hidden’ debts were uncovered and the group stepped away from the deal.

85. STRIKE TWO (April 26, 2019)
Anderson had not paid his players since February and staff wages had also been affected. This promoted the players – now relegated from the Championship – to mount a strike, forcing the cancellation of a home game against Brentford. The result was awarded to the Bees 1-0 after efforts to reschedule were unsuccessful.

86. BASSINI APPEARS (April 2019)
Anderson began negotiating with former Watford owner Laurence Bassini over the sale of the club. Despite being twice bankrupted, Bassini insisted he had the cash to do the deal but struggled to get the approval of the EFL. A Share Purchase Agreement was reached, and announced by the club, but problems were afoot.

87. HOTEL CLOSED (May 1, 2019)
The Bolton Whites Hotel was closed because finances had made it impossible to perform basic duties of the business. Thankfully, it re-opened after a fortnight and started to rebuild quickly.

88. WOOD FOR THE TREES (May 5, 2019)
A record 30th defeat of the season was dished out at Nottingham Forest on the last day of the season – with Phil Parkinson struggling to get a workable team out on the pitch. The manager called for the club to be sold and Anderson to move on, but the mess was far from over.

89. ADMIN CONFIRMED (May 15, 2019)
The club was officially put into administration by the Fildraw Trust, who looked after the affairs of the late Eddie Davies. David Rubin and Partners looked after the process, made complicated by a separate administrator being appointed by Ken Anderson to the Bolton Whites Hotel, whose affairs were controlled by Quantuma.

90. BASSINI V ANDERSON (August 8, 2019)
With Football Ventures back in the hunt to buy Bolton, a deal was on the verge of being sealed. That is until a court injunction was gained by Laurence Bassini apparently prohibiting the sale. Bassini claimed Anderson had reneged on the SPA signed at the end of April, and had taken his megaphone outside the stadium to broadcast said fact.
The matter ended up back in court a week later – and the judge confirmed there had been no order to stop the sale – but the ongoing legal issues between Bassini and Anderson prompted concern, and the deal had to be re-negotiated again.

91. JUNIOR WHITES (August 10, 2019)
Wanderers had started the season with just six senior professionals but with no end to the issues – and Bassni’s court complications sparking panic, it was left to the Under-18s and 16s to face Coventry City at home. The youngest team in the club’s history fought for a memorable 0-0 draw and were christened the Junior Whites.

92. DONNY OFF (August 19, 2019)
Having raised concerns about the club’s youngest players playing too much football, Bolton controversially postponed their home game against Doncaster citing “welfare concerns”. The decision, made less than 24 hours before kick-off, prompted disciplinary action.

93. PHIL PARKINSON RESIGNS (August 22, 2019)
After three years in charge and many problems off the pitch, Phil Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin handed in their resignation. The caretaker reigns were passed on the Jimmy Phillips and Nicky Spooner but ongoing issues with the club sale made football seem irrelevant.

94. LIQUIDATION LOOMS? (August 27, 2019)
Wanderers’ administrators released a statement which confirmed the club did not have enough cash to continue as a going concern. The EFL issued a Notice of Withdrawal, which meant their membership in the league would be nullified in a fortnight.

95. IT AZ BIN DUN (August 28, 2019)
At long last, a deal was struck between the major creditors which allowed Football Ventures to complete the takeover. Bolton were saved – but the feeling was dashed with sadness as neighbours Bury were expelled by the EFL after failing to solve their own financial issues.

96. ENTER KEITH HILL (August 31, 2019)
Football Ventures’ first big decision was to appoint a manager who could hit the ground running – and after speaking with ex-Whites midfielder Kevin Nolan they opted for a Boltonian pair in Keith Hill and David Flitcroft. The ‘Made in Bolton’ mantra was born.

97. NINE ON DEADLINE DAY
In a quite unprecedented deadline day, Keith Hill brought in nine new signings – Thibaud Verlinden, Joe Bunney, Josh Emmanuel, Liam Bridcutt, Jake Wright, Ali Crawford, Daryl Murphy and Chris O’Grady. Will Buckley also signed a new deal.

98. WILD ROVERS
After a tough start, where his new squad worked hard to stabilise, Hill got lift-off with a solid victory at Bristol Rovers – Luke Murphy and Daryl Murphy scoring the goals at the Memorial Stadium.

99. SPARED! (November 21, 2019)
Wanderers had started the season on minus 12 points after going into administration but the prospect of further deductions was debated after the EFL referred their case for unfulfilled fixtures against Brentford and Doncaster to an independent panel. The long-awaited verdict was a suspended five-point sentence and £70,000 in fines.

100. OR MAYBE NOT! (November 21, 2019)
Moments after the disciplinary panel announced their verdict, the EFL said they would be launching an appeal. We now know it was unsuccessful – but that verdict may make up the start of the next decade’s (hopefully happier) round-up.