WANDERERS are costing up improvements to the sound system at the Toughsheet Stadium – but fans have been warned not to expect miracles overnight!

One of the most common complaints among supporters is the clarity of music, pre-match and half-time announcements, which rely on technology which was first installed when the stadium was constructed in 1997.

Asked by The Bolton News whether the club had plans to improve the current system, CEO Neil Hart confirmed it is on a lengthy ‘to-do’ list of improvements around the ground.

“It is a known issue,” he told The Bolton News. “It is intermittent as well, which doesn’t help. Sometimes it is fine, and I don’t think it is catastrophic at the moment, so let’s be pragmatic about it.

“To replace it would be a very significant spend for the club, a massive project, but it is something we are aware of and something we are looking at in detail.

“It is on the agenda but it will take time and I don’t think it is something that will happen between games, it will be quite a lengthy job.

“Like a lot of jobs in the stadium, it is something which is 20-25 years old, which hadn’t been addressed. And, frankly, something else comes to my attention every week like that.

“We are trying to deal with it and I totally accept that it phases out sometimes, which isn’t ideal. Phil (Heys) is very good at managing any problems which arise, so I’d just ask supporters to bear with us at the moment.”

Hart has also confirmed that the club is now in the advanced stages of ensuring all road signage – including the M61 – now directs traffic towards the Toughsheet Stadium, and not any of its previous incarnations.

“All the A roads in the borough of Bolton have now been sorted, all now Toughsheet Stadium,” he said. “The issue is UK Highways, and it will take time. We have commissioned a five-figure survey, there is a bureaucratic process we have to go through, and it has not been easy.

“Our facilities team are on it. There are some issues with motorway signage and whether they need a new plate going on, whether the signs need replacing, whether motorway lanes need closing.

“I have sat with Dougie Mercer (owner of Toughsheet) to explain this and he is aware of the situation but we’re working as quick as we can but it will take time.

“We were hoping it would get done this calendar year but it may be early in the New Year. It is important for us as it is part of the agreement – and we’d started it at the back end of last season.”