Another Dummy Comes Bouncing Over The Reebok Fence
By Nu Mad
Updated Wednesday, 4th July 2007
They can be very "touchy" in Bolton. As we found out the year they opened the new stadium and one fanzine called it "The Reebok Experience", to which we replied "it looks like Thunderbird 2 ... only smaller".
There were tears and tantrums. Bolton fans up in arms.
Scousers and Mancs rarely bite, they've heard the jibes too many times before, and it is like water off a duck's back. But the Reebok is the place to go fishing, "hoy in a worm and they'll snap yer line".
Which brings us onto the never ending story of Phil Gartside (Bolton chairman) and his sad war of words with Sam Allardyce, insisting he is neither "sad, nor bitter".
The Bolton chief is angry with Allardyce for allegedly poaching key members of the Reebok backroom staff, but says the bitterness is one-sided and denies a recent spate of departures are damaging the club.
Garside: "I'm not sad and I'm not bitter, in fact I'm more excited about next season that I have been for a long time.
"The people who have handed in their notice have given us the opportunity to upgrade what we've got and there are a number of new initiatives coming on stream soon that are very exciting.
"I am trying to get people who wanted contracts with 12 months' notice to work their notice.
"If that makes me sad and bitter then so be it. But people have gone and there was an agreement (with Allardyce) that he shouldn't take them with him.
"But we are moving on and, far from making it difficult, we are finding it quite easy to replace them with better quality people and we're pleased about that.
"In fact, Sammy is more than pleased to have the opportunity to make some changes to his staff and the people we are recruiting are all coming highly recommended and will make us a much more professional outfit."
