ARCHIVE: Red Moss – Bad Move
I’m not keen on the move to Horwich. It’s interesting how it’s always phrased “the move to Horwich” and NOT “the PROPOSED move to Horwich”. The board certainly never seems to have had a ‘Plan B’. It’s Horwich or nothing.
Burnden Park may be ugly, old fashioned, cramped and decaying, but even so. I’m not keen on the move.
The board that can’t wait to move to Horwich is the same board that made development of Burnden Park virtually impossible. Yes with all the money in the world the ground could stay exactly where it is and rise a-new. But we all know a ground on the green-field site can be knocked up in no time, and cheaply. And our board loves that word “cheap”.
Why is it that so many clubs have done major ground improvements over recent years and we’ve done nothing? I’m not talking about the likes of Blackburn, etc. Just this week Preston announced a new £8 million stand. Preston for god’s sake!
“If the move goes ahead (delete “if” insert “when”) Bolton will be taking a big chance.”
Why not ask a few awkward questions? Which member of the board has a business interest in the Georgian House hotel? When the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea come for a game and want an overnight stop, which hotel is most convenient? Here’s a clue, it’s not the Pack Horse. Why has the Brinsop Arms, after months of being boarded up, started being refurbished? And do any members of the board have business interests in the construction and building trade?
If the move goes ahead (delete “if” insert “when”) Bolton will be taking a big chance. Football grounds have generally been based in densely urban areas, close or close-ish to the town centre. And a large number of people have always walked to the match; often because a spot of alcohol may be taken before or after the game; or both.
A couple of “minor” clubs have moved; Walsall and Northampton. Millwall moved; but less than one mile. Bolton’s move is over five miles! From an urban site to a suburban site. Middlesbrough’s move is also similar in this sense; and it will be interesting to compare the results.
I have grave doubts about all this. Yes I find the prospect of a new, gleaming, well-appointed ground welcome and exciting. At the moment we’re riding high, but what will happen if things go wrong? People will not travel to Horwich if matters on the pitch aren’t going OK. I know this. I was one of the 2,902 who saw us play Darlington on 5th November 1985, when we lost 3-0. They didn’t come to Burnden then. They certainly won’t travel to Lofthouse Park, Horwich.
First published in White Love Issue 1, approx. August 1995