Tasting Disappointment

Liam reflects on last nights game against Shrewsbury

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It's been a long time since I felt the urge to write about Bolton Wanderers. There are a few reasons for that. Firstly, I have been busy working on a podcast with a couple of my friends, so I have transitioned from writing blogs no one will read to recording podcasts no one will hear. We've also moved into the 'AI Age,' so I have been careful to leave some grammatical errors in this text to convey that it was written by a somewhat flawed human.

It was while walking my dog the day after Bolton's disappointing draw with Shrewsbury that I wondered if I could simply ask ChatGPT to knock out a 400-word text about how we all feel after watching our automatic promotion hopes drift away before our eyes. Would it be able to sum up the frustration, anger, and bitter disappointment of the expectant Bolton crowd?

I suppose there is an easy way to find out, but I decided to give it a go myself rather than allowing Skynet to gain the knowledge of crushed dreams before attempting to overthrow the human race to control the planet.

After the game, I was simply livid. I think we failed to show up in another big game, and after the disappointing result against Portsmouth that relinquished control of the autos to Derby, I think most fans were looking for a hurt Bolton side to inflict some damage on Shrewsbury. The fear set in when the teams were announced, as key players were withdrawn from the Bolton squad due to what we now know to be injuries.

I was upset after the game, and I was more than happy to explain my reasons why to anyone who would listen on the way out. There were boos after the game, which I know have been picked up on by some of our more sycophantic fans looking to climb once again on their high horse of fan morality. Results like these hurt, and it is completely OK to voice that as long as you are mindful of what you say.

A day later, while I'm still disappointed, I've been able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Of course, it is easy to look at what could have been, but if Bolton can secure 3rd place, then they can give themselves a great opportunity to achieve the season's objective of promotion. Congratulations to Portsmouth and Derby; it looks like we will be edged out, but we can't dwell on it now. We deserve to be promoted, and we still can be, so let's keep believing. There will be plenty of time after the playoffs to reflect and analyse. Let's try to get into the Championship before the robots take over society.