Hello Dr Mick
I tried to write this with my crayons, but thankfully a kind visitor to our City showed me how to use a keyboard and the internet (after reading it out to me)
Sarcasm apart, I agree with some of the sentiment of the post, thankfully on Sunday (I had my 9 year old with me) we saw nothing untoward at all, great trip in, busy service station with mixed fans due to the M1 probs, great banter and singing, then we stopped at Sliverspoons/Club 2000 where around 3000 Stokies sang and drank in a crap venue with great atmosphere in the beer garden (loosely, was really some derelict land!), we went for a wonder round the ground and mixed quite freely with like minded Stoke and Bolton fans and had a good crack, a good chat and all was very civil.
The game was obv great for us, but after I met, chatted and had good luck messages from many Bolton fans walking back with us. I must admit to being quite relieved not for me, but for my lad that it was all fairly peaceful. The services at Warwick on the way back were a bit lairy, I took him away from that as my 'Spider-senses' thought better of it as most were fairly pissed, a conifer did its job before we got back on the bus.
However, I was aware of spots of trouble at services (pissed people), some inside the ground with people fighting each other (over standing usually, again pissed people), and in Boltons case, a lot of infighting in the stands and outside as their disaster unfolded.
Think its just a case of be aware, morons from both clubs will be about giving it the large one, walk away and don't even try to enter into dialogue - I like to think I can see it coming and move off in advance!
Have many City mates, I'm looking forward to it as I think its going to be a fairly close game either way, will be about who turns up on the day.
Good luck, get that 4th place sorted out please :-)
(Translated by my visiting friend as everybody knows we are all thick inbed 70's neanderthals down here... :-) )