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Alright so today I tried digging into Arsenal versus Bolton stats for a piece I’m writing. Figured head-to-head records should be straightforward, right? Yeah, wrong. Started off easy enough – opened my usual football stats sites.
The Wild Goose Chase
Typed “Arsenal Bolton head to head” into the search bar. First link looked perfect! Clicked it…and got hit with paywall. No thanks. Second site had stats all right – from 2005. Like I care what happened last century. Third site had ads popping up like mushrooms after rain. Couldn’t even see the damn numbers!
What actually happened next:
- Spilled cold coffee all over my notes when dodging another pop-up
- Tried three different filters trying to get just Premier League matches
- Realized some sites counted friendlies and FA Cup games like they mattered
The Spreadsheet Mess
Decided to scrap the junk sites and build my own comparison table. Copied data from five different sources – each telling different stories. Bolton’s 2006 win appeared on three sites but goalscorer details? Only one site had it. Arsenal’s home wins from 2012? Four conflicting numbers. Absolute chaos.
Key junk I discovered:
- Most recent clash? Try January 2020 in the FA Cup – nobody listed that properly
- Half the sites listed Macron as Bolton’s kit sponsor – they switched in 2023
- Actual head-to-head wins? Some said 56-39 for Arsenal, others claimed 60-35
The “Aha” Sort Of Moment
Finally decided to cross-reference official Premier League archives myself. Took bloody ages clicking through seasons manually. Found the gold: Arsenal won 58% of league matches against Bolton across 18 meetings since 1995. Bolton only snatched three wins total – all at their old ground. Clean sheets? Arsenal kept ’em in 40% of matches. Those are facts worth having.
At the end of the day? Football websites are more unreliable than a weather forecast. Trust actual league records or waste hours being angry at ad-covered garbage. My spreadsheet’s got more coffee stains than reliable data points now. Lesson learned!