 Will
Settle, was the son of Miles Settle, a director of Bolton
Wanderers. In 1899 Settle replaced his father on the board of
the club.
In January 1910, with Bolton firmly entrenched at the bottom of
the First Division, John Somerville was sacked and replaced by
Settle. He was unable to save the club from relegation but he
steered Bolton to promotion at the first attempt. Settle also
recruited a group of talented players including Ted Vizard, Joe
Smith and Jimmy Seddon.
In 1911-12 Bolton finished fourth in the First Division and in
the 1914-15 they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. However,
they were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield United. At the end of the
season professional football in Britain came to an end because
of the First World War.
In 1915 Will Settle left the club to be replaced by Tom Mather.
According to Dean Hayes, the author of Bolton Wanderers (1999):
"After finding certain responsibilities had been taken away from
him, he left the club under something of a cloud after 17 years'
service."
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