43 replies to this topic

[Jerry the Berry]

From The Guardian

Pretty petty really. You'd think they want to celebrate the Warriors success as Wiganers. I'm sure they'd have a different opinion if the Latics actually won something of note.

[getdownmonkeyman]

Pathetic. The realisation that they are the lesser club in the borough.

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

Been doing the rounds for a day or so.

Went down really well on Cockney Latic.

[shrek]

Think the thread title should be renamed to half a dozen moaning gits off the internet don't go tarring us all with the same brush!

[dallymessenger]

wigan latics are DW heartattack away from the championship

even with his millions they continually struggle to avoid relegation each year

heres hoping this is the year they join Hull in the championship

[The Future is League]

jealously is a terrible thing. how sad and pathetic latics fans are.

[1976PMJwires]

Football is the number one sport in this country


but........


Latics will never be seen as a premier team, unlike Wigan RLFC who are a Premier club within our sport

Brand Wigan RLFC is bigger than Latics will ever be.

This has been highlighted in the councils response to Wigan RLFC winning our Premier competition.

Latics need to get over it, no place for jealousy IMHO

[shrek]

jealously is a terrible thing. how sad and pathetic latics fans are.

I don't do this very often, but I am afraid its getting as bad on the rugby side, some of the comments coming out about this are as equally pathetic as anything thats being quoted from the various Latics sites.

Can you hand on heart say it would pass without comment if signs were taken down mentioning the rugby to be replaced by football specific ones?

[shrek]

wigan latics are DW heartattack away from the championship

even with his millions they continually struggle to avoid relegation each year

heres hoping this is the year they join Hull in the championship

Never mind Whelan having a heart attack, they/we are a relegation short of total financial meltdown, in the last accounts income for the year was £45 million, wages were £40 million and money taken on the turnstiles was a "mere" £4.5 million.

Its not Whelans millions that have kept us there, its sheer luck on the transfer market that will come to an end soon enough, there are only so many transfer windows you can survive the loss of your best players without it having a devastating effect on results.

[EastLondonMike]

doenst this go way back to the 80's-90's when wigan RL refused to let the football team train on one of their pitches or play a game at central park?

seems pretty petty though.. made even more petty by the fact they took the sign down!.

[shrek]

doenst this go way back to the 80's-90's when wigan RL refused to let the football team train on one of their pitches or play a game at central park?

seems pretty petty though.. made even more petty by the fact they took the sign down!.

Maurice Lyndsays refusal to allow Central Park to be used for the FA Cup quarter final against Leeds United in 1987 is often cited as a reason but don't believe it.

Another corker is the fact the council has always loved the Rugby, when Latics faced financial hardship it has been suggested in some quarters that the council should have been paying the wage bill. Stupid? Yep! I can't think of another council of the top of my head who's done that with council payers money. Plus they convieniently forget the run ins the rugby had with the council when it came to the ever reducing capacity of Central Park.

For some it will be bitter resentment and petty jealousy, stemming back from the early 90's, the football was bottom of the football league and on the verge of going bust, the rugby were enjoying repeat trips to Wembley. But that won't be many as some games we lied about attendances to boost them into four figures!

Dare I say it a lot of the modern day rivalry also stems from fans from outside the town who follow the clubs, Latics have fans from Warrington and St Helens who have a natural aversion to the rugby and the rugby have a great many fans from both inside Wigan, surrounding towns and further afield who support other football teams or who simply just hate football full stop.

Those in charge of the clubs don't help, I thought Whelan transferring the DW to Latics was something of a hostile act, even if I think I understand why he did it.

I dare say in this instance its a story on a slow news day last I heard complaints to the council were still in single figures.

[Trojan]

Wigan Athletic's problem is that they have only been in the Football League since 1978. Which in terms of their surrounding competition is an eyeblink. And Athletic have for most of that time been overshadowed by the success of their neighbours Wigan RLFC. Even in Wigan I reckon soccer is the leading sport but IMO many soccer supporters in Wigan support Everton, Liverpool, Bolton, Blackburn, Man C or Man U. Perhaps if they can maintain their status in the top flight for a little longer the rising generation will become dyed in the wool Wigan Athletic fans. But Premiership soccer at the highest level is a game for the big city sides. Towns like Wigan, and for that matter Bolton and Blackburn even though they're in the Premiership will always IMO be also rans. Fans like winners - simple.

[fieldofclothofgold]

are there any Wiganer's who support both or at least support one and take an interest in the other?
and does this thread belong on crosscode?

[shrek]

Even in Wigan I reckon soccer is the leading sport but IMO many soccer supporters in Wigan support Everton, Liverpool, Bolton, Blackburn, Man C or Man U. Perhaps if they can maintain their status in the top flight for a little longer the rising generation will become dyed in the wool Wigan Athletic fans. But Premiership soccer at the highest level is a game for the big city sides. Towns like Wigan, and for that matter Bolton and Blackburn even though they're in the Premiership will always IMO be also rans. Fans like winners - simple.

Exactly that, I doubt it will change, you may grow the core a little, but with the investment flowing into neighbouring clubs like City as it is your never going to become a force, add in United and Liverpool and there are much quicker roots to success than Wigan only 30 minutes from the doorstep of your average Wiganer.

are there any Wiganer's who support both or at least support one and take an interest in the other?

Yes thanks! But I don't know of many others! I come from a family with a strong dislike for football!

[bewareshadows]

Do people really care, every man and his dog knows that Wigan are just another Charlton, Barnsley etc when it comes to football. They are a low divison team trying to be a filler team in the premiership. They needed Wheelans millions to get them that far, Wheelan was a huge fish in the RL world, but in the premiership he was small fry.

Wigan latics should enjoy the years they spend in the premiership as they just don't have the fan base to last there for any period and when the fall comes it's going to be tough not to drop all the way back through the leagues, as lack of premiership football could see crowds fall by half or more.

There are alot of big city teams outside the premiership under performing in recent years if they ever get their act together, Wigan may become a historic footballing team by being one of the last town teams to ever make it to the premiership.

As for the signs, I thought we where in the age of government cuts, I'm amazed they could find something in the budget for this as small as it would be every cost is being looked at now. I would not be surprised if the government go for turning off half the lights and maintaining less road signage.

[Trojan]

Do people really care, every man and his dog knows that Wigan are just another Charlton, Barnsley etc when it comes to football. They are a low divison team trying to be a filler team in the premiership. They needed Wheelans millions to get them that far, Wheelan was a huge fish in the RL world, but in the premiership he was small fry.

Wigan latics should enjoy the years they spend in the premiership as they just don't have the fan base to last there for any period and when the fall comes it's going to be tough not to drop all the way back through the leagues, as lack of premiership football could see crowds fall by half or more.

There are alot of big city teams outside the premiership under performing in recent years if they ever get their act together, Wigan may become a historic footballing team by being one of the last town teams to ever make it to the premiership.

As for the signs, I thought we where in the age of government cuts, I'm amazed they could find something in the budget for this as small as it would be every cost is being looked at now. I would not be surprised if the government go for turning off half the lights and maintaining less road signage.

I suppose this is true. It's certainly true of Leeds U. Even in the third division (whatever it's called) they were regularly getting 30k. I suppose its the likes of Sheffield United, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest come into the category of sleeping giants too. For that matter so do Sheffield Wednesday, although TBH they seem to be in a coma.
Sheffield is an enormous city and has the population to support two premiership sides, but neither seems to be really able to get their act together. But it doesn't bode well if some of them do get their acts together for teams from towns like Wigan, in fact perhaps for the reasons stated above, even less so for towns like Wigan.

[Griff9of13]

Perhaps it's a good idea that they didn't use this one.

Edited by Griff9of13, 13 October 2010 - 10:50 AM.

[Lobbygobbler]

I can understand the Latics fans on this one to some extent

Signage can be sensitive

I remember when some new signs popped up years ago entering Leigh on the drive from Warrington, with a garish "Wigan Metropolitan Borough" sign. This has always angered me, along with "Wigan and Leigh XXXX", despite this being alphabetically the wrong order

[Wendall]

Maurice Lyndsays refusal to allow Central Park to be used for the FA Cup quarter final against Leeds United in 1987 is often cited as a reason but don't believe it.

Another corker is the fact the council has always loved the Rugby, when Latics faced financial hardship it has been suggested in some quarters that the council should have been paying the wage bill. Stupid? Yep! I can't think of another council of the top of my head who's done that with council payers money. Plus they convieniently forget the run ins the rugby had with the council when it came to the ever reducing capacity of Central Park.

For some it will be bitter resentment and petty jealousy, stemming back from the early 90's, the football was bottom of the football league and on the verge of going bust, the rugby were enjoying repeat trips to Wembley. But that won't be many as some games we lied about attendances to boost them into four figures!

Dare I say it a lot of the modern day rivalry also stems from fans from outside the town who follow the clubs, Latics have fans from Warrington and St Helens who have a natural aversion to the rugby and the rugby have a great many fans from both inside Wigan, surrounding towns and further afield who support other football teams or who simply just hate football full stop.

Those in charge of the clubs don't help, I thought Whelan transferring the DW to Latics was something of a hostile act, even if I think I understand why he did it.

I dare say in this instance its a story on a slow news day last I heard complaints to the council were still in single figures.

Hardly. I dont know anyone in Wazza who follows Latics. Remember a few years ago before the Latics got going up the leagues they were talking of relocating to Warrington.

[Saint Toppy]

I remember when some new signs popped up years ago entering Leigh on the drive from Warrington, with a garish "Wigan Metropolitan Borough" sign. This has always angered me, along with "Wigan and Leigh XXXX", despite this being alphabetically the wrong order

Destinations on signs are never done alphabetically, and on this type of sign the name of the major conurbation always comes first.
So it goes to prove that Leigh really is just a small town in wigan