Yeah! Why don't we move out of Wigan to a stadium that is smaller than our average attendance with no rail link? Can't believe we haven't done it already.
Reality check here mate if no one buys the stadium where do we play ??
Reality check here mate if no one buys the stadium where do we play ??
If nobody buys it I presume it’ll still be owned by the Chinese? Ultimately I think the Americans and Lenagan are both just holding out for as long as possible to try and get the stadium for nothing (or next to nothing). All parties seem to be seeing who’ll crack first.
A few things to mull over regards the DW Stadium (bearing in mind its been suffering significant losses over the years) :
Naming rights, what's the going rate these days to name a stadium? The annual dig up of the pitch - how much did this cost? At the point of being dug up every summer it looked in great condition, my point is did it actually need to be done every year? It's not been done this summer despite winter football being played on it for the most part.
Do the annual DW stadium costs include such things as policing and staffing for Latics games? Both significant costs I would've thought and not something we'd be responsible for picking the tab up on if we owned the ground.
A few things to mull over regards the DW Stadium (bearing in mind its been suffering significant losses over the years) :
Naming rights, what's the going rate these days to name a stadium? The annual dig up of the pitch - how much did this cost? At the point of being dug up every summer it looked in great condition, my point is did it actually need to be done every year? It's not been done this summer despite winter football being played on it for the most part.
It used to cost best part of £300,000 per year - But a couple of years ago the whole drainage system was done (How it should have been done originally) and now it only needs a fraction of the "off Season" works it used to However the usual smaller version of the off season work wasn't done to the Administration issue
It used to cost best part of £300,000 per year - But a couple of years ago the whole drainage system was done (How it should have been done originally) and now it only needs a fraction of the "off Season" works it used to However the usual smaller version of the off season work wasn't done to the Administration issue
What were the original fixture plans for this season (prior to fixtures being rearranged/neutral venues due to covid). Did we have the usual 6 weeks on the road fixtures set out? I can't remember.
All part of the game this threat of moving to Leigh I’d imagine.
Are you saying that moving to Leigh is just a tactic by the Latic's to get the Administers to sort the matter out before the football season starts.
Like the then board of Wigan did in 1996 when they also use the same tactic by threatening to take the the club out of Wigan to the Reebok in Bolton in an attempt to force the Council to help them find a site for a Stadium of their own?
Perhaps the tactic might have worked, but for the Councillors siding with Whelan, who then bought off 79% of the Wigan shareholders (many of whom were not supporters and lived all over the country) with his offer of £125 for each £1 share which resulted in the Wigan board having to resign.
On reflection, one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the club as recent events has proved.
p.s. New Directors of Oldham Athletic also use the same tactic by threatening to take their club out of Oldham, if the Council did not help them to improve their ground. In their case the tactic must have worked as the club is still in Oldham and the ground got improvements done to it.
Are you saying that moving to Leigh is just a tactic by the Latic's to get the Administers to sort the matter out before the football season starts.
Like the then board of Wigan did in 1996 when they also use the same tactic by threatening to take the the club out of Wigan to the Reebok in Bolton in an attempt to force the Council to help them find a site for a Stadium of their own?
Perhaps the tactic might have worked, but for the Councillors siding with Whelan, who then bought off 79% of the Wigan shareholders (many of whom were not supporters and lived all over the country) with his offer of £125 for each £1 share which resulted in the Wigan board having to resign.
On reflection, one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the club as recent events has proved.
p.s. New Directors of Oldham Athletic also use the same tactic by threatening to take their club out of Oldham, if the Council did not help them to improve their ground. In their case the tactic must have worked as the club is still in Oldham and the ground got improvements done to it.
It’s a big and risky hill to set their stall out on if so, as we found out. Ultimately we had no choice but to beg DW to let us in the JJB as it were at the time.
I can only see this debacle going one way unfortunately and that’s that Latics go bust. These administrators are taking the right royal p**s out of them, shifting tact at the drop of a hat and coming out with contradictory statements daily. If you’re a buyer that must put you off.
The stadium needs heavy investment IMO, it needs upgrading into modern times. That may well be where Mr Mike Danson steps in, if Latics do end up going either boom or to Leigh. The latter of which would just delay the inevitable IMO.
Despite the Latics fans recent vile and vitriol against anyone and everyone, I do hope they survive. I’ve got mates who are life long Latics fans, that’s what’s keeping me from swaying to the “ta’ra” brigade.