Wigan Athletic

[Barry the bird boggler]

Don't recall Reading players doing this after some of their embarrassments in the last 2 and a half seasons, so good on Wigan players.

[Wycombe Royal]

Don't recall Reading players doing this after some of their embarrassments in the last 2 and a half seasons, so good on Wigan players.

Go on then, which "embarrassments"?

[DelBoyRodders]

Wigan Chairman, Dave Whelan has reacted to yesterday's 9-1 defeat at Tottenham.

WIGAN CHAIRMAN INSTALLS SHARK TANK
THE chairman of Wigan Athletic is to install a tank full of sharks under the home dressing room in a bid to sharpen his squad's competitive instincts.
Following the team's thrashing by Tottenham Hotspur of all people, Dave Whelan warned that instead of half-time substitutions and three weeks in the reserves, under-performing players will simply drop through a trap door and be ripped apart and devoured within seconds.
Whelan said: "When you're paying out more than £1m a week in wages to a group of supposedly well-trained professionals it is reasonable to expect those professionals not to lose nine oxf*rd one.
"To that end, I'll be fitting car bombs to their Aston Martins, hiring Ninjas to lurk in the dark corners of their mock-Tudor mansions and each training session will end with the re-enactment of one of my favourite scenes from The Deer Hunter. Didi mao anyone?
"And to all those who say 'oh come on Dave, they tried their best' I would simply reply 'Tottenham Hotspur'.
"If it had been Man United or Chelsea then I'd have probably gone for a tank full of electric eels - a nasty shock, but nothing fatal. But I'm afraid losing 9-1 to Spurs means that someone has to die."
He added: "While you're here, meet Brian, our new assistant manager. He's a four-year-old male leopard with anger management issues, an empty stomach and electrodes stapled to his knackers.
"I dare you to let him down."

[Sun Tzu]

Whoop di do...

Multi millionaires chuck in a days wages to make themselves feel better.

When did readings players offer the fans something for not winning at home for 10 months? Never.

Fair play to the wigan players and for you to look past this gesture is simple minded.

Football is in a sorry state.

Every time a player gets a scratch the ball has to be put into touch or teams are considered to be 'unsporting'

Every time a player breaks a law he's now a cheat and every macth in which there is a vaguely contentious decision must be replayed

And now if your team suffers a heavy defeat people think it's a good idea to give money back.

I'm not sure it's such an empty gesture but frankly I wouldn't take the money if it was offered and I agree that the right thing for the players to do would be go out and perform next time.

On a practical note you assume this refund only applies to people who can produce tickets - and after a 9-1 away defeat I suspect many people will not have kept them.

[Victor Meldrew]

Whoop di do...

Multi millionaires chuck in a days wages to make themselves feel better.

When did readings players offer the fans something for not winning at home for 10 months? Never.

Fair play to the wigan players and for you to look past this gesture is simple minded.

Agreed.
There is a lot to like about Wigan football club and I admire their staying power to remain in The Premiership.
Good P.R. by the players just like Rodgers clapping the fans on Saturday ,it does no harm and engenders the feeling that we are part of our football club whereas so often we fans don't feel that way.

[SLAMMED]

Spot on VM ^

[Thaumagurist*]

There is a lot to like about Wigan football club

I disagree. I still remember the games between us and them in the early part of this decade, when they seemed to get penalties against us at their place.

[FiNeRaIn]

So thats reason to dislike them? Because of that ref? Besides, wasn't it us who got a last minute penalty to knock them out of the playoffs? yes.

I've said this before and i'll say it again to you, stop being so petulant and chidlish.

[Thaumagurist*]

What ref? I also dislike them for being the first team to beat Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Is there really anything to like about them?

[SLAMMED]

Do you ever stop complaining?

[cmonurz]

I just like that they are a small club with a short history and a small fanbase in a rugby town, who have made it big. They gambled when they got there, nearly got relegated, survived, and have grown as a club. Now a legitimate top flight team. There are some, if not many, parallels to Reading, and they've been dotting around our level ever since I started watching the Royals back in '96. Lots to like about the club, very inoffensive imho.

[swansea jack]

I just like that they are a small club with a short history and a small fanbase in a rugby town, who have made it big. They gambled when they got there, nearly got relegated, survived, and have grown as a club. Now a legitimate top flight team. There are some, if not many, parallels to Reading, and they've been dotting around our level ever since I started watching the Royals back in '96. Lots to like about the club, very inoffensive imho.

Apart from when they tap up your manager, take your entire backroom staff, steal your top striker, take another player, then try to poach your best player, continue to tap up the rest of the squad...oh, and oxf*rd about for weeks when the deal has been agreed by offering to pay peanuts. I note that part of this is 'football' but their dealings with us appear to be far from inoffensive.

Will always have a lot of respect for how Martinez handled himself whilst with us, especially when Kenny Jacket almost ousted him, and for the style of football he brought to the club but this is slowly being tainted.

[Wimb]

I just like that they are a small club with a short history and a small fanbase in a rugby town, who have made it big. They gambled when they got there, nearly got relegated, survived, and have grown as a club. Now a legitimate top flight team. There are some, if not many, parallels to Reading, and they've been dotting around our level ever since I started watching the Royals back in '96. Lots to like about the club, very inoffensive imho.

Gambled with DW's money that's the key difference there. One man has bankrolled the club and single handidly built it to where it is now and spent money to get there. They wouldn't survive a season without the man and if they get relegated, they're gone for good IMHO. The fanbase is tiny and with so many other north west teams around I fail to see them sticking around. Do i begrudge the fans or the DW for spending money and living the dream? god no.

DW has done a great job building the club but the fundamental fact is that the project is still stalling despite 5 years of PL football. Their average attendence has gone above 20,000 once in their PL stay and that was for the first season. Since then they have averaged around 18,500 which when you consider the amount of away fans and derby matches they have would mean a core support of what 12-15k? I'd hardly consider that 'growing' as a club.

I don't want to spark another 'attendance = big club/not a big club war but the cold hard fact is if the club can't attract fans even during their best ever run I fail to see how they'll survive long term. The financial model is rotten to the core and their survival literally hinges on the sale of big name players and DW's money.

[Sun Tzu]

The financial model is rotten to the core and their survival literally hinges on the sale of big name players and DW's money.

Their financial model is not really any worse than that of most clubs.

Given that the bloke who bankrolls them has the money, has the commitment and has proved it I'm not sure it's a big issue really.

There aren't too many clubs who can say they are financially secure for the long term and Whelan probably gives Wigan as much security as any club funded by overseas investors or with huge debt levels.

[frimmers]

but can harry's 'spurs break into the top four?

[Wimb]

The financial model is rotten to the core and their survival literally hinges on the sale of big name players and DW's money.

Their financial model is not really any worse than that of most clubs.

Given that the bloke who bankrolls them has the money, has the commitment and has proved it I'm not sure it's a big issue really.

There aren't too many clubs who can say they are financially secure for the long term and Whelan probably gives Wigan as much security as any club funded by overseas investors or with huge debt levels.

Valid points Sun and I tend to agree with you.

However, Wigan's (and many other clubs) business model isn't in any way sustainable long term and that will ultimatly doom the club. Clubs trying to compete in the biggest league in the world getting less then 20k a week ultimatly won't survive IMHO.

[Dirk Gently]

25th March 2009

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan wants to set an example to the rest of the Premier League by making the club debt-free in the next 18 months.Reports on Wednesday suggested the Premier League is planning to introduce a "going concern" test aimed at ensuring clubs are not laden with dangerous levels of debt by assessing each organisation's financial health, including its turnover and cashflow. Whelan welcomed the suggestion but said he was planning to go further.

"It is my intention to get this club debt-free and I would encourage every other Premier League club to do the same if they can," he said. "There are teams in there that owe three-quarters of a billion pounds."I don't think it is right we have football clubs owing that kind of money. "But it's no use me complaining about it and not seeing if I can get Wigan debt-free."We have debts of about £15million now and I'm going to see if I can get that down to zero over the next 12 to 18 months."It is not easy but I need the support of Wigan people to do it."Whelan also took another swipe at some of the top flight's bigger clubs for the amount of debt they have got themselves into by selling out to overseas owners.

"In the Premier League at the moment there are a lot of foreign people who have put loans into football clubs," he added. "If you have a loan in a football club and that person decides to leave he wants his loan back - that makes that club bankrupt." It is the same at Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool. There are a lot of clubs with a lot of debt as a loan instead of it being equity and shares in the company. "They (the owners) can walk away but if they have shares in the company they have to sell shares and it doesn't affect the club."What has happened for the last four or five years - with Manchester City being the latest - is foreign people have come in and poured in money in the form of a loan."If they sell that club or get fed up and walk away how are they going to get their money? They're going to put the club into receivership. "That is what worries me about the Premier League most of all at the moment."I'm putting my case forward to the Premier League to say can we have equity in clubs and not loans."I think that will make it more stable. I'm quite prepared to write off the £15million and take it in shares."I would do that so Wigan do not owe me as they do now."

Whelan today announced that from next season the Latics' home would be renamed the DW Stadium.The Wigan chairman's new venture - DW Sports Fitness.com - has bought the nationwide chain of fitness clubs from his former company JJB Sports and has also taken over the naming rights for the stadium.

"The contract for naming rights for the stadium was for a duration of 10 years and that dates comes around in August," said Whelan."The JJB Stadium has made the town of Wigan known all over the world and we can now look forward to a whole new era as the DW Stadium."

Wigan have also announced a freeze on season ticket prices for next season - their fifth in the Premier League - with the cheapest adult package costing just £250.

Surprisingly wise words - I wonder if the fanbase will support him in this, or if he'll get accused of lack of ambition and chants of "where's the money gone?"

[Sun Tzu]

The financial model is rotten to the core and their survival literally hinges on the sale of big name players and DW's money.

Their financial model is not really any worse than that of most clubs.

Given that the bloke who bankrolls them has the money, has the commitment and has proved it I'm not sure it's a big issue really.

There aren't too many clubs who can say they are financially secure for the long term and Whelan probably gives Wigan as much security as any club funded by overseas investors or with huge debt levels.

Valid points Sun and I tend to agree with you.

However, Wigan's (and many other clubs) business model isn't in any way sustainable long term and that will ultimatly doom the club. Clubs trying to compete in the biggest league in the world getting less then 20k a week ultimatly won't survive IMHO.

Given that clubs with double that haven;t, and clubs with less than that have I'm not sure it's really a key factor.

Bar half a dozen clubs there is no long term guarantee that any club will remain in the PL and if Newcastle can get relegated and Fulham can stay there for an extended period I suspect that crowd size is a lesser consideration than perhaps management policy !

[TBM]

There is a lot to like about Wigan football club

I disagree. I still remember the games between us and them in the early part of this decade, when they seemed to get penalties against us at their place.

I also dislike them for being the first team to beat Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

^^

Did you also know that Spacey still holds a grudge for a girl who once borrowed his pencil sharpener, at school, without asking....he says its the reason he dislikes women!

[Stranded]

Whoop di do...

Multi millionaires chuck in a days wages to make themselves feel better.

When did readings players offer the fans something for not winning at home for 10 months? Never.

Fair play to the wigan players and for you to look past this gesture is simple minded.

Nope I don't believe it is but you are entitled to your opinion - a lot of things impress me and I like Wigan as a club - this just doesn't.