Nothing to do with the RFL. Fixture lists are arranged around stadium availability - the majority of stadia in the league have other claims on their time than just Super League games. The fixture list preparation process gives clubs plenty of opportunities to flag up such problems - if Wigan had told the RFL the DW wasn't available this Friday then the fixture wouldn't have been scheduled. Unfortunately Wigan's embarrassingly weak position at the ground they play in means they get bullied by their landlords on when they can play, even on fixtures which have already been scheduled.

Exactly one year ago Latics had their home league fixture against Charlton rescheduled from the Saturday afternoon to the Friday night to accomodate the Brisbane WCC match.

That's one example of Warriors getting their own way...how many times has that happened and how many times has it happened in reverse?

Ace. Couldn't go on Friday. Well done all concerned

Soory about that. The groundstaff at Widnes, and all the other staff employed by the council who own the stadium, were told last Tuesday that the match was going to be held there on next Friday, obviously there's been a change of plan since I last spoke to them on Monday.

Lenegan is on the Wigan website explaining the issue. Wigan told the RFL last September before the provisional fixtures went to the clubs that next Friday would be a no-go.

Lenagans full interview www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2016- ... e-decision

Lenagans full interview www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2016- ... e-decision

so why have Salford agreed to a 4 day turn round when fixtures have been changed for this rule in the past?

Interesting watching the Wigan CM explanation. However given the difficulty organising a solution to the problem and the other fixture they have yet to sort, surely a red flag system stating a possible issue with the fixture date / venue could be raised for the fans be aware that on going discussion/solutions/option are being explored and possible disruption of original stated fixture.
I appreciate a lot of time and effort by all parties to find a solution but just over a week before scheduled KO the fans are informed!

A lot can be learned from this but please do not forget the approx 10-12k people who want to come and see the game at the ground and have to make plans themselves to get there!

Open and honest please next time....... We may be just be bright enough to understand the problems being faced!!!

I have watched the interview and while I sympathise the overriding fact is this has been ongoing for 6 months or so, to make the last ditch decision they have just simply isn't good enough. This would have been much more palatable if people had been given sufficient notice as we have been for the Leeds game.

Ian Lenagan is a little hypocritical though, taking about his reluctance to move home games to other venues, was the Wigan 'home' game against Catalan last year relocated to Millwall because there were fixture clashes and no other suitable venue closer to Wigan? No it suited them to do so.

I maintain that the decision made is poor, and Salfords handling of this is poor.

In all of this no one seems to have noticed Hull fc play at the KC on Thursday and Hull City, playing at a higher level, play at the KC on Friday.
Think the DW Stadium management need to look at themselves.

It's the area on which the DW was built...practically a swamp, worst location they could have picked.

The game at Milwall wasn't moved because of a fixture clash, Latics were away that day.



Hulls pitch isn't built next to a river and on a flood plain. If you watch that interview with Lenagan you will notice that (hopefully) £1 will be spent in May and June to sort the problem out. How they're going to do it I'm not sure, but I really hope it happens.

I know, my point being that fixture was moved so why not this? Might have been an idea to move it to another NW venue such as Preston, Wrexham or the like, my point being the clubs and RFL have had long enough to organise something rather than right at the death think bugger let's act now.