20 years at the HJ?
Can only be described as a soulless, sanitised , sterile good money after bad money flop with a total loss of mojo regards Warrington identity.
Even the species are plastics, no characters.
We’ve gone nowhere in that time.
Can you think of any 20 year period in the Widerspool era , all things considered, that was worse than the last 20 years at the Car Shop.

I do hope this is a joke?

The plastic scouser is back in one of their many guises, can’t say you’ve been missed.

Won’t come close to Wilderspool even in another 20 years.

It's a really interesting point.

The last few years at Wilderspool were similar. I remember some fantastic atmospheres in the games against big teams going back to the Allan Langer era. The match day atmosphere was better - and this is nothing to do with off-pitch entertainment / match day experience, the fans were absorbed in the excitement of the game. I think the early to mid 2000s were a high point for Super League in general and maybe we rode off the back of that. It was similar in terms of internationals, back then I used to always go to GB test matches and there would be some great atmospheres in the games against the Aussies and Kiwis.

I obviously enjoyed the Tony Smith era with us winning 3 Challenge Cups and for three years being within touching distance of Grand Final winners. But in those years we didn't seem to have the same edge in the stadium, even in the big games against Wigan or when we finally started beating Saints.

When was the turning point? I think the peak HJ atmosphere had already passed by the end of the Cullen era. It was at its best from around 2004-07.

I think fan involvement in sport has generally waned in the last 10+ years. It’s almost like fans are inhibited from getting involved. The atmosphere at the Premier League stadiums for example seems to be more muted unless it’s a clash between major rivals.
Stadium design has played its part, so at Wilderspool the chanting came from behind the sticks and the sound carried up to the opposite end so fans along the side could hear and get involved. Now it goes side to side and if you’re at the end it sounds like the away fans are noisier.
I do think there is a lot of rose tinted nostalgia going on though. It was common at Wilderspool to be able to hear a lone voice shouting very clearly (sometimes wittily often not).

I think so too, but I cannot say I have experienced anything like the WWIII game atmosphere (for example) at the HJ. The atmosphere was crackling.

Agreed but the Joey Johns debut was pretty wild!

I was there for that WW3. Right under the camera in the small Snookers stand. Joey johns game too. They were very atmospheric.
The most atmospheric games I’ve been away from Wilderspool, was at Maine Road, yes, that drop goal one.
The most atmospheric game at home for me, was the 1/4 final CC vs Hull RLFC, yes, that Billy Thompson, disallowed 5 tries one.

That was pure corruption. The crowd were baying for Thompson's head on a pole at the end.

A lad next to me ran on the pitch to get Thompson, but 2 copper got him.
Thompson had a police escort off the pitch and also to his car.

Wilderspool was rocking when we played the Lancashire Cup Semi Final versus Widnes, when they were the dominant team in the League and was one of the noisiest crowds that I recall.

The tackle by Paul Derbyshire to prevent a certain try when Offiah was on a break, with only Derby. to beat, is still one of the best one-on-one tackles that I have seen by a Wire player.