The truth isn't allowed around here.

You have to admit the salaries Wigan paid, relative to the rest of the game were truly in different planets. Hence the requirement for dispensation at the commencement of the cap. I am going of memory, so feel free to correct me, but it was reported that Wigan's salary expenditure to be in the region of £2.35 million per year, which, even by today's standards is pretty incredible.

I'm not saying we did not have a large wage bill, so did a couple of other teams and the figure you're making a comparison with is relative with our current £1.6 million cap which is actually lower than it used to be - there were several dispensations around at the time for 'GB' players, and there had to be, you can't introduce a salary cap overnight with existing contracts.

What I am trying to do is dispel that myth that Wigan got in trouble entirely, or even mainly due to the salaries paid, in the same way that a club could still get in trouble now due to factors outside of player salaries, e.g. ground development. Potentially poor financial management and planning, coupled with several unforeseen circumstances (millions down the drain, lost gate revenue etc) all contributed together.

It's not outside of the realms of possibility for similar things to happen to some clubs again, for example if the next sky deal is worth less than expected, or some of the clubs building stadia hit problems, it's just one of those things. Which is why it's good to see clubs now being run as businesses with solid financial planning for the future, and the majority of chairmen trying to get clubs into a position where they make a profit in their own right.

Like i said before, all the best to Warrington for the coming season - Super League needs more strong teams

Yeah right must have been seeing things with all the I hate Wire good luck Hudds thread before we went on to win the Challenge Cup.

Please don't treat what a handful of intellectual heavyweights might post about hatred etc, as representative of what the majority of Wigan fans feel. Just like i'm doing the same and not counting some of your 'star posters' as reflective of the average Warrington fan.

Let the haters on all sides just get at each other, they should go join some football forums if they want to enjoy a sport with some proper hatred between fans.

I do agree there has to be a strong, dominant side purely to evolve the game. As you have stated, the NRL has Melbourne seemingly dominating the Finals, which requires other teams to improve beyond their levels to usurp them.

The only negative is if that team creates a stranglehold which effectively suffocates the competition, ie; The Ashes.

sally, I always think, even in a balanced capped world there will be teams more dominant than others. Whether that be through better cap management, a few phenominal juniors coming through at one time or the best coach being at your club it will always be the case (like melbourne).
Leeds are going to be so far ahead of the competition next year (on paper much stronger with Delaney and Eastwood imo) it'll be a few years before anyones truly on their standing. But the hard work was done ten years ago...we're going the right way, the culture of the club, juniors and whatnot but we've got quite the catch up to be done

You prove my point: in that period Wigan paid no attention to sensible matters like sound finance, they went crazy and it hurt everyone, ultimately even themselves. Blame it on the board, if you like, but it was the same board who sanctioned player wages and signings.

'they bought players and didnt play them' well they did. As soon as a player started to shine in another team, they were flashing the dosh around, Offiah, Billy McGinty, tried to with Mike Greg. They ended up with a big squad and it could be argued that players were left more than if they had stayed at Widnes, Wire etc.

'they were the only full time team again, for a time they were


'they spent all their money on players and ended up in trouble' they did. They had to sell CP to survive, almost having to play at Bolton.]

Just like the current Warrington club then

How does that work in the salary cap era?

Get ready for a Wigan fan taking irony to the extreme by suggesting Warrington are breaking teh salary cap.

He's not talking SC you've just paid Salford 300K (transfer fee) for a promising youngster haven't you?