Can I put some context into this.

Next season Latics will be playing (home and away) 46 league game, the FA Cup, League Cup, and starting in September, the Europa league. The team qualifies for the group stages, so that means there will be at least six games played, these take place on Thursday night.

As in 99.9% of fixture clashes, those who are inflexible are not the clubs, it's the TV companies, that was the case with the BBC and the CC game a season or two back, and the Europa League will be another case of the club being forced to play Thursday, regardless.

Our lease for the stadium is under £200k per season, next season Latics recieve the first of a potential three parachute payments of £20m, the league TV deal/match income will be on the upwards of £10m, qualification for the Europa League brings £1.5m, plus £200k per win, £100k per draw, plus whatever the TV income for this tournament is.

So going into next season, the challenge will be to fit in another dozen or more matches into the season schedule, with the added complication of Thursday European games, which in turn means that weeks league game will move to Sunday.

Didn't know he'd broken his leg. Why has nobody said????

Its giving people the opportunity to discuss Latics, Whelan, their relegation, cup win, future relationship with Wigan Warriors, without over-zealous mods moving it to the "Other Sports" section.

I say let it run - lots of people have lots to say and the thread is actually rather interesting!

Never understood the hatred in the town. I'm glad Wigan Athletic won the FA Cup & I'm gutted they've been relegated. I take on board people's experiences with fans may not have been nice from either sets. I myself have taken abuse from Latics fans for my rugby affiliation. WAFC however, are not a person or a political party espousing their views on the public. Wigan Athletic are a football club representing the town on the pitch just like Wigan rugby and in the same way that drug addicts, violent offenders, thieves and rapists (of which there is,have been and will be in the future) don't represent the Wigan people as a whole neither do supporters. Wigan is my town, I'm proud of that.

There was some interesting stuff at the start but as is usually some people can't help themselves the longer it has gone on with the usual bile. I think a lot of it is jealousy at the profile the Latics have had the past week or so. More people probably watched Saturday's game around the world than have done in our entire history.

I give it a few pages before some over-zealous mod puts it out of its misery.

Well said.

I also have a lot of respect for anyone who has supported Wigan Athletic and/or Wigan Warriors through good times and bad.

They are the real winners and the ones that will get most enjoyment out of sporting success in the town.