Quote: Jukesays "And before any of that
Stop talking the club down at every opportunity
Stop/reduce looking to find negatives and blow them into massive negatives in even the tinest of issues
Stop/reduce running down our game at every opportunity
Stop running down our referees constantly
Stop moaning about ticket prices when they are exceptionally good value (the post the other week about season tickets being too expensive was one of the most ridiculous posts I've ever seen).
Stop accusing chairman of pocketing money with no evidence just because you want a new mythical chairman who will pump millions of pounds of money from God knows where because you want short term immediate fixes.
Start promoting our players, were losing George William's in 6/7 weeks and I don't think I've seen 10% of positive compared to the 90% criticism he gets whilst EVERY time a coach/player from another club is interviewed they was lyrical about him. Sam Burgess was praising him a couple of weeks ago on the Marty John's Podcsst.
Start telling everyone about the game, encourage people to attend
Start posting More when we win and less when we lose, rather than the other way round! There was a point (think it was last year) where we'd won 3/4 games in a row and it was like a morgue! One loss and there was 20 x times the traffic!
If we carry on like we have over the last 3/4 years doing more of the first lot and none of the 2nd lot people wont turn up and will tune out.
And before anyone says anything, Yes, it really does influence other peoples way of thinking.
Keep telling people that somethings rubbish, not good enough, players are crap, coach is crap blah blah and people will listen and stop coming.
Because if we don't the club will need more money from less people and that wont happen or the club really will have to cut their cloth etc.'"
So basically just sit there and applaud things that don't deserve it? Great idea!
I'll be at more games next season as they've invested in quality players, but that's not always been the case. When was the last true big name we signed prior to Burgess or Hastings? Hoffman in 2012? Trent perhaps? I'm sure 2012 saw an upturn in attendance after we signed the 3 players from the Storm. Wigan have always had quality home grown talent & star names - big names are just as much a part of our DNA & history as what our successful academy is imo. Don't expect everyone to be happy when that stops.
Let's look at the on the field product - we've gone from watching guys like Renouf, Lam and Dallas to Sammut, Sarginson and Marshall. No disrespect to Sarge, as I like the guy, but I know who I'd rather pay to see. Also in regards to performance, I do buy into the blame Wane theory. The success he brought in was great, but my god a massive proportion of the season wasn't fun. We'd turn up one week then watch Cas put 40 on us the week after. How many times have fans come home disheartened after another lackluster performance?
Let's look at price, - i'm now paying more to watch Wigan Vs Saints than I was 20 years ago, but back then it was Long Vs Lam, Rads Vs Wellens, Faz Vs Scully, Newton vs KFC etc. Please don't sit there and tell me we are even close to that. Paying more for a lesser product - where else does that happen?
Let's look at gate revenues - we used to have games Vs Bradford compared to next season Vs Toronto. What's that crowd going to look like? Add in Hudsnand Catalans too. How much do we lose during those fixtures? What about the impact of Thursday night games? How much does that shave off an attendance? Why would I cheer about those things, or should I ignore it and gloss over it? Should I big those games up to my friends 'come and watch us play Toronto - there'll be a great atmosphere'.
Let's looks at refs - imo we're absolutely at the bottom of the barrel with PR hungry guys like Hicks ruining games on a weekly basis. It was bad 15 years ago and the clubs kept their own counsel and went via the proper channels - how did that work out? The biggest tool of the lot of them, Ganson, got the top job. Imagine if in 15 years Hicks is the top guy! That's why I'm 100% behind McManus in what he's done - it quite simply isn't right how that final was officiated.
Let's talk about Sky - the product is amateurish both in production and talent. Most people won't watch it, but the RU coverage on BT is second to none imo. Great production at the matches and a weekly TV show that's entertaining and insightful. They've got a partnership that works for both of them. People who want to watch RU will buy BT and in turn they get appreciated by them via quality content.
I'm majorly excited to see Wigan next year, but that's because they've rectified some is the issues/gripes many people had. I'm not however going to sit here and say we're currently in some kind of golden age of RL in the UK.
