I'm really not into all this arguing about attendances business if I'm honest, I just find it a little bit pointless. I am, however, rather proud of Wigan's support especially in 2006.

As for the quote in bold (which I've edited for accuracy) we were actually over 2.5k ahead of a team that had been one of the top two teams in the sport in this country consistently in the summer era and who "prided themselves" on the entertaining, expansive brand of rugby they played whilst pundits waxed lyrical about their style and flair.

In the meantime more people were regularly turning out to watch largely unattractive, unentertaining, inconsistent and quite frankly frustrating rugby league. Perhaps we ought to re-visit this topic when/ if Wigan have had a full season anywhere near as good as some of those stains have had recently and see what the average attendances look like.



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Every team has a number of fair weather fans, some teams more than others

I dont really see your point here

Yes, of course it dipped. But then it increased considerably in what was the worst season for 25 years... sounds pretty loyal to me and that's my point. That was, as one of your comrades pu it, "fans coming out of the woodwork" to support their team when they really needed it, not because they were going to get royally entertained by them.

I tell you what mate, that is the funniest thing i have ever seen. You are such a funny guy, i bet all your mates hang on your every word. Wembley Arena beckons for you

No it's not. Since I started watching Wigan in 1982 the highest average attendance in all that time to date was in 2007 with a Wigan average of 16039 is still the highest to date. That's despite all the success in the 80's/90's.

2006 - 14,445 (Where we were bottom of the league for 70% of the season)
2007 - 16,039
2008 - 14,504
2009 - 14,077
2010 - 14,788 (At this moment in time)


Very much so Ancient & Loyal you'll find there I think! (Especially the one in Red)

Forgot to say:

In 2005 our average was 13,891, yet the season after (where we spent the majority rooted to the bottom of the table) our average went up to 14,445.




Explain that!!

Really? I hated almost every moment of it.

Not the first half obviously, but the second half - Fieldens first game (think it was against Warrington), The game at Leeds just after we had been deducted 2 points and Calderwood and Ashton tore them apart, Nobles first game at Huddersfield, was very exciting to watch IMO.

Saints' average will be below 10k when they are at Widnes next season

Agreed, although the first half was painful it made every game massive and it was fantastic when we got on that winning run

Edited.

And I seriously mean that too.
Expect the novelty to wear off very very quickly. A lot of teams would struggle to take over 6-7k of their own fans to a semi final just a few miles down the road.
Now try and do that every fortnight for a full season.

It would happen to us as well. We'd struggle to hit 12K if we had to go to Widnes.

you're on a wigan rugby forum mate, if you don't like the anti-st helens sentiments then you're in the wrong place funnily enough

I remember feeling better after the winning run and when we beat Leeds I thought we had done it. When the salary cap deduction came out I thought we were done for again. It was only once we had beaten Hull in the last game could I breathe a big sigh of relief.

Would never want that again (if relegation ever came back).