If IL bought latics and ran it like the Rugby theyd get relegated again and again it doesnt seem viable to run a football team as a profitable business anymore so i doubt he willtake them on. time will tell.

IL may buy the Latics but would Whelan sell the ground?
He could decide that Whelco will retain ownership of the stadium and ownership of the clubs is entirely separate.

It is definately possible, you just require a top manager. And not to be in the prem. You can easily, easily build a profitable team and club in the championship.

Not on the crowds Latics would pull in the Championship you can't. IMO of course.

I'd love to know how many Championship clubs are "easily, easily" profitable.

IL owning Latics would be a good result for them, the RL club and the town.

I imagine IL would want the stadium (which wouldn't be worth much in isolation anyway).

IL would undoubtedly run the football club on a sustainable basis. Some Latics fans might be disappointed at that outcome, but the reality is that a Whelan-esque UK sugar daddy is unlikely to want Latics, and overseas investors are even less likely to want to buy what is a relatively small football club. At least with IL in charge any relegation scenario would be managed so that the club didn't plunge down the leagues into total obscurity.

As for the rugby club, it would be great to have a proper ground share where equal priority is given to the clubs (although I don't particularly like Latics I would have no desire for revenge, and I don't expect IL would be anything other than scrupulously fair). There's no reason in reality why either club should be disadvantaged at all by groundsharing, fixture lists can be managed to avoid any problems.

No doubt some desperate Saints fans would still attempt to crow about having their small ground all to themselves. Inside though they would be seething with rage and envy at our high quality, 25k stadium.

I agree its possible but its not easy. The guy in your avatar pic is doing it but he has worked a miracle and there isnt many guys like him around.

They'd be wrong then - rlhttp://www.wix.com/mckiernanj/town-sponsorship#!our-historyrl
Great stuff. I'd forgotten they were sharing with the football club, but then again it's easy to forget them as Saints fans seem embarrassed to talk about the football club. It almost went out of existence didn't it.... ? I wonder who was responsible for that?

You're Wigan Athletic - you'll do as you're told.

Nah, happy being king of our own RL castle, with RL memorabilia plastered all around, bars named after RL greats, our own RL beer etc. No seething rage from me, wouldn't swap positions for all the tea in china.

I'm not saying it's a better stadium than the DW, but it's more of a RL stadium. IMO of course, I'm sure Wigan fans are equally chuffed with what is a cracking stadium in the DW. We have no need for a 25k stadium though - for us, bigger wouldn't mean better.

As for St Helens Town, we don't talk about them because they couldn't be any more irrelevant if they tried.

Got to be honest and say as a rugby league facility Saints looks top draw and I'd rather play in a stadium like that anyday then one like the DW.

Obviously we'd need it on a larger scale though!

When r the blue seats coming out
and the big IL letters going in?