it was quiet on the platform this morning

You know what! you wouldn't need a singing stand if the games were better with more intensity, the games against Saints Warrinton and Leeds are the only ones that offer this.

That's the big problem at home games.

As long as it doesn't turn into the Brigantes of 12 months ago. They were singing (use the term losely) and even when I was in the centre of the South Stand I couldn't understand what they were singing. Maybe it was the scarves around their mouths were muffling the sound.

Dear Mr Chairman,
It wont work. A lot of the singers are in the South Stand on junior season ticket prices. They wont pay East Stand prices. Furthermore, how are you going to control whats sung in the family stand? Will it be stewarded by the club at their own expense, and the ban on swearing rigidly enforced? or will the club allow/condone/turn a blind eye to swearing.
Will the songs be hand picked by the club and possibly handed out on printed song sheets to be sung in a particular order? Will the stadium announcer direct operations? "we will now sing song 46 on our song sheets".
Will the stewards chastise anyone who goes into the singing section but doesnt sing?
Will the club be making a "non-singing" section for fans who want to sit and watch the game and occasionally applaud?
This will never work. Singing should be spontanious.

Yours Sceptical ( Brigadier retired)
Upper Meddling

Nail < hit
Head

Hopefully next season will pass by quickly and we can get on with 2015 and some meaningful action.

Some of the posts on that club Facebook page are a joke. Apart from the embarrassingly bad spelling, it's mostly people saying there's no need for a singing section because "the whole stadium should be singing". Well durr, that'd be nice in cloud cuckoo land, but at least the club are being pro-active and looking for a solution.

I think the East Stand could work. Say if the club allocate the upper area of E8 as the 'singing section' (I doubt there are any ST holders in that area now). Then announce it and open the area up for sale, with a clear statement that anyone wishing to sing will be recommended to go in this area. Still allocated seating. It could work.

And the award for tool of the year goes to..........

If you dont like swearing at sporting events I would strongly suggest polo. Swearing in songs has happened for decades, all clubs do it, in every sport.

This is all very well but what about the Wigan fans who like to spend the whole game abusing Wigan players?

It's disappointing that the club isn't looking after the scapegoating community. They deserve their own section too.

Lynch mob members registered with the club could even be allowed to bring in pitchforks and flaming torches if they promised only to use them on our own players....

rlrl

An artist's impression of the 2007 annual general meeting of the Sean O'Loughlin Appreciation Society.

That would work, but would be better if subdivided into sections for each individual scapegoat..with a prize for the player who gets the biggest support. Might have to allow transfers between sections in case fans change their allegiance mid-season, though...

I hear the Gelling section is already a complete sell out.

Record season ticket holders for 2014 if the club went ahead with that...

I've said this for ages. You can't force people to sing at games if they don't want to or if there's no reason to. Back in 2006, the atmosphere was electric pretty much every week because we were fighting for our lives on a weekly basis. Now, ironically, we're a much better side, but the atmosphere has tailed off. We have little to play for now, and that is down to the league structure. We know we'll finish in the top 8, so what's the point? We know we'll beat the likes of Salford/London/Widnes etc, and even if we somehow don't, it doesn't matter. Getting rid of P&R and having a top 8 playoffs was a massive step backwards for the sport in terms of competitiveness. I say that not as a bleeding heart traditionalist, but as a fan of a top 4 side.

Recent history has told us that you don't need to do well at any point before about mid May, and if you do, it can get you sweet FA come the business end of the season. We've practically become like American Football with a season that lasts practically 5 minutes! All this has impacted on the atmosphere at games.

I for one can't wait until 2015. The new structure has the potential to be competitive throughout the season. The top teams will not want to take a backwards step if the criteria for the playoffs is something sensible like top 4, the middle teams will want to break into either that top 4 or the top 8 to stay in SL1 and the lower teams will be wanting to break into SL1 and play with the big boys.

It may well turn out to be a good idea by the club though, if they give 2014 a chance to "bed in" a singing section ready for the 2015 season.