Can't believe I have come home from work and there is 37 pages of people getting so angry and aiming hatred towards Dave Whelan.

He has came out and said that he has no problem with the game being played in Saturday. As far as I'm concerned the game is being played on Saturday at the DW Stadium.

End of.

Where has he said that he has no problem with us playing on Saturday??

He hasn't. He's said he has no problem with us playing Friday and that IFL should fight for the right to do it (presumably with the beeb)

Probably being stupid here but ........

Has anyone actully stood up in public and stated "YOU CANT PLAY AT THE DW ON SATURDAY 12/05/12" or is it all under the table , behind closed doors , under the carper , cloak and dagger stuff .

That's just it, he hasn't said that. Whelan must think we're all daft. He's saying he has no problem with it being played on the Friday,but we all know the BBC won't let that happen. Whelan doesn't want the game to be on the Saturday at DW and that's why there is a problem. He is trying to pass the responsibility onto someone else.

Glasgowsaint. Would you come down if it was at Preston,their season finishes this Saturday.
I bet thats something that the powers that be hav'nt thought of.

Absolutely spot on.
The article with the headline "Whelan happy for Warriors to play at DW Stadium " is very misleading. He is happy for the Friday, but not the Saturday.

Also,there is no rule about 24 hours. It doesn't exist. The only rule is that if the fixtures clash on the same day,football gets priority. This 24 hour rule has been created in the media to take the attention off Whelan. Wouldn't surprise me if he's had a word with a mate at the paper and asked them to throw that line in to get him off the hook.

So he's categorically stated that Wigan RLFC cannot use his stadium on the Saturday?

No, but it's called reading between the lines. He has said that he is happy for them to play on the Friday, but did not mention the Saturday at all. It doesn't take a genius to work out that if he was happy with the game being played on the Saturday then that would have been announced already and 10,000 tickets would have been snapped up by 10am this morning.
The one and only thing that is stopping the game being played on the Saturday at DW is Whelan. Not the RFL, BBC or the Premier League.

Then shame on the journalist for not asking DW if he was happy for them to play on Saturday too.

It was a simple question to his statement: "But the game is on Saturday Dave, so is there an issue with that as far as you are concerned?"

That way, we all know where we stand with regard to hating him or not.

The media have plugged this rule since Latics got in the PL. The only rule as you say is that the fixtures of the football team must take priority (against ANY other event at the stadium) which is why Latics don't change games to Sunday, so that Wigan can play Friday.

Nail on the head. I've been saying exactly the same all through this thread. Whelan isn't man enough to admit he is the one stopping the game being played on the Saturday, coming up with some smoke and mirrors line about the Friday being acceptable but knowing full well that won't happen. He gets his own way in keeping the RL game off his pitch without looking like the culprit. As for anyone claiming the journalist should have asked if he was OK with the saturday - I very much doubt they have spoken to whelan direct as this will be a carefully worded press release. Even if they have, they've probably been told what questions are acceptable and would be out on their ear if they crossed the line.

Exactly. This is purely Whelan either being petty in some peoples eyes, or in Latics fans eyes he is protecting their pitch before a potentially decisive game.

I'm not here to question his decision, like it or not it is his prerogative. What annoys me is that he wont admit that it his decision and take responsibility.