This, unfortunately.

It's difficult to quantify how much damage a certain clique of negative fans have done to the club, but it can't have had no impact at all.

The problem these days is that any malcontent - and we seem to have more than most - isn't just a terrace bore any more. Now he can speak to the nation through the internet, and while lots of people will ignore these guys, others come to regard them as gurus ... as we saw on the other site (where some posters were so instinctively hostile to IL's regime that it was difficult to believe they weren't some kind of 5th column, and yet they attracted a herd of sheep-like yes men).

My main concern over the years has been that we know IL reads this forum. Given that he's pumped his own cash into the club and led us on multiple trophy-winning campaigns, how must he feel to see his name dragged constantly through the mud? There've been times when I'm amazed he's lasted this long.

I'll freely admit that I lost heart earlier this season. I feared relegation and felt that if we dropped, that would be it. That there'd be no way back and we'd go the same way as Bradford etc. I made posts on here - mainly calling for Lam to be removed and for a better recruitment policy - and I now regret them, because yet again IL has led us towards sun-lit uplands.

I'm not saying the guy's perfect, but compared to the previous administration, when a local journo told me you could ring the club at any time of the week and no one would even answer the phone - there wouldn't even be an answering machine! - it's clear to see that we could be in much, much worse hands.

Get upset if things go wrong, by all means. But keep it in perspective.

There you go. A silent director then. I'll take that. (Should have said 'no visual/vocal active role')

Just on the subject of owning/running your own facility , discussing the cricket from OT cricket ground

This year LCC will turnover 32 million , due to the Ashes a be WC , but in normal years they make more out of hosting Pop concerts and corporate for Man Utd than they do out of cricket , for every Utd game there are 1,000 dining at the cricket ground

Whilst there is nothing we can do about our own stadium unfortunately what we do now have is access to the Robin Park Arena. It's imperative that Wigan RL migrate as much as they can across to the arena (albeit space is limited as only underneath one stand) to maximise revenue.

Now I've not seen inside, nor seen any plans. Has anyone seen inside yet?

If the club had space for corporate dining, indoor bars.. Etc that would be a start.

Wish Lenners would come out and say that the plan is to develop Robin Park as our home stadium within 5 years and that an increase in attendances/season ticket sales would help fund it. Be averaging 20,000 next year.

Praise the lord, brother.

Unfortunately, I feel that if you set yourself that hope seriously, you'll inevitably be disappointed.

Why would we get permission to build a brand-new stadium next door to an already perfectly serviceable one, which we've already been sharing for years?

£175K received in transfer fees.

I trust that doesn't include the transfer fee of arguably the best 2nd row in the world to the NRL. Bateman was worth twice that alone!

If you look at the [url=https://wiganwarriors.com/news/2015-10-20-bateman-extends-contractcontract[/url that was reported at the time, it appears to have been deliberately structured as such that we couldn't just hold out for a very high transfer fee if an NRL club wanted to sign him for 2019. That's not a knock on the club either, they appear to have found a way to keep him till the end of 2018 and still get a six figure transfer fee.

Worryingly poor financial results for a grand final winning season.

Something needs to change

Oh well, might as well go out with a bang and go for glory. RL is a dying sport in the UK. Game has been sterilised. Very little excitement anymore. A player only needs to brush across the cheek of another player and the ref is blowing for a penalty. Scraps were part and parcel of the game and we loved it! Now its like watching ballet dancing with a ball. Crowds will never come back now. Although i like following Wigan and watch when they are on TV, i wouldnt dream of going paying money to watch a game anymore. Not only do i not get the same excitement that i used to but ive got other things i like doing and spending my money on.

The excitement of going to a game and seeing it live by far trumps the excitement sat in front of a TV. I hadn’t been for a few seasons prior to this season, not because of the rugby but personal circumstances. These have changed to an extent I can now go more often, not as often as I’d like but for the times I can’t go generally we’re on tele. Give me going to the stadia anyday. The senses are going, old friends and old playing adversaries and colleagues are there. It’s exciting. Sat at home you’ve got the wife nagging asking how much longer it’s on for, kids screaming, dog barking. It’s little wonder you don’t find it exciting you pleb.

Do yourself a favour; swap your armchair for a seat at the stadium. You’ll soon change your mind.

Otherwise, and with the greatest of respect, f**k off elsewhere.