No I don't mean the Stobart deal. The RFL's incompetence regarding that deal is supposed to be one of the reasons IL is unhappy with the RFL, which I completely agree with him on.

For him to then arrange what must be from a financial point of view a similar deal for Wigan is poor.

How do you know what the deal is?

Quote: Rogues Gallery "How do you know what the deal is?'" Yeah I'm sure they're just throwing money at us.. companycheck.co.uk/company/04594406

Quote: Rogues Gallery "How do you know what the deal is?'" Yeah I'm sure they're just throwing money at us.. companycheck.co.uk/company/04594406

No No No

I think you'll find it was called the "pIe Pad"!

You're wasting your time. This is the start of the 2014 Head of Steam, which will gradually build and build throughout the season until Wigan either win nothing, at which point it will explode, or they win something, at which point it will mysteriously dissipate with red faces all round but no apologies offered.

I know there are doom mongers on here who are ready to give IL both barrells everytime he farts, but some of us are quite capable of criticising one aspect of the club without thinking that there's a major crisis!

I'm looking forward to next season, we've got a talented, young squad with plenty of strength in depth, some excellent prospects coming in through the academy, 6 new signings and we've got 2 trophies to defend, plus a WCC in Australia for the first time in 20 years. I simply think the club could have done better with their main shirt sponsor, as do others, this has no bearing on how I think we'll perform on the pitch, and doesn't stop me from knowing that we are leading the way in so many other off-field areas.

The evidence suggests that we have struggled somewhat to obtain a shirt sponsor for this coming season when really this shouldn't be the case. Some people are happy with the deal, others aren't, but it now seems on here you either get tarred with the happyclapper tag or the doom monger tag simply for voicing an opinion on one aspect of the club.

As a supporter of a club that really seems to be on the up in recent years, I'm just tired of the endless prophecies of doom from so many different quarters, all of which seem to stem from a baseline assumption that 9 times out of 10 the club will get things wrong, and yet almost none of which ever come to fruition.

It doesn't really matter who does it or why, there is so much of it that it tends to blend into one predicable monotonous drone of disapproval, which occasionally rises to spectacular climaxes of silliness - the Gareth Hock affair, the chairman 'trousering club profits' ... so I'm certainly not going to apologise if one-off complainants get lumped in with all the usual suspects

I've got two views on this sponsorship deal. We don't know anything about it yet, so how can we get upset (yet more negative assumptions)? And actually does it matter that much? - will Wigan RL go under, are we in the gutter, will it diminish our brand when we've done the double and are now set to play the Aussie champs in Sydney?

I just think it's yet another yawn-inducing storm in a teacup.

I can't think of one single multi-national company that I would be proud to have emblazoned on the Wigan shirt.

How about Energy companies? Banks? The dubious working practices and non-union recognition of leading IT companies like Amazon?

Emirates? I'm sorry I don't want to be associated with companies backed by regimes with such appalling human rights records.

Why not use the Wigan name to support something good the way Barcelona do? Failing that I'm happy to support local business. I reckon Wigan are doing just fine.

Such as?

I for one am not suggesting IL is a fool, but for fans to think that sponsorship is unimportant if we continue to win trophies is a bit naive. Any main sponsorship needs to fulfil two criteria in my opinion .

A) to bring good initial money into the club
B) to deliver increased awareness of the club on a national level and build the Warriors brand therefore increasing overall revenue.

Whilst I of course do not know the actual monies involved I suspect this sponsorship will do neither.

How many sponsors have we had who fit the second criterion? None? They pay to be our sponsors to put their name out there, not the other way around.

Yes I agree sponsors pay to have their name out there, but at the same time we should get benefit as well. Sponsorship should ideally be a partnership in which we push the sponsor brand (providing it is appropriate) but at the same time, every time someone sees the sponsor name there should be some link with the club.

An example is, most people think of Arsenal when Emirates is mentioned. I'm not saying we are in that league, I just think a better more well known sponsor would help the club image more and at the same time attract more businesses to the club.

Except there is no storm. Some people aren't that impressed by the sponsorship deal. Is that really such a big deal that you have to keep squealing about "prophecies of doom" every other sentence? You know what's really yawn inducing? People trying to tell others what they should and shouldn't discuss, and doing so in such hysterical, melodramatic fashion, when if they really didn't want to discuss it they could just, you know, not do.

Really? 4.85546875:5