Quote: Towns88 "Very interesting post Roonaldo6. Do you think, irrespective of the whole Griffin / fanzine debacle that you would've lost your passion for supporting WTW anyway? Got a fair few mates who used watch Cas with myself week in , week out, now they just don't, gradually the flame flickered out. Either that or I am just dross company!'"
I'd love to give you the correct answer but Im not sure to be honest as things may have changed. I'll give you an honest answer and that was after the meeting I walked away feeling a little let down. Ferres agreed with Griffins attitude but didnt want the hassle of this hanging over the club all for something that they hadnt done. I didnt want the clubs support but I felt the way they moved the goalposts in terms of cancelling the fanzine and stopping me selling it in the ground was a bit of a stab in the back.
The game itself has declined over the years. Many supporters will argue that the product has got better but in reality it hasnt. Ticket prices have gone up to at least £20 a pop, fuel has increased so travel to games has become more expensive. I'll give Wakefield their dues for putting on other entertainment etc.. to attract the fans and the crowds have increased since the new regime took over but at the time of my support on the field it was dire. Then with the whole no relegation saga, the usual heated derbies between Wakefield vs Castleford which will stay in my memories forver as some of the best games ever encountered for the tension and well the results, became just another game. Another 2 points, it didnt matter who won in reality anymore than it did if we played London at home. Neither team were going to get relegated and it just wasnt the same anymore.
I was in a pub last month, watching the football minding my own business. The new season was about to start and somebody asked another guy if he was going to the game, his answer... "Why should I pay £20 or even £50 for me and the family to go watch a game freezing my nads off etc... when I can sit in the luxury of my own home, crack open a can and spark a fag without a care in the world, while watching the game on my 50 inch HD telly !!".
Every other week, Ive got somebody asking me if Im coming back, my best mate asks me all the time, offering me a free spare ticket, Ive never once taken him up on the opportunity. I dont know why, but ultimately I just dont have the passion anymore that was once fuelled travelling round the grounds as an 18 year old watching Wakefield dominate Division 1, the Fev game, the promo and all the highs and lows that SL battles brought. Ive had fun times, Ive had bad times, but ultimately they are just a distant memory.
The whole Griffin saga was probably just the cap on the candle that ended the flame.