....and Fielden.

To you and me maybe, yes...I very much doubt any younger fans would have heard of Beaver before his arrival, Terry OK but to me not in the same league as Jimmy, Semi is no Volcano hasn't got the same personality, Worrlaord, well despite your best efforts still a long way to go.

I'm sorry to say all in all your suggestions strengthen my point

This season has plenty of paralells with 88-89 to me. We have a side that lot's its big personalities (back then it was Phil Ford and Brendan Hill). The squad was imbalanced - great pack but lacking quality backs. And coached by a man who had a hard act to follow (Seabourne following Fox) but who enjoyed the confidence of the board despite deteriorating performances and falling attendances.

That season we scraped into 8th after flirting with relegation yet at times looked good enough give anyone a game if we kept 13 men on the field (hard with a pack containing Skerrett, Hobbs, Fairbank etc). As it was we never got utterly thrashed in any games but managed to play poorly and keep the score down.

In the end Seabourne resigned after a strike by the reserves before the 89-90 season.

Perhaps, but we're not utterly bereft. There are players there with stories to tell. What ever happened to Shirt Presentation Night btw?

Now we can't do the same job on Sam that was done on Robbie because of money. But there must be ways of harnessing two cheap/free means of communicating - the net and fans prepared to volunteer their time would be my suggestion.

For example, how about a printable poster before each home game to be displayed in schools and workplaces? Same job done as a billboard on the M62, and done virtually for free.

It's been suggested before hasn't it? If the club fancy seriously using supporters skills to help them market the club they need to get their skates on before they become totally disillusioned.

Oh, and another idea - a pdf for kids to print off that when stuck together and stuck to card makes a full size Sam Burgess cut-out. Add a 'be healthy, don't eat chips all the time slogan' and get the kids to take them into school to be put on display. Even if only a couple get made, it's better than nothing surely and wouldn't take much time. Take the pic, email it to someone with some nouse on here and I'm sure it could be knocked up in half an hour.

Has the BISA link with the club now died?

Do the club know people are willing to give their time and expertise?

BISA died some years back. There simply weren't the folk around with the time or inclination to make it work. From the lack of mention in the press I'd say this applies to quite a few ISAs at other clubs too.

If that was the case in 2005 then gawd knows what it'd be like now. For instance I certainly wouldn't have the time to take on anything like that again.

But I still have the key ring and everything!!



Maybe a less time consuming way of communicating then?

How about once a quarter, as list of questions (from people on here say), is pooled, screened (i.e. removing the what Deacons address type questions) and sent to the club, then posted on here.

Or do it via personal email. Those who want to sign up, can choose to opt in.

Surely it's a start and not too much effort, even from a geographical and logistical point of veiw?

Is that the sound of you volunteering to collate it Wigsy???

Has anyone tried emailing the club with suggestions?
It's worth a shot.

, I walked into that one didn't I!!

In principle yes, I'd be game.
I just think there are obviously a great deal of people who care about the club and have questions, proposals, ideas, etc to offer up, which at the moment the club aren't party to.

Just have.

I'd also be interested. I was too young to get heavily involved with BISA back in t'day, as it were, but now I'd genuinely be interested.

Let me know if you get a response.
I'll make one one for any supporter impetus to assist the club, but frankly have been appaled by the clubs previous lack of engagement with fans who want to help the club.
Are we just fodder in ther minds or are we considered ineffectual.
Its been said before that the club is missing out on a hardcore of passionate supporters who could willingly promote the Bulls by initiatives instigated the club or by innovative suggestions from us.
Whatever, the management NEED to re-engaage with the supporters in joint efforts of reinvigoration. And it will cost them nothing.

Come on Bulls, contact Wigan Bull if he's prepared to be the locus

Seriously though, how many fans do you think you could mobilise to help the club? There is a small but vocal few on here and other MBs who might be willing to put time and effort (money?) in, but how many others in reality?

I'm not trying to be negative and I'm in to help however I can, but it has been tried before and there just was not the support to help out.

Not meaning to offend anyone here or anything,

just was reading this thread and would like to disagree with someone that said mcnamara is a victim of circumstance.

John Kear works with a salary budget less than yours and with a group of players that are, in some areas, slighty worse than some of your stars.

Whilst obviously your club has had to cut back in some areas, the team itself is still not bad, just poorly coached.

Bradford and Wakefield squads are about as good as each other.

McNamara is just too inexperienced.

I'm talking more about some regular communication through the season. I accept it would be difficult for people to take days off work etc to "help out"

Things like fans offering contacts for various services at good rates (e.g. web design, training gear....etc etc etc) would could also be an option.

Us as fans asking sensible questions and gaining sensible reply without resorting to a slanging match. That at least starts the communication lines.

The fans forum is good, but many, myself included can't get over midweek for an evening.

Also for fans to send ideas, suggestions through to the club for their consideration.

Add to that any other constructive dialogue that people can think of.

It was the same old story - plenty of people complaining about what was wrong and what needed doing regarding the Bulls; too few people actually prepared to do anything about it and put some effort in. So it all fell on a handful of people who worked bloody hard and for nothing in the end. The Committee members were all working full-time (and in my case, and some!) and yet somehow managed to find time for meetings, research, projects, organising campaigns, organising events, writing press releases, engaging with the media, writing articles, producing magazines, recruitment drives, making giant flags, organising awards, putting on testimonial functions...yes it was hard work and frustrating that so few fans were prepared to get stuck in.

I wish I had a pound for every time someone said "BISA should do something about it" but were unwilling to do anything themselves. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Bulls fans just seemed uninterested in doing something to make a difference.

A real shame, because we DID have active engagement with the club and found out a lot which explained many things. That meant we were often able to indicate reasons why things were as they were, although sometimes we were in a difficult situation because at times we were trusted with sensitive information. It also meant we were able to regularly feed back the feelings from the supporters, and sometimes the club listened.

And we had a few bust-ups with them too - like when Bullseye and I wrote a press release in response to Caisley's "Sky Blackout" kite-flying (both taking a big risk and doing it in work time btw as time was of the essence) - and did the balloon go up or what?

I suspect if anyone tried (again) to resurrect BISA (or start afresh) they would find the same - likely worse now. After all, if all those who post regularly on here and express strong opinions about the Bulls haven't by now tried to band together as a supporters' association, they are never likely to, are they?

IF anyone feels minded to have another shot at it, there is a bank account with some remaining funds still open, and some other material such as constitution (which took ages to draw up) which is or may still be around, which maybe could be passed on to a legitimate committee elected by a reconstituted membership.

Agree totally.

I have been saying the same for years now.

Part of the problem is that there are just so few staff left at the club now. When I look back to the off-field setup a few years back, and to what it is now, its scary. And remember, those few staff who are running the club now are having to do a hell of a lot of work, and I suspect for limited reward.

One potential problem though - and drawing on experience with BISA too: when people who express an interest in "getting involved" get to realise just how much work is actually involved, its amazing how many suddenly find they are not as keen as they thought they were.

Sorry to go off topic, but do the guys who were involved with BISA post on here ? I understand you and Bullseye are still around, just curious if any of the other BISA volunteers still post

I was one. But later on, in the second reincarnation.

I was also a BISA member in its second version.

As would I. Time to resurrect BISA?

As for suggestions to the club - I emailed them before they joined twitter, telling them that they could spread news on twitter to the fans. I didn't get a response but a few days after I noticed they'd joined up on twitter.

I completely understand this Adey and yes I suspect people don't have the time to return to something you are talking about, i.e. BISA.

I was suggesting a much simpler version - A regular (sensible) Q&A between club and fans, enabling us to (as you pointed out) understand the circumstances as to why some of the "bad" things are happening.

Add to that, again as I've mentioned, things like fan suggestions, useful contacts, expertise etc.

The club could also use it to ask for fan feedback on proposals they have or to ask for volunteers for various projects (one off project, thus meaning people don't have to commit long term or on a regular basis).

I just thought it was a shame that a good number of people on here have much to offer / discuss / suggest which isn't utilised.
Some more information coming through may also stop some of the dross posted on here.

I'd certainly welcome yours, or anyone else’s input into producing something workable to propose to the club.