When wire first moved to the HJ and the majority of the homes were on a Sunday.. unless we played the big 3 at the time it was Friday/Saturday nights.. the south stand was rocking.. now a days it’s just become place full of indentikit wearing yoofs..who show little or no interest in the game and are there to get drunk and act foolish.. I even meet a few people on this forum back in the day from standing in the same spot at the home games.. the match day experience for me now is turn up, watch and go. Am not one for the pre game and half time shenanigans..

A good philosophy for life “keep your pipes clear and good things will flow”…

I loved the Sunday games, gives you something to actually do. Stadium was always packed and the atmosphere was brilliant.
I haven't been to a match in ages now, atmosphere isn't as good anymore, and you never see the same faces and get to know anyone.
With Sky showing the first 15 rounds i won't be going to the HJ in quite some time.

The is the dilemma.

Home games. I live about 8 miles away but to go the game, get parking, walk up etc I am looking at a 3 hour door to door time cost and ~£70 for me, wife and child. Away games - You are looking at a minimum 5 hour time cost plus travel costs. Home or away you find yourself in the presence of urchins and pond life (amongst normal people).

Sky its 1.5 hours and done. Comfort of your own home and you see more detail too.

In the past I used to think that there is nothing like feeling the atmosphere at the game. I remember one evening game 2008 at Knowsley Road*, we took a big following. It was absolutely electric. Palpable nerves and excitement, goose bumps. 6 points up with 20 mins to go, was the hoodoo going to end? Same for the playoff win away at Saints more recently. But those games are few and far between.

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=4URMCaGBY8c

Could be worse, you could live 70 odd miles away

In truth it would have to be a special game for me to make a 140 mile round trip. My days of doing that for a regular league game are long gone.

20 years at the HJ?
Can only be described as a soulless, sanitised , sterile good money after bad money flop with a total loss of mojo regards Warrington identity.
Even the species are plastics, no characters.
We’ve gone nowhere in that time.
Can you think of any 20 year period in the Widerspool era , all things considered, that was worse than the last 20 years at the Car Shop.

I do hope this is a joke?

The plastic scouser is back in one of their many guises, can’t say you’ve been missed.

Won’t come close to Wilderspool even in another 20 years.

It's a really interesting point.

The last few years at Wilderspool were similar. I remember some fantastic atmospheres in the games against big teams going back to the Allan Langer era. The match day atmosphere was better - and this is nothing to do with off-pitch entertainment / match day experience, the fans were absorbed in the excitement of the game. I think the early to mid 2000s were a high point for Super League in general and maybe we rode off the back of that. It was similar in terms of internationals, back then I used to always go to GB test matches and there would be some great atmospheres in the games against the Aussies and Kiwis.

I obviously enjoyed the Tony Smith era with us winning 3 Challenge Cups and for three years being within touching distance of Grand Final winners. But in those years we didn't seem to have the same edge in the stadium, even in the big games against Wigan or when we finally started beating Saints.

When was the turning point? I think the peak HJ atmosphere had already passed by the end of the Cullen era. It was at its best from around 2004-07.

I think fan involvement in sport has generally waned in the last 10+ years. It’s almost like fans are inhibited from getting involved. The atmosphere at the Premier League stadiums for example seems to be more muted unless it’s a clash between major rivals.
Stadium design has played its part, so at Wilderspool the chanting came from behind the sticks and the sound carried up to the opposite end so fans along the side could hear and get involved. Now it goes side to side and if you’re at the end it sounds like the away fans are noisier.
I do think there is a lot of rose tinted nostalgia going on though. It was common at Wilderspool to be able to hear a lone voice shouting very clearly (sometimes wittily often not).

I think so too, but I cannot say I have experienced anything like the WWIII game atmosphere (for example) at the HJ. The atmosphere was crackling.

Agreed but the Joey Johns debut was pretty wild!

I was there for that WW3. Right under the camera in the small Snookers stand. Joey johns game too. They were very atmospheric.
The most atmospheric games I’ve been away from Wilderspool, was at Maine Road, yes, that drop goal one.
The most atmospheric game at home for me, was the 1/4 final CC vs Hull RLFC, yes, that Billy Thompson, disallowed 5 tries one.

That was pure corruption. The crowd were baying for Thompson's head on a pole at the end.

A lad next to me ran on the pitch to get Thompson, but 2 copper got him.
Thompson had a police escort off the pitch and also to his car.

Wilderspool was rocking when we played the Lancashire Cup Semi Final versus Widnes, when they were the dominant team in the League and was one of the noisiest crowds that I recall.

The tackle by Paul Derbyshire to prevent a certain try when Offiah was on a break, with only Derby. to beat, is still one of the best one-on-one tackles that I have seen by a Wire player.

That was one of the first games I remember going to and one that cemented me as being hooked on rugby league.

Widnes had just won the WCC against Canberra the week before and we dominated them.

We were top of the league at that point. We'd signed Greg Mackey at the start of the season and he started on fire. We beat Wigan at Central Park first game of the season. We were top of the league when we beat Widnes in that semi final and the next week we beat Oldham and won the Lancashire Cup. I'd only been watching for a couple of months and already saw Wire win a trophy and sitting top of the league.

Then Greg Mackey left and joined Hull and the season fell to pieces. We went on a shocking run through that dark winter. I remember it being the same time as Manchester United were going through a terrible run in the era Fergie nearly got sacked and Jim Leighton was garbage. Like United, we saved our season by getting to Wembley but unlike United we couldn't get the win.