Anyone who is that bothered by the "potential for trouble" should stay at home with Stevo and Eddie

Hardly a constructive reply.

In a derby like this, there's always the possibility of trouble, and putting both home and away fans in the same stand will only increase the likelihood of this happening.

I've been to every grouond in the league in the last 2 years, and the only one where I've had grief off the home fans is at wire. Not all fans will act like that, and the majority go for the rugby, but if you get some idiots spoiling for a fight mixing in the stand after a day on the ale then people are right to be concerned.

Well thats because I really don't see the problem.

It's all if and but

Am not even sure you would sell the 3,200 or 3,500 tickets for it going off what that Leigh fan said.

Saints pack out that stand year after year with Wire fans in the corner of it near to the South and have never read anything about trouble.

Idiot

All im saying is the best way to avoid and prevent trouble is by seperating fans, never said we should actually do it, i for one like the banter with rival fans. I just hope it stays at that.

trouble is our sport then becomes too much like wendy ball we should be grown up enough to mingle and have the banter and not drink to the excess where it makes you larey thats speaking about both sets of fans

I was in the west stand last year and there was no trouble both sets of fans mixed. One wiganer sang a derisory chant about mathers and all the wiganers laughed. We sang one back about gleeson and suddenly this big wiganer got a bit funny,telling us to stop chanting about wigan players,and stood there staring at us trying to intimidate us,but in actual fact he was just making himself look stupid,and his own mates told him so!

You should be able to mix with the home/away ends its RL at the end of the day the so called family game. I can remember standing at the away end at wilderspool with plenty of room round me just wondering what percentage of our fans went wire often when at wilderspool i would say alot less than go today

Look we all go to watch the match win or lose there will always be somebody who's had too much ale and thinks he's rocky put 14k people together anywhere and its likely you'll get trouble. Enjoy the match sing your hearts out for 80mins, win or lose retain a sense of humour there's no titles being given out on saturday. Look forward to the next game thats why we keep coming back.

Warrington Fan in "It's Not Wire's Fault it was Wigan Fans" Shocker!



You want to try being a Wigan fan and putting up with your lot!

Unfortunately i feel come Sunday/Monday we could well have a thread on here with a bitter title to it re Saturdays game (off the pitch).. this really is a crazy idea, having been to every superleague ground many times the only ground i ever sense crowd trouble is with Warrington fans im afraid..

I've never felt intimidated or in danger of any trouble at any ground in superleague. Maybe i've just been lucky but I could never understand it when people used to say they wouldn't go to the Boulevard at Hull due to a fear of the Hull fans kicking off. I've certainly never felt in any sort of danger at Wire but again I may just have been lucky.

Now going watching Latics at places like Burnley, Stoke and even Millwall that was a different story.........

Never had trouble with wigan fans , home or away

Thinking about it the Wire fans being inside the Wigan end isnt really a big issue, yes it will add to the bitter atmosphere that is produced when two rival fans clash.

But its outside the stadium which is the concern, Wire fans do have a reputation for being the most idiotic in Superleague, maybe its the culture and background of the town that causes this. But its the only ground in Superleague that you dont feel welcomed too or that you have to look over your shoulder when you are heading for a few pre match beers. Last season a few Wigan fans had glasses thrown at them whilst walking back through the town centre to the train station. Now where else would you get this welcoming hospitality.

Walking out of the stadium last season i was having some banter with the wire fans, which was great, but when you get some fatty coming too close and shouting in your face its only natural to react back.

Nothing like stoking the fire is there ...

I'm just glad that the train station is only 200yds from the stadium. Having said that I remember a couple of years ago standing on the platform back to Liverpool getting verbally abused by some wire chavs looking for a fight on the other platform. As soon as they heard it kicking off outside one of the pubs they legged it down (could well have been the incident Hogan is talking about). It's these so called "fans" that let everyone else down at put opposition fans on edge when going to certain grounds. Having said that I remember standing at North Western waiting for the train to Liverpool after a derby and being the only two wigan fans with about 50 saints fans. Needless to say there was lots of singinmg in our direction but never once did we feel threatened. I must admit I don't think i'd feel the same it were 50 wire fans because I'd get the feeling that one of them would try to kick off.

Spot on NK as usual

Its not West Ham v Millwall

I never witnessed trouble at the HJ in or around the game, so don't see much of a problem on Saturday.

There are idiots from both sets of supporters (particulary the large group of middle aged Wire supporters in the South stand who spend the majority of the game facing Wiganers and pointing & nodding to the exits to say ''me and you after the game'' and the 15 year old pre-pubescent Wiganers flicking the vee's back) but it's similar to Knowsley Road, people just keep theirselves to their theirselves. There isn't a hooligan group purposely going in the stand to cause a riot. Yes, there might be a few supporters who have had one too many and might have a verbal spat or a bit of handbags at the most, but all in all the vast majority are there to enjoy a good derby and will drown out a small minority of those who want to spoil it. There will be nothing going off or persisting that the stewards and a couple of Police officers can't handle.

I have been to the HJ plenty of times, as my firends are wire fans, I saw the incident last year which Hogan explained, the diffence with Warrington is that you have quite a few pubs close to the ground which you can't help but walk past when leaving the ground. People are spilling out onto the street from these pubs who haven't necessarily been to the game and are not proper rugby fans who are just looking for an excuse to kick off even if its just opposition fans singing their clubs songs! Sad I know.. but if you use your common sense you'll be fine. I go into the Kings Head(not the nicest of establishments) with my mates before and after each game at the HJ and Iv'e had no bother.

Give up.

Not good idea i dont think, but Wire fans will all go on the edges as they have done in the past.

You are right about both sets of fans having idiots but it will be more Wire as we are at home, but hopefully the club will be fully prepared for this with Police and stewards which i fully expect.

Just remember its all about the 2 pinters.

I never have any trouble at games. I've been going to Wire away games for 10 years now and i've never experienced any sort of trouble. I tend to go drinking in the Goose in Leigh or the Legh Arms in Newton before getting the bus down to the ground. Unless you go looking for trouble you more than likely will find no trouble.

I can't see there being any trouble, Wigan fans have usually left and sat at home before the final whistle most of the time

Where as Wire supporters stay for a further half an hour, venting their fustration and throwing season ticlets towards their coach.

Only against Saints

Never seen any trouble in the ground at HJ but then again we have never won there! Now I think a Wigan win sat coupled with a few wire idiots beered up and it will be different. Lets face it Wire are happy winning their cup final but to lose it will be different!