IL has always said that he wants the club to be self sufficient, so to that end the stadium will have to generate money. I've heard differing values of how much the stadium needs spending on it, varying between £3 million to £8 million. That will have to be first priority.
It has to be run as a business.
To that end I believe we need top people in the right positions to run it. Marketing seems to have gone backwards since Simon Collinson and Paul MacLeod left although I believe new people are now in place.

I don't think it will cost a little to put safe standing in. Comparing it to Celtic who have the 5th highest average football attendance in the U.K. is unreasonable.
If we did the same ratio Standing to seat conversion at Wigan it would remove around 1000 seats. It just isn't cost effective.

That's not being negative it's being realistic. You wouldn't go and buy a top of the range BMW when you have no idea what money is coming into your house would you? Especially in todays Covid world.

As for players, keep on investing in our youth systems has to be the priority and the back that up with bringing in the best that we can afford.

Nobody wants to see IL succeed more than I do.

1. How do we just clear a marquee spot? They're both taken by players under contract for 2021 and 2022.
2. Why on earth would Wade Graham give up playing Origin and for the Australian national side to fly round the world and play in a second rate competition? It's not like he will be on a low wage in the NRL

All that is aside from the fact we have quite clearly spent a lot of money securing Lockers' replacement on a marquee contract.

I've no doubt that IL will make the club self sufficient and that owning the stadium (in one way or another) will play a part in that. I'm sure he wants to leave a legacy of both on and off-field success and he's well on the way to achieving it.

I'm not sure why introducing standing isn't a cost effective option? I keep harping back to it, but ultimately something needs to be done to increase the atmosphere at the DW. One of my main gripes is that the only time the place comes alive is when it's full. The marketing dept will be the worlds best if they can get 25k on every week & let's face it it won't happen. Now reducing the capacity might hinder us financially Vs Saints, but that's only once or twice a year. I'd argue however that I would more than benefit us for the rest of the games & increase attendances overall.

Have we? How have we done that if the marquee spots are full?

Because Bateman took one of them. Next year's marquee players are G.Burgess and Bateman

I'm sure the club never confirmed his marquee status, but I'm probably wrong.

I was just using Wade Graham as an example,there is a massive list of players coming off contract in the NRL

A very good example IMO and a good replacement if/when Lockers retires, Graham is a proper old school 13, a big stand off/second rower.

Are we that desperate to have a player past his best and possibly injury problems as one of the marquee players?

Maybe not
But if he's got a 3 year contract and is one of the 2 highest earners then what do you do?

You seem to have a very simplistic logic and I've seen lots of people with this thought pattern, hes no good get rid.
Very simple when your not the one dealing with the contracts etc.

Grimmy was asked a question why we couldnt just go and sign a half million pound a year player just because we have a multi millionaire backer.
Hes given everyone a perfectly 100% reason.
Nest year the top 2 earners will be Bateman and Burgess (rightly or wrongly).

Buying anyone else will have a massive impact on the salary cap and squad numbers if we are to offer them the type of money it would need to sign an origin level player, assuming theyd want to come here when they can get that and more and still be eligible to play origin and OZ back in Australia.

Unless we get rid of 5 players to gain 1
And at that point I would say in a salary cap sport it would be suicide to do so.

And we are suddenly into Uncle Mo territory again

Yes paying four or five players over half the salary cap and having player(s) in the same team on £8.5K per year. Sounds like a plan, a bloody bad one!!!

Get rid of him as he only signed for Wigan for easy money and Wigan only signed him for the publicity of signing a Burgess brother who is in fact no longer in the same class as his twin brother Tom and more so retired brother Sam.

A shame as when they were younger, he was the better of the twins.

How?

You're either a troll, or slow.

How do you get rid of someone on a 3 year deal?

Ever heard of something called a contract on your planet?

I'd be surprised if he's heard of a lot of things

A lot of hate directed towards GB. The same level that Pat Richards had in his first season, though admittedly he wasn’t on the same level of salary.

Fact is he’s coming back from a bad injury. He needs time and leading up to the season postponement he was getting better and going well. People with their pitchforks out so early are, to be frank, ridiculous and short sighted.

It's not me who is out of touch on Burgess, just those who think that every player that Wigan sign is a good signing.
'
And to compare Pat Richards who was in his prime when he came to Wigan with a player who is near the end of his career, not been offered another contract by South Sydney or any other Aussie club who evidently no longer rate him, come with a bad injury and then given a three year contract is not good thinking on the part of the club and I am not the supporter saying it.

And supporters are entitled to express opinions on players signed by the club without the usual minute minority making snide comments about being on another planet or being a troll etc.

Until you keep dodging the question then you're a troll.

This has nothing to do with yours, or other fans thoughts on if he's a good signing. You said you'd get rid, but can't answer the question of how you'd do that when he's got a three year deal.

Ignoring contracts is out of touch with the reality of the situation.

Unfortunately, that's not the way it works. Just because it's your opinion that doesn't entitle you to 'protection' from people having different opinions.

Pat Richards was not in his prime when he came to Wigan at all. What was he, 24 maybe?

I wouldnt waste your breath. We should get rid of GB now and replace him with Robocop

And out of form too. Spent a bit of time in the reserves.

Don’t be so ridiculous. Address the point I made rather than making up straw man arguments you can agree with. I did not compare his tenure to DW’s. I said I don’t like one man owning the club regardless of if is DW or IL so a new stakeholder is a good thing. It’s a positive development.

Yet here you are coming out with nonsense saying it’s an insult to compare their stewardship which I didn’t do so you can have a pop which you obviously could not wait to do. It’s transparently obvious. Grow up.