Latics v Burnley Saturday 27th August

Warriors v Saints Friday 26th August

This will test the waters

EW

Just a bit! I wouldn’t be surprised if Latics is brought forward to an early kick off as well at the request of the police.

29th July - Rugby v Hull KR
30th July - Football v Preston

It's either been agreed by both parties that it's not an issue or the rugby will be moved to Thursday/Sunday. Presuming the Saints game would end up as Thursday TV game as listings don't go that far yet I don't think.

Also at home 10th and 17th September for potential playoff ties.

Yay...

Not only do we not play at home for 2 months, but now our biggest home game of the season might be moved to another day. Oh and there might be issues with our playoffs.

Hey, but at least the rent is favourable right. It's not like we're in the race for the top 2 or anything, or that finishing 3rd will mean supporters have to pay out for another trip to France Vs a potential home game...

We're the absolute laughing stock of the league when it comes to our ground.

I also hate the fact that rain is wet.

What's the point in ranting about something you can't change, unless of course you're prepared to pay for a new ground out of your own pocket?

Because that's our job as fans. Some don't see it that way, but if you're invested in something then it isn't all about happy clapping and pretending everything is rosey when it isn't. You praise the good (oh which there's loads) and call out the bad.

Imo the stadium situation is detrimental to the club and not fitting for one of the world's premier RL teams.

Lets face it if the Latics get us to move our fixture against Saints then they obviosly dont want us to play at the DW.We have had no home fixtures for the last 3 months and if they move the Saints fixture which is our biggest gate of the season money wise and scheduled for SKY .I would sooner us go to share with Leigh or Saints.Our fixtures were in before the Tics so should have been worked around.

It's also playing into the hands of those groups of Latics fans (not all of their fans, by the way) and oddball RL fans who seem to define themselves by highlighting Wigan's failures.

They've been forecasting our demise for decades now, and yet still, with the odd fallow period in between, we've gone from one victory to the next, leaving them with nothing to crow about but that imaginary day in the future when we're suddenly going to get thrown out with no recourse in law available.

The current ownership have done everything in their power to secure us a good deal at the current stadium. They even tried to purchase it, but were thwarted by forces beyond their control. I'd agree that it's wrong for us. Neither us nor Latics will ever fill it adequately enough or regularly enough to make it a viable option in the ultra long-term. But until such time as Latics fall apart again and Wigan RL are able to buy it at a knockdown price (and then maybe, at last, will have other options), we're stuck with it.

And complaining bitterly does nothing. The creators of this situation are long gone. So, no one's listening.

Call me a 'happy clapper' if you want, but it's pretty pathetic if you don't mind me saying. There's a lot to clap about at present if you're a Wigan RL fan, but it now seems to have become the go-to insult for anyone who tries to recognise the reality of this situation. Remember also, that as a term of disdain it was invented by some of the worst so-called fans this club has ever had, most of whom have long been banished from this forum, so adopting their lingo is hardly a good look.

If the clubs seriously want to work together here then get the games on and don’t move them and work together to try and make it the first time ever the stadium has been full on 2 consecutive days. There is an animosity between a percentage of fans but there are also many who support both clubs. Put some sort of offer on for a double up ticket.

The pitch has had it’s rest now and if there was ever a time it could handle back to back games, it’s in the summer. Sadly I think we’ll just request the Thursday Sky game to avoid issues and it’ll probably knock 5,000 off the gate.

This has little to do with the past, or for me it does, and everything to do with what you want the club to be. One that doesn't play at home for long periods (potentially), or has to move big games or playoffs.

The happy clapper comment, I agree, gets booted around too much but it is relevant. There are people on here (real fans who I respect btw), who will tell you, until they are blue in the face, that renting the stadium is a good thing. IL himself says the same and I just don't understand their point - especially in situations like this. So what is it? Just go along with it even if you don't believe it?

I'll say it again, part of being a fan or actually giving a about something you care about isn't all about just praising or saying yes. Congratulate the good, but call out the bad and call BS when something isn't adding up too.

So what do you suggest Sgt Pepper?

Spend the £15m+ to build a new ground (as quoted by IL) which will be a debt around our necks for 30+ years, or continue paying a pittance to play at a decent stadium?

Hopefully the new Latics regime are happy to pay staff to work late and it isn't an issue going forward.

Guess what though - we play the same number of away games as everyone else does. Personally ,I think playing most of our home games at the business end of the season actually works as an advantage to us.

Almost certain to be televised so it's what day Sky want it to be played that'll be the key, it's the play-off dates clashing (if we're at home) that's more of a concern

I agree it isnt a good situation but it is the situation we are in and we can only do the best with what we have got.
The best thing we as fans can do is show up in ever increasing numbers and p*ss the bad latics fans off and get more money into the warriors bank account and who knows we could one day when the tics implode yet again we could buy the stadium or build our own.
Crying about it will not change a thing,back the club and things could change.

A bit of realism perhaps and a bit of honesty? My OP was slightly tongue in cheek in that some people truly believe the deal we have is good and that owning a stadium is bad.

PS, when I win that £122m on Friday's euromills I'll sort the stadium out

the Saints game will be moved to the Thursday because football ALWAYS is more important than rugby

Tell us how the deal is bad then. What issues do we have aside from occasionally moving games? Is it 2 we have played away from home since 1999? So one every 11.5 years. (considerably less than Saints have had to play away in that time BTW)

Are you actually being serious, or on the windup?

We don't own a stadium - how is that good? See the post above from NK who mentions/suggests that our biggest game of the season could be on a Thursday and the potential impact that will have on the gate.

We rightly talk about numbers through the gate and how we need more. The club could get a decent crowd tomorrow night and should be applauded for their efforts, sadly tho it could be taken away with the potential reduction Vs Saints. How is that good?

We send fans to Robin Park (a place I like btw) pre-match, but some still go in the SS bar. Obviously the club want them at RP as it makes more money. Would it not be better to house them in a stadium we own?

And if it is me I will aswell,
Cant fail at this rate

This is not aimed at you in particular - or Conroy etc.

But it is what it is
Trust me - there are a couple of people on this forum who know quite a bit about the ground situation, what went on through Latics administration, what the councils position would be on any new ground etc. & what the terms of the previous deal were and what has been agreed moving forward

But the simple fact is this
The people who own our club currently believe with ALL the information available it is the best solution currently to have a ground share with whatever deal they have agreed
Unless any of us have ALL of that info our opinions are nothing more than opinions not based on facts

I am 100% sure that both CEO's will have had these conversations prior to the EFL fixtures being announced, and preliminary agreements & options will have been discussed.
Maybe we will need to move a game or 2 to another night, maybe we won't
Maybe we will play back to back, maybe we won't
etc. etc.

The previous regime were losing nearly 1.5million a year running the stadium - I would suggest that's 1 reason why it wouldn't be good to own the stadium - Maybe owning it we could cut costs, make it work to our advantage etc. etc. who knows

What I will say is that given the current financial situation and spiralling utilities etc. I wouldn't want to own it.

Anyway

I'm sure there will be an announcement soon, I won't be too worried what it is, I'll just get on with enjoying watching the games rather than speculating and worrying about Hypotheticals

It is what it is. Clearly, in the short term, there is no alternative, and that doesn't sound so awful, especially in the current economic climate. And in the long-term, who knows?

There are actually more sporting clubs that don't own their own stadium than you would think and one of the big reasons is that the cost that it takes to maintain them and the fact that for the majority of the time they are empty or only a small section is being used.

There have been multiple improvements to the stadium over the last few weeks according to Latics, and WRL will have paid the square root of zero towards the majority if not all of them yet they get to utilise every one of them to their own advantage.

Owning a stadium is not the be all and end all (see the reasons for leaving CP as evidence)

The stadium used to lose money hand over fist. The upkeep costs alone are staggering, and that's before idiots smash windows, break seats or a bit of bad weather rips the pitch apart.

You don't know any then?

The date the Saints game is played isn't even in our hands to begin with. If Sky decide they want it Thursday for viewing figures then it's Thursday whether we own the stadium, the town or the RFL.