Wigans fan base is pathetic

[Skashion]

Wigan are a small club in a rugby town and are punching well above their weight. Fair play to them.

They're punching above their weight because of Dave Whelan's cash injection which took them from being a non-league club for most of their history, then in the fourth flight, to the Premier League. I find it hard to believe they'd have managed that transformation without Dave Whelan's cash injection. Ditto Fulham and Al Fayed - although they'd at least been a top flight club very briefly in their history once before. I'd much rather have the non-steroid clubs.

I don't really get why anyone would have animosity towards a club like Wigan. Unless it is just a need to take the opposite view from most people for the sake of it?

Whelan didn't take them from being a non league club. They joined the league in 1978 after finally overcoming the ridiculous old boys network that was in operation. It was the 35th time they had applied to join the league. Whelan didn't take over until the mid 90's and of course his injection of cash played a big part in their ability to climb the leagues. I can still recall the interview on Granada Reports when he vowed to take them to the Premier League within 10 years. Everyone thought he was either off his fucking rocker or just talking shite for a bit of self publicity. But he did it. I certainly don't particularly like him. Even less so after this week. But he did exactly what he said he was going to do and you've got to give him credit for that.

It's not as if he has spent ridiculous money either, by football standards. I can think of at least three or four lower league clubs who have spent a lot more in a lot shorter space of time to try and achieve what Wigan have and not even come close.

Kind of a bit ironic that a City fan is criticising Wigan for spending money at this point in our history too.

In my life time, Wimbledon and Wigan are the two clubs that have risen from non league to the top. If they win on Saturday and Chelsea turn us over, I would love to see them emulate Wimbledon and go from non league to Cup Winners. It is what football should be all about and with each passing year, becomes more and more unlikely it will ever happen again.

I have answered why I have animosity quite clearly, because, I'm supporting those non-rich clubs who've missed out because of Fulham and Wigan. Two Premier League places have been denied to other clubs for the past ten years and I see no justification for it.

It's not ironic, I've answered that too quite clearly but I will answer it again even more clearly. The Champions League places have been monopolised by a self-perpetuating oligarchy through Champions League cash. It was an oligarchy established by luck - who happened to be a top club at the time. Had it happened in the 1970s, City would have been one of those clubs. In the 1980s, Everton would have been one of those clubs. There was certainly no reason for Chelsea to be one of those clubs, but they were, because they were in the right place at the right time. When the Champions League got extended to four places. It used to be the case that only one team got into the Champions League, the champions funnily enough, and the money was not as lucrative either. Once the money started becoming lucrative, this meant that the money could used to sustain their league position, and the extension out to four places meant that there was effectively an insurance policy which meant even if a former champion had a really bad season and dropped as low as 4th, that was still ok because they'd have enough money to try to progress the following season. It didn't used to be that way. This is what led to the big four and between 2004 and 2009, the big four utterly dominated, with only Everton breaking the dominance, who didn't get a big pot of money from the Champions League because they didn't make the group stage and hence couldn't progress the following season. There was no way to get in except by money. We had to do it. It was the only way in. The same is not true of getting in the Premier League. 45 clubs have been in the Premier League in its history. Plenty of clubs have done it the right way. This is why I frown on the two clubs (three with QPR) who've done it the wrong way. They are simply taking up space of the non-rich clubs. If they'd done a Wimbledon, I'd have high praise for them, but they didn't. I don't criticise Swansea who've had the same journey but without the steroid cash injection. I'm not telling them to get out of the way to make way for Leeds or Forest or even Burnley or Blackpool. They earned their place. Trying to make out like I'm bashing a small club because it's a small club is appallingly dishonest and has been suggested three times on this thread that this shows rag-like arrogance but it doesn't because that is not what I'm doing.

-- Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:56 am --

Clubs like City and Chelsea have taken up two Champions League places that could have gone to clubs who'd done it without money from a rich investor.

That's essentially what your saying, and no I don't think your a rag.

I've answered this twice now, I'm not going to again.

Oh, and a further point to add for anyone who thinks my argument is mightily convenient, look at how I've utterly condemned the FFP and how it attempts to lock the door to other clubs. I believe in keeping the door open to let other clubs do what we've done. UEFA has attempted to slam it shut and I've criticised them for it every step of the way.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

They have a small fan base who cares.

And a small-minded chairman.

 

[ell]

Rather have 20k proper fans than 20k bandwagoners like Millwall (average attendance 9k this season)


Wigans fan base is small because its a small rugby town, and on a match day you will see 5x united shirts for every 1x wigan one

 

[west didsblue]

Burnley, small-town team, sold out its allocation at Wembley? Yes.
Blackpool, small-town team, sold out its allocation at Wembley? Yes, or nearly so anyway.

Why? Because these clubs are historical league clubs. They have fanbases which enable them to do it. My critics on this thread, who now seem determined to call me a rag, are acting as if the likes of Wigan and Fulham have done no harm but they have. Those clubs, with their cash injections, have taken up two Premier League spaces that could have gone to clubs who'd done it without money from a rich investor. I'm supporting the non-rich smaller clubs. How does that make me a rag exactly?

It doesn't make you a rag. You just have the arrogant air of someone who knows he's right and refuses to consider anyone elses point of view whilst belittling anyone who disagrees with you.

 

[drthingy]

im making up some numbers in the wigan end with a few wigan ath mates.
(if it hadnt been for my uncle taking me to city in the early nineties I may well have fallen that way). 2 wembley trips in a weekend should be fun.

I like wigan only thing I dont like is the hatred towards wigan rugby. I know its all to do with the history of the two clubs and how there were financial issues with the council. if they could get over that and both the rugby and football fans combined ie with joint season tickets etc their fan base would swell and would attract bigger sponsors.

I dont know anyone who regularly watches both wigan teams regularly which I find a little sad.

 

[ali benarbia's studs]

OP stop worrying about others and their financial priorities!!! best of luck to wigan and whoever makes it down to support them.

 

[tidyman]

I have answered why I have animosity quite clearly, because, I'm supporting those non-rich clubs who've missed out because of Fulham and Wigan. Two Premier League places have been denied to other clubs for the past ten years and I see no justification for it.

I apologise for asking questions similar to those you'd answered. This was because I was writing my post in between doing a bit of work and several posts were posted in between me starting and finishing it.

I still don't really understand your point though as it seems to all be based on Wigan being a rich club. Which by just about any critera except for yours, they quite clearly aren't.

They probably spent above average than the clubs they were competing with in the 3rd and 4th Divisions during Whelan's early years but not to the point that it was particularly noticeable. Much of their success came from buying three unknown Spaniards who were widely predicted to be straight back on the plane to Spain when they realised what the rough and tumble of the English lower leagues were like. One of those Spaniards is of course back there doing a pretty decent job of keeping them in the top division with nowhere near the money that most of their competitors have.

I've no problem with you not liking Wigan. It just seems a bit odd to me that the primary reason for your dislike seems to be that they are holding back "non rich clubs." But fuck it. Everyone to their own.

 

[Bowser]

This game should be being held in birmingham for starters.

Wigan shot themselves right in the foot by making tickets only on sale to fans with a past purchase history with the club -as I tried to buy one in their end- am all for anyone playing against millwall.

 

[Churchill123]

This game should be being held in birmingham for starters.

Wigan shot themselves right in the foot by making tickets only on sale to fans with a past purchase history with the club -as I tried to buy one in their end- am all for anyone playing against millwall.

Seems strange policy in this instant when it would significantly limit the number of fans who could potentially go to the game

 

[Cellarite]

Oh, and a further point to add for anyone who thinks my argument is mightily convenient, look at how I've utterly condemned the FFP and how it attempts to lock the door to other clubs. I believe in keeping the door open to let other clubs do what we've done. UEFA has attempted to slam it shut and I've criticised them for it every step of the way.

You're saying that it's alright for a decent sized Premier League club to recieve the funds to climb into the Champions League and it's alright for a historically big club to spend their way back to the Premier League but not for a small club to recieve the funding to climb the leagues. Just how do you decide how big a club are? Is it trophies, average attendances over 100 years or what? If you're against FFP, it can only be because you want to leave the door open for any club to get themselves to their own promised land, not just the clubs who get your blessing.