London game confirmed

[DaveO]

I've just read a good point made elsewhere.

Dave Whelan became hated for making us take a play off home game away and he at least had a reasonable excuse.

This is a bad idea doomed to achieve absolutely nothing.

Whilst it obviously doesn't suit us living up here, I still think it's an idea that deserves some credit. It's a big risk the club are taking in an attempt to try and grow the support base, the brand, the sponsorship and business links. Maybe it isn't what sport should be about and I'm not pleased about it either, but I see the merit in giving it a go in the environment sport note operates in.

Those might be the aims but why on earth do you think this will accomplish any of that?

No one is interested in RL in Millwall and few if any in London who aren't already converted to the sport will be remotely interested in a trip to Millwall so you can forget growing the supporter base.

I have no idea who he is trying to sell the brand to because as a brand it is so because it's rugby league club that is based in Wigan. Just what a business based down there can gain from association with a club 200 miles away I don't know and if they are a national company (such as Coral) then I also fail to see why you have to go and play a game in Millwall to court sponsorship when all your other games won't be anywhere near the place.

There is another aim you haven't mentioned that the club does which is uncovering new talent in the area which for me is most ludicrous of the lot given the vast amount of potential players the club has under its nose. It seems it wants to find potential players from outside the areas who have never played the game for the sake of it. What a waste of time that is when the effort could be better spent locally or finding a hidden gem from the NRL.

Also, the club earned an extra home game, the club have chosen to use it a different way. Only if we lose it and it costs us a top 4 place should we really get our nose out of shape, because this isn't a game we were guaranteed to have our paid for in our season ticket pricing in any case.

Many fans think, quite rightly in my view, that their support also helped earn this extra home game and having it taken away is a slap in the face. Not being guaranteed is neither here nor there. We got it so should have it at home.

[gruffy]

Great post Dave,

I cant for the life of me think who,other than Leneghans mates this match will appeal to down there.as others have said theres not much interest down there in this maybe if they let everyone in for free they'd attract some sort of crowd im not sure.

Of course there coud be 4 men a dog and a cat there and his PR machine would spin into action and proclaim what a success its been,i wonder (and i doubt wether there will be)theres crowd trouble down there,is that part of the plan to lure a blue chip company?maybe we should go after elastoplast if anything bad happens down there.

I dont see eeds or Saints giving up their hard won home advantage,cheering us on to go down and test the waters whie they and their fans enjoy the comforts of home

This smacks of nothing more than a vanity project for him,and while i applaud most of what hes done this is an uneeded distraction at a time after a patchy season we should garner any advantage whatsoever,the mind boggles it really does.

[nathan_rugby]

Lets say its a success and for whatever reason (cheap tickets, good advertising or rugby league fans) the stadium fills up.

What really is the impact going to be for Wigan RL? As its been said, because this is a sole Wigan initiative and not the RL, the idea behind it must be financial and to tap the talent pool.

How much impact can one or two away games in London away actually bring? What exactly is the bigger picture?

We are already dreadful away from home, this is only going to make matters worse.

[jobo]

Think overall, it's not that bad of an idea. Can understand the feeling against taking a game to London but the reasoning behind this move seems pretty sound.

Back in the day, when we were winning everything in sight, Rugby League wasn't that prominent in the south but Wigan, the rugby league side were quite well known. Even now, talk to southerners and when you mention Wigan, they nearly always mention the rugby and of course nowadays, Latics.

IL's idea is at least something that will raise the profile of brand "Wigan". It may only be slight but it might also eventually, be a raging success.

Seems to me that if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get what you always got, which in RL's case is a lack of finance and sponsorship and a poor national profile that holds the game back.

[jackdog]

Three questions:

1. If lots of 'Business Club' people all give the club lots of money, what would/could it be spent on? Not players, because of the SC.

2. Is this venture supposed to be beneficial to Wigan, or to RL in general, and if the latter, what part is the RFL playing in it?

3. Given our poor away record, what if we lose to Catalans and it costs us a top four place, or is the difference between a home and away semi-final?

[jackoh]

It just shows what IL thinks about our fans.

He s putting a game on in London not for the us but for a few blue chip companies .
The game itself is important to us , that we must win it ,
Remember Leigh , I do .

I can t believe we are risking a game in London , for such commercial advantages. I woundn`t mind but we don t travel very well .

It should be an home game MR Lenegan for the home side to have an advantage , where`s the advantage of playing at Millwall .

A club is down to down its supporters and not its OWNER ,
I can`t believe his arrogance to expect Wigan Supporters to travel to London for a home game .

[Suzieb]

Well said our thoughts exactly

[dontshootthemessenger]

I doubt that Millwall is the natural habitat of the corporates , they would feel much more at home at ,for example , QPR in West London , presuming that a Premiership ground was ruled out.

Perhaps they are looking to recruit some of the Millwall Bushwackers to beef up the pack

[lions den]

Just a question if this is a venture is a big success and we all go and support it and it really takes off do you think that this will be the last game we play in London ??

[i'm spartacus]

I've just read a good point made elsewhere.

Dave Whelan became hated for making us take a play off home game away and he at least had a reasonable excuse.

This is a bad idea doomed to achieve absolutely nothing.

No, Whelan had no excuse as there were ways of overcoming the issue like switching games around to suit supporters of both Wigan clubs.

Is the original point really that easy to completely miss