Hatred from Latics fans

[NICKYKISS]

It’s a shame that the relationship seems worse than ever and I support both clubs, so it’s frustrating.

Unfortunately an element of Latics fans saw Lenagans attempts to buy the stadium as him trying to kill them off, when in my opinion it was the complete opposite. They spread that around and even some sensible Latics fans I know believe it to be the truth, so it’s been easy to convince the ones who share a brain cell.

Lenagan didn’t want/couldn’t afford to run the football club but by buying the stadium he would’ve put money in to Latics pockets and then hopefully a new buyer would’ve been happy to not have a money losing stadium weighing them down.

Sadly you won’t change many Latics fans minds on what Lenagan was trying to do. The new owner/chairman is trying to everything in his power to be popular and I can only see the wedge between the fan bases growing.

[EagleEyePie]

Some fans just love a narrative that everyone is against them, even if it isn't true. It's a great myth and a great way of having an excuse if things go wrong and making things seem more impressive when things go right. Even fans of other clubs don't really hate Latics outside the usual local and competitive rivalries (except Barnsley for some reason) so maybe evil rugby club is the only narrative these fans have.

Ian Lenagan has always been positive towards Latics and genuinely wants closer ties between the clubs. The rivalry itself is stupid but there are enough people willing to buy into the myth that he wants to kill them off that closer ties are very unlikely.

I've seen people say his attempts to buy the stadium are proof that he wanted to get rid of Latics but that's pure tinfoil hat stuff. It just wouldn't be affordable to operate the stadium without them. Making an offer for the stadium was simply the only sensible option as owner of the other club that plays there to minimise the uncertainty. I think the administrators at the time were right in turning the offer down and the eventual sale of the club vindicates that and that's all there is to it. No secret plan to kill off Latics (the conspiracy theorists love to throw the council into these dastardly plans too). Just a horrible time for one of the town's teams and the owner of the other trying to minimise the impact it has on the them.

I'm sure the conspiracy theorists also think the attempt to find an investor to buy the club was another evil plan to kill them off. Latics struggling doesn't help Wigan RL in any way and even if Ian Lenagan had no care in the world for the football team even as a businessman he wouldn't want them to be anything other than successful.

Not that the dumb rivalry doesn't go in the other direction too. I've known plenty of RL fans who hate Latics simply for being a football club, which is as petty as it gets. Thankfully I didn't see many fans finding joy in Latics' recent struggles. I doubt if the shoe was on the other foot the football fans would be quite so kind but that's because the conspiracies have already taken hold.

[Midas]

How can you say it would put money into Latics pockets? Money from the sale of the stadium would have gone straight to the administrator. It would have left Latics with no assets and under those circumstances nobody would have bought them. It would have effectively finished them as a club ,they would have had to start again at the bottom of the pyramid. Mr Leneghen must have known this but still decided to press on. That is why Latics fans were fuming with him …. Good luck for the new season !

[Mike1993]

Yeah I've seen people make digs out the council because we have moved into Robin Park and it is showing favouritism. I am not 100% certain what the details are but weren't we given the lease on the condition that the rugby club payed for it's up keep? Additionally the council gave some offices to Latics at Robin Park a few months but they don't seem to mention that.

I'd love to know where this idea has come from that the council hates Latics, I have spoken to a few Latics fans who I can actually have a decent conversation with and even they don't know where it's come from. It just seems to be a loud minority who like to pick fights with anyone and now that they've had a go at Warriors and the council they've now turned on the Wigan Evening Post for something they printed 20 years.

I really have no grudge against Latics, I used to go fairly regularly when I was a kid and I've actually considered going again a few times, especially when they were in administration, to put money into the club but the behaviour of some of their fans puts me off.

[Gaznier]

They don't really have a big Important rivalry in football..they say its bolton but I know quite a few bolton fans and they don't really care about them.

So they try and make this so called rivalry with the rugby something it's not.

[widdenoldboy]

How can you say it would put money into Latics pockets? Money from the sale of the stadium would have gone straight to the administrator. It would have left Latics with no assets and under those circumstances nobody would have bought them. It would have effectively finished them as a club ,they would have had to start again at the bottom of the pyramid. Mr Leneghen must have known this but still decided to press on. That is why Latics fans were fuming with him …. Good luck for the new season !

Because it would?
Surely that would apply whover bought the ground?

[NICKYKISS]

How can you say it would put money into Latics pockets? Money from the sale of the stadium would have gone straight to the administrator. It would have left Latics with no assets and under those circumstances nobody would have bought them. It would have effectively finished them as a club ,they would have had to start again at the bottom of the pyramid. Mr Leneghen must have known this but still decided to press on. That is why Latics fans were fuming with him …. Good luck for the new season !

This is what is being peddled around by an element of Latics fans and it just makes no sense. I’m a Latics fan, so I’ve no reason to be all defensive. The stadium loses money and not having that tied around a perspective new buyers neck could well have tempted more people to the table (granted it may have pushed some away as well). The club still owns Christopher Park, so they would still have had some assets and they’d have still had a stadium to play in.

It’s simply a spin on the truth by the minority to keep the fire burning on the ‘we hate Wigan Rugby’ agenda.

I’m delighted with how things have turned out for Latics and the new owners have got almost everything absolutely spot on. The decision to stick with Leam Richardson, the appointments of guys like Brannigan to run the club and the playing recruitment has been excellent but Talal’s attempts to win a popularity contest by listening to the loud majority regards the Rugby club has been poor judgment IMO. I know it’s put off some guys I know, who are rugby fans first and Latics fans second, from bothering with the football anymore.

[Midas]

How can you say it would put money into Latics pockets? Money from the sale of the stadium would have gone straight to the administrator. It would have left Latics with no assets and under those circumstances nobody would have bought them. It would have effectively finished them as a club ,they would have had to start again at the bottom of the pyramid. Mr Leneghen must have known this but still decided to press on. That is why Latics fans were fuming with him …. Good luck for the new season !

This is what is being peddled around by an element of Latics fans and it just makes no sense. I’m a Latics fan, so I’ve no reason to be all defensive. The stadium loses money and not having that tied around a perspective new buyers neck could well have tempted more people to the table (granted it may have pushed some away as well). The club still owns Christopher Park, so they would still have had some assets and they’d have still had a stadium to play in.

It’s simply a spin on the truth by the minority to keep the fire burning on the ‘we hate Wigan Rugby’ agenda.

I’m delighted with how things have turned out for Latics and the new owners have got almost everything absolutely spot on. The decision to stick with Leam Richardson, the appointments of guys like Brannigan to run the club and the playing recruitment has been excellent but Talal’s attempts to win a popularity contest by listening to the loud majority regards the Rugby club has been poor judgment IMO. I know it’s put off some guys I know, who are rugby fans first and Latics fans second, from bothering with the football anymore.

Why does it make no sense ? Mr Leneghen tried to split the stadium and Latics as a club. Had he tried to buy both he would have been seen as Latics saviour . Thankfully ,the administrator insisted Latics and the stadium should not be sold separately because they knew the precarious position that would put Latics in.It’s not a spin on the truth ,it is the truth and there needs to be some acceptance on the Warriors part that they were in the wrong. Maybe then some of the wounds between these two great clubs can be healed and we can move forward together. I can assure you there is no ‘we hate Wigan Rugby agenda’.

[Fizz Bomb]

From what l can remember from the time of moving to the stadium, it originally was owned by neither clubs but a shared ground owned by a separate holding company. Wigan Warriors had about £9 million in the bank from the sale of Central Park. If any of this went towards the building of the ground l don’t know. Wigan Council didn’t offer the site to either Wigan Warriors or Wigan Athletic independently, but only as a shared ground. As l have no interest at all in football l missed when Wigan Athletic assumed sole ownership.

Wigan Athletic as a club do seem to have a rather large chip on their shoulder and unfortunately seem to keep having to prove they are the dominant of the two clubs, and that it’s their ground when we should be working together for mutual benefit of both. After all is said and done we both represent the same town and we have played at the ground for 25 — 30 years.

[NICKYKISS]

How can you say it would put money into Latics pockets? Money from the sale of the stadium would have gone straight to the administrator. It would have left Latics with no assets and under those circumstances nobody would have bought them. It would have effectively finished them as a club ,they would have had to start again at the bottom of the pyramid. Mr Leneghen must have known this but still decided to press on. That is why Latics fans were fuming with him …. Good luck for the new season !

This is what is being peddled around by an element of Latics fans and it just makes no sense. I’m a Latics fan, so I’ve no reason to be all defensive. The stadium loses money and not having that tied around a perspective new buyers neck could well have tempted more people to the table (granted it may have pushed some away as well). The club still owns Christopher Park, so they would still have had some assets and they’d have still had a stadium to play in.

It’s simply a spin on the truth by the minority to keep the fire burning on the ‘we hate Wigan Rugby’ agenda.

I’m delighted with how things have turned out for Latics and the new owners have got almost everything absolutely spot on. The decision to stick with Leam Richardson, the appointments of guys like Brannigan to run the club and the playing recruitment has been excellent but Talal’s attempts to win a popularity contest by listening to the loud majority regards the Rugby club has been poor judgment IMO. I know it’s put off some guys I know, who are rugby fans first and Latics fans second, from bothering with the football anymore.

Why does it make no sense ? Mr Leneghen tried to split the stadium and Latics as a club. Had he tried to buy both he would have been seen as Latics saviour . Thankfully ,the administrator insisted Latics and the stadium should not be sold separately because they knew the precarious position that would put Latics in.It’s not a spin on the truth ,it is the truth and there needs to be some acceptance on the Warriors part that they were in the wrong. Maybe then some of the wounds between these two great clubs can be healed and we can move forward together. I can assure you there is no ‘we hate Wigan Rugby agenda’.

He’d have been seen as a saviour, really?! You and I know a good majority of the loud minority didn’t want him anywhere near it, with some even saying they’d rather Latics go to the wall. And praise for the administrators?! I’ve heard it all now. They were called not fit to burn by every single Wigan Athletic fan.

Acceptance by Wigan Warriors they were in the wrong? It was Ian Lenagan looking to buy the stadium, you do realise that? He isn’t Wigan Warriors, in the same way that the old Chinese owners at Latics weren’t Wigan Athletic. It’s not like he was in the wrong anyway, he tried to buy a stadium to safeguard both clubs future but he hasn’t the money to run the football club. Would you have preferred he bought the club and Latics have ended up falling further down the leagues?

As I say it’s the new line being peddled by the Latics fan base that want to keep this ridiculous Ill feeling between the clubs going strong and in fairness to them, it’s working a treat. To seemingly have Talal Al Hammad on board with it all is as laughable as it is sad.

I just try to ignore it most of the time because it’s pointless. There are fans on both sides who won’t let it lie and never will.