Would you be offended if a stand was named after Stan Jackson ?

[Matthew]

im_a_cuckoo posted:
another season in the top flight and Latics will be debt-free.

My fingers are crossed for you!

[Fraggle]

im_a_cuckoo posted:
Oh dear, should we formally put the myth about the JJB being anything other than a football ground to bed now? This is a report from 'The Bolton News' from May 1997.

And we all know that newspapers print the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, m'lud.

The JJB Stadium is a property owned by one of Dave Whelan's companies, that he leases out for the use of other of Dave Whelan's companies. If he had wanted Orrell to play there, and had they been in a position to attract crowds of more than a couple of dozen, then I strongly suspect they would have been playing there as well. History can't change which club he owned first, but there's nothing in that newspaper story that states conclusively that the stadium is currently for primary use of the soccer club with the other tenants being below them in terms of priority. That *may* have been the original intention, but at the time DW only had one team so it was hardly an issue.

[Matthew]

If DW had no interest in Wigan RL - then why does he appear at press conferences for the team?

[ancientnloyal]

It doesnt matter anyway, soon we will be renaming it the SPORTS WORLD stadium.

Yes, we have finally invaded Wigan Town centre, the UKs fastest growing sports retailer. Already making profits x4 larger than JJB.

The shop opens on the 22nd (thursday). I did interviews for potential SPORTS WORLD staff on saturday and almost all of the kids used to work at JJb or the stadium. Its a shame the company is slowly dieing.

Off topic, just gloating at an anti-JJB moment.

[im_a_cuckoo]

Matthew posted:
there's nothing in that newspaper story that states conclusively that the stadium is currently for primary use of the soccer club

Whoa! How far do you want to bury your head in the sand? It says, "Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan is pressing ahead wih his plans to build a 25,000-seater stadium at Robin Park. [If you look up other stories around this time, he's constantly talking about his desire to see Latics in the Premier League and needing the stadium to match]

Meanwhile, at this precise moment in time, Robinson and Rathbone wanted Wigan RL to groundshare in Horwich with Bolton Wanderers.

If they'd have allowed Whelan to up his offer, they would still be playing at Central Park and enjoying the amusement of calling Latics "lodgers/squatters/cuckoos" etc.

However, they didn't listen to Whelan, only to run cap in hand to him later when it it turned out his stadium was more than just paper talk.

[Fraggle]

im_a_cuckoo posted:

Matthew posted:
there's nothing in that newspaper story that states conclusively that the stadium is currently for primary use of the soccer club

Whoa! How far do you want to bury your head in the sand? It says, "Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan is pressing ahead wih his plans to build a 25,000-seater stadium at Robin Park. [If you look up other stories around this time, he's constantly talking about his desire to see Latics in the Premier League and needing the stadium to match]

Meanwhile, at this precise moment in time, Robinson and Rathbone wanted Wigan RL to groundshare in Horwich with Bolton Wanderers.

If they'd have allowed Whelan to up his offer, they would still be playing at Central Park and enjoying the amusement of calling Latics "lodgers/squatters/cuckoos" etc.

However, they didn't listen to Whelan, only to run cap in hand to him later when it it turned out his stadium was more than just paper talk.

Apart from the fact you attributed my quote to someone else, I have to ask the obvious question - Why would Whelan have considered building a stadium for a team he had (at the time) nothing to do with? Events have moved on, he now owns more than just the Latics and there is absolutely no evidence to suggest he values either team more or less than the other AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME. As I stated before, the fact he owned the Latics before the rugby team is a historical fact, but I fail to see how it impacts on ths situation 10 years later.

[Matthew]

im_a_cuckoo posted:

Matthew posted:
there's nothing in that newspaper story that states conclusively that the stadium is currently for primary use of the soccer club

Whoa! How far do you want to bury your head in the sand? It says, "Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan is pressing ahead wih his plans to build a 25,000-seater stadium at Robin Park. [If you look up other stories around this time, he's constantly talking about his desire to see Latics in the Premier League and needing the stadium to match]

Meanwhile, at this precise moment in time, Robinson and Rathbone wanted Wigan RL to groundshare in Horwich with Bolton Wanderers.

If they'd have allowed Whelan to up his offer, they would still be playing at Central Park and enjoying the amusement of calling Latics "lodgers/squatters/cuckoos" etc.

However, they didn't listen to Whelan, only to run cap in hand to him later when it it turned out his stadium was more than just paper talk.

Firstly - you've misquoted me; that was Fraggle's quote not mine (not that I don't whole heartedly agree though, I just don't want to take credit for him showing you what is blindingly obvious)

Secondly - if DW is anti-RL (which is what you are suggesting) then why didn't he tell us to get lost when we came to him "cap in hand" as you put it? From the article you've quoted it seems that DW wanted both teams under one roof. Or do you not agree with that either?

[ancientnloyal]

Actually the Reebok was only a thought and the club didnt want to go outside the Wigan periphery. Obviously the rugby club would look at local sports stadia due to the circumastances of having to sell central park.

and this bit about:

[If you look up other stories around this time, he's constantly talking about his desire to see Latics in the Premier League and needing the stadium to match]

obviously he's going to mention Latics. He isnt going to go public in the press and say: I want Latics in the premiership... I need to mention Wigan RLFC as this rugby league club will help the latics into the premiership"

why should whelan mention wigan rugby if he wants to see the football side go to the top level? it's pointless and has no need to mention the rugby.

Plus, the Reebok stadium isn;t in Horwich, it's in Lostock, a completely different place.

As fate happened, and the timing of the rugby clubs financial demise, Whelan changed his plans to take over the rugby and groundshare EQUALLY for the benefit of himself, the town, the people and both sports.

Its like having children, if i have a girl then a year later I have another girl, im not going to prioritise one over another am I? things change, new things come into your hands, as wigan rugby did with whelan.

You Snail!

[im_a_cuckoo]

He's certainly not anti rugby - he saved the club.

My argument is that he did this by moving Warriors into his football ground.

Here's another version of events from RLFANS.COM. It's quite long so I've bolded the pertinent bits.

At the same time Dave Whelan unveiled plans to build a new 25,000 seater stadium for Wigan Athletic at Robin Park but he refused to open ground share negotiations with the Wigan board after the collapse of his Central Park rescue package earlier this year.

On 20th May Wigan shareholders held the EGM and Jack Robinson survived, for now. Robinson won a vote of confidence 484 to 400 while fellow board member, Rathbone held on by 489 to 407. So Robinson was still chairman but Wigan were still homeless. The wrangling was far from over.

June 1997 saw the Wigan team embark on month long trip down under for the World Club Challenge. The trip had quietened the ground move saga but as they returned Jack Robinson faced a new vote of confidence from the shareholders. A newspaper reported that an associate gathered proxy votes for the original EGM in May by fraudulent methods. The paper claimed someone was instructed to fill in forms for shareholders who were believed to have died so they could be used as votes in favour of the two Wigan directors. Robinson reacted by saying "(The claims) are totally untruthful. This is just part of a smear campaign which has been going on by a certain group of people who want me out of the club."

On August 19th 1997 Jack Robinson and Tom Rathbone resigned from the Wigan board. Then Wigan Coach Eric Hughes revealed that the pair had their homes damaged and their lives threatened. Following the resignations the Rugby Football League's financial department were called in by the club to investigate its cash flow position. Arthur Thomas was the only remaining board member left so it was he who became temporary chairman. With Robinson gone John Martin, who earlier had resigned from the board, offered to ease the club's financial problems with a 750,000 interest free loan. But the offer was conditional on the Warriors staying in Wigan and rejecting a temporary move to Bolton. He made the offer to bide the club time to negotiate a deal to move to proposed Robin Park stadium with Wigan Athletic on a permanent basis."

It was finally announced on October 29th 1997 that Wigan would not be moving to the Reebok Stadium. Mike Nolan, who owned finance and car leasing businesses in Wigan, took over as chairman of the club from Arthur Thomas. He was joined on the board by John Martin who returned after his row with the old regime. Tesco agreed to let the Warriors stay on at Central Park until the end of 1999, when they would then join up with Wigan Athletic at there new stadium which was about to be built Robin Park.
[/b]

[ancientnloyal]

We know about Tesco. Dave Whelan actually had plans to regenarate Central Park, I remember seeing artists impressions of a new stadium, Douglas stand in glass with a giant JJB logo in it etc... Whelan wanted to move into Central Park but politics and deals were struck with Tesco, things too late. Robinson going etc..