Are fans to blame?

[ian.birchall]

Speaking personally I didn't miss a tackle or drop the ball once.

[cpwigan]

Speaking personally I didn't miss a tackle or drop the ball once.

Neither did Ian Millward when he was coach but he made players miss tackles and drop the ball through shattering their confidence / self esteem. Fans can do likewise.

[weststand-rich]

Are the fans to blame for poor performances? No, but they certainly don't help at times.

Booing players on the pitch or 'ironically' clapping the away support never has the desired effect of making them lift their performance. I've never seen the Wigan team improve after being booed in a match, during that match - would it work for you? You're having a shocking day at work. All your decisions aren't coming off and everything is going wrong and all your colleagues come in and ridicule you. They jeer and boo everytime something goes wrong. Would your performance improve?? I'd guess in the main, the answer would be no. For me, I'd just think f*** it.

Success and performance at any high level of functional skill requires a strong internal motivation and research shows that positive reinforcement produces the best internal motivation. Show some carrot, not the stick.

Wiganers at matches are a surprisingly fickle bunch, even when we're winning. For what it's worth I don't think the DW is a good environment for a rugby league match. Unless it's packed to the rafters and the game is an important, tight one, the atmosphere is poor. The crowd seems too far away and the acoustics don't seem good either.

[exile in Tiger country]

[quote="weststand-rich"]Are the fans to blame for poor performances? No, but they certainly don't help at times.

Booing players on the pitch or 'ironically' clapping the away support never has the desired effect of making them lift their performance. I've never seen the Wigan team improve after being booed in a match, during that match - would it work for you? You're having a shocking day at work. All your decisions aren't coming off and everything is going wrong and all your colleagues come in and ridicule you. They jeer and boo everytime something goes wrong. Would your performance improve?? I'd guess in the main, the answer would be no. For me, I'd just think f*** it.

quote]

At home against Hull a couple or three of seasons ago, Wigan were awful in the first half, Manu was walking through our defence.
The Wigan team could not be bothered, they were booed off at half time and ripped in in the second half and won the game.
Sometines it works.
Sometimes it's the fans only way of getting their dissatifaction across.

[cpwigan]

It works as a shock tactic used very sparingly. The more you do it the less effective it becomes.

[DaveO]

Dave a previous poster talked about confidence coming from within. Anything and everything outside the body of a person is external.

You are in a minority. The atmosphere is pooreven before kick off and at the 'drop of a pin' the atmosphere turns negative. You do not have to hear your not fit to wear the shirt or booing to sense an atmosphere. I work with colleagues who do not speak, no actions but strewth the atmosphere is horrible despite demonstrative outbursts.

Sportsmen are often like children. They are incredibly difficult to manage. Many are uneducated and have issues. Remember, the article I posted re Monie and how difficult players were / are to manage. John Monie used child psychology ploys with Andy Gregory. Look at all sports. Are you telling me Wayne Rooney is a mature, balanced adult? However, the point stands irrespective of age. How employees are made to feel in their workplace has a huge impact on motivation, confidence and well being.

I think you are really over analysing the situation.

I have never been to a game at the DW where the fans were doing anything before the kick off other than anticipate the match in a good way.

I have never been to a game where the fans have got on the teams back from the word go - they did not even do so v Les Cats until well into that mess.

I can remember the atmosphere in 2006 after Noble arrived and the team started to play as a team and like it wanted to win. The supporters soon recognised that and the 18th man thing was born.

There are a minority of idiots who never have a good word to say (I have the misfortune to sit next to one) but they are isolated individuals and so can have no influence.

If the team puts the effort in they get the support regardless of the result. I think it might have been you who once said the worst crime a Wigan player can commit is not try and it's true. If they give up well they won't get much sympathy from the fans but the point is they only get the boos if they really are poor and most importantly they have to be poor before they get any flak.

As to Wayne Rooney and many sportsmen being a bit dim, many are not but in any case I am sure they can all grasp the simple concept if you try your best you will get the support but if you look like you can't be bothered you won't.

[butt monkey]

Dave a previous poster talked about confidence coming from within. Anything and everything outside the body of a person is external.

You are in a minority. The atmosphere is pooreven before kick off and at the 'drop of a pin' the atmosphere turns negative. You do not have to hear your not fit to wear the shirt or booing to sense an atmosphere. I work with colleagues who do not speak, no actions but strewth the atmosphere is horrible despite demonstrative outbursts.

Sportsmen are often like children. They are incredibly difficult to manage. Many are uneducated and have issues. Remember, the article I posted re Monie and how difficult players were / are to manage. John Monie used child psychology ploys with Andy Gregory. Look at all sports. Are you telling me Wayne Rooney is a mature, balanced adult? However, the point stands irrespective of age. How employees are made to feel in their workplace has a huge impact on motivation, confidence and well being.

I think you are really over analysing the situation.

I have never been to a game at the DW where the fans were doing anything before the kick off other than anticipate the match in a good way.

I have never been to a game where the fans have got on the teams back from the word go - they did not even do so v Les Cats until well into that mess.

I can remember the atmosphere in 2006 after Noble arrived and the team started to play as a team and like it wanted to win. The supporters soon recognised that and the 18th man thing was born.

There are a minority of idiots who never have a good word to say (I have the misfortune to sit next to one) but they are isolated individuals and so can have no influence.

If the team puts the effort in they get the support regardless of the result. I think it might have been you who once said the worst crime a Wigan player can commit is not try and it's true. If they give up well they won't get much sympathy from the fans but the point is they only get the boos if they really are poor and most importantly they have to be poor before they get any flak.

As to Wayne Rooney and many sportsmen being a bit dim, many are not but in any case I am sure they can all grasp the simple concept if you try your best you will get the support but if you look like you can't be bothered you won't.

I actually agree with you Dave.

Not been on here for a few days, but I am amazed at the over exaggeration at blaming the supporters for Wigan's poor home form. How the hell do they win away matches where the vitriol and bile from the opposition fans are almost immeasurable?

If anything, I think Madge gets his tactics wrong at home. Too tight, too defensive (might sound like a contradiction after last Friday's effort) and an unwillingness to try new tactics on home soil make the team predictable in the extreme.

[RJ]

Of course the fans are not to blame. Contrary to an earlier statement these are not children we are talking about but professional sportsmen who have got to the position they are in on merit. They do however need to work as a team and the constant switching of positions for one reason or another is not helpful to any side. There is consequently a lack of understanding between players at times which is detrimental to confidence. That instinctive confidence is often the difference between a class act and a poor performance. It is up to the coaching staff to help instil that confidence in the players. Fans naturally react badly to poor performances, ours are no different to anybody elses in that respect and it's no use trying to blame them for poor on field results.

[cpwigan]

Of course the fans are not to blame. Contrary to an earlier statement these are not children we are talking about but professional sportsmen who have got to the position they are in on merit. They do however need to work as a team and the constant switching of positions for one reason or another is not helpful to any side. There is consequently a lack of understanding between players at times which is detrimental to confidence. That instinctive confidence is often the difference between a class act and a poor performance. It is up to the coaching staff to help instil that confidence in the players. Fans naturally react badly to poor performances, ours are no different to anybody elses in that respect and it's no use trying to blame them for poor on field results.

Mmm, if only it was true. The evidence suggests British sportsmen/women are incredibly difficult to manage and often child like. Never moreso than in a team scenario.

Wigan fans are spoilt. We turn our back at the merest hint of problems. We rise to the occasion in times of genuine adversity, the escape from relegation but thereafter we inherently expect anything/everything and the slightest hint of it going wrong we turn on all and sundry. The mood at home games is IMO negative before a ball has been kicked or passed, a tackle made. There are a % of fans who probably enjoy chasing car crashes when not sitting for 80 minutes grumbling and making disparaging comments about their so called team. Their defence? "I pay my money, I can say what I want, even if I look stupid!!"

Nobody arguing against the notion that fans are in part to blame (at home are a negative whereas fans away are a positive) has yet explained why only home form sucks, but away form is fantastic, incl a very impressive victory v the form/best team so far, Hudds.

The modern day British sporting psyche be it the actual participants orthose spectating almost encourages failure.

Maybe being British in 2011 and for several years has meant WE ARE ALL LOSERS!!

[bootsnall]

Like I said earlier, the motivation for getting the good tackles in and not making a mistake is the desire to win. The fans would then be on side with the players. Where did all our stars start their careers I wonder? I don't know of many amateur sides who turn out 10,000+ every week. Therefore, why do they play at all? They do it because they love the game and have been talented enough to play professionally. For this, they put a lot of work in all year round, but they get paid for what they do. Let's reverse this one for a minute. How many fans did Catalans bring with them? How many do they get every week? Balance these low numbers against the higher turn outs of home fans like Wigan/Warrington/Saints/Leeds or Bradford on a cold night and if we use some of the arguments on here, it's amazing the Catalans players can even enter the field! I've never heard such nonsense. Fans to blame, my arse! It's getting a technical game this RL, especially with GPS technology and recorded playbacks. Wigan's performances in previous games and in key positions has been viewed and viewed again, which is why we're not as effective in some positions.