I agree with this thread, as I have posted before, the rise of a town or cities football team into the Prem, usually sees the rugby team going in the other direction, and visa versa.
Leeds,
Bradford,
Hull,
to name 3.
Loyalties and ties to the stadiums, ownership issues, press coverage, crowd demography, clashes of matches, training facilites etc.
It has already started for us, our coverage in the press, on the radio and TV, Whelan has made it perfectly clear where his time and money will be spent, and it's not on the Warriors. He has even openly stated that he is willing to sell.
Our new training facility at John Rigby colledge is good, but this just masks the fact that the Warriors have now lost the Gym under the East Stand, this has now been ripped out in preperation for Latics new requirements of hospitality next season, the Warriors will not now train on the JJB pitch, only on match days will they be allowed onto the pitch, on the other hand the Latics WILL train on the pitch once a week. ( it is paramount that a team practices on the home playing surface, this gives them an edge on match days.
These changes send out a message to our players, one which IMO tells them they are now 2nd Class citizens, and will be tollerated only on match days,
It's time for change for the Warriors, New owners, Chairman and coach, would cause disruption for a couple of seasons, but I'm sure this would be acceptable, as long as the Warriors fans could see the plan for the future.
Whereas currently we are at our lowest ebb for decades, with no direction, and very little hope of change under the current incumbants.
Lets just say the Latics consolidate in the Prem, and we have not been sold by DW and Doris and Betts are stll stumbling from one disaster to another, the Warriors will find it harder and harder to make the necessarry changes and improvement, to compete in the SL at the level the fans require....I wonder what would happen then ???????
Change is needed NOW !!!!!