Bullitt wrote:

Hi Jason, I like many others echo the sentiments of Horc so no need to repeat what he said. My main gripe with your latest post is “much needed funds” asking fans to turn up early to spend their money, we have a billionaire owner and the manager is forced in to buying players on the cheap or dud loan signings. If fans did succumb to your appeal and turn up early, spend more money etc where exactly would that extra money go or be spent on? Would it be given to the manager towards transfer funds? This thread seems to be a Supporters Club promotion to me. Not trying to be awkward or rude mate, just that questions need to be answered, since the takeover two and a half years ago the club has become a shambles, and by the way I am a member of Latics Speyk and post frequently, my views are slagged almost every other day but I keep going, get back on there Jason you are more than welcome. Edit…Any updates on the Wall of Hope organised by a committee member of the SC?

I understand where you are coming from regarding the (lack of) visibility of the Owner and the question can be asked on this.

With regards to people that keep saying, we have a ‘billionaire’ owner where’s the money… should he should be spending it all on Wigan Athletic? Dave Whelan sold us because of the amount he was haemorrhaging to keep the club in the lower Championship. The Hong Kong outfit found that out very quickly too, as did the Bahrain lot. Spending money doesn’t guarantee success. SO, what do you think is an acceptable amount for the owners to lose each season? Just as an example, I looked up how much Jim Ratcliffe has contributed so far to the playing staff at Manchester United, I wasn’t surprised to see it at Zero. He bought shares at the going rate to the ones that owned them, nothing has gone into the Club other than a commitment on the new ground development, which he will get back in the equivalent shares anyway, so although he has bought in, he still has the (at least) equivalent asset.

In all honesty I don’t know if the money would be allocated directly to Wigan Athletic or the Stadium, just like I don’t know the allocation of WWs much bigger match day revenue. If things changed and we saw an increase in revenue, this is a question that could be asked.

The bit about the Supporters Club promotion is insulting. I can never win on this front, no matter what I say. Someone will always say I am representing OWASC or representing the club, I am never allowed to be just speaking as a fan SLO (and I am certainly never allowed to talk as just a fan, I always have to anything but). The point I was trying to get across was the South Stand NOT being a Supporters Club Bar as many think it is, anyone can enter.

And I appreciate what you say about over there (and I am not saying I will never go on there), but what you have just done in that reply is what I get 25 times worse over on there, at least on here, in the most part I can be accepted for my SLO role when I post in that capacity or talking as a fan (which is ultimately what I am, a fan like you and everyone else on here, just wanting what is best for our club).

I am more than happy to sit down and chat about gripes and questions you want posing to the club in my SLO role, I can also sit down and chat as a fan and rant like you do…. preferably over a pint… just let me know when we can meet.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by Jayt.

Thanks for the input guys. As I eluded to in the original post, there isn’t much we fans can do about what goes on, on the pitch. Also with the bridge, I think it has finally been resolved that it has nothing to do with the stadium so the council (with input from waterways) have done a pre-inspection, deciding that it is unsafe to have X amount of bodies going across it at any 1 time (like a weight restriction for lorries on bridges, if that a good comparison), but they should come out and say it.

In answer to not seeing many kids around, I do see the the family zone thriving and the South Stand having higher than average footfall this season. Though the South Stand, like the rest of the stadium only sees that footfall very late on, and the point I was trying to make is, we need people at the ground earlier putting money in our coffers so improvements can be made.

The Supporters Club have things on in the South Stand Bar (and they receive a 25% discount to before 1,30pm) – this is a FREE to enter Bar, yet people still walk past thinking it is members only (discounts are members only). Onstage they have player interviews, quizzes, raffles and show an historic game on at least 1 of the 4 TV screens.

I understand I am being simplistic here, and probably well off the mark, but hopefully you’ll see what I mean: If 1000 fans come down at 1pm instead of 2.50pm, spending £10 each…. we gain £10,000 per game, £250,000 per season (I know that is not all profit). If that grows to 2k or 3k and/or come at 12pm, then you can do the maths. Most who know me will see me at every single game, home or away, and the most striking thing I see at away games is the amount of people that turn up early providing much needed funds for the club.

Hate to swear, but even our Warriors friends do it, though they do use the RP Stadium as a fan zone. I have seen them in their fan zone (like I have seen fans of Lincoln, Exeter etc…) as early as 11.30am for a 3pm kick off. I understand that people go there just for the fan zone too, not even going to the game.

I see common themes about the things that CAN be rectified:

The state of the interior of the Stadium

Prices and Quality of food

More visible things to do around the ground

But would this bring the footfall, with or without Brazilesque football on the pitch?

Well lets see how the ‘in house’ catering offer looks tomorrow.

Fan zone will hopefully be as good as the other grounds that have them.