Wigan Athletic show their fans little respect.
By Oscar Wilde
January 29 2006
How do Wigan Athletic do it? How do they take what should be the finest moment in the club’s history and make a mockery of it?
People had been queueing up from the Saturday previous to the clubs 27,000 Carling Cup tickets going on sale on Sunday January 29th. By 10am the queue stretched from the ticket office in the corner of the North and West stands, around the North stand, down the side of the East stand and round the corner along the South stand. By 1.30pm, the queue was still as monumental, but the Latics fans queued in good humour, in expectance of purchasing a ticket and sharing a moment in the clubs finest hour.
Around about this time, a number of stewards erected a ‘cut off point’, about three quarters of the way along the queue. This point was intended as the point to where the tickets for the Final would be sold, and no-one after this point would be able to purchase a ticket.
The mismanagement of the whole affair was astonishing. Firstly, to establish a cut-off point, excluding a number of fans from purchasing a ticket on the day was disgraceful. Secondly, to refrain from informing the people behind this so-called cut-off point that they would be unable to buy a ticket was amazing. Thirdly, the fact that only nine ticket windows were open to cater for thirteen thousand season ticket holders was utterly pathetic. The official club line was that there were no tills and the whole thing had to be automated (the reason for not opening the ticket office at the corner of the East and South stands).
Utter rubbish! Many clubs do not have automated systems, and reports came through that at one point, there were only two ticket windows open as members of staff went for brews, fags and God knows what else.
Manchester United apparently sold their ticket allocation within two hours of going on sale. Not much chance here as the Latics fans stood in the freezing cold in a non-moving queue.
As the news about the ‘cut-off point’ reached fans further back in the queue, people’s patience began to break. It was demanded that the person responsible for the cut-off point, a certain Steven Reece (who the hell is he???) be brought to explain his decision. The steward in charge was reluctant to report back to this cloak and dagger-type figure and the fans became even more irate, up to the point where they were questioning (chairman David) Whelan’s attitude to the loyalty of the season-ticket holders who were prepared to queue up all day.
What made the situation worse was the stewards insistence that the cut-off point was decided at 9.30 am. Latics fans joining the queue after this time were NOT informed of this cut-off point at the time, and were baffled and enraged by the attitude of the stewards.
The besieged steward began to agree with the fans, possibly to alleviate the aggression directed towards himself, and stated that the club “don’t give a shit” and that “Whelan is probably sat counting his money”. Would that be the money we are queueing up to give you?
What was an orderly queue became a complete free-for-all as Latics fans rushed the cut-off point. It was reported to the powers that be that there would be a riot if the fans couldn’t buy tickets on the day, and the ticket points remained open until all the Latics fans had been served.
The whole escapade illustrates that loyalty buys you nothing. Not where Wigan Athletic is concerned. The team is brilliant at the moment, but the administration are the same clueless morons who were close to running us into the ground ten years ago.
In 1998, we drew
As long as the clubs coffers are full, it doesn’t seem to matter to Wigan Athletic, the fans loyalty means nothing. I went home with my tickets with a bad taste in my mouth. Latics, once again, have managed to piss on their own fireworks.