I know it was Moran that funded those moves. His intention was always to take control of the club once the future of the new stadium assured our financial stability.

They were important signings as you say, to secure our SL status ahead of the stadium move.

We have him to thank (Middleton, too) for their much needed investments, we have them to blame for their poor coach appointments, too (bar Smith, who stayed too long).

The key what might have been was the poaching of Peter Deakin by Sale RU. He transformed the club from going through the motions, to helping to get (with DVDV) the likes of of Langer, Gee, Nikau, Nutley, McCurrie, and for his short stay, Blakeley. We LOOKED like we could compete (on paper, at least) with the big boys. He brought the Bradford "razzamataz" with him. Couple that with Moran's money.....

As Marlon Brando once said

"Coulda been a contender
Coulda been somebody"

Fate, and professional rugby union, is a bugger

I think the biggest jolt RL ever received was when Union went professional. The end of our happy hunting grounds.

I'm not 100% sure about Deakin. He definitely had great enthusiasm and was very different from the other RL administrators back then as he believed in promoting and selling the game. He had some bold ideas like the free jersey with a season ticket, and getting Langer over was a real coup as back then nobody outside Wigan used to sign the Aussie greats.

But the club still felt like it was run in an amateurish way when he was here. Others on here more in the know might know better but I remember hearing a few years later that some of the commercial deals that were signed when Deakin was here were not great and saddled us into contracts on bad terms. I think we were much better off with Andy Gatcliffe who made us a more professionally run organisation.

Still, Deakin did give us some energy in those 18 or so months he was here and signing Langer and getting a spike in crowds in 2000 was important in that it established us as a club that was at least trying to break out of mid-low table mediocrity. In the first few years of Super League it felt like we were rotting away, selling our best players and in danger of becoming SL also-rans.

This was an era where I used to go home and away a lot of the time and I remember noticing a shift in the type of fans we had, around that 2000 season. You get used to recognising the same faces at games and at club functions and I definitely remember seeing a lot of new people in 2000, more families, more women, including younger women, whereas before then it was a bit dominated by scallies and grumpy men (the type you'd see in "Pondlife corner"). Maybe we became a bit more "middle class". A bit like how football audiences changed after Italia '90 and Pavarotti.

I'd be interested to know how many fans we picked up during the Langer/Deakin era who stayed fans after that. If I was writing a book about the rebirth of the Wire leading up to the 3 Challenge Cup wins under TS, I'd start the story in 2000.

Companies house data shows two companies associated with Warrington Rugby club, Warrington Sports Holdings Ltd 1998 and Warrington Football club Ltd 1941.

I don’t know the split of the Rugby club assets between them.
Moran and Middleton sit on the Sports Holdings board.

The person of significant control is not a person it’s another company SJM holdings North Ltd, a music company owner Simon Moran and is there on both companies boards.
So if Moran is major shareholder what’s this other company of his there for?

Are we controlled by a music company and not the board directors?

Further Moran is director or partner in about 25 organisations and Middleton 6, so their time for Warrington looks very limited

Isn't Middleton the major shareholder these days? Although of course Moran could stump up cash for transfers etc.

I remember one time he was stood in South stand but then wanted/needed to go round to the North stand and security would not let him through they did not know who he was

I think our owners have been a godsend and exactly what we needed at the time they took control.

They have certainly aimed for success and seem willing to continue to do so. We can all have our own ideas on what we should have done and should do but we don't have the funds to make that happen and if we did would we really put our money where our mouthes are? Probably not for the majority myself included so we can only be greatfull for their continued support of the club

Oh I think some would of liked to be the owner just to sack Fitzpatrick.

I agree but lets see how things pan out now he is no longer involved n the rugby side of the club.

I know that some of his "gimmicks" have not impressed some of our old skool fans but to attract new fans then we have to move with the times catchy social medias, more interactive communications etc. I do believe he is not the right man when it comes to recruitment and the rugby aspects of the business. hopefully now he can just focus on the commercial aspects and improve those