Stu M wrote:My stalker Rob will no doubt come on tonight after a few beers and accuse me of wanting to suck up to strangers on a forum but I have put the same on Redvee. I genuinely want Wigan to beat Leigh on Friday and by a good score. Naturally I don't want them to win the comp but Leigh have very quickly become one of my most hated clubs

Beaumont and his behaviour is the biggest factor. The man is an absolute tool and has no class whatsoever. His tweet after we lost to Warrington on Saturday just summed him up, not sure why he felt the need to have a pop at Salford in the same tweet either

Despite what I want I think Wigan will win comfortably anyway. Despite being a better team, for some reason Leigh make it easier for them by rolling over and having their tummy tickled most times. Charnley missing is a big loss for them too.

I'm hoping for a Wigan v HKR final which is what it should be. 1 v2, the two best teams in the comp.

Cokey wrote:Foxtrot Oscar you soft Stains melt.

MadDogg wrote:Next few days should be dry but Saturday looks mixed at best.

For me its a huge factor as on a dry and fast track I dont think there's anything stopping Wigan with the pace and agility in the team. Difficult to remember a game in the last couple of years when we've lost in those conditions with a near full squad available. If it's wet it's a potential leveller as we've seen in the past.

MattyB wrote:Looking at various forecasts at this moment in time all seem to show dry and settled (with sunshine periods) from now right through to kick off at 5.30pm. However there is a shower period due anytime around 7-10pm. So we may just get away with a dry fast track pitch for the majority if not all of the match (obviously forecasts can change).

MadDogg wrote:Fingers crossed - always helps the spectacle.

Ticket sales look strong as well with over 15k sold thus far though I can never understand why the club doesn't prioritise filling the stand the TV cameras face (East). South, North and West will be pretty much full but the big gaps in the East are what show up on Sky.

NickyKiss wrote:In the past am I right in thinking the West Stand was slightly more expensive than the East Stand and then they brought them in line? Since then it seems like the West gets more people in and the East less than was previously the case and then like you say, it doesn't look great on TV.

Even if it's only a couple of quid difference I think they should try and get more people gravitating towards the East and I also do not like them putting the community clubs in the North most weeks, as again that take people and atmosphere away from the South and East stands.

NickyKiss wrote:Interesting snippets from the Leigh press conference-

Lammy doesn't think Wigan should have home advantage for this one, saying semis should be played at neutral venues. May as well do away with the league season in that case and do a cup draw.

Had to laugh when they told him about the praise Matty Peet had given him and was asked about the job he thought he was doing at Wigan and his response was to basically say that Wigan spend the most money, have the best assistants and a new owner and 'they're doing well' and are set up for success for 5-10 years.

Slightly bitter to say the least.

Cokey wrote:He also emphasized more, and praised you more on what you've said. What more did you want him to say?

NickyKiss wrote:He was asked specifically about Matty Peet and did everything he could to make it sound like Peet has it easy and that any success is because of other people and the advantages Peet has (great assistants, great academy, rich chairman etc).

As I say, he came across as pretty bitter to me.