I started watching Wigan R.L about 76ish (1976 that is Not 1876 Like Rogues
) and watched the club go through a VERY VERY VERY lean patch were any win was regarded as a minor Miracle!
Although very young to appreciate the finer elements of the game I still had my Heroes (Fairbairn, Willicombe etc) and although I enjoyed the game immensely I could sense the Frustration of the Older Fans and their continual harping on about the Glory days of the 40's 50's & 60's!
As a Youngster I still took enjoyment from watching my Team Winning (Occasionally) and although dispappointed at losing would always look to next week to put it right
!*** (See further down about the Youngsters of Today)
The obvious Low point being the Relegation in 80 I think there are some interesting Parallels to be drawn between what went on in those late 70's early 80's years with what is happening at the club now.
I mentioned this to another contributor to this board over the weekend and he to thought that the parallels were worth bringing up to provide a "Perspective" on where we are it under IL's Reign as Chairman and what needs to be done in what timescales to turn the club around!
If we take the relegation in 79/80 as the Pivot for our Low point retrospectively then you can see the gradual decline of the club over the proceeding 4/5 years and how it struggled to overcome the loss of it's "Star" players of 4/5 years earlier to that!
IMO this is very much like the position the club found itself in 4/5 years ago where we struggled to overcome the loss of stalwarts like Farrell/Rads/Lam/Cassidy/o'Connor/Smith/Newton etc etc
This also culminated in a relegation battle that this time we were fortunate enough to avoid either through Good luck, good management or whatever your personal Spin on that situation may be.
However
Considering that it took Wigan 4 years from relegation to Reach a "Major" Final (Comparable to today's final as we don't have JPS/Lancs Cup) and 5 years to actually win one with it then being 7 years until our first League success!
I think we often look back and forget the period between 79/80 and 85 when the club turned the Corner so to speak Not by taking One Massive step but a series of Small steps that often worked and sometime didn't!
All of the steps either forward or back added experience to the Boards future decision making until the Major Coup of the employment of Graeme Lowe that Catapulted us to the Forefront of English R.L.
Some of those steps included the Release of our star player to further the Club as a Whole.
The signing of Decent players from other clubs that although Not "Top Drawer" all of the time were better than previous and allowed progression year on year i.s Wendy Whitfield/David Stevenson/Gary Stevens/Henderson Gill etc who in time moved on to make way for the Joe Lydon's, Andy Goodway's, Andy Gregory's, Ellery Hanley's and Martin offiahs that we all too quickly remember sometimes at the expense of the "Stepping Stone" players.
The retainment of Home grown players i.e Edwards/Wane/Hampson and then onto the Dermott's/Lucas/Clarkes etc.
If you then Compare this to our situation in 2006 using it as a Pivot similar to 1980 (And coincedentally for me my son is comaprably the same age I was at this point (ish), to me it shows how we must show patience and understanding that "Rome Can't be Built in a Day" and a realisation that it will take time and draw Comfort from the Paralells of Yester year!
If we reached a Major Final in 2010 that would be comaparable to the "Great" Lindsay Regime!
If we Won a Major Final by 2011 that would be comparable to the "Great" Lindsay Regime!
If we won a League title by 2013 Guess what, same timescales as last time!
And there are some encouraging signs for me that show we are on the right track to achieve these things and you know what, maybe even quicker than last time!
Bearing in Mind IL and the current Board will have to do all of this whilst also managing the "Salary Cap" situation I think it's even more critical that we as Fans are patient and understanding that often they are "Hamstrung" by the rules that they, along with all other clubs, have to work in.
If some of our decisions over the last 12 months and next 12 months take us along a similar road to 20 years ago I for one will be more than Happy.
Since 2006 I believe Year on year we have steadily improved the Quality of our squad and with the capture and retainment of Carmont/Gleeson/Leaulia/Richards/Feka/Roberts/Riddell and the solidity of Home grown existing players like O'Loughlin/Hock/Hansen/Prescott and the emergence of the Youngsters such as Ainscough/Sam Tomkins/ J Tomkins possibly Goulding and throw in 1/2 dozen other excellent prospects I belive that IL has in 18 months and certainly by the beginning of 2010 built a far stronger Core to the Club than the Wigan club had done in the 2 years on from relegation in 1980!
The coaching situation is again a bit of a Proverbial "Hot Potato" but the Move from Fairbairn/Bamford to Murphy to Clarke/McCinness and then Lowe was a 7 year period and each one built the Next Step!
Yes it may have been possible to go straight from a Bamford to a Lowe, But Would a Lowe or Jack Gibson have taken that risk of coming to Wigan in 82 without the steps that Bamford/Murphy etc took to raise our profile and standing in the game over the previous 5/6 seasons?
Not all of the decisions made by the board were the right ones and certainly there were a number of high profile mistakes/Fallouts etc However the Club (Lindsay & The Board) never lost sight of the Longer term goal and despite Ups & Downs moved closer to their goal with small steps rather tan Giant strides!
Paralells
1980 = 2006
Fairbairn = Barrett
Bamford = Noble
Edwards = Tomkins
Recruitment of Better players from other clubs Gill/Stevenson/Stevens = Roberts/Carmont/Gleeson
The retaining of the better current players Pendlebury/Kiss/Stockley = Richards/Tommy/Feka
Looking at lost Home grown players Gregory/Lydon - Gleeson & in fact we have already retained our Better ones in Lockers/Hock/Prescott/J Tomkins etc
The interesting one is the gradual increase in supporters and their Optimism to the New Frontier after a Period in the wilderness!
Will we and the Younger Generation of the Quick Fix Brigade who have given us the support in terms of Numbers be as patient and "Loyal" to enable our current Leaders to achieve as similar as possible results as it's predecessors given the constraints they have to work with?
*** To continue the perspective of the Young from the beginning of the Thread!If you keep telling Kids that things are garbage eventually they will believe it (In reverse they keep hearing about How Good the Premier League is and that's why they are Brain Washed into watching that Garbage!) and I Belive that we msut encourage our younger element to understand that ot wasn't all Cup Final Wins and celebrations in Yester Year.
There were long periods of Down turn in fortunes and believe me they were FAR FAR FAR Worse than what has Happened at Wigan in the last 5 years!
We must encourage them to stay Loayl and Optimistic (DaveO will love that one!) and although I don't want them to do this Blindly I would want them to do it with a Patient Perspective on things not from an Immediate success is possible point of view that we may sometimes give them Harping on about the "Glory Days"!
Now we can all have a moan & we can all Pick holes in what we perceive to be mistakes made by players/coaches and Chairman but instead of all becoming fantasy Chairman and insisting on chopping and changing every 2 minutes (Although if Noble does go mid/end of season I feel 3 1/2 years will be the Right time to go fi the club feel it is the right move!) I feel we should look to Look for the Positives and be patient in the belief that by continualy making the Right "Long Term" moves our success as a club will be better in the future for it rather than insisting we go from Relegation Fodder to Champions in 1 or 2 seasons and understanding that it may take 5 or 6 with the knowledge that the Future after that will be the better for that Patient Buidl up & our foundations so much stronger!
I for one will and look forward to every single "Step" of this road whether it be forward or back!
Because I'm a Wigan Fan, and that's what I do!
Off to Bed now to Think about Our Next Game at Wakey and as Twosevenzero put it!
"Wigan Rugby League Club - It's the 1st thing I think about when I wake up in the Morning and the Last thing I think about Before I go to sleep!"
(Although that might be taking it a bit far!
)
