Away days - Walking in a wigan wonderland !
Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:50 amDon't you ever get that feeling before watching football that's it's just going to be one of those days ? You leave home full of optimism and verve running through your veins. You allow yourself the odd fleeting prophesy of what is about to occur and in that moment your utterly convinced that it's going to happen. No ? well it must be just me then ! So it was on Saturday as we drove over Billinge "lump" and descended on the town immortalised by George Orwell. Wigan is indeed a strange place and often derided for it's cloth cap and pies image but the people are genuine enough even if they do eat their own young !
For those who know me better and have heard my accent I'm actually from much nearer Wigan than Liverpool . When I was younger (much younger) and my Parents wouldn't let me travel to Liverpool I'd often go to watch Wigan Athletic in their old "Springfield Park" ground when they first entered the Football League in 1978. I watched then dump there mighty Norwich City out of the FA Cup in the early 80's and then saw them trashed 5-0 at home by Chelsea in the next round ! Kerry Dixon got 4 in the first half but they were lucky ! Springfield Park was to be a kind .............a dump ! It boasted one of the few away ends without shelter or toilets, although to be fair it was the only away end I've ever seen where the supporters coach was actually parked in the away end ! I kid you not What better way to avoid trouble en route to and from a game than to exit the coach and actually be in the ground !
Times have moved on and Wigan now find themselves in the Premier League and in more plush surroundings amidst the obligatory retail park that so many clubs seem to base themselves around these days. Look at Everton's plans to relocate outside of the city to Tesco-land in Kirkby after a "unanimous" 60/40 split in supporters votes and you have to agree that "every little helps" !
However you can change the surroundings and the location but you can't it would seem, change the people as the hooligan charts will tell you. Wigan share an unenviable reputation with Cardiff, Stoke and strangely Portsmouth as the leading lights when it comes to football related violence. No more was this in evidence than immediately after Liverpool's solitary goal when it really did "kick off " in a section of the home support where a few Liverpool fans had acquired tickets. I go quite a fair few away games in recent seasons and there is rarely trouble. I'm sure there are a few skirmishes outside the ground but it's rare to see it go off inside grounds. It was a mixed section of the ground with a fair proportion of families and it was sad to see young kids in tears being shepherded away by concerned parents. I'm trying not to show bias but who is more likely to start trouble when a goal is scored, the opposition fans who have just conceded or a handful of Liverpool fans celebrating ?
The game was predictable and flat with little to comment upon. Liverpool started well enough as did Wigan but the game stagnated and after shut outs against Pompey and Birmingham you could be forgiven for believing that this game was heading the same way until the introduction of Benyoun and a lovely piece of individual brilliance on his part.
Torres brought a wry smile when his name was announced in the starting line up. I alluded to this in my last blog but IMO Benitez is a stubborn so and so and I was half expecting him to leave Torres out today if only to send a message about who is really the boss at Liverpool Football Club.
Yes he's pig headed, stubborn and single minded and he happens to share these qualities with a certain Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish. And your problem is ?
Some wit on the forum replied when I wrote that and said "Yes, so was Gerard Houllier and look where it got him!" I suppose he's got a point but I'd argue that Benitez has already entered the Hall Of Fame in terms of LFC Managers when he won the European Cup in 2005 and can be counted among the managerial greats.
Whenever I'm going to watch Liverpool Football Club I'd like to think I'll see the best 11 LFC have to offer I won't demand it as a right. I support the team , I don't pick it ! Thats Rafa's job and he'll stand and fall on the results he achieves. Today you could argue we played poorly yet picked up 3 points but we are still unbeaten in the League , haven't conceded a goal from open play and are the third highest goalscorers in the Premiership after Portsmouth went mad and scored 7 in one game !
Walk On .................
For those who know me better and have heard my accent I'm actually from much nearer Wigan than Liverpool . When I was younger (much younger) and my Parents wouldn't let me travel to Liverpool I'd often go to watch Wigan Athletic in their old "Springfield Park" ground when they first entered the Football League in 1978. I watched then dump there mighty Norwich City out of the FA Cup in the early 80's and then saw them trashed 5-0 at home by Chelsea in the next round ! Kerry Dixon got 4 in the first half but they were lucky ! Springfield Park was to be a kind .............a dump ! It boasted one of the few away ends without shelter or toilets, although to be fair it was the only away end I've ever seen where the supporters coach was actually parked in the away end ! I kid you not What better way to avoid trouble en route to and from a game than to exit the coach and actually be in the ground !
Times have moved on and Wigan now find themselves in the Premier League and in more plush surroundings amidst the obligatory retail park that so many clubs seem to base themselves around these days. Look at Everton's plans to relocate outside of the city to Tesco-land in Kirkby after a "unanimous" 60/40 split in supporters votes and you have to agree that "every little helps" !
However you can change the surroundings and the location but you can't it would seem, change the people as the hooligan charts will tell you. Wigan share an unenviable reputation with Cardiff, Stoke and strangely Portsmouth as the leading lights when it comes to football related violence. No more was this in evidence than immediately after Liverpool's solitary goal when it really did "kick off " in a section of the home support where a few Liverpool fans had acquired tickets. I go quite a fair few away games in recent seasons and there is rarely trouble. I'm sure there are a few skirmishes outside the ground but it's rare to see it go off inside grounds. It was a mixed section of the ground with a fair proportion of families and it was sad to see young kids in tears being shepherded away by concerned parents. I'm trying not to show bias but who is more likely to start trouble when a goal is scored, the opposition fans who have just conceded or a handful of Liverpool fans celebrating ?
The game was predictable and flat with little to comment upon. Liverpool started well enough as did Wigan but the game stagnated and after shut outs against Pompey and Birmingham you could be forgiven for believing that this game was heading the same way until the introduction of Benyoun and a lovely piece of individual brilliance on his part.
Torres brought a wry smile when his name was announced in the starting line up. I alluded to this in my last blog but IMO Benitez is a stubborn so and so and I was half expecting him to leave Torres out today if only to send a message about who is really the boss at Liverpool Football Club.
Yes he's pig headed, stubborn and single minded and he happens to share these qualities with a certain Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish. And your problem is ?
Some wit on the forum replied when I wrote that and said "Yes, so was Gerard Houllier and look where it got him!" I suppose he's got a point but I'd argue that Benitez has already entered the Hall Of Fame in terms of LFC Managers when he won the European Cup in 2005 and can be counted among the managerial greats.
Whenever I'm going to watch Liverpool Football Club I'd like to think I'll see the best 11 LFC have to offer I won't demand it as a right. I support the team , I don't pick it ! Thats Rafa's job and he'll stand and fall on the results he achieves. Today you could argue we played poorly yet picked up 3 points but we are still unbeaten in the League , haven't conceded a goal from open play and are the third highest goalscorers in the Premiership after Portsmouth went mad and scored 7 in one game !
Walk On .................
