Wigan

[William the White]

8 against-the-odds years in the prem end with an FA Cup win, a European campaign and a crack at promotion (perhaps via Wembley again) the following year. Not too bad really.
Finishing 15th-17th gets very old tiresome when you've been in the Prem more than a couple of years.
I worked in Wigan for two years until Jan 2013 round the corner of the DW and several Wigan fan colleagues were actually looking forward to going down last year before the Great Escape because they wanted to win more games they lost for their money.
I think they'll struggle next season, but the fans will remember the FA Cup win and Euro games for the rest of their lives.

Yep - as we would... I only know one Wigan fan as a friend... he's still high as a kite about the Cup... So, even more problematically, I suspect, will Portsmouth fans...

I'd swap Wigan's season for ours...

[a1]

the cup can feck off, we always get jipped.

or relegated coz of it.

and i'd rather know that i can still watch them in 2-5 years time than (say) bagpuss face [or coyle] improving his CV while sending them to the poorhouse.

"remember when that club that used to exist won the cup once ?"

[bobo the clown]

It all depends on the longevity of the fall from grace I guess. I'd take Wigan' s season over ours .... or ours last year .... but I would dread witnessing what Portsmouth have gone through. As a fan that would be the worst.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think - and hope - you can't compare Pies to Pompey. Self-serving w*nker that he is, Whelan wouldn't* walk away and leave them in masses of unsustainable debt, or try to leverage them beyond all acceptable risk parameters for his own personal gain. I mean, he'll rename the ground after himself, but he's not THAT kind of w*nker.

As I say, it's not beyond possibility that Wigan will go down again, but more in a drifting-away fashion than Pompey's high-profile fiscal f*cktastrophe.

*Would he?

[as]

I think - and hope - you can't compare Pies to Pompey. Self-serving w*nker that he is, Whelan wouldn't* walk away and leave them in masses of unsustainable debt, or try to leverage them beyond all acceptable risk parameters for his own personal gain. I mean, he'll rename the ground after himself, but he's not THAT kind of w*nker.

As I say, it's not beyond possibility that Wigan will go down again, but more in a drifting-away fashion than Pompey's high-profile fiscal f*cktastrophe.

*Would he?

He will if he dies....

I'm jealous - I'd take relegation to the conference to win that cup again - just a shame we're a bunch of bottlebank w*nkers who'll never win anything of note ever again.

[plymouth wanderer]

I think - and hope - you can't compare Pies to Pompey. Self-serving w*nker that he is, Whelan wouldn't* walk away and leave them in masses of unsustainable debt, or try to leverage them beyond all acceptable risk parameters for his own personal gain. I mean, he'll rename the ground after himself, but he's not THAT kind of w*nker.

As I say, it's not beyond possibility that Wigan will go down again, but more in a drifting-away fashion than Pompey's high-profile fiscal f*cktastrophe.

*Would he?

He will if he dies....

I'm jealous - I'd take relegation to the conference to win that cup again - just a shame we're a bunch of bottlebank w*nkers who'll never win anything of note ever again.

Hmmmmm no!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think - and hope - you can't compare Pies to Pompey. Self-serving w*nker that he is, Whelan wouldn't* walk away and leave them in masses of unsustainable debt {...} *Would he?

He will if he dies....

You would hope that such folks leave things in trust.

[as]

I think - and hope - you can't compare Pies to Pompey. Self-serving w*nker that he is, Whelan wouldn't* walk away and leave them in masses of unsustainable debt {...} *Would he?

He will if he dies....

You would hope that such folks leave things in trust.

Aye - and then they can sell up to Venky's

Plymouth - I'd sooner we won a trophy than owt else, we'll never challenge the billionaire's in the PL, so a cup win and lower league football would do me.

[wigan white]

Been speaking to my Latics supporting mates (after much revenge ridicule about them being relegated), they are worried for next season, as they put it: They've a team of mainly foreign players who wont want to play in the championship. The british players who may be willing to stay are their better players/most promising youngsters who will be snapped up by prem teams (macarthy and Macmanaman). The others arent that good anyway (caldwell, Stam etc). they also said that Martinez will go to a prem club but they reckon he'll be sacked as he's not had any pressure from Whelan and theyre not sure he could handle it at a "Bigger" club. Also that Whelan wont pay "big" wages and that they wont be able to attract decent players to help them get promoted as even though theyre in Europe they're also in the championship.
Personally I can see them doing a Wolves.

[LeverEnd]

It wasn't winning the FA Cup or being relegated that did for Portsmouth, it was rank financial stupidity. I'd love to see us win a Cup.
Obviously going up next season would be great, but the Premier League is not the be-all and end-all for me. In fact for a fan of a smaller club it's massively overrated. Imagine if we just average in the top div all the time? Staying up that first season was great, as was getting into Europe and playing some great clubs. However some of my highlights of being a fan are promotions, and you don't get them if you survive in the bottom half every season at the expense of having a cup run - Megson style.

[chester white]

I don't know if this should be shifted in to other footy now, but thought it deserved a bump.

Game against them in the not too distant future, and the vultures appear to be circling for Mr Coyle, having had a look at some of their forums.

[Wandering Willy]

We are 15th in the championship, 3 points behind Wigan.

We have our own Coyle in a suit to worry about.

[irie Cee Bee]

We are 15th in the championship, 3 points behind Wigan.

We have our own Coyle in a suit to worry about.

DF is a tactical Genius when compared with Coyle. The race is not for the swift but who will endure. Lets look at their relative positions at the end of the season. Time will tell.

[Wandering Willy]

We are 15th in the championship, 3 points behind Wigan.

We have our own Coyle in a suit to worry about.

DF is a tactical Genius when compared with Coyle. The race is not for the swift but who will endure. Lets look at their relative positions at the end of the season. Time will tell.

Good harvest this year?

[coffeymagic]

This bollocks about 'We'd rather stay in the Prem than win the cup' really annoys me.

Mind you it annoys me when you go to a cafe and they ask 'Do you want beans or tomatoes?' Like it's a choice, why can't I have both?

My mate's a pie eater and he went to the semi and the final and had a great time, those two games gave him more enjoyment than the whole of the Premier League experience of WAFC rolled into one.

Yes it's great to see the best players but when they're all wearing different colour kits to yours it does become a bit of a chore.

I blame the telly and radio for this. Constantly sucking up to the big boys they make it seem like it's the be all and end all of football fans to play against yer manchuniteds of this world, yer Chelseas of this world and your Arsenals of this world.

It makes the smaller clubs write off games before the seasons even started as they concentrate on finishing fourth bottom.

It's like being allowed into a star studded Hollywood party and then sitting in the corner under a pile of coats just incase you get discovered and kicked out.

No, it's not 'like' that it's EXACTLY that.

I say good for Wigan. They won the cup and that's on the record books for all time.

[LeverEnd]

Spot on, couldn't agree more.

PS That party thing happens to me all the time, it's not very nice. Especially in Horwich.

[SmokinFrazier]

I'm probably the archetypal fan that the Bovril drinking "back in my day" types detest, but I'd much rather be in the Premier League than the Championship. It makes a big difference to me. I like being a supporter of a big club and when you're in the Premier League, that's what you are, even if it's a team near the bottom of the league. As soon as a Premier League club drops a level, they become irrelevant overnight and the only thing worth hoping for is promotion.

Supporting a Premier League team is exciting. You have the constant media attention, you see great players on a weekly basis, your club is in a position to attract genuine quality, the atmosphere is better...everything is improved. Bolton are Bolton and I'd support the club whichever league we're in but the Championship cannot compare for me. It's a depressing, dull league with a remarkable lack of talent within it.

[Harry Genshaw]

Nah. Watching Bolton play well, score, win etc is exciting whatever division we're playing in. I don't need the razzamatazz or the tv cameras to make it any better.

<Picks Bovril back up and shakes head>

[Gooner Girl]

Nah. Watching Bolton play well, score, win etc is exciting whatever division we're playing in. I don't need the razzamatazz or the tv cameras to make it any better.

<Picks Bovril back up and shakes head>

Harry: "Back in the good old days when I was a lad we didn't have no telly anyway, we had the wireless..."

[Harry Genshaw]

Nah. Watching Bolton play well, score, win etc is exciting whatever division we're playing in. I don't need the razzamatazz or the tv cameras to make it any better.

<Picks Bovril back up and shakes head>

Harry: "Back in the good old days when I was a lad we didn't have no telly anyway, we had the wireless..."

There were 2 games on Match of the day on Saturday and that was it. None of this highlights or goals from other matches nonsense. If you were lucky you were on regional telly on Sunday. Again, 2 matches and perhaps goals from one more if you were lucky.

If you wanted live coverage - yes, you put the bloody wireless on. The drama when you heard the jingles "It's a goal" and you prayed it was for us, or when you heard "Oh no" and you prayed it was for Utd.

Were we any worse off? Nah