Wigan save the pitch for Man Utd
Wigan rugby league club have agreed to a request from the football club’s chairman, Dave Whelan, to put back their home Challenge Cup tie against Whitehaven from the Friday night before the Wigan Ath v Man Utd match to the Monday after it, to avoid any further criticism of the playing surface for such a significant game. “The last thing we want is a worldwide TV audience with the pitch having suffered from heavy rain, and Wigan rugby league club having played a game on there a couple of days prior to the football match,” said Ian Lenagan “We have been wrongly blamed for the poor state of the JJB Stadium pitch and I don’t want Wigan’s name, and rugby league’s name, to attract wrongful criticism.”
Whelan was keen to stress that rugby league had not contributed to the condition of a surface that Arsène Wenger described as “a disaster” after his Arsenal team drew 0-0 there in March. “It is disrespectful to the fans who pay money to watch football on that,” said Wenger. “The only excuse is if they have a rugby team that also plays on the pitch, unless the groundsman is sick.”
Well it sounds like preferential treatment that will aid the passing game of Man Utd, for the fixture which will contribute to the destiny of the title.
May 7th, 2008 at 09:10 am
Why not rearrange the fixture to Old Trafford and insist Wigan play with their boot laces tied together
May 7th, 2008 at 10:28 am
lol, they want a good pitch, what is so wrong about that?
It isnt because it is United, it is because millions of people will be watching and they received critiscm for the pitch against Arsenal i am sure that they would have done the same thing if it was the other way around. Your just making a bigger deal out of it than is necessary.
May 8th, 2008 at 08:36 am
Ok it is an important fixture. None the less it is prefferential treatment for the potential benefit of the visitors.