Posted on 24/11/2009 at 13:53 by Steve Tervet
Wigan Athletic’s players are set to pay out up to £15,000 to fans who travelled south to see their side battered 9-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
All very honourable, and certainly Latics captain Mario Melchiot and others within the club have come out saying all the right things. However, would not the pain of defeat have felt harsher for the 565 Wigan fans if they had seen Athletic lead for 88 minutes and then throw the points away in stoppage-time?
And what precedent does this set for other clubs? Should Spurs fans, perhaps, get their wallets out and donate an extra £10 each for the rich entertainment served up for them on Sunday?
Taking a more local look at things, both Maidstone and Aylesford Bulls have made fairly atrocious starts, for one reason or another, to their respective seasons in rugby’s London 1 South division. Between them, the two have conceded 651 points in the first 11 weeks of the season and the only win for either side was the Stones’ 7-3 win over – inevitably – the Bulls.
As yet though, neither club has offered to slash prices at the bar for hardy followers, and free transport from supporters’ homes to pitchside has not yet been announced.
Were Manchester, rock bottom of National League 1, to reimburse their supporters in relation to on-field performances, there would be a steady stream of stewards handing out Christmas hampers and holiday vouchers. The Mancunians have shipped an average of 103 points per game this season, scoring a measly total of 33 in reply.
Count yourselves lucky, Wigan fans.
Take Dartford FC, flying high and gunning for promotion from the Ryman League Premier Division. The Darts have yet to lose in 14 games, scoring 13 more goals and winning more games than any of their rivals.
But have ticket prices increased? Not a bit of it. While adults are shelling out their regular £10, students and OAPs pay half that, while children are positively laughing at £1 a game.
Attendances at Princes Park have topped 1,000 in every game but one this campaign, and with those seven fixtures yielding 21 goals, fans have found themselves an absolute bargain.
If only the club were to charge per goal, how healthy could Tony Burman’s transfer budget be looking when the January window opens?
But then, that’s crazy talk, isn’t it? Paying disappointed fans and charging happy ones just doesn’t make any sense. Wigan failed to pick up a league point at the weekend, but then so did Bolton, Portsmouth, Fulham, Wolves, Everton and Arsenal.
None of those supporters will get a penny for their troubles, and nor should they. Sport gives you the highest moments of ecstasy and takes you to the pits of despair. That’s why we love it – you pay your money, you take your chance.