Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:37 am  

espanyolswan wrote:

Jools I would not worry, have been to the DW with The Giants and Crusaders in recent years and had no problems whatsoever.

In the Cup last year the Brigantes were in the stand where the bulk of the Crusaders fans were and the atmosphere was excellent, think they did go there aiming to intimidate but it was going to take alot more than that to worry the visiting fans and they even started pinching a few Crusaders songs by the end and probably embarrassingly for them now celebrated the Crusaders try as though it was one Wigan had scored.

Misguided probably, heart in the right place, for sure but a threat to everyone who goes to watch Wigan play....I don't think so.

I've been to the DW every year for several years, my family have sometimes come too-it's one of the few all seater stadiums that means we can all go and see the game alongside other giants supporters, my mum finds it difficult to stand for a whole game. I dont mind the chanting and the singing side of the intimidation - that's to try to make the stadium a fortress for the home side - but if flares, vandalism and violence is part of what they do - I won't take my family. I don't want my 7 yr old daughter to be so terrified it puts her off the game. If something kicks off outside the stadium again- I don't want to be worried that my 73 yr old mum can't get out of the way. Perhaps you think I'm over reacting but if this isn't dealt with it's only going to get worse not better. A lot can happen between now and August.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:54 am  

To be honest i dont really understand it.

Singing songs wavibg flags and getting the crowd going i get.

Why would you want to intimidate away fans though? Dont we want them coming and spending their money just from a financial point of view.

What do ppl want no away fans? Or just intimidated ones thwt sit quietly for 80 minutes.

I dont get to go to a lot of games but hopefully that will change soon (finances etc) and im looking forward to bringing my daughter but not to listen to a load of numpties shout and scream then kuck off with other fans.

If i want my daughter to see that kind of thing il stay in blackpool and not pay for the privalege.

On a side note dont see why fans unhappy about this dont just ask the club to ban the said group and have done with it. No more "clubs" just fans and if they bring flags and sing more the better but no more "pack" mentality.

Apologies for spelling on my phone

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:02 am  

jools wrote:

I've been to the DW every year for several years, my family have sometimes come too-it's one of the few all seater stadiums that means we can all go and see the game alongside other giants supporters, my mum finds it difficult to stand for a whole game. I dont mind the chanting and the singing side of the intimidation - that's to try to make the stadium a fortress for the home side - but if flares, vandalism and violence is part of what they do - I won't take my family. I don't want my 7 yr old daughter to be so terrified it puts her off the game. If something kicks off outside the stadium again- I don't want to be worried that my 73 yr old mum can't get out of the way. Perhaps you think I'm over reacting but if this isn't dealt with it's only going to get worse not better. A lot can happen between now and August.

You could be right and to be fair it was probably lucky Wigan did not score in the 2nd half as the flare (or whatever it was) would probably have gone up earlier and caused more angst and problems between the Wigan fans.

In truth if it focuses minds it was a minor incident compared with what could have happened and where they go from now will determin if your worries are correct or not.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:58 am  

rufio wrote:

They don't take any fans away, joke club.

3,500 at Huddersfield yesterday suggests otherwise.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:03 pm  

This makes very sad reading.

The Brigante thing was a brilliant concept, and well done the guys who strarted it off, but in hindsight things like this can go off the rails.
The original brigante "commitee ?" worked hard, putting in their own cash, and using their own unpaid time to make matchdays exciting.
The club worked alongside and gave support, as did Old trafford in the 2010 GF. The guys ran events like the fundraisers at Spring View cricket club, and some notable "names" turned up to help raise the profile, Billy Boston, Bill Ashurst, Graham West, to name a few, even the Warriors kitman turned up. The club donated prizes, merchandise and season tickets and lent the Trophies they won to help raise cash.
They raised a substantial sum for charities, notably the time they lugged a book around for people to sign, again at their own time and expense.
I dont know where, when or how it all changed, but it did change, and not for the better.
The last time i was close to these guys at a match , it seemed to have been hijacked my kids who cant hold their beer, some not even old enough to be drinking.
If any of these young mindless clowns are reading this, take a step back and think.
Think about how the guys who got this off the ground are feeling. You are undoing the hard work they put it.
STOP IT NOW GUYS, AND GROW UP.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:18 pm  

I think it's a shame that certain drunken idiots have ruined the reputation of a group who originally did a brilliant thing.

I loved it. All the flags looked brilliant. The world club challenge looked amazing on tv ( I had to watch it abroad) but the massive flag's that where waved and the atmosphere they created looked electric.

Same goes for the playoff match at Widnes in 2011 against Saint's. It was a brilliant atmosphere despite losing.


Now unfortunately the wrong people have gotten involved and ruined it with wearing balaclava's and scarves round their faces, putting stickers anywhere they possibly can and just generally being over the top.

There's no excuse for going around a town vandalising the place by putting "brigante's" stickers anywhere they see fit. I saw a pic yesterday on twitter of a lad who had even got one of the "ultra" emblems tattooed on his arm. and then a group photo of them all balaclavad up in a pub giving it the big I am.

I think the problem is worse away from home because the group are spending all their time getting tanked up on ale which they can't handle, and then it just escalates.

They where warned that going down the ultra route would be a bad choice, and it would seem it is now showing.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:26 pm  

Rugby league is not European football. It has a totally different culture.

The problem with this business of putting scarves across your face/setting off flares/smoke bombs is its young lads trying to recreate what they have seen on TV in European football matches. When you go to Europe and watch football yes sometimes this does have a crackling atmosphere, with an undercurrent of tension that these are quite nasty people often involved in far right wing groups that fight for white racial purity, so when you go there as an English tourist you kind of think, well this is certainly an experience to talk about when I get home, but I wouldn't particularly want it at home matches...

Now aside from casting any judgement on whether its appropriate to be copying something with undercurrents of right wing racial hooliganism, even if you just want to recreate that atmosphere, you can't recreate that over here. One, being a working class sport, right wingers and skin heads have never been able to get a foothold in it especially as in France the Nazis banned RL....they would never be welcome. Two, the audiences are mainly families, in European football it is mostly males and they don't go with girlfriends/wives or especially kids, as a general rule, they go with their mates. This is especially true in places like Turkey, Eastern Europe where you get the real 'atmosphere'.

So if you get together a handful of English young lads, that aren't real authentic hard right wing skinheads, but are just pretending to be like that to look a bit notorious, and experimenting with smoke bombs and stuff, it just looks totally cringeworthy. Not only is it disruptive but its not even scary, we all know they aren't really hard, they are just knobs.

This isn't a post against Wigan as I am agreeing with most of the Wigan fans on here and the Warrington chavs get on my nerves too. With us we had a similar situation to the Brigantes business of young chavs spoiling good efforts from older supporters to try and encourage good atmosphere with the 'barmy army'. You would get a lot of hangers on around Geordie (who did a lot for the club) and his drum, wanting to be seen as 'hardcore fans' and then acting like idiots being offensive to other clubs fans etc.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:28 pm  

MattyB wrote:

The original plan around three years ago was to create an atmosphere of colour and noise within the DW (and on the road). As you say fundraising events were organised, bucket collections pre games were started and all monies spent purchased the flags which you see along the top of the South Stand gantry, cherry and white bar scarves and pin badges were sold and all proceeds were used to purchase futher gantry flags including the 'We are Wigan' banner displayed in the West Stand. As momentum grew further fundraising events were organised to raise money for local charities with split proceeds funding enormous flags on poles (World Club Challenge as the teams were led out), proposals were in place to include young Wigan supporters to create their own flag design and for the club to decide a winner, the Brigantes would then fund the flag through the design and manufacture and be hung with other flags in the South Stand - although this idea never got off the ground unfortunately.

A lot of other ideas were put on the table (to include a 'Junior' brigantes - eg Kids aged 10 and under, merchandise to suit all supporters....etc), again ideas which never materialised.

Around the time of the Challenge Cup QF & SF at the Halliwell Jones where the atmosphere peaked on the road, hundreds of Wigan fans waving bar scarves and large flags on the terracing - didn't the BBC even comment on the 'joyous Wigan fans celebrating their victory' well after the final hooter? Even rival supporters on these boards wondering how to imitate such a fanbase!!

I won't wash dirty linen in public and I certainly don't like to name names - probably because 'in hindsight' best intentions were served at the time and 80% of things that have been delivered has been brilliant, but during the off season twelve months ago it was felt that the Brigantes would shift purpose and explore other avenues centred around the improvement of atmosphere during games itself. Around this time, some of the supporters (myself included) who had been actively fundraising for flags became less involved with taking the Brigantes forward (i'm in my forties - maybe twenty years ago under the Popular Stand but not these days, so my decision was to leave it with the younger lads).

Now firstly, some of the 'on terrace' ideas such as home made "2-stick" banners) which were fantastic - some of which were amazing "Mossop the Boxer" and "Tuson" to name just a few. Very impressed with these!!! Not so sure about the day we had the 'Tin Foil'?, buy hey-ho. Some of the chants, although new to most at the time became firm favourites - some good stuff there.

In general within the DW I think things are handled pretty well - the group themselves behave themselves on a regular basis. There does however seem to be an issue with matches on the road - Smoke bombs, young lads tanked up and fighting between themselves, supporters encouraged not to wear club colours, scarves worn over faces....etc. This is not what being a Rugby League supporter is about, it certainly wasn't what was envisaged two/three years ago round the table in the Anvil.

It's make or break year for The Brigantes this season I feel, how long before away clubs limit Wigan fans tickets or the Wigan club get involved?

Supporter behaviour at away games needs to improve and it's only a small number of tanked up youths giving the rest a bad name. Pack it in!

Well said Matt and alot more diplomatic than I would have been.

I wasn't there on Sunday but from what I've heard it is disgusting and has been a long time coming. I'm just glad it happened at decent stadium where CCTV can be gathered from.

Neither you or any of the orginal group (I will not name names) who have tried and tried to make this not turn into what it has should not be made to explain.

It's high time some people stood up and faced the music.

If I hear one more time 'It wasn't me' i will scream!!! I would not stand by and let anyone around me friend or foe behave in that sort of manner.

PS - Invite on the way

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:03 pm  

Could the reason the group are more out of control at away games, simply be down to cause and effect.

If you get out of control at an away ground, the worst case senario is that you will be ejected.

If they got as out of control at the Wigan ground, the club would ban them and so stop their access.

Each away match is like an individual event with no long lasting impact on their activities.

Re: Brigantes a disgrace : Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:05 pm  

St. Rughead wrote:

3,500 at Huddersfield yesterday suggests otherwise.

come off it... more like 2000.

shame it was on a saturday would of been a fair few more if it was sunday