Barbed Wire wrote:
It’s textbook gaslighting really. Basically asking people not to voice their opinion unless it’s a positive one.
I was at Wigan, and have been to most games, and the atmosphere is generally quite positive at the start of the game, good effort gets rewarded with a clap and a song. But people object to conceding 30 points points without response. The fans were that far behind the club, a significant number boo’d a player who had given 10 years service on the notion that he makes T-shirts on club time, and for that reason he needed to be booted out of the club.
The critics, those fee paying fans, are the barometer of acceptances. If they start going against you, you’re on the way out. Unless, you can manipulate them into not voicing their opinion. Limit the vocal critics, limit the criticism.
Not to be negative…. but this worked.
The Monday morning crisis meeting will now forever start with “I told you we can do it when the fans get behind us…”
I think the result, especially the comfortable score line, is papering over the cracks.
I think now, now we are actually safe to put the cue on the rack, pre-season starts. Get the 1 to 13 for next season in position now and begin the prep. Other than the Wardle question mark, the backs, halfbacks, hookers and back rowers are all in. Start building the combinations and stop with the tinkering. Either that, or make a call on the coach/Director or Rugby/CEO and use the next 4 weeks to get the right personnel in place to start pre-season exactly 2 weeks after the season finishes.