The 18th Man column: 'We are the same, we are Wigan, so let's unite...'

Robert Kenyon: I think it would be a good idea, Ian Lenegan has shown he can run a sports club and make it successful in both Wigan Warriors and Oxford United so he’s no stranger to football.

The club would be in the hands of a Wiganer who would have the best interests of the club at heart.

The good part of it is the stadium would be part of the deal, so in effect we would be able to make more money for the club on matchday and use the stadium for other things.

I think it would make perfect sense should the deal be done, there isn’t anyone better out there than Ian Lenegan in my book.

Sean Lawless: The interest that Wigan have in buying the football club is incredible – on so many levels. Incredible in that, I would never have thought that was an option before now. Initially, there are lots of emotions and questions to which, we will only find out the answers should the bid materialise and become a reality.

From a rugby fan perspective, the key questions that seem to be around are, what does that mean for the stadium? Would we be better placed to have a bigger say, would that mean no more fixtures being bumped for “waterlogged” pitches, would it mean more cherry red seats, as petty as that sounds, it would make the DW Stadium – after 20 years – feel more like home!

What would the financial impact be on the rugby club, and how would that be safeguarded from the investment being lost into the far more expensive sport of football?

But, none of those questions are that important really, when you consider the amount of redundancies and the amount of livelihoods on the line, they are really small, almost insignificant questions aren’t they? If Ian Lenagan, and the consortium he is overseeing, can get a package together that saves those jobs, gives peace of mind to those families who are currently going through the angst of uncertainty, those fans, players, support staff - then this has to be a brilliant move. It’s perhaps the move that sums Wiganers up best.

We can argue, discuss, make claims about the rugby club and the football club but either way, the first word on each of our badges is the same.

The ethos, the humility and the substance of both clubs, is the same. We are the same, we are Wigan, so yes let’s unite and make Wigan proud again and put an end to any rugby/football divide and be proud of Wigan.

Jess Foxley: I’m excited at the prospect of Ian Lenagan buying Wigan Athletic. To me it’s evident Latics have previously done better under local ownership, and I firmly believe Lenagan will have both clubs’ interests at heart.

However, I can understand why some fans aren’t seeing it like this.

If it all went ahead, I think it would be great to offer an incentive for both teams’ supporters in terms of being able to go and watch them both.

Maybe pick a handful of games at the start of the season, if you have a Warriors season ticket, you could pay a reduced fee to watch Latics in these X amount of games and vice versa.

Something like this could attract new fans for both teams.

Alex Graham: I think it could be revolutionary for the relationship between both clubs and supporters if the purchase comes off. I watch football but have never supported Wigan Athletic. We all have our reasons but, growing up, Wigan Athletic were a Third Division club and their existence meant to me as much as any other amateur/semi-professional club in and around town.

As they started to gain investment and rise through the ranks, this is when I and many others should have been attracted to supporting our hometown football club, but as the club grew so did the voices of resentment towards Wigan Rugby League, which is justifiable in some cases when you listen to the patronising comments by Maurice Lindsay towards Latics in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Unfortunately, animosity between both clubs caused a rift, and it became very hard to support a club when there’s large sections of each supporter-base passionately showing their dislike for one another, and snowballing massively with the introduction of Twitter and social media.

However, regardless of our sporting preferences, no true Wiganer wants to see a community club and local business fight for survival.

I don’t want to see friends and Wiganers lose jobs or lose the team they love as much as I love Wigan RL.

The gesture by Ian Lenagan and Wigan Rugby League to save Wigan Athletic would be far more poignant than any comment an ex-rugby league chairman made 30 years ago. If the success of Wigan Athletic contributes to the success of Wigan Rugby League, then I and any other fan who claims to love Wigan Rugby League should be a Wigan Athletic supporter too.

Darren Wrudd: I suppose I must begin this by confessing I don’t enjoy football. I can’t watch it and get frustrated at the overpaid Premier League prima-donnas and their soft antics on and off the field.

There, I have said it, please don’t hold it against me.

For now I must qualify why I think the possibility of Wigan Warriors helping out Wigan Athletic is a simply fantastic idea.

First I must say I don’t have any axe to grind with the Latics or their fans, and I simply do not fall in with this rivalry beyond a friendly banter with one or two colleagues who happen to support football.

That a Wigan professional sporting club, with such dedicated fans and staff, is struggling financially is simply awful, and the chance the organisation could be saved by a man like Mr Lenagan is a huge plus for both clubs.

Latics would be getting an owner who is so dedicated to Wigan as a town that they would find themselves once more on steady ground.

Financial stability breeds confidence on many levels, and the professionalism he would bring to the management of the club cannot be underestimated.

With a vast experience from his involvement with Oxford United Football Club and the English Football League, he has much to bring to the table for Latics.

And with the Council’s backing, I hope he gets the deal sorted and Latics can finish the season in style.

From the Warriors’ point of view, I would like to see the control of the stadium in Mr Lenagan’s hands, as we have suffered in recent years with the ridiculous situation of seven or eight weeks of away games in summer so the pitch can be pampered for a while.

This needs to stop.

It is costing the Warriors season ticket revenue as people are getting a little cheesed off in what seems to be us being treated as a second-rate tenant.

Too often we run the risk of home cup draws or play-off games having to be played elsewhere and, frankly for a premier, world renowned rugby league club, this is not right.

With a management of the stadium given new guidelines on fixture preparation, it should be easy to keep the pitch in great condition for both teams, so a standard home and away fixture list should be possible for the Warriors.

The biggest hurdle of course could be the fans. I hope not, as there is not room for bitterness in a great small town who punches well above its national status.

Mr Lenagan may just prove that the town really is red, white and blue.

Jon Lyon: Not being born in Wigan, I’ve never quite understood the animosity between the football and rugby fans.

Judging by some comments on social media it still seems to be going strong.

Some Latics fans seem very reluctant to have anyone associated with Wigan RL in control of their club, but I would counter that with the question of how well things are going having ‘football men’ in charge?

First and foremost, people are losing their jobs.

For this reason alone all rivalry needs to be put aside. If Ian Lenagan and co, with help from Wigan Council, can take control then I am all for it.

Lenagan has proven over a long period of time what an outstanding chairman he is.

Having previously owned Oxford United, he knows exactly what he is getting himself into.

Without knowing all the facts, it’s hard to say how Wigan Athletic ended up in this position, but to fall into administration so soon after changing owners, something certainly seems amiss.

My biggest concern would be the sheer cost of running a football club.

Some Latics fans still dream of the Premier League, a pipedream surely.

As well as they did to achieve that in 2005, and stay there for so long, it seems almost impossible to imagine it happening again.

There are some huge clubs stuck in the Championship, and that seems to be Wigan’s level at best.

Even to stay there would take huge investment, football wages are at a ridiculous level, and to sustain the Latics will take an inordinate amount of money.

In Lenagan we trust, though, and if he thinks he can make this a success then I’m more than happy to see him try. Certainly having someone in charge who cares about both the football and rugby clubs, and the town in general, must be an improvement on the current situation.