The Voice - Match preview #37: Wigan Athletic vs Bradford City Saturday 14th March 2026 3:00pm

Yes you must have just missed the announcement by the club they would hold us back after the game.

 

Yes. Not invested, taken from new income.

 

Why though i thought all that stopped ages ago ????

Can see why though it was asking for bother after the game going towards that bridge folk heading backinto town

 

Lincoln don't rest their key players.....

 

Two of my posts yesterday
2 - 0 Bronco, Yesterday at 4:37 PM
Bronco, Yesterday at 4:41 PM

You must have just missed the announcement.

 

Yep, heavy handed they were.

I went down onto the concourse at half time. There were 2 coppers stationed at the top of the stairs literally meaning only one person at a time could pass them and causing a bottleneck above them on the terraces. I asked them why they were stationed there and the response was 'we've been told to'. I said if that was supporters stood there they would be told to move or be physically removed. The response was 'City fans have been stood here this first half...'. My response was well you're the police you should have moved them on to which I got some grunting and told to get downstairs!!

Then at the end of the game they literally blocked the stairs and kept people on the terraces leading to a lot of anger and antagonism and crushing / pressure leading down to the stairs!!! A couple of older blokes sat near me on the Dolly bus had asked the coppers if they would let them down to use the loo or they would be in serious trouble of wetting themselves! No you can't was the response. There was absolutely no reason why people couldn't have been contained in the concourse below rather than actually in the stands. This caused any tension of the afternoon, there had been none up until that point.

 

They're good enough at 70%. Genuine quality throughout the side. They don't need to be peak condition to get results.

 

Anyone thinking they would ? Never in a million years would they , their forum would have turned toxic in January instead of February

 

Thier game is built on physicality and pace. Sorry but that don't wash with me. Teams simply don't drop their best players, not in any division.
I'll add rested for clarity

 

The stewarding was a joke, you had your ticket scanned as you went through the turn styles, then as we went to the steps a steward asked to see our tickets I replied we just had them scanned how do you think we got in, he replied you have to use the correct entrance, I replied you do know the tickets are unreserved and fans will sit as and where they want to, which he agreed, then once again stopped us using the steps that 3 of our party of 5 had already gone through, we did as we were asked and went to the next stairway only to see the 3 other lads had saved us seats along with them so we entered by a different stairway and sat in the seats we could have sat in if we'd used the same stairway as the other 3 lads, what a sausage, they get a stewards jacket and act like Adolf Hitler.

 

It was crazy and totally unnecessary. I was trying to recall the last time I was at a game where away fans were kept in and I'm sure its been years. Felt like a throwback to the 80s and 90s and created problems that didn't need to happen.

 

So you'd play Sarcevic every game unless he's injured?

 

Yes, without a doubt.

 

Fair enough. I might be wrong but there's no way he'd have maintained the impact he has had over this season without the spells he's had for extended recovery. We'd probably be looking at intermittent 3-4 weeks of niggly injuries too. Why do you think GA rests him?

 

We have differing views on GAs rotation approach in recent weeks, but I do agree with you on the need to look after Sarce. He is so important to us and we cannot afford to lose him for any length of time. At this stage of his career he is susceptible to injuries, so keeping him fit, healthy and fresh is crucial.
We are in the middle of an intense run of fixtures. Personally, I expected him to be rested at Vale Park. I didn't expect him to start both games and dont think its any coincidence that he had one of his most ineffective half's yesterday before being subbed.
Im not criticising GA for playing him as Im always happy when his name is on the team sheet, but being pragmatic, I think we have to accept he can't and won't play all the games, so some difficult decisions may need to be made.

 

He picks up injuries. Different to being rested. Where I agree with you is our squad isn't good enough, Jackson getting injured meaning Wheatley is taken away from the position he should be playing which is as back up to Bobby and Sarce in the 10 role. That said we are a work in progress, our first eleven remains competitive without being world beaters, next season we need an upgrade in various positions.

 

Agree quoting the likes of Cardiff or Lincoln as examples being in the same category as ourselves is unrealistic, are we saying by rotating the squad we have not actually weakened the starting 11 of course we have, we can't even get a consistent bench never mind starting 11, would anyone give a a date/game to when the likes of Joe Wright, Ciarán Kelly, Joe White Nick Powell, George Lapslie, Louie Sibley, Harrison Ashby (a £3m pound signing for Newcastle) or Paul Mullin will get their next start based on their ability or time at the club.
Any of the above IMO opinion would weaken the last two starting 11s and that's accepting the mundane game we all witnessed at Wigan, I'm with you we have 9 games left and we may have a play off place wrapped up by the Plymouth or Northampton home games, possibly before if the chasing pack keep not getting the 3 points they need to close the gap, then start looking at giving players a rest, although again IMO once we have secured a play off place we need to get as high as possible to give us any advantages although I believe it's the team on the day usually usually gets the result.

 

I was right near there vocal home end the antics of them bellends needed more looking at tbh ..........loads of City fans stood in the aisle it was actually down to City fans moving the seat coverings that allowed folk to sit down while the plod and stewards stood therw and didnt give them a helping hand ................actually glad i fooked off early some right loons out yesterday ...........young lads stagferinf around at 12pm so god knows what state they ended up come kick off time.

 

I know a couple of City fans got lifted in the rround but the antics of some of the Wigans fans and we aint talking kids here was fooking comical ..............strange strange lot

 

So with all this recovery time,why are we so poor away from VP?.