Wigan Warriors' Adrian Lam slams "threatening" personal messages

[josie andrews]

Adrian Lam has revealed he received “offensive and threatening” personal messages during Wigan’s tough times.

Their 22-0 victory at Castleford on Monday night ended a three-game losing run and the Warriors head to Newcastle’s Magic Weekend on Sunday looking to cement fourth spot, guaranteeing them a home play-offs spot.

Lam has spent more than three decades in professional rugby league – first as a player with the Sydney Roosters, Queensland, Wigan and Papua New Guinea and now as a coach – and so knows as well as anyone that banter and criticism is part of the game. But he says personal messages which he, and others, have received overstepped the mark

“There have been people messaging me saying the fans are ripping into you on social media and that’s white noise to me, I don’t read social media, and if they want to have a go at me that’s all part of the job,” said Lam.

“I do feel passionate, though, that the personal messages that sometimes my players get, my staff get, and that I get - there’s no room for that.

“I feel strongly that people should be held accountable to that.

“I have had personal messages that have been quite offensive and threatening, and there’s no room for that in sport, or in life.

"This has led to deeper things in the community and life in general, with work places and schools, and people hurt themselves.

“How do I put it? If I didn’t have a character that was strong I could see how it could offend people. I don't think there's any room for it.

It doesn’t affect me but I know it’s out there, and it shoesn’t belong.”

While Lam realises why disappointed fans have targeted him with criticism, he feels some have ignored the mitigation, not least a long injury list throughout this season.

“Keyboard cowards, I call them, want to throw their two bob in without having an idea,” he said. “Bevan French hasn’t played all year, Jai Field has played three and a half games, there’s been no Dom Manfredi, no George Burgess, players missing half a season, it goes on and on.

But the pact I made at the start was not to waste energy on what we can’t control, and we’ve done our best.

“We won at Huddersfield with 11 players out... there have been some good moments.

“Some have made their debuts, and developing them has been a positive – so it’s easy to look at the negatives and what could have been but we’ve got to appreciate the positives and look at what’s left and take it with both hands.”

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... es-3369420

[morley pie eater]

He's right. However good or bad you think he is, there shouldn't be any need for this kind of stuff. As a society, we're in decline, imo, and this kind of rubbish is a sign of it.

Somebody can be a poor coach/player but a decent person. There's no need for the sort of abuse that is all too common on social media.

[Charriots Offiah]

Pathetic, people need to grow up.

[DaveO]

He's right. However good or bad you think he is, there shouldn't be any need for this kind of stuff. As a society, we're in decline, imo, and this kind of rubbish is a sign of it.

Somebody can be a poor coach/player but a decent person. There's no need for the sort of abuse that is all too common on social media.

He’s not right. Unless I have misunderstood he is mixing up two different things. First he talks about offensive messages to him and players. Bang out of order and possibly illegal anyway which could see people go to prison for hate crime.

He then finishes by saying people are “keyboard cowards” for criticism of the teams performance while not taking account of mitigating circumstances. This is bollocks. People do understand the issues such as French being injured. They just don’t like how he handled it by playing players out of position such as Hastings at full back. He received criticism for that from ex players who are Sky pundits as well as from fans. Is he calling them “keyboard cowards” as well? He wasn’t very pleased about this when it hit the press given his reaction at the time but he seems to be having a go at fans for the usual sort of criticism all coaches get when teams are playing badly not just for unacceptable insults.

[morley pie eater]

You say tom-ay-to, I say tom-ah-to...

[fozzieskem]

There no room for hate messages that simply should go without saying.

But his other points I’m not so sure,to be fair Facebook is a cesspit frankly and it’s one of the most liberating things I’ve done coming off it a few months back,I doubt I’ll return,now to places like this,I see this forum as no different than a pub post match we can all moan or celebrate as things dictate,most here speak common sense even if you don’t agree with what’s said.

I absolutely feel any performance good or bad is fair game for praise or criticism,without debate sport is a bunch of blokes throwing a ball round and as fans our entrance money each week,for me at least gives the right to vent our spleen,if coaches don’t like the brickbats then maybe their in the wrong job

[Wintergreen]

Two things here:

1. People expressing their views on the team/management/coaching. - perfectly acceptable (and should be encouraged).

2. Personal abuse/hate messages- completely unacceptable. The people doing this should be ashamed of themselves.

[Firestarter]

Two things here:

1. People expressing their views on the team/management/coaching. - perfectly acceptable (and should be encouraged).

2. Personal abuse/hate messages- completely unacceptable. The people doing this should be ashamed of themselves.

pretty much says it all

[Caboosegg]

Two things here:

1. People expressing their views on the team/management/coaching. - perfectly acceptable (and should be encouraged).

2. Personal abuse/hate messages- completely unacceptable. The people doing this should be ashamed of themselves.

Disagree, people should not be contacting a coach directly to air their views, when they do its rarely, I am afraid I don't like what you have done to Wigan and more Lam your s***

[DaveO]

Two things here:

1. People expressing their views on the team/management/coaching. - perfectly acceptable (and should be encouraged).

2. Personal abuse/hate messages- completely unacceptable. The people doing this should be ashamed of themselves.

Disagree, people should not be contacting a coach directly to air their views, when they do its rarely, I am afraid I don't like what you have done to Wigan and more Lam your s***

How on earth is that not 2?

The quote at the start of thread reads as if he's objecting to 1 when he talks of "keyboard warriors". If he is then he's the first coach I have ever seen to make such a comment, collectively insulting those fans to boot when he's complaining about receiving insults himself.

If Lam and the players are victims of 2, that is a serious issue and he's every right to complain about it but he should kept to that. Not whinged about the normal criticism any coach gets.