SMITH SIGNS FOR WIGAN!!!

[MrDave]

Sorry but this club of ours is going backwards and to imagine we can win anything defies logic. Leeds and Saints are at a different level when it comes to the crunch.

I think for the first time in awhile the club is actually moving in the right direction. Wigan have tried throwing big money at players with big reputations and it hasn't work, Warrington have done a similar thing in the last few season and looks what happened to them.

Neither Leeds or Saints are known for there big money buys both clubs have built squads around 3 quality players who have been at the club along time. Leeds get most of there players from the academy and Saints make smart buys from the NRL when the opportunity arises.

You can't buy your way to the Grand Final any more teams have to be coached to the Grand Final. It doesn't really matter who the players are as long as they fit into the team.

[mike binder]

As Mike Binder states, somebody had better explain how we operate within the quota with both Phelps and Smith?

Simple This year we are allowed 10 players who were not trained by the UK federation, ie not learn the game in the UK.

We have

Phelps
Smith
Richards
Carmont
Barrett
TL
Feka
Bailey

this year, Hansen does not count as he was federation trained.

Next year we will lose Trent and gain Riddell.

Next year we are allowed 9 overseas players, ie non federation trained, so we have 1 potential more new recruit coming from the NRL.

http://www.superleague.co.uk/page.php?id=346

All explained there.

2008 unless one plays hooker I cannot see all 3 (Trent, Tommy, Tim playing together.

Well I do otherwise we wouldn't have signed him for this season. Smith to stand off Leuluai remains at scrum half and Trent Barrett to loose forward while O'loughlin's injured.

Tim Smith, your right, those very same people after a handful of games were saying Smith for Queensland, Australia in 12 months. The most recent comment was unfit and lazy by Freddie Fittler. Everybody knows that when you are new it makes things easier, players, teams know less about you. The second season is the crunch and guess what Smith never got over it. he was a one season wonder followed by nothing.

He was a "one season wonder" followed by bipolar disorder.
The lad had his off field problems but I'm sorry you don't just burst onto the NRL scene be tipped this that and the other and suddenly go crap. The lad is quality. A fresh break in England away from all the media hype could be exactly what he needs.

The reports were genuine.

Not all over them were.

He did get drunk on several occasions,

Damn what a rotter tear up his contract now

he did assault people

That he did. But what should that have to do with his game? Look at Feka for example.

Has Wigan not got any drinkingestablishments? Do SL players avoid trouble? So by moving across the world he is going to undergo a miraculous cure and become free from bi-polar. Funnily enough there was me thinking once bi-polar, always bi-polar. You may control it but it is always there.

Talk about putting words in my mouth. I might not understand the ins and out of the illness but one thing is for sure if the lad was not right he would not have signed and Wigan would not have signed him. I saw an interview on channel nine with him covering all this and the lad seemed fine and more eager than ever to start rugby league again.

Sorry why could IL and co not go out and try to sign a quality replacement.

Who says this is Barretts replacement? Might not work out and we might have someone else lined up. If he is Barretts replacement he is a quality player with a bright future ahead of him. Who where you really expecting though? Greg Inglis? There's no pleasing some people who are still stuck in the central park days. Move on!

I have an inkling Carmont was agreed before IL came along.

You do not know that for sure even so the Carmont deal was announced long after the take over. I highly doubt it I just think your being stubborn.

so we have signed cannot tackle will not tackle Mathers,

On a short term deal with the option of releasing him after this year should everything not work out.

One for the future Pryce

On that one all I'll say is wait till he makes his debut. And anyway at least Lenegan has been open and honest about the whole thing not covering anything up.

Phelps who only got an NRL game in a massive injury crisis and has tackling issues

Hahaha you clearly no very little about the NRL don't you? Take a look at this http://www.thekennel.com.au/forum/showt ... ght=Phelps
No let me guess they're all wrong too.

Even should this not workout (even though you have doubted this before he has even played first team for Wigan) he's only till the end of the season and can be released. You don't know until you try.

alex the 10 non uk trainned players dosnt come in to force till next season ,we are still on 3 oversea players or 4 plus unlimited kolpack ,the new ruleing comes in to force next season or as it been sneaked threw this season and all the clubs agree????

[mike binder]

Year


Home-Grown Players


UK-trained players


Overseas trained players

2008


5


10


10

2009


6


10


9

2010


7


10


8

2011


8


12


5

sorry alex you are right i didnt realise that rule was in for this season ,nice to know some 1 is keeping a eye on it

[mike binder]

[quote="pieater-alex"]As far as I'm aware it's in force now.[/quotei




it is alex see my follow up post??/

[wiggydoran]

This signing has really created a loy of different views.

What not one as mentioned is thomas colye has gone to Halifax. This must have been to createt room on the salary cap for Smith. Is this a good move. I think so it lets Coyle play more games how ever he will be missing out on any Experence that Barrett can be paced down.

[ancientnloyal]

Halifax are doing brilliantly in NL1, good move IMO

[cpwigan]

Sounds like somebody has spat their dummy over another signing that will keep one of the precious acadamy players of the scene again

How many games have you been to this season?

Stick to Turf

[Matthew]

Sorry CP - but I think they're right on this occasion. You seem to be a supporter willing the club to fail - even going so far as to do a sean long and be prepared to put money against the club you profess to support

Who would you have us replace Barrett with? Do you want us to do a wire and spend a third of the cap on a big name Aussie? That worked well with King for them didn't it? Who is actually even available? There is no-one to match Barrett in SL and it has been rumoured that he may even return to the Roos when he gets home.

Sam Tomkins may well become the next GB stand-off; however I am pretty sure it won't be next season. He is a youngster who needs time to develop, before facing SL standard opposition every week.

Personally I would be happy to see Stanton given a go on the wing; I would also hope that Tomkins will get some time this season - however; as long as we keep the best of the academy players that we have; I don't have a problem with them having more time to develop.

So Tim Smith has some issues - it's not like we're paying him Barrett-esque money is it? If he succeeds great; if not, well at least we tried.

IL bought the club with his own money and seems like he wants the club to succeed. He doesn't have the distraction of wendyball like DW did and he doesn't seem to be living in the past - where money fixed everything, like ML was. The guy has not even been here for a full season and you already have nothing good to say about him.

Whatever you say about Noble; he kept us in SL when that f***wit Millward had us all but ready to play in NL1. Since he has been at the club things have improved. We may have only beaten our arch rivals once; but how many other clubs beat stains more than once a year - one? two? He may have inherited a decent team at the bulls; but they haven't done much since he left, have they?

If it pains you that much with what is going on the club - stick to the academy matches for a few months; because all this hatred can't be doing your blood pressure any good

[cpwigan]

Sounds like somebody has spat their dummy over another signing that will keep one of the precious acadamy players of the scene again

It would seem that way wouldn't it? I don't understand these people. Thomas Coyle is not up to super league standards and isn't ready and neither is Sam Tomkins although out the two Tomkins certainly has the potential to go very far but needs time and patience.

I prefer the view of John Monie that you get 2 players from each academy age group and Dean Bell that if you get the first team right, the academy players will come through.

I personally feel Thomas Coyle is not a Wigan player. That does not mean I want him to fail, just like those NRL fans from forums you like to quote. Sam Tomkins will be good enough.

However, I am not aware of any club in modern day history other than this present Wigan club that uses its first team as a basis to trial players, let alone players filling positions that are supposed to be filled by world class overseas players.

I prefer to judge players on what I have seen. I have been fortunate to see every Phelps appearance in 2008 and 2 matches where he has missed one on one tackles is reason not to be happy. Now call me odd but I though decent tackling ability was a pre-requisite if you want to win competitions.

Likewise, Smith why has he always played scrum half if he is such a good stand off? So we are signing somebody who nobody knows whether he can play stand off or not. What has Smith done since his rookie season? Gone backwards. It got to the stage that he was being mocked for passing the ball back inside every time the ball came to him. In one of his last games Brad Fittler instructed his team to target Smith because he was unfit and lazy. Smith averages 3 tries per season. The last thing we need is another back with a poor try scoring ratio. Will his bi-polar get better or worse? According to IL it will simply because we do not have the Sydney media. Yet, all imports are quoted as saying how difficult it is coming to a new country, how it can be lonely, the weather can be depressing. What do young people tend to do in Wigan? welcome to King Street Tim. What is Piggy noted for? born again christian or let's get bladdered?

Our league position? Wow in a mediocre league, 2 clubs are head and shoulders above the rest when it matters. Saints even lose games but if we are honest we know they are far better than we are. When it comes to the crunch Saints or Leeds will be picking up the silverware.

Guess what we will be saying. Maybe next year, the next year after that and the one after that.

Still we will be good losers, IL will say we hav a better reputation and other clubs/the RFL now like us. Awesome!

[medlocke]

Sounds like somebody has spat their dummy over another signing that will keep one of the precious acadamy players of the scene again

How many games have you been to this season?

Stick to Turf

Whats that got to do with the price of cream crackers?

the fact is you saw your arse over the Phelps signing, why?

now you are doing the same over Smith, it is clear that these young ones are not near SL standard yet, if they where they would surely be getting a go. look at the wonder boy that is Goulding, all the praise and hype that was heaped on his young shoulders the other season (no doubt you where one of those doing so), obviously he wasn't ready, now look at the state of him, suspect in defence and hasn't got a clue how to pass, do you want the stars of the future to go the same way, just so we don't take a gamble on one or two players.