Contracts ending this year:

[cpwigan]

IMO we have gone from not enough players to toom many players and as Morph says you risk paying lots of players a decent salary but having not enough on the cap to buy a really key player. At the end of the day, a team that does well usually uses less not more players.

[lucky 13]

Already touched on this on another thread
We need one very good prop and a half who can get us around the field and free Sam T up
Baily Smith Coley to go Lulu to stay but to hooker Ainscough and for that matter Sam should be signed up on longer better contracts, Carmont I would see how he goes to the end of the season he was a bonus last year with the form he showed .
The rest is up in the air Pryce needs to get fit,to be honest after so long out it may only be the back end of the season before he gets anywhere near.
Phelps well I still think he could be a very good player if it was at all possible Fielden would go a year early even if we could free up half his moneyand another club take up the rest.
I would have Ashton back a couple of years older and came through our youth system and he had quality never thought I would say that but times a great ........ n all that.

[DaveO]

Ainscough - keep, obviously!

Bailey - go but given he will be classed as federation trained I could see Nobby wanting to keep him.

Coley - go and can't see him being retained

Carmont - another year before making way for Goulding?
Flanagan - no idea if he should stay or go


Leuluai - he is the interesting one.

As a 7 he simply doesn't cut it at the highest level but since both our hookers are not out of contract then if we kept him as a 9 and brought in a 7 then that would be three no. 9's on our books who would all be part of the top 25 earners. That does not work.

If we keep him as a 7, that does not work either but that is what I expect us to do and while some will be happy if we do, TL at 7 is one reason why we won't challenge the best.

Phelps - he is a quota player and while players like Bailey and TL are not counted as such meaning we could keep him (I think) I'd be surprised if we did. Then again he may be a Noble favourite to if Noble stays maybe Phelps will as well.

Pryce - no idea what will happen here. His future could also hinge on Noble still being the coach come 2010.

Smith - can't see him being retained or indeed him wanting to stay.

I reckon if Noble is still here then Ainscough, Bailey, Carmont, Flanagan, Leuluai, Phelps and Pryce all stand more than an even chance of being here next year with only Coley and Smith not having contracts renewed.

Dave

[DaveO]

Chopping and changing the squad every season is what caused (along with some other reason) Wigan to go from being a great team to being an average team. Stick with some current players for a while until a suitable replacement is found preferable an academy player. There is no guarantee that any new player will do well so stick with what works ok until you can find something that works better otherwise it can all go wrong very quickly.

Err...isn't the problem that it isn't working with these players on board? Bar Ainscough (and possibly Carmont) on that list there is not universal support for any player on it.

Dave

[Big ref wit' glasses]

I think with all these contracts coming to an end that it is very important that the long term coaching situation at the club is sorted out as soon as possible.

The worst thing that could happen is for several of these lads to be offered new contracts only to find that they are not required by a new coach next year. This would give the new coach less room to bring in new players under the salary cap as well as devastating the morale of the players.

In the next few weeks Lennagan needs to think carefully if he is going to go with Noble again next season. If he is not then surely it would be better to make the change before all these contracts are negotiated.

It would be a real shame if another coach was installed next year only to be hindered by having another coaches team in a similair way Noble was when he took over from Millward.

[gpartin]

I think with all these contracts coming to an end that it is very important that the long term coaching situation at the club is sorted out as soon as possible.

The worst thing that could happen is for several of these lads to be offered new contracts only to find that they are not required by a new coach next year. This would give the new coach less room to bring in new players under the salary cap as well as devastating the morale of the players.

In the next few weeks Lennagan needs to think carefully if he is going to go with Noble again next season. If he is not then surely it would be better to make the change before all these contracts are negotiated.

It would be a real shame if another coach was installed next year only to be hindered by having another coaches team in a similair way Noble was when he took over from Millward.

Totally agree mate, we can't have the situation where we have a coach who doesn't feel its his team he's coaching.

[DaveO]

I think with all these contracts coming to an end that it is very important that the long term coaching situation at the club is sorted out as soon as possible.

The worst thing that could happen is for several of these lads to be offered new contracts only to find that they are not required by a new coach next year. This would give the new coach less room to bring in new players under the salary cap as well as devastating the morale of the players.

In the next few weeks Lennagan needs to think carefully if he is going to go with Noble again next season. If he is not then surely it would be better to make the change before all these contracts are negotiated.

It would be a real shame if another coach was installed next year only to be hindered by having another coaches team in a similair way Noble was when he took over from Millward.

Totally agree mate, we can't have the situation where we have a coach who doesn't feel its his team he's coaching.

Are you being sarcastic?

On the off chance you are not, isn't it normal for a new coach to have to work with what he inherits?

It's been a problem of Noble's entire Wigan career he has seemingly not been able to do so.

If we sign the lot of 'em up again a new coach would just have to get the best out of them.

Dave

[gpartin]

I think with all these contracts coming to an end that it is very important that the long term coaching situation at the club is sorted out as soon as possible.

The worst thing that could happen is for several of these lads to be offered new contracts only to find that they are not required by a new coach next year. This would give the new coach less room to bring in new players under the salary cap as well as devastating the morale of the players.

In the next few weeks Lennagan needs to think carefully if he is going to go with Noble again next season. If he is not then surely it would be better to make the change before all these contracts are negotiated.

It would be a real shame if another coach was installed next year only to be hindered by having another coaches team in a similair way Noble was when he took over from Millward.

Totally agree mate, we can't have the situation where we have a coach who doesn't feel its his team he's coaching.

Are you being sarcastic?

On the off chance you are not, isn't it normal for a new coach to have to work with what he inherits?

It's been a problem of Noble's entire Wigan career he has seemingly not been able to do so.

If we sign the lot of 'em up again a new coach would just have to get the best out of them.

Dave

I wasn't but both arguments aren't mutually exclusive. Coaches, Noble more than most coach their own styles of play and like certain types of players to do that best which is why people want coaches to have a say in recruitment. IMO it would benefit the club for him to go now and for a new coach to have a say on the players we get in. Thats not to say I think a new coach shouldn't be able to get the best out of the players he has, just that some coaches are able to get the best out of certain players better than others, if that makes sense.

[Panchitta Marra]

IMO we have gone from not enough players to toom many players and as Morph says you risk paying lots of players a decent salary but having not enough on the cap to buy a really key player. At the end of the day, a team that does well usually uses less not more players.

Another point to add to this CP.
Will Fekka get a visa extension at the end of this season, with his "criminal record".
Mike.

[GeoffN]

Dave) makes a good point about the quota being relevant, as far as being "Federation trained" or "overseas". Next season, the overseas limit comes down from 8 to 6.

Roberts, Feca, Richards & Riddell take 4 of those, so we can only keep two others.