wigan and saracens

[exile in Tiger country]

Does everyone really think that Lenegan is that much of a mug to let them poach our best young players? The clause's written in to Sams contract are an excellent bit of business in my opinion, regardless if we have a partnership with Saracens or not.

Well said Tony. Seems that we've got loads of businessmen (/women) on here who are in charge of multi-national businesses and a successful sporting club. Seems that IL doesn't have a clue what he's doing - the millions he has made by his own graft must have been a fluke.

IL is nobody's fool. There will be something in this which will benefit Wigan. I admit I don't know what at the moment. Maybe if Sarries have some space on the salary cap they can recruit a League player who Wigan pay for but the loan fee eqauates to a tenner a week and he may be on £100k plus. Who knows but instead of whinging (although a lot of you seem to come on here to do solely that) get behind the club and any initiatives until they are proven wrong!!!!

You seem to think that people shouldn't post if they have any concerns about a decision the club has made.

[Sutty]

People going on and on, saying that there's nothing that we can learn from RU, must be so blinkered it's unreal.

Granted, to us casual fans there probably doesn't appear to be anything at all that can benefit Wigan. But, in reality, there are probably quite a few things that can be of benefit to both clubs.

Remember Madge used to watch Aussie Rules, RU and all sorts of other sports, just to see if there was even the slightest thing that could be adapted for RL.

I, nor anyone else on this forum knows anything at all about the details of the partnership between the clubs and until I do so, I'm not going to start making assumptions and allegations that there's nothing of any benefit to our club.
FFS, some people need to be a lot less blinkered and quick to judge. Never mind only seeing things in black and white and no other perspective. It's actually a good thing to look at things from different perspectives instead of being so stubborn in your own beliefs and what you think is right an wrong. It's called compromise. I know it's a big word for some, and there are some on here who have probably never heard of it before, judging by some of the comments.

[No straw damn us]

People going on and on, saying that there's nothing that we can learn from RU, must be so blinkered it's unreal.

Granted, to us casual fans there probably doesn't appear to be anything at all that can benefit Wigan. But, in reality, there are probably quite a few things that can be of benefit to both clubs.

Remember Madge used to watch Aussie Rules, RU and all sorts of other sports, just to see if there was even the slightest thing that could be adapted for RL.

I, nor anyone else on this forum knows anything at all about the details of the partnership between the clubs and until I do so, I'm not going to start making assumptions and allegations that there's nothing of any benefit to our club.
FFS, some people need to be a lot less blinkered and quick to judge. Never mind only seeing things in black and white and no other perspective. It's actually a good thing to look at things from different perspectives instead of being so stubborn in your own beliefs and what you think is right an wrong. It's called compromise. I know it's a big word for some, and there are some on here who have probably never heard of it before, judging by some of the comments.

Great post. We can and should learn from ALL sports, never close your mind to anything that is different to what you are used to. There will always be something useful to pick up.

[DaveO]

People going on and on, saying that there's nothing that we can learn from RU, must be so blinkered it's unreal.

Granted, to us casual fans there probably doesn't appear to be anything at all that can benefit Wigan. But, in reality, there are probably quite a few things that can be of benefit to both clubs.

Remember Madge used to watch Aussie Rules, RU and all sorts of other sports, just to see if there was even the slightest thing that could be adapted for RL.

I, nor anyone else on this forum knows anything at all about the details of the partnership between the clubs and until I do so, I'm not going to start making assumptions and allegations that there's nothing of any benefit to our club.
FFS, some people need to be a lot less blinkered and quick to judge. Never mind only seeing things in black and white and no other perspective. It's actually a good thing to look at things from different perspectives instead of being so stubborn in your own beliefs and what you think is right an wrong. It's called compromise. I know it's a big word for some, and there are some on here who have probably never heard of it before, judging by some of the comments.

This is the place to debate anything the club does so I would say anyone trying to stifle that debate is just as guilty of being stubborn. Perhaps even more so because the "IL is always" right stance is the uncompromising, black and white answer to any criticism anyone has of the club.

If you think there are things that can benefit the club saying what they are to counter those who think there are none is how to debate the issue.

If you think people are blinkered saying there is nothing to be learned from RU you must have an idea what we can learn to lets hear it.

These tie ups usually go nowhere. We were supposed to link with an NRL club and that never happened. There has been talk of links with NL1 clubs but that didn't either.

Only last month it was all about Gareth Thomas and Wales and which Welsh RU talent we could get yet here we are now off to Hertfordshire because we sold them a player.

[cpwigan]

Putting the boot on the other foot, YOU Dave tells us why you think we cannot learn from another sport, another club?

Good post Sutty IMO by the way. Several posts here and elsewhere resemble the ignorance and hyasterical responses of Union fans when we signed their players.

[Panchitta Marra]

This whole partnership nonsense sickens me far more than Joel Tomkins going to RU.

Sam staying was fantastic news and made my day yesterday. That was until I read about the the whole Saracens partnership and cross code matches. Now there are even reports that we arent even getting £250,000 for Joel in compensation. If, as reports I have read suggest, that the cross code matches are a little bit of a revenue raiser to pay for Tomkins going, so in effect Wigan fans paying for the transfer fee, then I hope every Wigan fan boycotts them.

Even as it is they should be boycotted anyway because we have nothing to learn from Union and getting in league with them only ends in disaster. We have been down this road with the cross code matches, middlesex 7s and we proved just how superior we was. What was the benefit of that? RU nicking our best players, copying our training methods and playing methods and copying our rules to make RU a more entertaining game. Did RL get any more media coverage? No, Did it get any real praise? No. The entire exercise can only harm RL and it is a lose/lose situation no matter how we do.

Rugby Union would swallow up League the first chance it could get and we should not be getting into bed with them. I dont think that Lenegan realises how p***ed off many fans are about this and for once he has to give the fans some more information about all of this.

I fully agree with everything you are saying here Dobby.
I never trust anything Union do with regards to Rugby League as I beleive its always behind a cloak.
Sarries have nothing to offer WWRLFC and that includes Owen Farrell.

[cpwigan]

Thank heavens IL/Wigan thought differently to PM and some other fans

[ancientnloyal]

Initially I feel that we won't learn very much training-wise or anything like that. The only things that may come to our advantage are their youngsters if they are not right for a particular position be it weight, strength, height, ball skill etc... they may try their hand at league you never know we could get an Inglis from them cheap. Another thing is marketing or selling tickets... They get a lot of fans at Wembley or Twickenham - not so much Vicarage road but still... if it means adding something else to a matchday experience or simply getting wigan into different and new sponsorship circles it's surely a good thing.

[Dobby]

If we must have a partnership we should not have a partnership with a club from a rival sport that is doing its best to kill off Rugby League and with a club from that sport who has just poached one of our players and who has done its best to poach not just our best player but also RL's leading player in this country.

Wigan trained at Saracens the week before the Challenge Cup final, Andy Farrell was even at the celebrations afterwards. What did that close co-operation get us? Why should we help and assist a club and sport like that? Why should fans be expected to go to cross code matches to fund the transfer of Joel Tomkins because Saracens wont pay the full £250,000?

If we want to learn from other codes or clubs then that is all well and good but lets learn from the best. Lets tie up with a NFL club and learn all we can from them, lets tie up with a leading Football club and learn what we can from them. Lets tie up with a leading NRL club and learn what we can from them. These are clubs that are streets ahead of anything that an English RU club is doing and has none of the risks.

[DaveO]

Putting the boot on the other foot, YOU Dave tells us why you think we cannot learn from another sport, another club?

Sutty can go first.