Back our youngsters

[18thMon]

I'm more than happy to back our youngsters this year. In particular I sincerely hope Joe Mellor fulfils his potential and makes the Number 6 shirt his own in the future.

I have, however got a real concern about the depth of our squad. I think we've got a fantastic first 17 but when we pick up a few injuries as we inevitably will I think the squad may start to look a bit thin.

At some point during the season we may end up asking a little too much of some of our less experienced players. It may be asking too much to top the league with the current squad.

Look at the list of players we have let go: Cross, Coley, O'Carrol, Davies, Hoffman, Joel, Gleason and even Pryce - that's alot of experience we've released and it's been replaced with potential and not seasoned pros. I appreciate we have to give youth a youth a chance but I'm not sure we've got the balance right.

[cpwigan]

I'm more than happy to back our youngsters this year. In particular I sincerely hope Joe Mellor fulfils his potential and makes the Number 6 shirt his own in the future.

I have, however got a real concern about the depth of our squad. I think we've got a fantastic first 17 but when we pick up a few injuries as we inevitably will I think the squad may start to look a bit thin.

At some point during the season we may end up asking a little too much of some of our less experienced players. It may be asking too much to top the league with the current squad.

Look at the list of players we have let go: Cross, Coley, O'Carrol, Davies, Hoffman, Joel, Gleason and even Pryce - that's alot of experience we've released and it's been replaced with potential and not seasoned pros. I appreciate we have to give youth a youth a chance but I'm not sure we've got the balance right.

There is a hell of a lot of experience in the Wigan team 18th even in 2012. If you were a halfback for example surrounded by Mickey Mac/Tommy, Finchy, Lockers and Sam T you hardly lacking for experienced support around you. The biggest danger we face is letting too many players grow old / retire together without blooding youngsters here and now. The worst possible scenario is trying to blood too many at any one time and without sufficient experience around them. I do think we should have given more opportunities in 2011 in order to prevent the season ending prematurely.

[18thMon]

Agree with that completely. I think we missed a trick not giving some of our youngsters more of a chance last year, especially against some of the lesser teams. I'm a big fan of Paul Deacon, greater player in his day but I don't think his form necessarily waranted an automatic start - Joe should have been given his chance.

I'd also like to see a centre wing partnership of charnely and Amos. I reckon Josh could be the centre centre in the comp with his size and acceleration. I think he's a better oprion than Daz - faster and more athletic.

I also hope Shaun Wane selects solely on form this year. I thought Logan looked really exciting playing at Widness last year - it would be good to see what he can do behind a more dominant pack.

[Nezza Faz]

I've a feeling this season has more or less been discounted by IL as a Trophy winning campaign.

Think he's seen the success in building for the future, that Sts have demonstrated over the last couple of years, and that he will attempt to mirror this with us now - albeit behind schedule, as others have already pointed out on here.

Think 3rd/4th/5th is the max we can achieve, especially with all the "goings" and not many "comings".

Will still be there week in, week out, seeing how this unfolds. Still a crucial and exciting time ahead.

[exile in Tiger country]

The thing is, fans are not, on the whole, prepared to accept this.
Wigan fans EXPECT sucess, and to not deliver some form of sucess is, frankly, unacceptable.
To blood youngsters a team needs to have a core of experienced players to allow for the inevitable errors youngsters wil make.
For example, It may be acceptable to play an inexperienced winger outside a rock solid centre, as the centre can cover for some defensive errors, but to play an inexperienced centre inside that same winger is inviting teams to score. So IMO blooding too many youngsters, just for the sake of giving them a game, is not an option.

[Nezza Faz]

The thing is, fans are not, on the whole, prepared to accept this.
Wigan fans EXPECT sucess, and to not deliver some form of sucess is, frankly, unacceptable.
To blood youngsters a team needs to have a core of experienced players to allow for the inevitable errors youngsters wil make.
For example, It may be acceptable to play an inexperienced winger outside a rock solid centre, as the centre can cover for some defensive errors, but to play an inexperienced centre inside that same winger is inviting teams to score. So IMO blooding too many youngsters, just for the sake of giving them a game, is not an option.

No, but it's what Sts DID (mainly due to injuries).

Fans got to accept success NOT a God-given right & has to be worked & earned for.

This is sport, so patience req'd. That's the reality. Can't just turn a tap on !

[DaveO]

Coaches and fans should realise that the league is a qualifying competition.

It is in terms of the GF but commercially if the fans realised this and adopted the attitude of why bother turning up for anything but the play-offs then where would we be?

The league has to have value because if it doesn't fans will eventually twig that fact and basically stop buying season tickets. I exaggerate to make the point but you get my drift.

A top 5 system would require a good league season with tangible benefits for the higher you finish thus making the league very relevant. Top 8 in contrast is a waste of space.

In US sports regular season leagues are only a qualifying system for the playoffs. They don't have any problems holding the fans attention. After all, we go to the rugby because we enjoy it - its entertainment - not entirely because of the status of the competition. Obviously that does have an effect, but I think the league being devalued isn't too much of a problem.

American footballs is organised completely differently than RL in the Uk due to the geography of the country so they have several really tough qualifying competitions with the different conferences so they all have value. We have one league you can be poor in and stil qualify. There is absolutely no comparison IMO.

I'd prefer a top 5 because that was the best system,

It is because in it you have to beat all teams above you to win the thing and it also,earns you can't lose almost half you league games and still qualify. Best paly off system of the lot. I have no idea if your suggestion of a top 8 system that would require the 8th places side to beat all above them in the same way is practical. If it was, that would be better.

[DaveO]

The thing is, fans are not, on the whole, prepared to accept this.
Wigan fans EXPECT sucess, and to not deliver some form of sucess is, frankly, unacceptable.
To blood youngsters a team needs to have a core of experienced players to allow for the inevitable errors youngsters wil make.
For example, It may be acceptable to play an inexperienced winger outside a rock solid centre, as the centre can cover for some defensive errors, but to play an inexperienced centre inside that same winger is inviting teams to score. So IMO blooding too many youngsters, just for the sake of giving them a game, is not an option.

No, but it's what Sts DID (mainly due to injuries).

No they did not. Lomax was introduced gradually over three seasons for example.

In any case why are Saints such a great example? Did the sides inexperience not contribute to 5 GF losses on the trot?

Fans got to accept success NOT a God-given right & has to be worked & earned for.

This is sport, so patience req'd. That's the reality. Can't just turn a tap on !

Fans do accept it. They accept the rub of the green can cost a win and a trophy. They do not accept an over reliance on inexperienced players or other mistakes in recruitment/planning.

[Nezza Faz]

DaveO, their (Sts) losing sequence in GF's was due in the main to failures by their experienced stars on the big stage i.e Meli, Gardner, Wellens, Graham, and even, Long.

The fact they reached all those GF's itself is an achievement & measure of a team's level of performance.

Whatever, it is a much more consistent record over a number of years than our equivalent.

In my previous post, I mentioned that we are, this season, BELATEDLY mirroring what they have done - I agree it should have been planned and structured better at an earlier stage so the youngsters could have been filtered into the system, but this wasn't done, so we are left with the current position.

And because of this, you have to now give them time to come through. That is why I do not believe a higher finishing position of third or fourth can realistically be expected.

[sheepsteeth]

I agree with CP, now is the time to blood some youngsters, especially in the halves, they need to get in there whilst they've got tommy and finch to guide them through any rough patches.

I also think we should still be finishing in the top 2 regardless of the fact that youngsters will get a go.

i think we are weaker this year (to begin with anyway) but so are the Wire (king and Anderson have gone, Morley is finished IMO and Briers and Hodgson are coming to the end) and Saints although buoyed by having a new stadium will really miss James Graham. The Whino's finished 12 points behind us last year so I'm honestly not worried about them!!

I think we need to be positive, if the youngsters are handled properly throughout the year (and Waney is the best man for this) then i think come then play-offs we will be in better shape in 2012 than we were in 2011!!!