Wigan RLFC must fight hard for Ben

[cpwigan]

It doesn't matter to the club what ban he gets. We take it, we don't argue and we move on. Anything else and we look even worse.

The damage has been done. The only thing i can see that we might complain about would be a life ban. The RFL might do that given the high profile of the incident and its continuing coverage. They may view it as free publicity. I very much doubt it though.

A ban of any length is fair enough as far as I'm concerned. It was an incredibly damaging thing to do in the GF for the club. Hopefully increasing the profile of RL in general has been a good thing despite the negative coverage. All press is good press.

I agree with this. Look at Liverpool with Suarez, their player had done wrong and they backed him and it made Daglish and the whole club look silly.

Ben does have mitigation, but I feel we'll just take his ban and move on as long as the ban isn't completely OTT.

By making a fuss and dragging this on the club will be accused of condoning what he did.

NO, INTEGRITY means you accept your own players guilt just as you seek to ensure discipline is applied fairly and consistently. Anything / everything is rendered meaningless unless the sport is fair and consistent.

[sheepsteeth]

It doesn't matter to the club what ban he gets. We take it, we don't argue and we move on. Anything else and we look even worse.

The damage has been done. The only thing i can see that we might complain about would be a life ban. The RFL might do that given the high profile of the incident and its continuing coverage. They may view it as free publicity. I very much doubt it though.

A ban of any length is fair enough as far as I'm concerned. It was an incredibly damaging thing to do in the GF for the club. Hopefully increasing the profile of RL in general has been a good thing despite the negative coverage. All press is good press.

I agree with this. Look at Liverpool with Suarez, their player had done wrong and they backed him and it made Daglish and the whole club look silly.

Ben does have mitigation, but I feel we'll just take his ban and move on as long as the ban isn't completely OTT.

By making a fuss and dragging this on the club will be accused of condoning what he did.

NO, INTEGRITY means you accept your own players guilt just as you seek to ensure discipline is applied fairly and consistently. Anything / everything is rendered meaningless unless the sport is fair and consistent.

I don't disagree entirely I just think IL will see the bigger picture. If this situation is poorly handled we could potentially lose sponsorship and revenues.

I think we need to stick by BF all the way (just not now in public), I feel sorry for the lad and tweeted him on saturday night to this end.

I heard an interview with IL on 5 live and he said they'd accompany BF to red hall but would not be offering any defence. (or words to that general effect).

[yokozuna]

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-leagu ... -s-actions

Ben is being fed to the wolves

You can tell IL has never played sport in his life

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/29606782

[KOOCH]

Under no circumstances must we sell Ben Flower to Salford or any other club for that matter. He made one hell of a mistake that probably cost the club the final and most definitely the bile that other supporters will throw at him either here or at any other club. Look at Dogboy from warrington he had one hell of a slippery slope to climb but he took it on the chin and is one fantastic player. We have been hated by many supporters over the years and this one will be a damned sight worse. If Ben wishes to continue in Rugby League and I for one hope that he does then he will face the anger of the fans for many a season. And this is where we as Wigan supporters must support Ben Flower. He's not a criminal but rather a man who retaliated without thinking. I do not and did not like what he did but I am not going to jump on the band wagon to get rid of him. We are bigger and better than any other club.

[TrueBlueWarrior]

Under no circumstances must we sell Ben Flower to Salford or any other club for that matter. He made one hell of a mistake that probably cost the club the final and most definitely the bile that other supporters will throw at him either here or at any other club. Look at Dogboy from warrington he had one hell of a slippery slope to climb but he took it on the chin and is one fantastic player. We have been hated by many supporters over the years and this one will be a damned sight worse. If Ben wishes to continue in Rugby League and I for one hope that he does then he will face the anger of the fans for many a season. And this is where we as Wigan supporters must support Ben Flower. He's not a criminal but rather a man who retaliated without thinking. I do not and did not like what he did but I am not going to jump on the band wagon to get rid of him. We are bigger and better than any other club.

here here

[Exiled Wiganer]

Under no circumstances must we sell Ben Flower to Salford or any other club for that matter. He made one hell of a mistake that probably cost the club the final and most definitely the bile that other supporters will throw at him either here or at any other club. Look at Dogboy from warrington he had one hell of a slippery slope to climb but he took it on the chin and is one fantastic player. We have been hated by many supporters over the years and this one will be a damned sight worse. If Ben wishes to continue in Rugby League and I for one hope that he does then he will face the anger of the fans for many a season. And this is where we as Wigan supporters must support Ben Flower. He's not a criminal but rather a man who retaliated without thinking. I do not and did not like what he did but I am not going to jump on the band wagon to get rid of him. We are bigger and better than any other club.

It's funny, though, that part of the reason I would get rid of him is that we are bigger and better than any club. If, say, he is suspended for 15 matches next season, would your view change as to whether having him on our books is a good thing? Bear in mind that we have lost Taylor, our most talented prop, Saints and Catalans will be far, far stronger and Wire and Leeds were already nearly as good. If I have understood the system correctly, we need to finish in the top 4 next year. I woudl swap the moral high ground for a good year, in part because that is fairer on all of the other players. Who is going to be making his tackles and driving in the hard yards in his absence, while he chews up the salary cap?
Again, I am sure he's a nice chap, and would be delighted for the club to pay counsellors to ensure this does not unduly affect him. This is nothing to do with being seen to stand by a good egg and give him a chance of redemption, because we can do both those things and still sell him. hell, we could loan him to someone for a year...

[devon jim 1]

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-leagu ... -s-actions

Ben is being fed to the wolves

You can tell IL has never played sport in his life

Don't be silly. FLower can't deny what he did and neither can the club on his behalf. That is all IL is saying.

The only thing they can do is plead mitigation given LH's elbow in the hope the ban is not OTT.

Seems to me that your one of the few on here who has his head screwed on Some of the others remined me of the proverb 'The blind blame the ditch'

Just what else to expect the club to do?

[thegimble]

Under no circumstances must we sell Ben Flower to Salford or any other club for that matter. He made one hell of a mistake that probably cost the club the final and most definitely the bile that other supporters will throw at him either here or at any other club. Look at Dogboy from warrington he had one hell of a slippery slope to climb but he took it on the chin and is one fantastic player. We have been hated by many supporters over the years and this one will be a damned sight worse. If Ben wishes to continue in Rugby League and I for one hope that he does then he will face the anger of the fans for many a season. And this is where we as Wigan supporters must support Ben Flower. He's not a criminal but rather a man who retaliated without thinking. I do not and did not like what he did but I am not going to jump on the band wagon to get rid of him. We are bigger and better than any other club.

Do you think if he was Wigan born he would have got more sympathy than he has.

Hock got a drugs ban, eye gouging and internal discipline issues yet some did not want him to go and thats before he has knocked over people.

[Wikimann]

Maybe I'm losing the plot but reading all this nonsense about selling him,dear oh dear whats wrong with everyone. Shouldn't even be a talking point IMO. I know the world has gone PC nanny state mad & all the constant pandering to the media hype & BS to pacify a second rate village council at red hall is borderline pathetic. This fantastic game,that first attracted me watching Sorensen,Boyd,West,Tamati,Dowling et al smash the living daylights out of each other is going to turn into a feeble shadow impersonation of its former self. Phil Gould & Ray Warren moaned all season during NRL games at how much the instant dismissal for a tear up had actually spoiled the game & let more niggly inherently spoiling,whinging tactics creep in to the game. I sat next to Artie Beetson during a four nations match at elland road a week before he died in 2011,a true legend who must be turning right now at some of the dross being spoken. He whacked plenty of blokes,including a few prone ones during his career & everyone loved him for it! Im not advocating a return to the Brendon Tuutas or Ron Gibbs or Les Boyds or Jim Mills of the past but we need to get a grip here. 25 yr ago i doubt anyone would of come out with the kind of stuff being said after saturday,for a start their would of been an all in full on brawl lasting several minutes the minute Flower connected,then everyone would of settled periodically before a couple of reds (maybe) & the next set another full on rip up! Thats what our game was built on & everyone seems to be sanitising things beyond repair. Im not in any way condoning his second punch but The lad was totally right smashing him first time but then momentarily lost the plot thereafter,we are human shit happens. Given the ludicrous RFL 1 match ban for the little scroat elbowing him initially to start the trouble it would be ridiculous to envisage anything more than the max 8 games for Ben. Only the apologist pandering & sanctimonious attitude of the deadwood in Red Hall could want more,its pathetic on every level. Look at the potential damage Ben could have suffered with a deliberate pre meditated elbow to the face,any of you watch big Sam Burgess in the Aussie GF? That was accidental but the deliberate use of the elbow forearm could so easily have resulted in exactly the same injuries for Ben,only good fortune with the impact point avoided it,the intent was there though! I for one have no problem with his reaction to someone trying to badly injure him albeit he went a punch too far. He deserves all our full support & welcome back once the "farces err powers that be" have done their black arts.

[KOOCH]

Under no circumstances must we sell Ben Flower to Salford or any other club for that matter. He made one hell of a mistake that probably cost the club the final and most definitely the bile that other supporters will throw at him either here or at any other club. Look at Dogboy from warrington he had one hell of a slippery slope to climb but he took it on the chin and is one fantastic player. We have been hated by many supporters over the years and this one will be a damned sight worse. If Ben wishes to continue in Rugby League and I for one hope that he does then he will face the anger of the fans for many a season. And this is where we as Wigan supporters must support Ben Flower. He's not a criminal but rather a man who retaliated without thinking. I do not and did not like what he did but I am not going to jump on the band wagon to get rid of him. We are bigger and better than any other club.

It's funny, though, that part of the reason I would get rid of him is that we are bigger and better than any club. If, say, he is suspended for 15 matches next season, would your view change as to whether having him on our books is a good thing? Bear in mind that we have lost Taylor, our most talented prop, Saints and Catalans will be far, far stronger and Wire and Leeds were already nearly as good. If I have understood the system correctly, we need to finish in the top 4 next year. I woudl swap the moral high ground for a good year, in part because that is fairer on all of the other players. Who is going to be making his tackles and driving in the hard yards in his absence, while he chews up the salary cap?
Again, I am sure he's a nice chap, and would be delighted for the club to pay counsellors to ensure this does not unduly affect him. This is nothing to do with being seen to stand by a good egg and give him a chance of redemption, because we can do both those things and still sell him. hell, we could loan him to someone for a year...

I understand your reasoning sound that it is. I have not got a problem with him being loaned out for a season. On the question of how the other players will react having him around of that I do not that kind of inside knowledge but I should imagine they would wish to stand by a team mate. It is only my opinion on the matter but I personally would retain Ben because it is what other supporters expect and want us to do. How many times must he be punished for his moment of madness. It matters not what we think really because it is down to the club at the end of the day.