Re: Smith to Saints

jao 711 · Post by **jao 711** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:45 pm

Matty has taken a lot of undeserved stick on here from people who can only see negatives.Very consistent,an almost injury free record and despite all the fuss on here a 75 %kicking average.Won silverware with the team(It is a team game)and a lance Todd Trophy.Now tell me how many current SL scrum halves have have done better in recent years.

old hooker · Post by **old hooker** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:48 pm

He is an average player, Cunningham must have lost the plot but that is his problem.

cpwigan · Post by **cpwigan** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 11:30 pm

I would say he is better than average Old Hooker but he does lack the ability/speed (zip) to threaten the defensive line.

TrueBlueWarrior · Post by **TrueBlueWarrior** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 12:04 am

Top bloke, cannot question his commitment in a Wigan shirt but for me just lacks that class we need/expect, good luck Matty!!

Owd Codger · Post by **Owd Codger** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:36 am

God wrote:Matty is a really nice bloke, one of the nicest in fact but I feel his time must come to an end at Wigan.

I wish him all the best.

Me too, and my only other comment is that Smith did a decent interim job, especially with Finch and Green at a time when younger players were learning their trade in the Academy, but like I have said before, I could never understand why in 2014, he was given a four year contract until 2018 when a Scrum Half in Williams was being promoted to the first team at the time.

If Smith is going, then what we need next season is a good Stand Off with Williams playing in his proper position of Scrum Half, the position in which he was selected for the England team of last season.

Owd Codger · Post by **Owd Codger** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:52 am

old hooker wrote:He is an average player, Cunningham must have lost the plot but that is his problem.

Maybe not, as other players who have returned to their home town club after being released as a youngster have been successful, especially when at the time of a release, the club was already well covered in that particular position.

keptinthedarkfans · Post by **keptinthedarkfans** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 9:27 am

I wish him well. Never been his biggest fan but he always gave 100% and put some blame on Wane for stiffling his play. Boy how we are missing Harris/Deakin.Worries me that we have replaced him with Leuluai for me way past his best.Not yet seen anything from any player that we have re signed that have improved all seem to have gone backwards.
Or is it just me be over critical.

Wigan_forever1985 · Post by **Wigan_forever1985** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 12:01 pm

People saying the tactics are to blame for him being poor i would argue;

1) tactics dont make you slow, nor do they make your passing sub-par, nor do they make you disappear in games

2) look at any top half back and they would never be told how to play if they thought they could do better

SJ · Post by SJ » Thu Aug 11, 2016 1:00 pm

keptinthedarkfans wrote:I wish him well. Never been his biggest fan but he always gave 100% and put some blame on Wane for stiffling his play. Boy how we are missing Harris/Deakin.Worries me that we have replaced him with Leuluai for me way past his best.Not yet seen anything from any player that we have re signed that have improved all seem to have gone backwards.
Or is it just me be over critical.

No I don't think your being too critical. I to share your anxciety. However hopefully matters will improve fingers crossed perhaps George to scrum half and Sam to Stand Off ?

I wish Matty well at St Helens. Who knows he may just come out and bite us.

yokozuna · Post by **yokozuna** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 1:10 pm

To switch it round, if Smith was at Saints now, how would people feel about signing him for Wigan?

Say we had the world's best scrum-half in the side, but he picked up an injury and meant he had to retire. Would people be happy recruiting Smith to come in and do a job there, as well as picking up the kicking duties?