IL and KR

[Exiled Wiganer]

I would be interested in Old Hooker’s views on the players that he has seen and follows, as it happens.
Clearly you have strong views, following the team at all levels home and away, and I wondered what pearls of wisdom you have on our young guns.
Greenwood replaced Bateman, we simply brough forward his arrival when the disgraced Tomkins was rightfully let go.
I can’t see how anyone can suggest that Widnes’ position is at all comparable to ours, and that our Grand Final win is ancient history and irrelevant to an analysis of IL and KR’s approach. Their tenure has been by far our most successful period in the SL era.
I agree with Lam, taking into account injuries, new players, the disruption of the WCC, in which we performed very creditably against the best side in the world, and adjusting to a new style and coach, they deserve our patience. And they deserve our support.

[pedro]

so he replaced Joel as he took up his cap space and came in for him. Otherwise they didnt replace Joel which in itself is stupid. Recruitment has been poor over the last couple of years.

[old hooker]

I would be interested in Old Hooker’s views on the players that he has seen and follows, as it happens.
Clearly you have strong views, following the team at all levels home and away, and I wondered what pearls of wisdom you have on our young guns.
Greenwood replaced Bateman, we simply brough forward his arrival when the disgraced Tomkins was rightfully let go.
I can’t see how anyone can suggest that Widnes’ position is at all comparable to ours, and that our Grand Final win is ancient history and irrelevant to an analysis of IL and KR’s approach. Their tenure has been by far our most successful period in the SL era.
I agree with Lam, taking into account injuries, new players, the disruption of the WCC, in which we performed very creditably against the best side in the world, and adjusting to a new style and coach, they deserve our patience. And they deserve our support.

It appears you have seen more of the young players than me,and i have no doubt some have potential,but lets remember every player has potential or they would not be playing in the first place.Potential is nothing however unless it is fulfilled and i have seen many with tremendous potential who ended up moving on and usually to a lesser club.

[josie andrews]

We are all complaining, me included, but we need to realise that we haven’t been turned over in games by a massive score! The Saints game has been the biggest with 10 points & that was from some dubious penalties against us.

I’m sure the lads can & will turn it around

[josie andrews]

We are all complaining, me included, but we need to realise that we haven’t been turned over in games by a massive score! The Saints game has been the biggest with 10 points & that was from some dubious penalties against us.

I’m sure the lads can & will turn it around

[warriors01]

I think everybody would accepted that if we had been playing cas and wire. But we were playing Hull at home who hadn’t won for 12 games and Broncos a promoted championship side.

[ancientnloyal]

I think we all know (and hope) that this current squad needs time to adapt to Lams style of play and there will be a downturn in fortunes, it’s like accepting an ex back but first you have to wash off her fancy man then she will be fit to go. At the minute we are washing off Wanes style of play. But that’s for another thread.

The issue we have and what people are quite rightly pointing towards is recruitment being quite poor. Quantity over quality. IMO we’ve given out contracts based on what? Loyalty to Wigan? Leuluai has been a great servant but a half back needs to play a full 80 not be subbed and come back on as a hooker by half time! Powell at #7 last year? What was all that about? I got slated for suggesting he was Wigan’s worst ever half back then on here.

We seem to go back to anyone and everyone who has been associated with Wigan. Radlinski, what experience does he have in his role? Mick Cassidy... (I know nobody has any issue with this appointment) etc.

The reality is we haven’t replaced quality when it was needed. The racehorse Frankle retired long ago at the right time, you won’t see him being rolled out at Lingfield long past his Sellbydate

Wire have got it right, they are ahead of us in the market so are Saints, and that shouldn’t be allowed. We are Wigan. Wigan means quality and the standard. That’s how this club was run since Harry Sunderland was here, when we got Boston, the Gang of Four... to fall behind our rivals in this field is a travesty in itself

[DaveO]

I don’t understand those points.
As to a long time coming, we were crowned champions less than 6 months ago. Not Saints, not Wire, Wigan.
As for recruitment, Hardaker and Sammut for Tomkins (looking at what we got out of him over the 3 years we were paying him a fortune) is arguably decent business. Bullock is a step up on Sutton, and Greenwood for Bateman is making the best of a bad job. If we had had Manfredi fit and firing we would have won both the last 2 games.
Meanwhile, we continue to invest in your talent, such as Kibula (who did not look out of place against Toronto), and Harry Smith, possibly the answer to all our prayers in the halves. Plus of course the women’s team do us proud.
I am proud of my team and my club, and believe they deserve patience as they adjust to life Post Wane.

Yes we were crowned champions but the team that was featured both Greenwood AND Bateman in the grand final. It also lined up like that for quite a few games for the run in to the playoffs so you cannot argue Greenwood replaced Bateman. We had the best back row in the league. Last season.

If we had sought a replacement we’d have bought a right sided player, not ended up having to shift Faz who looked poor on the right before his injury.

Greenwood is a good player but I think we signed him because he was available not as part of a plan to replace Bateman. As someone else said he replaced J Tomkins anyway.

Hardaker is still a risk and is clearly already not an organiser like Tomkins. Why you mention Sammut as part of replacing Tomkins I have no idea and Bullock is not a step up on Sutton.

The recruiting seems haphazard, opportunistic and with signings like Sammut a bit desperate.

With TL and Lockers coming to the end of their careers and other senior players not getting any younger such as Clubb and Flower, IL and Rads have a job on as gradually quality players such as Mcillorum, Tomkins, Bateman have left and they have not been replaced by players as good from inside or outside the club.

[Wiganer Ted]

Our recruitment has been rubbish, Waney's coaching was poor and we then went and won the GF and became champions.
How this season pans out we'll have to see and that's why I bought my season tickets as usual.
Would prefer this past ten seasons to the previous decade and how the next few years go we don't know but I suspect we'll do very nicely thank you.

[Caboosegg]

Our recruitment has been rubbish, Waney's coaching was poor and we then went and won the GF and became champions.
How this season pans out we'll have to see and that's why I bought my season tickets as usual.
Would prefer this past ten seasons to the previous decade and how the next few years go we don't know but I suspect we'll do very nicely thank you.

Recruitment has been rubbish
Wanes style was poor
We won the GF

Those three comments dont go together.

Either recruitment is brilliant and despite Wanes coaching we won the GF

Or

Recruitment is rubbish and due to Wanes coaching we went on to win a GF

Im unhappy as most so far this season but if our recruitment and coach has been as poor as people on here suggest we wouldnt have the silverware we do since 2011

On paper Wire and Saints may be above us but there recruitment look good last year compared to ours how did that work?

Catalan have had very impressive team sheets over the years filled with NRL player but again how did that work?