Fans Forum

[southportcdm]

So finally we know who chooses which players to sign (IL and KR) and that IL doens't interfere with team selection even when he doesn't agree with it. That all sounds fine to me, thanks IL for finally telling us. Glad to see we're looking for another signing before next season. Not sure that they're really considering all four possible options for the new coach but I live in hope of a nice surprise. One more good signing and the right choice of coach and 2022 could be a good year.

[Charriots Offiah]

So finally we know who chooses which players to sign (IL and KR) and that IL doens't interfere with team selection even when he doesn't agree with it. That all sounds fine to me, thanks IL for finally telling us. Glad to see we're looking for another signing before next season. Not sure that they're really considering all four possible options for the new coach but I live in hope of a nice surprise. One more good signing and the right choice of coach and 2022 could be a good year.

Rads stated that we are looking to replace those who are leaving - Clubb, Bullock, Hastings, Manfredi, Gildart and possibly Tommy and Clark. We have signed Miski, Ellis and Mago and possibly Thornley, so can we expect three more signings?

[southportcdm]

'Chariots' IL was reported to have said we have money for another signing.

[doc]

Thornley was announced at the fans forum.

[pedro]

depressing

[DaveO]

Thornley was announced at the fans forum.

And yet we are going to be paying to the salary cap. It's all very well Rads asking the question do we keep several young players on and then saying if we do we have to pay what the players agent can screw out of the club. He needs to look at the end result.

Are all these young players looking like they will be good enough? Does keeping them on and paying the increased wages Rads talks about stop us recruiting good experienced players when we need them and instead leave us looking to the likes of Thornley?

John Monie once said if you get two first team players out of your academy/junior side you are doing very well. I have not seen anything to convince me he's wrong.

Maybe the constraints of the salary cap, RL and club finances in general are not compatible with holding onto several young players if they cost high wages as Rads implied.

Reading this section of the summary of the forum has not convinced me Rads has the squad management under control. If you read it you will see he more or less invited KPP to ask for four times his current wage He is one who might be worth it but are the rest?

[Dan2266]

Reading the notes from the Forum, looks like they partly revealed the Hardaker conversations I was on about. (and got slated for)

[josie andrews]

Key talking points from Wigan Warriors' fans forum - Zak Hardaker's future, new signing confirmed and halfback search

Earlier this week Ian Lenagan and Kris Radlinski held a fans forum to discuss a variety of topics about Wigan Warriors and the club.

Here are some of the key topics raised after 120 fans were invited to attend a special event.

Zak Hardaker's future has been discussed

Radlinski described Hardaker's future as a 'very live' situation, admitting that his recent move back to Yorkshire was causing him travel issues.

However, he outright denied reports that Hardaker had met Castleford Tigers over a potential move to the club.

Radlinski said: "I spoke to Lee Radford. Lee Radford said to me directly, 'well, unless Zak’s in Spain because that’s where I am at the moment, I’ve not met with him.' So, I went to the Castleford director, absolutely nothing in it and then I went to Zak directly and said, 'what’s this? Have you met with anybody.' He said 'No, I’ve not met with anybody at all.'

"But you will have seen that Zak has moved back to Yorkshire. That is due to a rental house that he was renting, believe it or not from Joel Tomkins who he headbutted at Catalans, came to an end and Zak had to move back to Yorkshire. He has said to us that he is finding the travelling difficult which he would, we all know the M62, and his partner would like to move back to Yorkshire.

This is a very live situation over the last week, with my last meeting with him this morning and we’re just talking it through. I made it very clear that everything’s on Wigan’s terms here. The club and me personally have invested a hell of a lot of time into Zak and we gave him an opportunity when nobody else would. Laying it all on the table, that’s where we are at the moment in time. And it’s very live."

Wigan offered George Williams the biggest-ever deal in club history

The former halfback ultimately went to Warrington despite Wigan having legal options to bring him back, and offering him a lucrative deal. But Williams told the Warriors he wanted a new challenge.

"We’ve been talking to George for around about eight weeks and we put an offer together, which was the biggest ever contract in 149 years," Radlinski said.

"And he phoned me up and said it’s the hardest decision I’ll ever have to make, and I’ve been dreading doing it. But I feel as though I just want something different. He probably got a few more quid as well. But I stand by that if a player doesn’t want to be here, then where do we go?

"We could have forced things through. We had a legal document. Warrington saw the legal documents. And then it was a conversation that he and Ian had, and he said, well, do we want a lad who doesn’t want to be here? Where will that take us two weeks in and he’s not doing things right. So, we made a decision that we wish George well, I thought we did it with tremendous humility. George’s partner is about to give birth, and we did the right thing by the human being again."

The club wants to sign a halfback

Radlinski said: "Ian has mentioned we’ve got four new signings, we’ve got a little bit of salary cap space left, there is something built-in for a new half-back. And I’m very, very confident that we will have an extremely strong squad."

Iain Thornley has signed

You'll have noticed Radlinski mentioned four signings. Abbas Miski, Patrick Mago and Kaide Ellis have all been confirmed. Though not officially announced, Ian Lenagan confirmed the deal to bring back Thornley had been completed.

In terms of 2022, with the players who we have announced that we signed, and that includes Iain Thornley as well," Lenagan said. That’s the four new players and the players that we are retaining, we are currently 73 grand under our salary cap allowance (after funding a new halfback)."

Rent will be increasing

During the forum, the pair spoke extensively about the club's finances and the challenges they've faced. Interestingly, they confirmed rent of the DW would be going up.

"They have said to us that our rent will be going up, which we’re working through at the moment," Radlinski said.

"The negotiations are ongoing and they’re in the right spirit. We have spoken to the council to get them involved and made them aware of the situation. But it’s an ongoing situation that we need to need you to all be made aware of."

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... t-21479007

[oval balls]

I wonder with clubs like saints and wire signing big name players (probably more wire than saints) and probably big name salaries to go with them
Will this not come back and bite them on the arse as it did with Bradford and Widnes a few years back and the game was in what could be said a more comfortable position than it is now

[josie andrews]

I've been biting my tongue for a long time' - Kris Radlinski opens up on Shaun Edwards U-turn

Edwards had 'agreed' to join Wigan, but eventually performing a U-turn.

Kris Radlinski has lifted the lid on Shaun Edwards' infamous Wigan Warriors U-turn, saying he let Ian Lenagan down by not taking up the role.

Edwards, a Warriors icon, had agreed to join the club as head coach, but ultimately decided against taking the role, despite Wigan previously confirming he would take the role.

It resulted in heavy criticism of the club for their handling, at which time the club remained quiet on the matter.

But speaking at a fans forum earlier this week, Radlinski said that they decided to stay away from commenting due to owner Ian Lenagan's wish to avoid a war of words.

"I understand why Ian didn’t want to get into a public spat with such an iconic figure and wonderful player for our club," Radlinski said.

"So, he probably did the respectable thing and said nothing, and I’ve been biting my tongue for a long time because I thought potentially that was the wrong thing to do. We were hearing rumours left, right and centre about him changing his mind but he never communicated these once with us.

We learn these through different media agencies the same way that you guys do. And then also there were other excuses brought up along the way, excuses like no signed contract, not being allowed to pick his staff, wanting to stay in rugby union. There were reasons and factors behind all of them and we took them all on the chin.

"At the end, Shaun wasn’t even communicating with us. He asked us to leave him and not contact him during the Six Nations. But he was talking to the media, and we were not allowed to defend ourselves. I think we could have done that better.

Shaun, and I had probably three long meetings where he would talk about the game and how he would implement things. So, there’s the truth. Personally, I think he let the chairman down more than people know. And it’s been eating up at me, because Ian of all people didn’t deserve that. So that’s the truth."

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... _like_this