Low aspirations

[cpwigan]

Simply reaching a final in 3 years has to be unacceptable.

why?????

Wigan RLFC is the biggest club in British RL. The reason it is the biggest club is because from the 1900's onwards it was driven by periods of sustained success, by a degree of commitment and quality that was always groundbreaking, always taking RL to another level both on and off the pitch. It was never about accepting mediocrity.

Alex Murphy won a trophy, reached a CC final, Alan McInnes / Colin Clarke won a CC final. They did so in less time at the helm than Brian Noble with arguably poorer players, certainly in the Murphy era. Yet, all three were shown the door.

Noble after 3 years thinks reaching a final is something groundbreaking. What planet is he on. Apparently he has not been to Wembley as a player / coach. Wembley is no place to go to lose. Losing is not Wigan RLFC.

[MrDave]

why do we all see the negative in wat he said 3 years ago i would of accapted a final ,is ambitions will of changed by now

He said it this week Mike. Had he said when he came that getting to a final would return Wigan to their rightful place I would have hoped he would have been shown the door.

Noble isn't saying his ambition now it reach a final he said that was his ambition when he first joined and considering the state of the club at the time that was quite ambitious.

He was very close to getting Wigan into a final on a few occasions and probably felt in past season reaching a final was good achievement but with his comment today saying if Wigan make the final he thinks it will inspire the players to win the cup, I can't see much wrong with that.

[cpwigan]

I would love to see wigan win every trophy, but it aint going happen.Wigan are now coming out of a really bad period i believe and it wont be long before we are reaching finals again.Since the salary cap the game imo has become closer every season which is great for the game surely?,so for one team to dominate is just going to get harder every year.I reckon wigan and Noble are ambitious but the days are gone when we garaunteed to win nearly every week.

We never had to just turn up to Win Ian, it is a myth and we as fans perpetuate it. Wigan win in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 80s and 90's because they were more determined, harder working and ultimately able to outplay opposition. Opposition that never rolled over and died. The salary cap has become an excuse for mediocrity. St Helens and Leeds have managed to dominate. Nobody expects Wigan to win everything but we should be winning something every season and favoured in every competition we enter. To accept less is to betray what makes Wigan RLFC different, special.

[mike binder]

why do we all see the negative in wat he said 3 years ago i would of accapted a final ,is ambitions will of changed by now

He said it this week Mike. Had he said when he came that getting to a final would return Wigan to their rightful place I would have hoped he would have been shown the door.

exactly he re said wat he said when he came 3 years ago ,that dosnt mean he said it this week???

[ian b]

The last time wigan were really dominant i think iam right in saying they were the only full time team in the league and had a near endless pot of money to buy players.I agree they were true pros and played with a desire i think they sometimes lack today and iam not trying to detract from their achievments because i love this club,but i just feel now the league is a lot more competative cp and i think it is better for the game.

[oval balls]

OK lets all look at a few facts since Brian noble came
2007
Wigan were in dire straits,facing relegation and a team that lacked commitment,motivation and the will to compete
Ian Millward sacked enter Brian noble
in the season he arrived, he got rid of the dead wood and signed two players who you must admit steered us away from the drop zone and not only that we were only two points off a play-off place at the end of the season
2007
one challenge cup semi final and one final eliminator from 6th place in the league in his first full year which after the turmoil of the previous year isn,t too bad
the best comeback in rugby league history, to win 31-30 after being 30points to six down with 25 minutes to go against a full strength Bradford team isn,t bad either
2008
another final eliminator and again losing to the eventual champions from 4th position in the league is not a complete washout is it?
2009
ok not so good in the league but again we are within reach of another major final
just ask the Salford, castleford or hull fans would they have liked to be a similar position or even the wires fans who,s club motive is to spend spend spend and get sweet fa back
overall i don,t think Brian noble has done too bad of a job although this year i must admit i would like to see more improvement in our consistency

[cherrywarrior]

Lets face it the players hated Milward and so were never going to play their best for him, so the only way was up from there (also Super Kris came back for us too)!!!

There is one MAJOR difference between this year and the past two years though, and that is TRENT!!!! As much as it pains me to admit it, we are missing him desperately!

You may be giving Noble abit too much credit

[GeoffN]

The last time wigan were really dominant i think iam right in saying they were the only full time team in the league and had a near endless pot of money to buy players.I agree they were true pros and played with a desire i think they sometimes lack today and iam not trying to detract from their achievments because i love this club,but i just feel now the league is a lot more competative cp and i think it is better for the game.

To some extent that's true, but our "dominance" of that era is always massively overstated. We had the ability then to win close games, and the "never say die" attitude that's lacking today. That comes out clearly in "Simply Rad".

Remember, in those days other clubs were a lot closer to us than most paople make out - we were winning, yes, but often by a very small margin (winning the league on points difference, for example, or cup finals by a single score).
Even in our "Grand Slam" season, we were very close (24-22) to being knocked out of the Regal Trophy, and the Challenge Cup (16 all, then won the replay) by Saints, for example.

[cpwigan]

Exactly Geoff and Leeds were full time and spending more. Moreover, it does not explain how our club in 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950 was so successful.

Wigan RLFC represents a culture, a winning culture one that was ultra professional whether it was FT or not. Does anybody think Jim Sullivan, Ken Gee, Joe Egan, Brian McTigue, Billy B, Erica Ashton et al were any different than Ellery Hanley, Shaun Edwards, Andy Gregory, Dean Bell, Andy Farrell. Of course not. The club had a culture. When it loses that culture it becomes an also ran club with mediocre teams / poor players and even worse fans accepting mediocrity.

Never betray the legacy that our great grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers understood. Wigan RLFC is unique in RL. We are not Leeds, St Helens whomever else. We are the Real Madrid / Barcelona / AC/ Inter Milan, Manchester Utd / Liverpool of this sport but we cannot live on our past. Fans / Club Officials / Players need to understand what makes Wigan RLFC special and embrace it. Never accept anything less.

I have been to wembley twice and seen Wigan lose. It is no place to lose. Trust me on that and yet Noble thinks it will be a watershed. Humbug pal. Whatsmore Wigan RLFC = playing with style something Noble seems to ignore. Just as there is a Barcelona way to play football, there is a Wigan way to play RL.

[OAMJSONA]

Exactly Geoff and Leeds were full time and spending more. Moreover, it does not explain how our club in 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950 was so successful.

Wigan RLFC represents a culture, a winning culture one that was ultra professional whether it was FT or not. Does anybody think Jim Sullivan, Ken Gee, Joe Egan, Brian McTigue, Billy B, Erica Ashton et al were any different than Ellery Hanley, Shaun Edwards, Andy Gregory, Dean Bell, Andy Farrell. Of course not. The club had a culture. When it loses that culture it becomes an also ran club with mediocre teams / poor players and even worse fans accepting mediocrity.

Never betray the legacy that our great grandfather, grandfather, fathers understood. Wigan RLFC is unique in RL. We are not Leeds, St Helens whomever else. We are the Real Madrid / Barcelona / AC/ Inter Milan, Manchester Utd / Liverpool on this sport but we cannot live on our past. Fans / Club Officials / Players need to understand what makes Wigan RLFC special and embrace it. Never accept anything less.

I have been to wembley twice and seen Wigan lose. It is no place to lose. Trust me on that and yet Noble thinks it will be a watershed. Humbug pal. Whatsmore Wigan RLFC = playing with style something Noble seems to ignore. Just as there is a Barcelon way to play football, there is a Wigan way to play RL.

I vote for CP to be new Poet Laureat