cpwigan

[Kiwiseddon]

The salary cap is a real double edged sword for me. I personally feel that it's a bit too low. Some more cash around the club for the bigger signings would be nice. However, if there was more money at the club, would that mean that the current high earning players would be on even more, keeping them at the club and we could get higher rated Aussies and Kiwis? But would that in turn stifle youth development, by not giving the youngsters a chance in the First Team???

Secondly, I'm not convinced that the standard has got worse since the 80s. I was watching the 1985 Wigan v Hull CC Final the other day and we concluded that if you pitched that Wigan team against the current Wigan Team, the current team would put at least 40 points on them. This is purely down to physical conditioning and fitness. But not necessarily skill. I do believe though that our players are as skillfull as Kenny, Gill, Edwards and alike but defences are so much better now. The above people would be eaten alive by some defences these days.

I suppose it's all down to how you categorise standards. In terms of which are the better teams. Now or in the 80s. Today's teams are miles ahead. Whether it's better to watch is another story entirely.

[pedro]

The salary cap is a real double edged sword for me. I personally feel that it's a bit too low. Some more cash around the club for the bigger signings would be nice. However, if there was more money at the club, would that mean that the current high earning players would be on even more, keeping them at the club and we could get higher rated Aussies and Kiwis? But would that in turn stifle youth development, by not giving the youngsters a chance in the First Team???

Secondly, I'm not convinced that the standard has got worse since the 80s. I was watching the 1985 Wigan v Hull CC Final the other day and we concluded that if you pitched that Wigan team against the current Wigan Team, the current team would put at least 40 points on them. This is purely down to physical conditioning and fitness. But not necessarily skill. I do believe though that our players are as skillfull as Kenny, Gill, Edwards and alike but defences are so much better now. The above people would be eaten alive by some defences these days.

I suppose it's all down to how you categorise standards. In terms of which are the better teams. Now or in the 80s. Today's teams are miles ahead. Whether it's better to watch is another story entirely.

Edwards, Kenny or Sterling.....none in our team come close to them.

[weststand-rich]

Don't give up God. There's still plenty to discuss.

[standofftfield]

Some good points on here particularly the one about mentality.

Wigan and the RFL should take a look at Team GB Cycling as outlined in this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic ... 534073.stm

Hope i got the link right?

[cpwigan]

Rich as we both say inclusion and excellence should go hand in hand. We are a nation(s) of fat gits. However, nobody is adressing the issue. Every schoolchild should have a lesson of physical fitness timetabled daily at Pimary Level and Once a week at Secondary School ON TOP OF NORMAL PE lessons. The big picture is the way British people want to live is too costly to sustain and both incredibly wasteful and unproductive.

[weststand-rich]

Good point RE the cycling - i was contemplating using them in a post a couple of weeks ago and got sidetracked.

Dave Brailsford at British cycling is a fantastic example of how an intelligent analytical approach to sport can yield brilliant results.

I'm sure his catchphrase in Chris Hoys book is "small incremental gains". If we used the same approach I'd be happy.

[weststand-rich]

Rich as we both say inclusion and excellence should go hand in hand. We are a nation(s) of fat gits. However, nobody is adressing the issue. Every schoolchild should have a lesson of physical fitness timetabled daily at Pimary Level and Once a week at Secondary School ON TOP OF NORMAL PE lessons. The big picture is the way British people want to live is too costly to sustain and both incredibly wasteful and unproductive.

You're preaching to the converted.

Would it surprise you that in a recent study, researchers found that results for teaching disruptive teenagers increased when they had an hour of PE first thing every morning??

[cpwigan]

Not at all Rich but you and I are in a minority.

What people do not want to acknowledge is that attitude / mentality is everything. How many fans came here saying what a good book Kris Rads auto biog was BUT then post awww don't criticise the players, let's pretend everything is wonderful. If people read what John Mobnie said he too talked about getting the attitude / mentality right in his first stint and how bad it had become when he arrived for the second stint.

Men like Ellery Hanley, Shaun Edwards, Dean Bell were winners and they never wanted patting on the back, mollicoddling. They set incredibly high standards and would not tolerate anything less. That is what Kris Radlinski discovered, what Andy Farrell discovered when they became part of the Wigan RLFC squad. Nobody said aww but your young, your not very big. You were part of a team and the pursuit of excellence was just that, it required tremendous dedication and sacrifice. No time for losers and if you made a mistake you got told.

The present SL player is not mentally tough enough to cut it with the very best.

[Kiwiseddon]

Very good points made about PE at School.

I was lucky enough to go on holiday to Australia to visit friends in Brisbane. (Wore cherry and white to a Broncos game :sly: ).
Their eldest daughter who was at School there at the same time as I was in England said that they did some form of PE every day and had all afternoon at it on a Wednesday.

NOT ROCKET SCIENCE IS IT!!!!!!!!!!

and that was in 1994!

[weststand-rich]

I should stress that while I'm very keen on kids doing sports to get the right attitude, nobody wants to see the days like this again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U3UJnW5 ... re=related

"Do we have to have him sir??"