This is a wind up!primrose-n-blue posted:
I cannot believe the standard of recruitment from Wigan in the post Betts era...The Millward times.
I bet you were not sayng that to your fellow p & b fans pre-season.
Feka, any team would love to have him.
Calderwood you conveniently forget to mention, SL top try scorer.
Richards, played a major part in a GF winning season.
Logan, solid no nonsense prop in the Cowie mould
Fletcher, brings experience to a young side.
The only odd ball decision was Newton for Higham but even that was seen as good business by many as Newton would not be availble for months.
The problem with the above players is not who they are but the fact most of them are injured or not living up to their repuations.
Based on their past records every one was considered a good signing and a players record is all you can go off when deciding who to sign.
You could also go on all afternoon about the players they brought through the ranks and the less than spectacular players they signed (McGinty ring any bells?) and turned into better players.Wigan post relegation 79/80(had to get that in!) have long been associated with signing the best players...Hanley,Gregory,Miles,Inga,Offiah...etc. I wont go on, i'll be here all afternoon.
Players like Hall, Wane, Cowie and others came from lower divisions or through the ranks.
He is 25 not 35 and Wigan have always signed players form lower divisions.Why would Wigan ever signing players such as Wilkes-played at nearly half of the clubs in NL1.
Hindsight comes with 20/20 vision. Then again he may just turn out to be a success in this position. We will tell you at the end of the season.Richards-an out and out winger brought in to play as a centre..wtf?
I don't know who Wire have signed but I bet you could do an equally good charachter asassination job on the lot of 'em.Logan-signed from the team that finished 3 points off the wooden spoon.
Fletcher with Logan spent his days in the NRL abyss and at 32yrs on a 2yrs deal?
I'll be fairer on Jonkers-but still a loaned off struggler.
The fact they are injured and can't play does have some baring on their form!I don't care really how much effort, circumstance or injury have played a part in Wigan, so don't go using it as a defence on their behalf...the bottom line is that these players are a gulf away from the signings we have come to expect from Wigan over many years...too many for me but thats another topic.
In case you hadn't noticed there aren't any Hanley's and Offiah's available to sign although with Calderwood you could argue we got the next best thing to Offiah in the English game of today.
Of the established ex-NRL recruits and GB stars we have gone for I'd say all of them.How many of these players would get into another super league club?
Wilkes would not but then as I said Wigan have a record of taking what appears to be average players and turning them into very good players.
Relative to all other sides in the league on paper Wigan's squad is a match for any of them. What is lacks is an out and out leader in the Edwards, Farrell and Hanley mould to get them to play with pasion and to pull them altogether and pulling in the right direction. We definately need that player and he ought to be a half back. Get one and I reckon we'd be fine but unfortunately I can't see where one is going to come from soon.
Dave
