Wigan v Hull

[DaveO]

We have some good players but they are being made to look poor. We also have some guys who are not Wigan standard. We have some good young lads who need to be helped and supported by older pros. We have a coach who needs to alter/amend the way we play otherwise he needs to walk. That display was inept at best. The standard of this league is poor yet we look like relegation fodder at the moment!

I agree. In particular Wane's lack of willingness to alter the game to fit the players he has is doing my head in.

I think Bowen is being totally misused in trying to play the same role as Sam Tomkins.

I think Williams is capable of a lot more off the cuff stuff and creativity than he is being allowed to show. He seems under instruction to get rid of the ball so we can the use attack out wide. I actually think he played Powell at 6 because he doesn't really need a stand off who can do anything.

And the passing skills of the team are just not good enough to play this type of game now Green has gone. How many attacking moves broke down tonight due to poor inaccurate passing? If the players can't do it (and they can't on tonight's evidence) why is he still trying it?

That second half should tell him there is something seriously wrong with the attack and the tactics need to change. A player like Hampshire or letting Williams have a bit of autonomy could do wonders.

At the moment it is all totally predictable and even Hull had us worked out.

[pedro]

You couldn't fault the effort tonight, everyone worked hard but we looked short of confidence and ideas. Less penalties than in the last couple of games but a lack of go forward and little leadership/direction from the experienced players who should be taking on that role. I'd like to see Sarge at fullback again but we can't spare him from the centre. Joel is or second best centre but we need him in the backrow. Did we really start with Patrick at 13? Is he better than Bateman? He played better than in his other games so I suppose that may suggest he's not a prop. Will Waney give Hampshire a game next week when he knows Sinfield will put up plenty of bombs? I like young Sutton but feel that he now needs a break. The win was vital and will hopefully help confidence but we need to start improving quickly. We wouldn't have beaten any of the top teams tonight. Hull had a lot of injuries and were themselves short on confidence.

I think a lot of what you say makes sense. For a team like Wigan to have to play Joel at centre is criminal, but unfortunately it is a necessity - Gelling is not and never will be a centre less so a winger. Bowen is past his sell by date, it is sad to see a great player embarrassed in this way. Patrick has been poor so far (why has he been unable to produce the form he showed so often at Huddersfield?) what has happened to Tuatai's offloading? Our forwards do not hunt as a pack, we fail to support the player in possession, we don't offer options to our playmakers, we look unfit. Supporters are voting with their feet, can you blame them for not wanting to watch such dross?

well said

[sc74]

When I woke up and checked the score at about 3am this morning, I thought I read a 17,000 crowd. Then I looked again when I actually got up.

With all the hard work that the club does behind the scenes, the playing unit lets them down.

Instead of IL wanting to the team down to Sarg's back-yard ( ), why not try and build a solid, regular backing at home?

Not the result I was hoping for.

[old hooker]

Until we get some creative players at half back we will not progress it's been like this for several seasons Matty Smith is not good enough I'm sorry but it's a fact and if you cannot see that then rerun a few videos until the penny drops he cannot organise his back line he goes missing in matches and hasn't got a any idea how to break the line
there is nothing wrong in the forwards we just need a someone ( I know it's hard to find some one ) to inspire the back line and organise things time and time again we made attempts to score we camp out on the opposition line but cannot convert pressure into points and its this issue that's causing it all our attacks it breaks down because of this problem I'm afraid it will continue like this until this issue is addressed bullying other teams ain't going to cut it we are a one trick pony with this set move ( introduced by McGuire ) which worked for a season that nobody is buying that anymore the team has not got an organiser on e field and until this changes we will not become a top side surely the management can see this ??
Sorry for the rant but it's time things were changed

Could not agree more.

[KOOCH]

I suggest Sutton full back,Bowen Prop,Gelling 6,Joel T 7,Patrick Left centre, etc etc. From what I saw last night nobody is confident playing at any position.It appeared as the team where a bunch of strangers pooled together for the first time.I'm not going on another crusade for Wane out.But something is not right.And I along with the coach do not have the answer.

[keptinthedarkfans]

Last nights game ranked amongst the worst game I have seen at DW and been to them all. And sorry but this is going to upset a few people.From what I am seeing is a bland ineffective set of players trying to re enact a game plan that does not and never will work. That is even worse than nobles tactics. :conf:

[markill]

I thought it was pretty clear that we stripped out game back a bit last night, especially after the silly error following the early try. Our forwards, particularly Mossop and Clubb, were excellent. Powell and Smith weren't awful but our attack was stunted by not trying to be as much third man plays as normal. The players lacked a bit of confidence with the ball but by and large didn't try to do fancy stuff to get themselves out of the funk they're in. We could and should have scored more whereas they barely had any attack, particularly in the second half. It was pretty convincing but for Bowen going for one ball that was the wingers to take and one bit of individual play that also had a touch of luck to it which moved them up field for their second score. A 1 point margin flattered Hull but showed that we're only early days in fixing things.

[mickh]

Poor, poor, poor! Only the second game this season for me, 10 seats at the side of me were empty (centre, under the scoreboard, next to the back row) did "they" know what drivel that was going to be served up.
The passing has got it for me! The all important final pass going anywhere except in the breadbasket. Farrell wants a ball of his own, and, he is not big enough to cope with the modern game now. What about Bowen? A waste of a prominent position, can't run the ball back, can't catch, can't tackle, we might well as just take to the field with 12 players.

M.O.M. for me was Joel + Mossop, boy do we need him back!

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

I suggest Sutton full back,Bowen Prop,Gelling 6,Joel T 7,Patrick Left centre, etc etc. From what I saw last night nobody is confident playing at any position.It appeared as the team where a bunch of strangers pooled together for the first time.I'm not going on another crusade for Wane out.But something is not right.And I along with the coach do not have the answer.

Why not select every prop we have at the club in the 17? It appears that we are trying to run over the opposition on nearly every play but we are not big enough to do it. We create very little in attack and our options for doing so are severely limited when Lockers is absent. Bateman should be slotting into that role as the lad has good handling ability - I was amazed last night when he was not in the starting 13 and shocked when we deployed him out wide as a runner.

The balance of the team seems all wrong to me: no ball playing loose forward (instead we choose a prop); no hard running second row who can break the line (a Hoffman or Hock); props who are lightweight and are used as battering rams (Tautai doesn't even offload any longer); a hooker who is a shadow of himself; two good wingers with great finishing ability who rarely get good early ball from the guys inside of them; a once great fullback and a right centre who have no pace and their timing and linking ability is embarrassing at times. Halves that are not creative enough although to be fair I thought both performed much better last night than in recent weeks.

There were good things last night: penalties and errors were reduced; we had better field position; and we won.

[sc74]

Looking at this from the other side of the fence - we are going through a bad patch. How long would be considered acceptable?

There are more than enough on this site who feel that this is what it is. When does it become something more than a bad patch?