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fozzieskem wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 10:56 am I just don’t get the resentment towards Radlinski has he made errors yes but he’s human but certainly not as bad as some on here make,our,sometimes it’s better the devil you know,as Kylie once sang

Exactly. I will copy how you have put it by saying,
I just don't get the resentment towards Radlinski. He is one of us and in the list of all time greats for our club.

I think a lot of the resentment with Radders is he doesnt come across that well sometimes, he seems overly confident that he is right and the supporters are wrong on some issues and im not sure how to take anyone serious who described Mitch Clarke as the most destructive forward in Super league despite being unable to get into the Cas team at the time.

Ive gone back and looked on Wiki around the signings in the last 10 years now i could go further but i think its important to understand where we are and too far back distorts the view. In this time like it or not Rads would have been heavily involved in signings you cant blame everything on him but equally you cant absolve him, this being a major part of his role.

Ive avoided signings made for this season as its not been a full season yet so feels unfair

Firstly lets come to the thing i think most people would attribute to Rads from the way he talks about Wigan etc and thats the "re-signings" - so taking back players who have left there are 9 in total in this period and it makes up over a 1/4 of the signings in this time;

Joel Tomkins - had failed at Rugby Union, not sure many were keen on his return
Sam Tomkins - Signed injured after failing to make an impact but i would say most welcomed it
Joe Burgess - Failed to hold down his NRL gig wasnt the same player on return
Tommy Leuluai - Well over the hill and was brought with a coaching role attached
Dan Sarginson - Failed in the NRL wasnt really wanted by many on here as i remember
John Bateman - Generally welcome though we knew he wasnt the same player
Liam Forsyth - This is may be wrong on but i think he was part of the youth setup before crossing codes - then being brought back but never really made it
Lee Mossop - Had biscuit shoulders that only got worse as he failed to make an impact in the NRL
Iain Thornley - terrible idea

On the whole there isnt a single player in that list who went on to come close to the player they were prior to leaving Wigan - this was a systematic theme of re-signing players who failed to make it elsewhere - JB the exception as he killed it in the NRL but had large injury concerns surrounding him still i believe it was the right choice at the time to go in for him

Then the other signings ill start with the ones i think generated hype/excitement or proved to be a good buy either way

 Joe Greenwood - I think people were excited about his signing he looked good before NRL
 Zak Hardaker - It divided opinion but regardless of thoughts on him he was and is a very good player but we only got him because no-one else really wanted him at the top
  Jackson Hastings - Was the top player in superleague so a good capture
 Bevan French - Although Lam is credited widely for his arrival either way brillaint signing
 Kai Pearce-Paul - Most people in the know knew his potential and he's proved that way
 Brad Singleton - I think most people welcomed the signing a solid pro
 Jai Field - See Bevan French
 Abbas Miski - although not a welcome signing i think he's proved a decent buy overall
 Willie Isa - served us well IMO
Mike Cooper - Lucked into him but a good signing

then theres the others - some may seem harsh but i dont think any of the below signings have been successful

George Burgess - People were excited but obviously very little in the way of medical checks were done and that is on the club
Taulima Tautai - never wigan standard
Larne Patrick - see above
Morgan Escare - signed played well then bumped into obscurity by an injured tomkins
Romain Navarrete - never wigan standard
Gabriel Hamlin - too small
Chris Hankinson - signed but club seemed to not want to play him even when we had no centres
Joe Bullock - overall poor
Jarrod Sammut - yes..........what?
Jake Bibby - average
Mitch Clark - terrible signing
Kaide Ellis - i put him here as he's yet to prove to me hes a good player
Patrick Mago - fitness is terrible and that should been picked up
Cade Cust - probably harsh
Ramon Silva - who?

So really out of 37 signings only 10 have proved to be decent and when you consider at least 2 of those were by chance thats nearly a 25% success rate in signings

If anyone in their job was hitting such a low bar i would expect questions to be asked personally


 

You forgot the ridiculous signing of Hampshire...

The main issue I have with Wigan as a whole is this nonsense of giving a player an out when they've buggered off for "better life,more money"and it's all gone sour for them,you leave Wigan you stay left as for me you're leaving the greatest club in the world so you make your bed lie in it.

There can be no clearer examples of how poor our recruitment has been than Thornley and Hampshire. I'd love Radlinski to come out and explain why either were recruited and what advantage he thought it would bring in terms of trying to chase down and overtake Saints .

If you can't put Wigan at the top of the tree in 4 or 5 years then it's time to let somebody else have a go. I'd be surprised if Saints don't end up building a statue of Radlinksi outside their ground. He's been an absolute gift for them.

Miry Lane Casuals wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 2:57 pm There can be no clearer examples of how poor our recruitment has been than Thornley and Hampshire. I'd love Radlinski to come out and explain why either were recruited and what advantage he thought it would bring in terms of trying to chase down and overtake Saints .

If you can't put Wigan at the top of the tree in 4 or 5 years then it's time to let somebody else have a go. I'd be surprised if Saints don't end up building a statue of Radlinksi outside their ground. He's been an absolute gift for them.

Thornley was good in his first spell. Just saying !.

craigo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 3:12 pm

Miry Lane Casuals wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 2:57 pm There can be no clearer examples of how poor our recruitment has been than Thornley and Hampshire. I'd love Radlinski to come out and explain why either were recruited and what advantage he thought it would bring in terms of trying to chase down and overtake Saints .

If you can't put Wigan at the top of the tree in 4 or 5 years then it's time to let somebody else have a go. I'd be surprised if Saints don't end up building a statue of Radlinksi outside their ground. He's been an absolute gift for them.

Thornley was good in his first spell. Just saying !.

Get mossop back as well while we’re at it

Given we have the best youth production line and spend up to the cap, some blame for our inability to match St Helens does need to be attributed to Radlinski.

I appreciate players and coaches under perform and there are moments that make a difference such as the St Helens last second win under Lam.

At the end of the day we haven’t been as successful as we should have been in recent years - coaches have changed, players have changed but why the positions above Head Coach do not as frequent… is this part of the issue?

Is it a Rads thing or an IL thing?

Next seasons signings look and feel like a change in calibre and direction and I’m sure there’s a couple more to come.

Maybe under Danson Rads will operate differently as per owner instruction

Wes wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:36 pm Is it a Rads thing or an IL thing?

Next seasons signings look and feel like a change in calibre and direction and I’m sure there’s a couple more to come.

Maybe under Danson Rads will operate differently as per owner instruction

Is it really any different to normal?

That’s not to say I’m not excited but it feels more of the same?

nathan_rugby wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:58 pm

Wes wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:36 pm Is it a Rads thing or an IL thing?

Next seasons signings look and feel like a change in calibre and direction and I’m sure there’s a couple more to come.

Maybe under Danson Rads will operate differently as per owner instruction

Is it really any different to normal?

That’s not to say I’m not excited but it feels more of the same?

Signings really feel like a proper statement of intent. Long term deals. And getting current players tied down. Even new kit sorted out now.
I just need Morgan Smithies to be given a rest of your career contract then I am totally happy !. Future is very bright for Wigan.