Wigan_forever1985 wrote:Ok i think a little context has to be put on lenegans achievements at Wigan. I have seen a lot of people citing him as a "stabilizer" of sorts and someone who has somewhat brought success to wigan.
Lenegan took over in 2007/8. Fristly im not 100% sure about this and please feel free to correct me but i dont think that IL has changed our youth set up in a vast way however i know he did invest in the training facilities.
We have always produced players. Just when do people think Micky Mac, Hock, H, Lockers and Goulding to name just five began their Wigan careers as juniors?
The Orrell training facilities were part of the package he bought off DW. It was DW who bought them and set us up there.
So fast forward to our current squad. Most of our current squad came through the ranks of our academy which has always churned out talent, something we have definatly been very lucky to have. I see nothing to suggest that IL has increased the number of talented people in our academy or that it is any different to what wigan as a club have produced for long since he came here.
Correct.
I have no major bone to pick with IL but i feel he is waiting for the league to become a battle of the academies by his support of the low salary cap he shows to me that he wants it to be cheap academy players that decide the league. That puts wigan in prime position without him having to invest any more money.
I am certain that is his plan and it means as I posted elsewhere the ambition to bring the best to Wigan seems to have gone.
People will argue we can't sign or hold onto the best players so this is a pragmatic approach by IL but as I said it means he has accepted the situation and isn't moving to change it.
His stance against raising the salary cap adds to this feeling.
The recruitment under IL IMO has been poor, there are very good players chosing clubs like Hull KR, Wakefield, Salford, Widnes - that should tell its own story about the package on offer at Wigan or scouting they do.
Now granted Koukash has started from scratch with Salford and he had to but he has addressed the situation there by digging deep. IL now doesn't have to dig deep given all this cash we have got. The club has plenty of money so the proof of where IL wants to take the club will soon become apparent by who we sign and actually buy as opposed to who we get for free or on the cheap.
There is another aspect to recruitment that is missing under IL and that is previously if a better player became available we went and signed him and if that meant a lesser player lost his place, well tough.
We must have a shed load of space under the cap and so there is plenty of scope to add or replace players.
Mind you it seems we say we must have a shed load of space under the cap every year but we sign average to good players rather than really good players who other clubs are signing.
Before i start being moaned at for not enjoying the success etc, i do, and i have enjoyed watching wigan win trophies, what i have not enjoyed is watching world class players leave and none coming back in. What i fear is that if the standard of the league picks up again or the salary cap is raised wigan will become a mid table team if IL continues at the helm.
There are two schools of thought on this. One is Wigan has always been associated with the best players and was never a selling club.
The other is we don't/won't need or can't have the best players and selling the best ones to fund the running of the club is OK.
The mind boggles at how we have got some people thinking the latter is fine, including it seems to me IL.
struck me you 'tried' to be 'clever' and came unstuck. Must Try Harder! 