Announcement tomorrow?

[NeeNawWarrior22]

The problem is that the RFL has no leadership or vision and that the tail, in the shape of the small Yorkshire clubs, wags the dog. The only way we can avoid losing talents like Sam is to pay the players a competitive salary when compared to the Aussies or RU. The only place this money can come from is a much improved TV deal. Hopefully Barwick, with his experience in TV, will convince Sky that they need to invest in RL in order to still have a desirable product.

I agree with your comments about paying a competitive salary and the only place the sport will get the cash to do so is from TV but unfortunately IL is part of the problem.

Remember, he is on record as saying he sees no reason to increase the salary cap.

He is, IMO,content to see Wigan a big fish in a small pond.

If we can win CC's and GF's minus special players like Sam but with players who are paid a fraction of their NRL counterparts we will still be cup holders or champions so that will be OK. The fact we just beat a load of other mediocre teams will be by the by.

Gone is the ambition to have the best players at Wigan. Or so it seems.

Yes at the minute we can't afford them but he seems to have no desire to ensure we can in future. It's all about being the best of a bad lot based on home grown talent and stop gaps like Bowen.

If more money doesn't come into the game it will revert to being semi-pro sooner than people think is my view.

:eusa2: excellent post DaveO. In total agreement Re IL and his apparent level of content with Wigan been a big fish in small pond.

[cpwigan]

The problem is that the RFL has no leadership or vision and that the tail, in the shape of the small Yorkshire clubs, wags the dog. The only way we can avoid losing talents like Sam is to pay the players a competitive salary when compared to the Aussies or RU. The only place this money can come from is a much improved TV deal. Hopefully Barwick, with his experience in TV, will convince Sky that they need to invest in RL in order to still have a desirable product.

I agree with your comments about paying a competitive salary and the only place the sport will get the cash to do so is from TV but unfortunately IL is part of the problem.

Remember, he is on record as saying he sees no reason to increase the salary cap.

He is, IMO,content to see Wigan a big fish in a small pond.

If we can win CC's and GF's minus special players like Sam but with players who are paid a fraction of their NRL counterparts we will still be cup holders or champions so that will be OK. The fact we just beat a load of other mediocre teams will be by the by.

Gone is the ambition to have the best players at Wigan. Or so it seems.

Yes at the minute we can't afford them but he seems to have no desire to ensure we can in future. It's all about being the best of a bad lot based on home grown talent and stop gaps like Bowen.

If more money doesn't come into the game it will revert to being semi-pro sooner than people think is my view.

:eusa2: excellent post DaveO. In total agreement Re IL and his apparent level of content with Wigan been a big fish in small pond.

Stop talking sense Dave

You are an endangered species amongst Wigan supporters :exc:

[DaveO]

In the short term, as fans, we can:
- get behind him like never before on Friday. Whatever our misgivings, we want him at his best for the last 2 games of his career with us;
- make our concerns known to the club. We deserve to know whether we will enforce contracts in the future; and
- get to as many World Cup games as we can, so that the sport gets the positive exposure it needs, to attract sponsors, and grow the game over here. Our problems stem from the challenges facing the game over here. The only thing we can do is sell the game more broadly (incidentally, if IL was faced with the choice of losing Sam to the NRL now or to union in 12 months, I hope he would sell him now, but that's by the by).

There is no suggestion it was NRL now or RU in 12 months so please don't make stuff up to justify IL's position. He doesn't need your help with that sort of thing.

According to MT Smart in the Rumour Mill Dean Bell was only saying on Sunday that French RU and two English RU clubs had money on the table for Sam and he clearly chose the NZW and the choice of RU was open to him now which obviously it would be.

Sam was contracted to us for five years not three. Wigan would still have to agree to him leaving at the end of next season after he was free to negotiate with other clubs (hah!) and would still have got a fee.

I wasn't making anything up, I was hypothesising to illustrate the point about the importance of his staying on our game. I thought the brackets made that clear.

That isn't a hypothesising by any stretch of the imagination. Hypothesising is coming up with different possible explanations (hypothesises) for something you have seen happen, which of course it hadn't. If you want to use big words then indulging in conjecture is what you were doing - basically guessing based on no evidence that IL's position would be as you described in 12 months.

Like I said, making it up

[josie andrews]

I agree with your comments about paying a competitive salary and the only place the sport will get the cash to do so is from TV but unfortunately IL is part of the problem.

Remember, he is on record as saying he sees no reason to increase the salary cap.

He is, IMO,content to see Wigan a big fish in a small pond.

If we can win CC's and GF's minus special players like Sam but with players who are paid a fraction of their NRL counterparts we will still be cup holders or champions so that will be OK. The fact we just beat a load of other mediocre teams will be by the by.

Gone is the ambition to have the best players at Wigan. Or so it seems.

Yes at the minute we can't afford them but he seems to have no desire to ensure we can in future. It's all about being the best of a bad lot based on home grown talent and stop gaps like Bowen.

If more money doesn't come into the game it will revert to being semi-pro sooner than people think is my view.

:eusa2: excellent post DaveO. In total agreement Re IL and his apparent level of content with Wigan been a big fish in small pond.

Stop talking sense Dave

You are an endangered species amongst Wigan supporters :exc:

Great post :eusa2:

The fiasco which British Rugby League is getting to be nothing but a joke. I give it another ten, maybe twenty years & we will be watching either a semi professional or amateur game.

The way the game is being run, from the RFL down to the "owners", will run it into the ground.

We will lose lots more up coming talent to Australia or dare I say it, RU! That is if any up & coming young player actually wants to play the sport in this country!

[cpwigan]

:doz: Some Wigan fans seem incredibly gullible.

[josie andrews]

:doz: Some Wigan fans seem incredibly gullible.

Is that in reply to my post?

[Kittwazzer]

Jesus Christ. There was more positivity on here in 2006 when we were battling relegation.

We have the CC in the bag and are 80 minutes away from Old Trafford. How much worse can this season get?

[cpwigan]

:doz: Some Wigan fans seem incredibly gullible.

Is that in reply to my post?

Did not read yours Josie when I posted my post.

Just the lemmings here of which you are not one.

It beggars belief that we have fans knowing they have been lied to, deceived, treated like fools and they still cannot open their eyes / engage their brains.

[josie andrews]

Jesus Christ. There was more positivity on here in 2006 when we were battling relegation.

We have the CC in the bag and are 80 minutes away from Old Trafford. How much worse can this season get?

I'm very positive & have every faith in the team. I'm really looking forward to the game on Friday.

I just think people like to be treated as adults instead of being told "fairy stories" for months on end. It's as if " if we don't say anything else, they'll forget about what we said at the start of the season!"

I know we haven't a right to know all the ins & outs of what goes on at WIgan Warriors but a bit of transparency over certain things wouldn't go amiss.

It's the same with Lauaki, is he ill? Is he on compassionate leave? The cryptic remark that he won't figure in any of the playoffs starts all the rumours & gossip which, IMO, isn't good for the club or the guy.

[ian.birchall]

We are getting £700,000 for Sam.

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... -of-season

£700K for Sam, £200k for Hock, £100k? for Mossop, ILs arms are getting ever further away from the money in his pockets.
At least season tickets should be much reduced next year as all the team disappears, ah no Luaki will be coming back