tim smith

[the-Bowtun-Warrior]

I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the League Express is right I believe press day for Wigan is on Wednesday so I'd imagine an announcement would be made then.

roll on wednesday!

good to see you back around Alex! were have you been? not seen you much on here lately (when i make it on)

[DaveO]

I don't care whether they're nice off the pitch or not - though where this notion has come from about Riddel, I don't know. The guy seems to have won people over in Wigan already and he hasn't even arrived yet. But even if he wasn't a nice guy, as far as I'm concerned, he's here to do a job on the pitch and if he does that successfully - i.e. better than the 'nice guys' we've currently got - then it's okay by me.

It is not a matter of being nice as such off the pitch but whether his off field behaviour affects his on-field performances. I am pretty sure both Riddle and Smith have been disciplined in the past by their Aussie club for turning up drunk and/or missing training.

Smith has an excuse with his bi-polar disorder, Riddle doesn't.

What I don't want to see happening id Wigan turning into a club with the sort of reputation Wire have for a drinking culture amongst its players.

Have reservations, by all means, but for Heaven's sake, give people a chance. Whatever happened to welcoming newcomers (especialy when, as you yourself admit, they're "better than most in SL")?

I am quite prepared to give them a chance. Where did I say otherwise?

I am however not going to get carried away and assume there is no risk with either of these signings. Apparently Riddle is a reformed character. Time will tell but there are plenty of RL players out there who are very professional about how they approach the game and have not needed to reform.

If Riddle is a better player than Higham AND matches the professional way Higham approaches the game we will have a very good player at no. 9.

As for Smith's condition - sure, it sounds like a problem. But we're none of us doctors, and even if we are, we haven't had access to Smith's medical records, which I suspect Wigan will have had if they are to make this kid an offer.

All I am saying is it's a risk. It is not hearsay that he has this disorder and you can do your own research about it and draw your own conclusions.

And please, don't compare him to Julian O'Neill. This is the second time I've heard this recently. O'Neill was, at best, an average player. Smith is a very fine player who is also a lot younger. Assuming we're not offering him something silly like 200 grand a year, the potential of this signings outweighs the risks.

The comparison with O'Niel is a valid one because O'Neil came to us with known problems that were apparently behind him. The same can be said of Smith in that we are taking a player on with known problems.

It doesn't matter how good he is if these problems get in the way of his performances for Wigan in the same way O'Neil reverted to type. I thought that was the obvious connection between the two situations.

Dave

[cpwigan]

If we have signed Smith God help us He had a good rookie season and then went to pieces to the point he had to be told to stop turning the ball back inside. He is a scrum half anyway not a stand off.
A very ordinary scrum half and one with mental health issues.

Does that matter though with the way the game is played these days and especially Nobby likes our Pivots to play?? The only thing a scrum half does these days is feed the scrum. I think we're just signing him as an individual pivot.

I think it depends on the player. Far more natural stand offs can play scrum half rather than the other way. Can you imagine Tommy at stand off? Burrow at stand off?

[Cruncher]

I don't care whether they're nice off the pitch or not - though where this notion has come from about Riddel, I don't know. The guy seems to have won people over in Wigan already and he hasn't even arrived yet. But even if he wasn't a nice guy, as far as I'm concerned, he's here to do a job on the pitch and if he does that successfully - i.e. better than the 'nice guys' we've currently got - then it's okay by me.

It is not a matter of being nice as such off the pitch but whether his off field behaviour affects his on-field performances. I am pretty sure both Riddle and Smith have been disciplined in the past by their Aussie club for turning up drunk and/or missing training.

Smith has an excuse with his bi-polar disorder, Riddle doesn't.

What I don't want to see happening id Wigan turning into a club with the sort of reputation Wire have for a drinking culture amongst its players.

Have reservations, by all means, but for Heaven's sake, give people a chance. Whatever happened to welcoming newcomers (especialy when, as you yourself admit, they're "better than most in SL")?

I am quite prepared to give them a chance. Where did I say otherwise?

I am however not going to get carried away and assume there is no risk with either of these signings. Apparently Riddle is a reformed character. Time will tell but there are plenty of RL players out there who are very professional about how they approach the game and have not needed to reform.

If Riddle is a better player than Higham AND matches the professional way Higham approaches the game we will have a very good player at no. 9.

As for Smith's condition - sure, it sounds like a problem. But we're none of us doctors, and even if we are, we haven't had access to Smith's medical records, which I suspect Wigan will have had if they are to make this kid an offer.

All I am saying is it's a risk. It is not hearsay that he has this disorder and you can do your own research about it and draw your own conclusions.

And please, don't compare him to Julian O'Neill. This is the second time I've heard this recently. O'Neill was, at best, an average player. Smith is a very fine player who is also a lot younger. Assuming we're not offering him something silly like 200 grand a year, the potential of this signings outweighs the risks.

The comparison with O'Niel is a valid one because O'Neil came to us with known problems that were apparently behind him. The same can be said of Smith in that we are taking a player on with known problems.

It doesn't matter how good he is if these problems get in the way of his performances for Wigan in the same way O'Neil reverted to type. I thought that was the obvious connection between the two situations.

Dave

You're reservations are noted and acknowledged. There's not much difference between your view and mine. I don't want idiots at the club either.

My original post was in response to someone who already seemed to have formed the opinion that these guys ARE idiots and will be NO good for us.

[platt-warrior]

I really do believe some of your posts will come back to bit you on the bum CP.TIM SMITH was considered by many NRL pundits to be one of the most talented half backs to come out of OZ for many a moon.Note i wrote half-backs as i feel any good scum-half/stand-off should be able to interchange without a problem.

[DaveO]

As this isn't a rumour any more I suggest all further discussion carries on under the thread in the main Web Warriors forum.

So I will lock this one to save people having to check two threads and two forums for Tim Smith discussions.

Dave

[lucky 13]

We have had players before with off field problems .
The big difference over here if he goes a little off the rails it wont be plastered in the press and the pressure will be only a small % of what he had over in Aus .
The nice guy thing does not wash for me with our present players either .
Why do people think O'neil was average he was a SOO player and international a naturally gifted player who had problems away from the field , some of them very sad , until you are in that position it's hard to criticize the things that happened in the latter half of his career .
If you get a bunch of young men together you will at some point have problems with behaviour related to drink or other things .
The lad seems to want to come here and give it a shot, the furthest thing from is mind will be having a relapse and going off the rails, it may happen but may not .
He has not as far as I know injured anyone while drunk which CAN NOT BE SAID for ''all'' of our so called nice team .
I am looking forward to seeing the lad play like I am with Riddel ,Phelps and Pryce these lads seem to want to play for us , we had 40 grand and have got 3 players with it so that must show some integrity on these lads part and well done IL if one of these signings turns out OK it will have been worth it .
A lot of negative posts on here at the moment ,what we should look at is we have won nothing with the present team and things need to change whether these players bring success back only time will tell but I will be giving them a chance !