To Hell with Stability

[Mike]

After yesterday, I have tried to give myself a little time to calm down before reacting. However, it has not helped. I have always been on the side of stability and basically behind the Noble regime. After this latest embarresment I've reassesed. Noble has not had much room for manouver under the salary cap since our breaches, but if I don't see major personnell changes signalled for next season I will want Noble out. In my opinion the problems at Wigan are to deep rooted for small changes to have any affect. There is an acceptance of mediocraty amongst the team. Other clubs seem capable of taking players and improving them, we have been produce players that are limited and do not improve themselves whilst at Wigan. We have extremely limited attacking threat with neither line breakers or team play capable of putting other teams under pressure. We need to start again with the emphasis on bringing in players that provide attacking threat.

Here's the changes I believe need to be made

1. Mathers - release unless his defence improves. Bring in a specialist full back defensive coach to assess him.
2. Calderwood - he will be released as Noble does not rate him.
3. Goulding - retain as a bench player covering back line positions
4. Carmont - retain
5. Richards - retain
6. Barrett - will leave
7. Lulu - retain, he provides some attacking threat
8. Fielden - release
9. Higham - release
10. Paleasina - retain, he also provides attacking threat
11. Hock -retain
12. Bailey - release
13. Lockers - retain, switch to 2nd row utilise off the bench
14. COlbon - release, his role fullfilled by Goulding
15. Coley - retain unless more potent prop can be recruited
16. Hansen - release
17. McIlorum - retain
19. Prescott - retain as squad player covering injuries
20. PRyce - retain unregistered off cap until injury resolved
22. Tomkins - retian as squad cover
24. O'Carroll - release
25. Coyle - release

So that leaves us wanting the following:

Fullback - if Mathers cannot be made competent in defence. A Briscoe standard fullback would improve our squad in this position. Alternatively switch Richards to FB perminantly.
Wing - if Pryce does not recover or if richards is switched. I would prefer speed on the wing, however a couple of competent large backs would not be difficult to pick up.
Centre - an attacking strike centre capable of making line breaks. Talau would be a prime example of this sort of player.
Stand off - difficult to replace Trent without reducing the quality of the squad, but we have to do this anyway. Locker would provide the leadership we need in the short term but is an injury risk.
2 Props - Palaesina needs a partner capable of creating a level of penetration. Richard Moore is a great example of the sort of player we need.
Second row - Lockers moves into the second row with Hock, requiring one more second rower to cover this position without requiring Tomkins to start regularly
Loose forward - moving Lockers out of this position and bulking up the front two rows of the pack allows us to bring in an attacking creative loose forward. Henry Paul in the last few years has fullfilled this role in the captial, we can't afford to have a player like Lockers in this position any longer.

Its a lot of changes, but I think we need to aim to make them over the next 2 seasons.

[cpwigan]

Just to add something Mike. The NRL reduced the number of interchanges this season and it is a trend likely to continue. So what have the NRL clubs done? They have transformed their 10 minute players into 80 minute players. It has taken nearly 2 years by all accounts. Sam Thaiday of the Broncos is a classic example. An interchange player with impact he is now an 80 minute rampaging bull and an even better impact player because he is fitter and faster. How long have we supposedly been transforming Feka?

The best thing this club could do is invest heavily in a world class backroom team.

Our youngsters are thebest available when we sign them. This club is systematically destroying them.

[Doveoverdave]

Well said Mike. I don't agree with ALL your changes but I do agree in principle that we need a radical over haul. We have been living on promises of good things in the future for a decade now. 99% of the youngsters that I read about as "potential" world beaters and good prospects are simply not good enough!!

[jolleymike]

agree with everything you say, but for me the biggest changes need to be made in the pack, an average back line can be made to look good when your pack is going forward. if barrett had the same amount of room that longy had we would not have gone down to such a big loss.

I still dont think that feka is good enough a player, he reduces your options on the bench, for me a prop who can play with impact for at least 20 minutes would be better, you only need to look at the likes of graham at stains as an example he makes good strong yards up the field but is also good in deffense.

My other gripe with our current pack is when you watch fielden he is there quite often in the attacking line waiting to take the ball up but higham nearly always seems to go the opposite way to what fielden is running, is it somthing to do with fielden ie they dont want him to get the ball or is it a coaches tactic to draw the opposition to fielden to try and make a gap for another forward to run in to. its just an observation but every game i always see the same thing, so its no wonder that fielden gets such a slagging.

For me this is the place we start at with the pack and build a back line around barratt's replacement.

[Wigan_forever1985]

I said very earlyon in the season that we are not going to win anything because of one simple thing, PACE, there is none in this wigan team nobody has pace in the squad not only does this mean we have to be in the opponents 20 to score we have which was the case against stains once a player has broke our line they are in for a try cos no-one at wigan can catch them we need players with pace. I tell you id be moving mountians for broughs signature the guy is an amazing player how he has been overlooked for so long is beyond me, he can win games he never gives in unlike the rest of this wigan sqaud he is a leader a natural born winner when the teams under the cosh he kicks a 40/20 when he has no options he backs himself he is a winner anyone who watched him against cas on sat will have seen how much talent he has.

[jolleymike]

our academy side is consistently one of the best in there competition with some great youngsters coming in from all of the feeder clubs in the area. So what is my point - well if they are good enough to cut it at academy level then if the coaching squad is up to it they should be able to improve them to super league level - it cant take that much for me they already must have the skill they just dont have the muscular bulk or top level experience.

Fitness for me seems to be a big problem at the club but even more so attitude is an even bigger problem, i think the right attitude will come with the right captain in charge, afterall how can any of the players in the first team look up to lockers for leadership or drive.

[Matthew]

I agree with just about all of your suggestions Mike - however I keep Hansen as he was one of the few players yesterday that put in a reasonable effort. I would be happier to see him in the second row with Hock - I don't know what we could do with Lockers; but he isn't creative enough at loose.

I don't think that mathers can be saved - he doesn't appear aggressive enough and his tackling technique is awful. He went one on one with a slow 2nd row and was run around with ease. Previously he clothes lined King and was sent off - we cannot afford to have such a liability at the back.

I wouldn't be that disappointed to see Lulu go. He offers a reasonable attacking threat on his own - however it is only for himself; he isn't a playmaker.

We don't want Lockyer - he won't be a lot of good sat on the sidelines and that is where he will spend an increasing amount of time in the last seasons of his career.

I would have been happy to see us sign Haggerty from Salford when they were relegated last year. A big no-nonsense prop that runs hard in a straight line - that is the sort of prop we need to sign.

Lastly the thing that we need on the wings is pace - and we simply don't have it. Pat is a good player for us and his goal kicking definitely gives us something; however he isn't exactly electric. Colbon is too slow for a pace winger and not big or strong enough to be a "big" winger like Lesley was the Bulls

[jaws1]

Dont need a mass overhaul of players we need backroom staff that can bring the potential out of the players ,we are crying out for a sprint coach ,personal trainer for Feka to give him more game time hes bigger this year than hes ever been.Forshaw is not the best trainer that could be got Salary cap does not come into it with backroom staff lets get the best. We are far too slow and pedantic we have no one who has pace [sorry we have one the water carrier Calderwood]
Peronally i would move Pat to fullback a position he likes as he is not the fastest winger we have going from a standing start.

[nathan_rugby]

Its obvious that the backroom staff need changing.

My team for next year would be and this is based on keeping people like lockers because he isnt going to go.

1 - Pat Richards
2 - New Winger
3 - George Carmont
4 - Darrel Goulding
5 - Karl Pryce
6 - New stand off - Danny Brough eventhough he is a 7
7 - Tommy Lu Lu
8 - Paul Prescott
9 - Mike mcillorum
10 - New Prop
11 - Gareth Hock
12 - Lockers
13 - New Loose

14 - Feka
15 - Hansen
16 - Tomkins/Mossop
17 - New Hooker

Id release fielden, bailey, calderwood,higham and obviously barret. If i had things my way also coley but i dont think it will happen.

Danny Broughs kicking is phenominal, with our forwards making 20m in 4 drives, he could just get us out of the shit with a 40/20.

Brough is top of my list over anybody, one of best, if not best in super league.

[platt-warrior]

I disagree re-Coley he is the only forward to come out of
this shambles with any cred.