Time To Stop

[Wes]

I don't think I could stop supporting the club even if I wanted to do so. I watch our team in large part because I want to be entertained, and as a release from normal life. I don't see the players as role models, and have always assumed that a large part of every club's management is to deal with events like this. It wouldn't stop me taking our kids.

I am happy with what I have seen in the IL era, and I think we will be much better off with a new coach, particularly with an NRL background.

We have had a bad couple of games, and that may continue on Thursday, but there is a long way to go and we are still well in the mix for this season. I don't think any of us will miss Joel if he never plays for us again, and Wane and Sam were already leaving. If part of the reason for Wane's leaving was this sort of thing, then that shows the club in a good light.


I am really struggling to see what the club could have done differently at the time, apart from sacking Joel, once the bar owner and the barmaid had accepted the apologies from the players.

I really like your first paragraph! They are paid sportsmen I hate it how the media big them up as role models! If my kids look up to rugby players or footballers as role models I’d have to say I have failed them as a parent! My role models are my parents and grandparents, sportsmen and women nope I see them as just that.

Well be prepared to consider yourself a failure then. You said it yourself "the media big them up as role models" and do you really think your kids will be immune from all that and the peer pressure form their mates who will have their favourite players etc? It's all part of growing up having your sporting heroes who aren't your parents. Kids aspire to emulate their heros when they play sport. It's all perfectly natural and why it's important players set a good example.

You, me and Exiled might not consider them role models but then we are not 10 years old.

It goes further than young kids though because as Rads has said junior players (such as scholarship players) look up to senior players (which again is quite natural) as role models whether we like it or not.

The idea of Exiled that a large part of management time is spent dealing with stuff like this thus implying it is normal is IMO wide of the mark and hinges on the notion that the management does not see them as role models either which I think is obviously not true

I highly doubt I’ll fail Dave like my parents and grandparents I will not wrap my kids up in cotton wool and pretend the world is all pink and fluffy. If people want their kids growing up with no street smarts and to be green and naive great that’s their prerogative. I stand by my statement they are sportsmen and paid to be sportsmen not role models.

Isn’t it funny sportsmen and women are only role models when they have cocked up!

[DaveO]

I stand by my statement they are sportsmen and paid to be sportsmen not role models.

You can say that as often as you like. It's not going to make it true and it isn't true. The fact is they are seen as role models as are many figures in the public eye, not just sportsmen

Isn’t it funny sportsmen and women are only role models when they have cocked up!

And that's not true either! Youngsters aspire to emulate the top players precisely because they are top players who are held in high esteem.

[Wes]

Dave players are not paid to be role models it’s as simple as that!

Saints ground sponsor hardly great for the kids Barba definitely was not signed to be a role model nor was Hardaker or Rangi Chase or Shaun Long or Gleason after the betting scandal, the list goes on and on and on. They are signed on their ability to do a job end of and I highly doubt the words role models being in players contracts or job descriptions.

If a club had a choice of signing Barba during a drugs ban as saints did or Scott Grix (who I think has had a squeaky clean career however if I’m wrong you can still get my point) they’d pick Barba every time! Look kids they signed a druggy errrr no they signed the best full back around.

[michael inch stoke]

No, it isn't time to stop!
I'm sure plenty players have done far worse than Joel and "got away with it" for various reasons applying at the time.
Trouble for Joel is he was caught on video for anyone and everyone to see. It was a disgusting watch and he is paying heavily for it. The club have fined him a large sum of money, suspended him and are considering his long term future.
What that turns out to be we'll see in due course.

If anyone thinks that Joel acting like a complete plank is going to stop me watching Wigan RL then it isn't.

We are now about to enter a new era with a new coach and that usually changes most things if not everything playing wise. We have a great club and very good players. A new coach could well make a good team a lot better and I want to be around watching it. Even if Waney hadn't resigned then I'd still be watching Wigan RL.

The idea that Joel acting like an idiot is going to stop me watching Wigan RL is as far from reality as one can get.

That's my take on this also :eusa2:

[widdenoldboy]

No, not for me although I've been close this last few days.

My Dad was a rabid Wigan fan and some of that has passed to me, even after I moved "down South" I traveled to games from 1982-1997 and saw some good and great times.

Truth is, Wigan is bigger than any individual, bigger than IL, SW and certainly the Tompkins boys - I won't enjoy the next few weeks but I will stick by Wigan RL.

[josie andrews]

No, not for me although I've been close this last few days.

My Dad was a rabid Wigan fan and some of that has passed to me, even after I moved "down South" I traveled to games from 1982-1997 and saw some good and great times.

Truth is, Wigan is bigger than any individual, bigger than IL, SW and certainly the Tompkins boys - I won't enjoy the next few weeks but I will stick by Wigan RL.

Me too.

I believe in Cherry’n’White is in our Blood & Ancient’n’Loyal until I Die.

[Wes]

Again, josies signature says it the best and I feel applies to this thread perfectly.

Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage.

[ancientnloyal]

No, not for me although I've been close this last few days.

My Dad was a rabid Wigan fan and some of that has passed to me, even after I moved "down South" I traveled to games from 1982-1997 and saw some good and great times.

Truth is, Wigan is bigger than any individual, bigger than IL, SW and certainly the Tompkins boys - I won't enjoy the next few weeks but I will stick by Wigan RL.

Me too.

I believe in Cherry’n’White is in our Blood & Ancient’n’Loyal until I Die.

Thanks for believing in me Josie

[Josie's friend]

Imo supporting the club is an irrelevant issue, at no point was I going to stop. Am I happy with how the club and the players behave? Not at all

[Josie's friend]

Imo if your child needs to look up to rugby players, pop stars or other sport stars then there's an issue. A parent and other family members influence how a child grows up not Sam Tomkins.