Sentiment

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

It should be a swear word in sport yet IFL seems to be bottling it, come on Ian be ruthless get rid of the dross and also replace the coach immediately, as a Wigan supporter this is painful.

[DaveO]

I agree but you know what? It's almost guaranteed we will be in the semi finals.

And that being so it is not beyond the realms of possibility the team wins the semi and the final. It's two games.

If we do then IL (and others) will be hailing Wane and the team as if the dross since magic was a bad dream. Some will even have the cheek to suggest we peaked at the right time!

Meanwhile the rest are wondering if there is any point attending the league games.

[Caboosegg]

Without defend the teams current for wich has been poor you have to give credit when its due DaveO we are second and have a 10 point cushion over 5th places like him or Not thats Wanes team thats done that.

We will need to do something to win anything this year though. Do you think we would have brought Tomkins back if it wasnt for sentiment we hired him injured and as Wane mentioned multiple times he has coin in the bank (aka due to his past ability hes going to get all the chances he needs)

[fozzieskem]

No way will Wane be replaced now,it’d be daft to at this stage ,if it was going to happen it’d have happened weeks back.

Truth is I can see an old Trafford appearance in the offing,and get to a final who knows what’ll happen then,so no sentiment needed wane can go out a hero (as he should have done after the club challenge last year) or go with a whimper,I honestly think it’ll be the former,

[Wandering Warrior]

I seriously doubt we'll be second after the 8's if we don't seriously buck up and get players back.

[wall_of_voodoo]

Obviously to a blind man that it's crying out for the changes to happen now.

If it was going to happen it would have so we have to assume things are still going on in he background and that Wane is being given every chance by the owner to prove this malaise in the side can and will be turned around

[morley pie eater]

Just suppose it's not possible for a team to be on top form all season, for a coach to pick the best team each week AND go on and win the GF. (Cas last year being an example that suggests this is a realistic hypothesis.)

Clearly this would raise questions about the play-off system but, putting that to one side, what would you prefer under the current system?

1. Finish top, show form and consistency similar to Saints this year or Cas in 2017....but fail to win the GF.

2. Show the sort of inconsistency of Leeds 2017 or Wigan 2018, but win the GF.

Now I know many will be tempted to re-write the question, and say "Ah but..." But that repeats everything we've heard before ad nauseam. If you reply, try to stick to the question just for a change :eusa:

[DaveO]

Just suppose it's not possible for a team to be on top form all season, for a coach to pick the best team each week AND go on and win the GF. (Cas last year being an example that suggests this is a realistic hypothesis.)

It is not remotely realistic at all . Since the playoffs started the GF has been won by teams finishing 1st for 12 out of the 20 finals so far. It's only been won by teams not finishing in the top two four times, with the the other four winners finishing second.

That makes the rest of your post rather pointless but....

Clearly this would raise questions about the play-off system but, putting that to one side, what would you prefer under the current system?

q1. Finish top, show form and consistency similar to Saints this year or Cas in 2017....but fail to win the GF.

2. Show the sort of inconsistency of Leeds 2017 or Wigan 2018, but win the GF.

Now I know many will be tempted to re-write the question, and say "Ah but..." But that repeats everything we've heard before ad nauseam. If you reply, try to stick to the question just for a change :eusa:

Given your initial hypothesis was clearly wrong based on a straw man argument that it is not possible to play well all season and win the GF it is obviously not a binary choice between your two alternatives. There is clearly a third most definitely realistic option which is play well all season and win the GF.

The only reason questions like yours get posted is to make excuses for Wigan not doing that.


What casts doubt on the playoff system is that because it's just a knockout competition it can pit a team on top form all year who has suffered an off-field setback (like Cas did with Hardaker which I have no doubt cost them the final) or injuries and against a team who has played poorly for half the season (like Wigan this year if we get there or Leeds when they won it from 5th) and the champs are decided by the result of the one game. It gives teams who have been poor for half a season a chance to win it. It's stupid.

[DaveO]

Without defend the teams current for wich has been poor you have to give credit when its due DaveO we are second and have a 10 point cushion over 5th places like him or Not thats Wanes team thats done that.

It's actually a 9 point point cushion (we have 32 points, Hudds in 5th 23) but that has as much to do with Huddersfield as it does with us. They have beaten every team immediately below us in the past six weeks. Every single one. During that time we lost three games. Without their return to form and some other results going our way our own poor form would have left us in not so pretty a position.

Don't get me wrong, I'll take their favours and if this sort of good fortune means the Gods are smiling on us this year I'll take that to but if you are being realistic but that cushion is not just down to Wane and team achievements. They have had a pretty good stab with those three losses of not being second.

We will need to do something to win anything this year though. Do you think we would have brought Tomkins back if it wasnt for sentiment we hired him injured and as Wane mentioned multiple times he has coin in the bank (aka due to his past ability hes going to get all the chances he needs)

I have always thought the rehiring of players was mainly motivated by the fact IL used the possibility of that occurring as the excuse for not holding players to contracts in the first place. I bet he was a surprised as anyone else players asked to come back but I am convinced he took them back on to justify his policy.

The fact it has not worked out well for most of them means if sentiment did play apart it's time to forget it.

With Sam T he's experiencing the leaving players attitude of some fans IMO in that the player goes from hero to zero overnight. Because he's off any blot on his record such as being injured is dragged up every time he makes a mistake. All I can say is his form over recent weeks is also a reason why we have that 9 point cushion. Without him pulling at least two games out of the fire almost on his own Hudds favours would not be enough to have kept us where we are. I think he will be missed.

[Wandering Warrior]

I agree entirely with you Dave re. ST, despite the fact I dislike his antics. He will be a massive loss next year.