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Given the issues with the squad it’s hard to tell one way or the other if he is up to the task.

There is no doubt In my mind this season has been coming for a while with the constant drain of quality players and IL and Rads seeming inability to scout out replacements. Signings like Hardaker and Hastings would be great if they were slotting into a team with a pack like Saints but they aren’t. Clarke isn’t the answer. It needs at least two props of a higher standard than any we have at the club.

If they don’t address the issues in the pack Lam is on a hiding to nothing and unfortunately I don’t think they know what they are doing when it comes to recruiting despite signing Hastings. He was under their noses and unless players are, I just don’t think they have the scouting network to seek out the players we need.

Exiled Wiganer wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 6:58 am Morning Josie, I know our views are miles apart, but what has he done to demonstrate that he is good enough to get the most out of the available players? Has he shown he can motivate them to perform to their best in big games? Has he shown any tactical acumen to cause problems to the good teams?

I know I am in a minority of one, and many on here would like him to have been given an even longer contract, but I would have thought that having shown no ability to motivate the players in big games, or pull off a single big game performance 20 odd games into the season should be cause for concern.

I'm not saying Lam should have been given longer, but we need a bit of stability after all the shite that's gone on since last August!

He's literally just supposed to have been holding the fort for a year until the prodigal son returned.

He's had to deal with a lot of criticism, with you no exception. Numerous injuries, before & during games, no new signings to replace the the three top players who left. A backroom staff that lost the best conditioner in the business, on & off field indiscretions & he's handled the lot with dignity & integrity.

I'm not saying he's the best coach but give the guy a chance.

He's been used to top grade players in the NRL, who don't need much coaching, to a team that has played the same way for eight - ten years under the same coach with set rules & play. Think you mentioned yourself about everyone, bar me, of getting shut of Wane because of his boring, but successful, type of play.

Lam has had to try & completely change the dull attacking way these lads are used to playing while maintaining the defence we were famous for. It was never gonna be an easy ride!

Josie makes some good points.

Lam commented early on that when the players came under pressure from a stronger team like Saints they tended to forget the new attacking focus and reverted to the comfort zone of playing the old conservative way that had been engrained under the previous coach.

I think this is still happening, plus he had to pull back on his aim to improve the attack because the defence had deteriorated, so there had to be some going back to basics in that department.

I think there are signs of a more attacking emphasis - more offloads being attempted for example - but this debate really highlights the truth that the coach has only a secondary effect on performance. The primary problem is the squad is not good enough.

The Yonner wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 12:01 pm Josie makes some good points.

Lam commented early on that when the players came under pressure from a stronger team like Saints they tended to forget the new attacking focus and reverted to the comfort zone of playing the old conservative way that had been engrained under the previous coach.

I think this is still happening, plus he had to pull back on his aim to improve the attack because the defence had deteriorated, so there had to be some going back to basics in that department.

I think there are signs of a more attacking emphasis - more offloads being attempted for example - but this debate really highlights the truth that the coach has only a secondary effect on performance. The primary problem is the squad is not good enough.

We have no one running the team on the pitch. With lockers put this would have been Tomkins, we have neither

What a lot of common sense from Josie Andrews. Pity the critical posters are unable to see what Josie succinctly says.

wigtop wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 4:39 pm What a lot of common sense from Josie Andrews. Pity the critical posters are unable to see what Josie succinctly says.

Actually, I see all of that. He has had a lot of problems. The question is then how do we know he is the man for the job? There are a million reasons why this year has not been easy, I agree, and many may conclude that we can’t possibly know how good he is because there are too many challenges. However, there are somethings which only the coach is responsible for - patterns in attack and defence. From what we have all seen, when we have the ball we have no patterns that cause the good teams problems, and when they have the ball good teams score easy tries. Just look at yesterday’s game - they waltzed through us repeatedly and we created nothing in 80 minutes. This isn’t recruitment, or fitness, or off field discipline, this is what the coach is meant to do.

London - with a fraction of our money and resources - beat Saints (and us). Does anyone believe that Lam is a better coach than Ward at London? On the one hand is a man who has instilled a structure and belief in a vastly inferior side and is giving them a chance of survival, on the other there is one whose main talent as far as I have been able to glean it, is to act dignified while faced with many challenges. Just because a job is harder than it should be doesn’t mean other people can’t do it better. And the test for our coach should be whether they are the best man for the job.

Jesus the players run around like headless chickens for almost half the games they play when Lockers isn't playing and this is regarded as something new?

Been going on for years and the bigger issue is everyone (well fans) knows it happens and their is NO game management from one single player after Lockers.

We needs major recruitment in the forwards but also Hastings to play alongside James Maloney for us to become the side Adrian Lam wants us to become

wall_of_voodoo wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 5:31 pm Jesus the players run around like headless chickens for almost half the games they play when Lockers isn't playing and this is regarded as something new?

Been going on for years and the bigger issue is everyone (well fans) knows it happens and their is NO game management from one single player after Lockers.

We needs major recruitment in the forwards but also Hastings to play alongside James Maloney for us to become the side Adrian Lam wants us to become

We could Thurston and Lockyer in this team and they’d be average because of how poor the forwards are at making metres, halfbacks like Fages and Richardson look good at saints because of their pack yet they are bang average

Exiled Wiganer wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 4:51 pm Actually, I see all of that. He has had a lot of problems. The question is then how do we know he is the man for the job? There are a million reasons why this year has not been easy, I agree, and many may conclude that we can’t possibly know how good he is because there are too many challenges. However, there are somethings which only the coach is responsible for - patterns in attack and defence. From what we have all seen, when we have the ball we have no patterns that cause the good teams problems, and when they have the ball good teams score easy tries. Just look at yesterday’s game - they waltzed through us repeatedly and we created nothing in 80 minutes. This isn’t recruitment, or fitness, or off field discipline, this is what the coach is meant to do.

London - with a fraction of our money and resources - beat Saints (and us). Does anyone believe that Lam is a better coach than Ward at London? On the one hand is a man who has instilled a structure and belief in a vastly inferior side and is giving them a chance of survival, on the other there is one whose main talent as far as I have been able to glean it, is to act dignified while faced with many challenges. Just because a job is harder than it should be doesn’t mean other people can’t do it better. And the test for our coach should be whether they are the best man for the job.

Fully agree. Good post.

Don't want Ward as Wigan coach, though!