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Who has been the worst wigan signing that you can remember and why, as I can't remember very far back I shall have to put the name David Vaealiki forward.

He came to Wigan with alot of hype around him and so far has delivered nothing, he is probably one of the worst tacklers in the Wigan squad and lacks creativity in attack. Even when people said he improved at the end of last season he was very far from the World Class centre Wigan were promised and he must be the softest Kiwi in the world.

Shane Millard on the basis that we let go our best hooker who was both young and English.

I'd like to nominate Doc Murray, not just because he was total crap - which he was - but because up to then, for the previous ten years, we'd only made excellent signings. Even relative unknowns like Neil Cowie and Terry O'Connor, or former underachievers like Billy McGinty and Martin Hall, turned out to be superb additions to our squad.

Doc Murray, however, was the first sign that things were going wrong.

How naive we all were to trust Jack Robinson when he made comments to the effect that, though, we'd never heard of 'Doc' before, we'd soon learn that he was a bit special. I remember that first match he played in, waiting with baited breath for an explosive break or devastating tackle.

I was still waiting 80 minutes later.

The guy was next to useless. And he wasn't just having an off-day: that was the whole of his ability - zero. In fact, there were times when he was so casual (or should that read 'lazy') that you could be forgiven for thinking he was secretly playing for the opposition.

So here's to Doc Murray - an early warning sign that dark days lay ahead.

Greg Florimo i remembering him falling over at central park

Cruncher posted:
Doc Murray, however, was the first sign that things were going wrong.

How naive we all were to trust Jack Robinson when he made comments to the effect that, though, we'd never heard of 'Doc' before, we'd soon learn that he was a bit special.

Worst Wigan signing threads are usually short lived because one mention of Doc Murray and it is case closed!

Wasn't JR responsible for signing Doc Murry's compadre Paul Koloi?

I think JR must simply have believed the players agents that these two were the real deal. He certainly can't have watched them play before signing them

When people go on about the less than great signings we have made in recent years they are all siper stars compared to that pair.

Dave

adrenalinxx posted:
Who has been the worst wigan signing that you can remember and why, as I can't remember very far back I shall have to put the name David Vaealiki forward.

He came to Wigan with alot of hype around him and so far has delivered nothing, he is probably one of the worst tacklers in the Wigan squad and lacks creativity in attack. Even when people said he improved at the end of last season he was very far from the World Class centre Wigan were promised and he must be the softest Kiwi in the world.

Jimmy Birts. He was dire!

I have to agree with Doc Murray but i also think Scott Quinnell was a bit of bad business, he was so unfit it took months getting him upto speed in the academy and when he finally got fit and could get himself back ten yards we go and release him back to union when they went fully professional. We must have been paying him a fortune only to get him fit and ready for a professioanl union side.

Dont get me wrong when he got fit he looked like he would have been great.

Dont forget we also signed the wrong Johns brother

JIMH posted:

Dont forget we also signed the wrong Johns brother

Yeah. Matty Johns is one reason why I still refuse to celebrate the Trent Barrett signing.

MJ was capable of far better than he showed at Wigan. I'm not saying he was here on holiday, but he didn't display half the commitment of Lam or Smith, who were both over at roughly the same time and were not billed anywhere near as highly when we first signed them.

So few Aussie 'names' have actually made it over here. Meninga, Kenny and Sterling were all successful but were short-term appointments. No-one could argue that Lyon wasn't a great capture, while Lam did it for us most of the time. Langer put in a useful stint at Warrington and Gene Miles had two thirds of a good season with us, though both of those two were ageing veterans by then.

But look at the 'big name' captures that made no impression on the British game at all. From brief memory: Michael O'Connor, Paul Vautin, Mark Carroll, Sam Backo, Tim Mullins and definitely Matthew Johns. At one time you'd have given your arm to have one of these guys at your club, yet none produced the goods.

Let's hope Barrett has a lot more about him.

Gavin Clinch

HA HA HA gavin clinch or cris chester