Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 7:57 am  

No1 Saint wrote: A quick peak at the goon board on this game and it looks like it was taken from here 2 years ago - Pack too small and halfback issues. Funny how things go round although I've gotta say they have plenty halfbacks there just not sure how to use them. If they are truely in need of size , given they are into fat union has been's maybe this fella would do the trick http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/30983968 With Mossop, Tautai, Flower and O'Loughlin to come back plus Joel Tomkins to move in there from centre our pack is more then fine. Big and mobile. No pack is as big as Saints this year anyway especially ours with half of our forwards missing.

No1 Saint wrote: A quick peak at the goon board on this game and it looks like it was taken from here 2 years ago - Pack too small and halfback issues. Funny how things go round although I've gotta say they have plenty halfbacks there just not sure how to use them. If they are truely in need of size , given they are into fat union has been's maybe this fella would do the trick http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/30983968 With Mossop, Tautai, Flower and O'Loughlin to come back plus Joel Tomkins to move in there from centre our pack is more then fine. Big and mobile. No pack is as big as Saints this year anyway especially ours with half of our forwards missing.

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 8:56 am  

No1 Saint wrote:

Pack too small and halfback issues.

Fickle. They've got some very tough players to come back and playing with solid but limited halves has not hampered them tto much before.

What might have changed at Wigan is Shaun Wane's (public) approach. WTF was all that business having tea with the Saints team?
We've all on here bemoaned the way that Wigan out enthused us in many matches over the period of his reign. I don't know if its a fall out from all that dressing room video business, but if Wane drops the ball on this area, Wigan will not be the same threat they were.

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 9:37 am  

Offside Monkey wrote:

Fickle. They've got some very tough players to come back and playing with solid but limited halves has not hampered them tto much before.

What might have changed at Wigan is Shaun Wane's (public) approach. WTF was all that business having tea with the Saints team?
We've all on here bemoaned the way that Wigan out enthused us in many matches over the period of his reign. I don't know if its a fall out from all that dressing room video business, but if Wane drops the ball on this area, Wigan will not be the same threat they were.

I think you might be right about this. The documentary did SW no favours. When you think about it, it was a real error of judgement by someone at the club. I mean, these things are definitely best left well away from the media. It's not as if SW is the only coach who swears and motivates his team in this way. But the fallout started with the GF.

I don't think it was a coincidence that Flower did what he did. You run the risk of stuff like that happening if you pump the players up too much. He also went overboard with his "I hate Saints" nonsense.

Firstly I don't believe it and secondly I think Brown got under his skin. I think he genuinely likes and respects KC, so things are different now. He needs to get back to the team playing like they did last Good Friday next time we meet. I am a big fan of Wane. I think he lost his way a bit last season. I hope he can find it quickly.

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 9:48 am  

Aboveusonlypie wrote:

I think you might be right about this. The documentary did SW no favours. When you think about it, it was a real error of judgement by someone at the club. I mean, these things are definitely best left well away from the media. It's not as if SW is the only coach who swears and motivates his team in this way. But the fallout started with the GF.

I don't think it was a coincidence that Flower did what he did. You run the risk of stuff like that happening if you pump the players up too much. He also went overboard with his "I hate Saints" nonsense.

Firstly I don't believe it and secondly I think Brown got under his skin. I think he genuinely likes and respects KC, so things are different now. He needs to get back to the team playing like they did last Good Friday next time we meet. I am a big fan of Wane. I think he lost his way a bit last season. I hope he can find it quickly.

Whoever let that video come out had a very very bad judement. I actually liked it and enjoyed watching it as I know these things are said by all clubs but to actually put it out on DVD, show it in a cinema and then show on sky was a huge error IMO.

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 9:58 am  

Aboveusonlypie wrote:

I think you might be right about this. The documentary did SW no favours. When you think about it, it was a real error of judgement by someone at the club. I mean, these things are definitely best left well away from the media. It's not as if SW is the only coach who swears and motivates his team in this way. But the fallout started with the GF.

I don't think it was a coincidence that Flower did what he did. You run the risk of stuff like that happening if you pump the players up too much. He also went overboard with his "I hate Saints" nonsense.

Firstly I don't believe it and secondly I think Brown got under his skin. I think he genuinely likes and respects KC, so things are different now. He needs to get back to the team playing like they did last Good Friday next time we meet. I am a big fan of Wane. I think he lost his way a bit last season. I hope he can find it quickly.

I never doubted that Wane had professional respect, but I just figured he knew that on match day, if your were prepared t go out there and lover the opposition with everything, likelihood is you'll come out on top, even if they outmatch you in some of the finer points of the game.

I heard that that was how he played and felt that was how he tailored his players. Add to that the whole born and bred in Wigan, bleed cherry & white thing, it increased his coaching effectiveness exponentially.

This was Wigan's extra level and what made them the most daunting proposition in the league. If they lose this edge, they may drop to being the 4th or 5th team - a decent also ran like Hudds.

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:19 am  

Offside Monkey wrote:

I never doubted that Wane had professional respect, but I just figured he knew that on match day, if your were prepared t go out there and lover the opposition with everything, likelihood is you'll come out on top, even if they outmatch you in some of the finer points of the game.

I heard that that was how he played and felt that was how he tailored his players. Add to that the whole born and bred in Wigan, bleed cherry & white thing, it increased his coaching effectiveness exponentially.

This was Wigan's extra level and what made them the most daunting proposition in the league. If they lose this edge, they may drop to being the 4th or 5th team - a decent also ran like Hudds.

Isn't sport great?

Momentum is all - and Saints certainly have it at the moment. By the end of February you could be World Champions.

My strong belief is that going into the GF Wigan had all the momentum, a great win against the Giants and coming out on top in probably the best match of the season against Wire, we were strong favourites. Saints had limped through against a spent Dragons. One moment of madness changed it all, and the rest is history.

(Don't want to open up the GF debate again, I'm sure we are all heartily sick of it. Like most Wigan fans I believe that Wigan would have won with 13 against 13 and no doubt Saints fans will argue that your pack had the beating of ours in any case, so probably best to leave it at that)

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:53 am  

Aboveusonlypie wrote:

Isn't sport great?

Momentum is all - and Saints certainly have it at the moment. By the end of February you could be World Champions.

My strong belief is that going into the GF Wigan had all the momentum, a great win against the Giants and coming out on top in probably the best match of the season against Wire, we were strong favourites. Saints had limped through against a spent Dragons. One moment of madness changed it all, and the rest is history.

(Don't want to open up the GF debate again, I'm sure we are all heartily sick of it. Like most Wigan fans I believe that Wigan would have won with 13 against 13 and no doubt Saints fans will argue that your pack had the beating of ours in any case, so probably best to leave it at that)

I think you do Saints a little injustice saying we limped home against Catalans. We knew they were mostly spent, so we did the hard stuff for half an hour, then just did enough. All too often in the 5 in a row did we play our final a week early and crush people in the semis.

It's worth remembering that this time last year Wigan won the James Roby testimonial 28-16, so it's important we don't get carried away!

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:48 pm  

Signed up for Wigan Tv so i could watch the game. We played very well and Travis Burns will make rival fans hate us with a passion. The Diego Costa of Super League ?

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:52 am  

LFC Saint wrote:

Signed up for Wigan Tv so i could watch the game. We played very well and Travis Burns will make rival fans hate us with a passion. The Diego Costa of Super League ?

The thing with Burns is - you know what you are getting. He has been the most annoying player in Super League for two years now, though he is a decent player certainly, which is why you've bought him.

One or two Saints fans might need to get off their high horses this season if they are happy to indulge his antics. Should be fun.

Re: Wigan Match Thread - Saints 28 v 12 Wigan - FT : Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:59 pm  

He was just the same at the Panthers.