Rotting Away In The Reserves : Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:56 am  

I have managed to bite my tongue (or keyboard) on this subject for quite a while....... .........until now.

What is the good of having talents like Sam Tomkins rotting away in the reserves?

I don't expect him to be some kind of messiah, far from it but Sam is 20 next month and if he was at any other SL club, he would probably be a first team regular by now. There must be some small part of Sam that is aware of this and thinks what am I doing here!

In the Reserves, where there are few competitive games, I don't believe he is being challenged and the club need to take some rapid action on this. He needs to be brought in to the first team and given a chance now, or shipped out on loan to gain some real experience in matches where he will be tested.

If Nobby is only intending to use around 20 of the squad all season barring injuries, then we need to get some players out on loan with the option to call them back if required.

This doesn't just go for Sam. In the Reserves last season, our back row dominated in almost every game with the likes of Mossop, Farrell, Flanagan and Tuson. These lads need testing.

I believe Wigan are really missing the boat here. Look at the likes of Smith, Moore and Tyrer. All playing regular SL and available for next season. I'm not saying they will all make it at Saints but I would expect good seasons for Moore and Smith will see them in Saints squad for Long and Cunningham in the future and they will be ready. Our guys won't.

Look at Myler, Shenton, Westerman, Owen, Tom Briscoe, Clubb and McCarthy-Scarsbrook just as examples. Not all of these guys will be Sl regulars in a couple of years but their ability, attitude and effort has seen them given a chance. At the moment, this is a chance that players at Wigan don't get.

Is it just me who thinks this?

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:59 am  

Most of us agree but you could have used one of the Noble/Tomkins threads.

Re: Rotting Away In The Reserves : Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:59 am  

Bridger wrote:

I have managed to bite my tongue (or keyboard) on this subject for quite a while....... .........until now.

What is the good of having talents like Sam Tomkins rotting away in the reserves?

I don't expect him to be some kind of messiah, far from it but Sam is 20 next month and if he was at any other SL club, he would probably be a first team regular by now. There must be some small part of Sam that is aware of this and thinks what am I doing here!

In the Reserves, where there are few competitive games, I don't believe he is being challenged and the club need to take some rapid action on this. He needs to be brought in to the first team and given a chance now, or shipped out on loan to gain some real experience in matches where he will be tested.

If Nobby is only intending to use around 20 of the squad all season barring injuries, then we need to get some players out on loan with the option to call them back if required.

This doesn't just go for Sam. In the Reserves last season, our back row dominated in almost every game with the likes of Mossop, Farrell, Flanagan and Tuson. These lads need testing.

I believe Wigan are really missing the boat here. Look at the likes of Smith, Moore and Tyrer. All playing regular SL and available for next season. I'm not saying they will all make it at Saints but I would expect good seasons for Moore and Smith will see them in Saints squad for Long and Cunningham in the future and they will be ready. Our guys won't.

Look at Myler, Shenton, Westerman, Owen, Tom Briscoe, Clubb and McCarthy-Scarsbrook just as examples. Not all of these guys will be Sl regulars in a couple of years but their ability, attitude and effort has seen them given a chance. At the moment, this is a chance that players at Wigan don't get.

Is it just me who thinks this?

Couldn't agree more

I thought the point of having licenses was so that teams would bring through their youth players instead of relying on 2nd rate aussie imports

Re: Rotting Away In The Reserves : Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:00 pm  

Bridger wrote:

I have managed to bite my tongue (or keyboard) on this subject for quite a while....... .........until now.

What is the good of having talents like Sam Tomkins rotting away in the reserves?

I don't expect him to be some kind of messiah, far from it but Sam is 20 next month and if he was at any other SL club, he would probably be a first team regular by now. There must be some small part of Sam that is aware of this and thinks what am I doing here!

In the Reserves, where there are few competitive games, I don't believe he is being challenged and the club need to take some rapid action on this. He needs to be brought in to the first team and given a chance now, or shipped out on loan to gain some real experience in matches where he will be tested.

If Nobby is only intending to use around 20 of the squad all season barring injuries, then we need to get some players out on loan with the option to call them back if required.

This doesn't just go for Sam. In the Reserves last season, our back row dominated in almost every game with the likes of Mossop, Farrell, Flanagan and Tuson. These lads need testing.

I believe Wigan are really missing the boat here. Look at the likes of Smith, Moore and Tyrer. All playing regular SL and available for next season. I'm not saying they will all make it at Saints but I would expect good seasons for Moore and Smith will see them in Saints squad for Long and Cunningham in the future and they will be ready. Our guys won't.

Look at Myler, Shenton, Westerman, Owen, Tom Briscoe, Clubb and McCarthy-Scarsbrook just as examples. Not all of these guys will be Sl regulars in a couple of years but their ability, attitude and effort has seen them given a chance. At the moment, this is a chance that players at Wigan don't get.

Is it just me who thinks this?

Awesome for us on Friday, put on a lot of size, his leg power is awesome and was taking 3 Wigan defenders with him each time!

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:02 pm  

RB wrote:

Most of us agree but you could have used one of the Noble/Tomkins threads.

Why?

This is about neither individual, it is about club policy and the waste of young talent.

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:04 pm  

send em on loan to us, i'm sure we could make use of em

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:07 pm  

Bridger wrote:

Why?

This is about neither individual, it is about club policy and the waste of young talent.

How is it club policy when Noble picks the squads? He has a track record of not wanting to develop youngsters. We may aswell ship Tomkins out to a SL club for the sake of his career because it will be ruined here.

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:07 pm  

agree 100%

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:17 pm  

RB wrote:

How is it club policy when Noble picks the squads? He has a track record of not wanting to develop youngsters. We may aswell ship Tomkins out to a SL club for the sake of his career because it will be ruined here.

And if he's the Head Coach, then it is club policy.

: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:36 pm  

we signed mark flanagan as the best schoolboy in the country. he was going to be amazing. i went to the warrington game at christmas and there he was. id forgotten all about him. when the bloke next to us siad he was now 20! it first of all depressed me then got me very annoyed!
didnt we sign him as a half back? he looks more like a second rower these days. what are we going to do with him and more like him? leave them to spend their wigan days playing academy rugby while we spend daft money on blokes who couldnt give a monkeys about the club and just seem to stroll through game after game?