How much longer : Thu Jun 08, 2017 8:41 pm  

How much long do we have to put up with the sh!te that's getting witnessed week in week out ?
We let Smith go at the end of the season without bringing in a recognised kicker, off season recruitment consisted of Leuluai budgie and 2 french lads who weren't even considered good enough for Catalans. Our forwards are the least mobile forwards in Super League blowing out of their @rses after 10mins . Do the hopes and aspirations lay with the television personality Sam Tomkins ?

Re: How much longer : Thu Jun 08, 2017 9:04 pm  

We need a top class centre,prop, goal kicker

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 6:51 am  

WCC or not, I think Wane has one game to save his job. The chances of top 4 are just about over, so its CC or a season of failure. Sure, the squad has been decimated by injuries, but he oversees the training, both pre-season and between games, and something is not right when we have so many players out for so long.

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:29 am  

Goal kicking is a really big issue, yes Escare could kick but he wasn't great, but not having a backup/recognised kicker is costing us around 12 points a game, might not have changed the results but will be crucial in tight games.

I am not pressing the panic button yet. Next week is huge VS Warrington lose potentially season is over, win, progress in the cup and get some much needed confidence back, if we put that type of performance in with potentially 6 players returning then I would be worried. But with regards to the injuries am sure most if not all have occurred in games so how can you prevent that.

We do need a goal kicker but who realistically? Centre, instead of who Gelling/Gildart? Props we do have the personnel and quality but for some reason they cant just run straight and hard, someone must have told them that they can pass and offload when they cant!

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:46 am  

Nothing to do with recruitment. If we had the below team available I'm comfortable we would have won one or both trophies.

FB 22 Escare
RW 2 Manfredi/35 Marshall
RC 3 Gelling
LC 4 Gildart
LW 5 Burgess
SO 6 Williams
SH 1 S.Tomkins
P 19 Sutton
H 7 Leuluai
P 10 Flower
SR 14 Bateman
SR 12 Farrell
LF 13 O'Loughlin

S 9 McIlorum/16 Powell
S 11 J.Tomkins/20 Isa
S 15 Clubb
S 17 Tautai

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:54 am  

Last night showed for me that we are paying for the injuries. The current team is playing on empty, eventually it catches up with players and the last couple of games it has big time (the double header weekends are a big factor as well), add in a lack of confidence to the busted players and it was a recipe for disaster (and a fired up Leigh).

Players playing too many games before they are ready and players out of position is never going to work long term - three fit props (I don't count Navarrette as he is still very raw and it showed last night) is never going to be enough and I worry that the returning players are not props which is where we really struggle at present. Losing both Flower and Clubb at the same time really hurt us.

The lack of a goal kicker is a worry - none of the options last night looked anything like a goal kicker but this is an on-going issue (Smith was far from consistent) since Pat Richards left.

Sadly I see more pain for a while as the returning players are going to take time to get to match fitness.

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:57 am  

wiggywigwig wrote:

How much long do we have to put up with the sh!te that's getting witnessed week in week out ?
We let Smith go at the end of the season without bringing in a recognised kicker, off season recruitment consisted of Leuluai budgie and 2 french lads who weren't even considered good enough for Catalans. Our forwards are the least mobile forwards in Super League blowing out of their @rses after 10mins . Do the hopes and aspirations lay with the television personality Sam Tomkins ?

Would that be the only forwards we have fit who are having to play week in week out. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to rotate the pack. Isa for example was left out the World club final as he wasn't deemed good enough when everyone was fit and available. Now he is playing 80 minutes week in week out. FPN played low minutes last night, wouldn't it be good to be in a position to rest for a week or two. Simple fact is we can't, we are playing what we have available with no choice. I for one won't call the forwards as they are having to do it very tough at the minute.

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:00 am  

muttywhitedog wrote:

WCC or not, I think Wane has one game to save his job. The chances of top 4 are just about over, so its CC or a season of failure. Sure, the squad has been decimated by injuries, but he oversees the training, both pre-season and between games, and something is not right when we have so many players out for so long.

A game to save his job? Give over!!

We're in a rut and he needs to turn things round but his win in the GF last year coupled with the WCC win has bought him the breathing space to do just that (and he will). The last couple of weeks haven't been good enough but I'd like to see any coach over the past season and a half come out with the success Wane has in the circumstances he's had to deal with.

Keep the faith! We've surely learnt our lesson in 2016 that we can turn things round in dire circumstances. If this season just fades away then the only thing to blame for that is a horrendous and unprecedented injury list. Players having their backs broke in illegal tackles, their jaws breaking, them suffering with illness or their broken ankles/feet taking longer to heal then expected isn't anything to do with training methods!

Suck it up and like the team will (if the bad trot with injuries ever ends) come back stronger next year.

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:01 am  

We need to go back to basics in defence as not many times Wigan will score 34 points (even without a goalkicker) and lose. This is the most worrying thing for me as Wane is known for tough in your face defence and we are a million miles off that.

The senior players are letting us down at present - Joel, FPN, Isa to name a few. I am not a believer in all the players come back from injury and we win, it just doesn't work like that

Re: How much longer : Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:22 am  

muttywhitedog wrote:

WCC or not, I think Wane has one game to save his job. The chances of top 4 are just about over, so its CC or a season of failure. Sure, the squad has been decimated by injuries, but he oversees the training, both pre-season and between games, and something is not right when we have so many players out for so long.

Yes it's Wane's fault Clubb needed a kidney removed! It's his fault Leuluai broke his jaw, it's his fault Flower snapped an Achilles' tendon during a game, it's his fault Bateman needed shoulder surgery following an injury during a game, it was his fault Manfredi damaged his knee in a twist during a tackle last year, it's his fault McIlorum broke his ankle during a game....

Get a grip, the above cannot be put down to training techniques and it's a collision sport in which players get hurt. We play the game tough and I wouldn't want it any other way. We are champions and world champions because of Wane, not in spite of him.

The last few weeks we've been poor but the young lads need a rest and will get one soon. Judge the team and Wane at the end of the season. I'd say the top 4 might be gone but we could still win the challenge cup and in the circumstances that wouldn't be the end of the world.