DaveO wrote:
Unless I am mistaken I am sure IL has said Wigan only want to sign class players for any quota spots and that for next season we are looking to sign two overseas players.
So if he doesn't sign any or the ones he does sign are not class, isn't he leaving himself wide open to criticism?
There is plenty of debate over our 2009 overseas signings,Roberts and Riddell, on the forums. IMO at best they fall into the "solid pro" category not the class players category. Do we want two more like them? Not in my opinion.
When IL came back from Oz in the interview he gave he said they went out with certain players in mind but on further investigation decided not to pursue those players. Fair enough, must have had his reasons.
He then went on to discuss the possibility of signing younger Aussie players who had not yet gained representative honours. I think his reasoning for that was they would be easier to sign before they got into SoO or International RL. Something like that.
I was truly mystified by that statement given how many young players our club produces. Why would we want such players here? They have not got good enough to gain rep honours so aren't they just another young player? What do they add to our side? Certainly not experience.
Recruitment up to now has IMO been all over the place with players recruited in positions not a priority seemingly simply because they were available. It has taken IL all the time he has been here to come around to saying he needs to recruit a prop (when at first he was adamant we had enough of them on the books) and what he said on his return from Oz did not inspire me to think he was targeting the class players a diminishing number of none federation spots means we should be recruiting.
As I said in another thread the standard of compeition in SL isn't that good. We are poor but are 5th and 6 points behind Hudds who aren't that great a side themselves. A couple of class players at prop and half back would see us easily in the top 4 and possibly challenging for the top two provided we employ a coach who can get the team to play for more than half the season.
IL needs to deliver those players for 2010 (and preferably a new coach as well) as that was a date he set for recruitment getting easier otherwise he will get some flak and it will IMO be justified.
Dave
So if he doesn't sign any or the ones he does sign are not class, isn't he leaving himself wide open to criticism?
There is plenty of debate over our 2009 overseas signings,Roberts and Riddell, on the forums. IMO at best they fall into the "solid pro" category not the class players category. Do we want two more like them? Not in my opinion.
When IL came back from Oz in the interview he gave he said they went out with certain players in mind but on further investigation decided not to pursue those players. Fair enough, must have had his reasons.
He then went on to discuss the possibility of signing younger Aussie players who had not yet gained representative honours. I think his reasoning for that was they would be easier to sign before they got into SoO or International RL. Something like that.
I was truly mystified by that statement given how many young players our club produces. Why would we want such players here? They have not got good enough to gain rep honours so aren't they just another young player? What do they add to our side? Certainly not experience.
Recruitment up to now has IMO been all over the place with players recruited in positions not a priority seemingly simply because they were available. It has taken IL all the time he has been here to come around to saying he needs to recruit a prop (when at first he was adamant we had enough of them on the books) and what he said on his return from Oz did not inspire me to think he was targeting the class players a diminishing number of none federation spots means we should be recruiting.
As I said in another thread the standard of compeition in SL isn't that good. We are poor but are 5th and 6 points behind Hudds who aren't that great a side themselves. A couple of class players at prop and half back would see us easily in the top 4 and possibly challenging for the top two provided we employ a coach who can get the team to play for more than half the season.
IL needs to deliver those players for 2010 (and preferably a new coach as well) as that was a date he set for recruitment getting easier otherwise he will get some flak and it will IMO be justified.
Dave
Spot on.
this rumour keeps raising its head and my little bird is usually correct.
