Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Oct 22, 2020 11:11 am  

Ruddy Duck wrote:

What is your problem with other people having a opinion with which you do not agreed?

I personally feel that constantly sniffing around the edges of the club, looking to find fault, especially when you come up with observations that are, at best, spurious, can be quite damaging in the long-term.

It's not just you. There have been several other posters on here - not trolls, genuine Wigan fans apparently - who've been determined to criticise the Ian Lenagan administration at every turn (even though IL has thus far been a hugely successful chairman for us), and who, when things are going very well, simply stay away. So, they don't even balance their criticism with occasional moments of well-deserved praise.

I don't know whether this is purely a Wigan thing, or if all clubs have these cadres of malcontents, but when quite a lot of fans adopt this policy on a public forum, it can be embarrassing for the club we all profess to love and support and must reduce them a little bit in the eyes of their rivals.

So, to answer your question ... claiming that the point you've made is simply your opinion can never be allowed to shield you from challenge, especially if that opinion is deemed by other fans be detrimental to Wigan RL.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Oct 22, 2020 11:52 am  

Cruncher wrote:

I personally feel that constantly sniffing around the edges of the club, looking to find fault, especially when you come up with observations that are, at best, spurious, can be quite damaging in the long-term.

It's not just you. There have been several other posters on here - not trolls, genuine Wigan fans apparently - who've been determined to criticise the Ian Lenagan administration at every turn (even though IL has thus far been a hugely successful chairman for us), and who, when things are going very well, simply stay away. So, they don't even balance their criticism with occasional moments of well-deserved praise.

I don't know whether this is purely a Wigan thing, or if all clubs have these cadres of malcontents, but when quite a lot of fans adopt this policy on a public forum, it can be embarrassing for the club we all profess to love and support and must reduce them a little bit in the eyes of their rivals.

So, to answer your question ... claiming that the point you've made is simply your opinion can never be allowed to shield you from challenge, especially if that opinion is deemed by other fans be detrimental to Wigan RL.

Couldn't have put this any better myself. Same for Jukesay's post.

Is Wigan the force it once was when (if you had the money) you could buy anyone and make the best team (9 in a row)- no, of course not. That's a salary cap.

However is Wigan still the best producer of academy by quality and volume - yes. This clearly helps us over others who have to buy more as they produce little.

Do we consistently appear around the top of the league, have a run in the challenge cup and get near to/win the GF? Yes.

Have we had poor ownership back in past years that has knocked us for the following years - yes (70-0 75-0). Does our current owner run a sensible ship - yes

Do we buy the right player all the time - no. Do we generally get this right - yes.

If I were telling my fellow southern softy mates to watch RL and pick a team I wouldn't tell them Wigan (who am I to tell them what to do), but I would suggest in Wigan you would be a fan of a club at the sharp end of the season nearly every year.

I dread to think IL ever read some of the stuff on here. If it was me I would say 'sod you' see how it goes without me.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Oct 22, 2020 12:14 pm  

Ruddy Duck wrote:

Not crap, just one of the many Wigan supporters who have faced reality that the game in Wigan has never been the same since the club left Central Park. A fact illustrated by no games in Wigan during the pandemic, no games at Wigan in next years world Cup and now less local young players being signed from our own local amateur clubs. Not to mention the Ken Gee Trophy Final now played at Ince Rose Bridge and not at the ground of Wigan.

The Ken Gee Cup hasn't been played full stop for years You've just made it absolutely clear you don't know what's going on in the amateur game. That's fine but don't then try to pass comment as though you have any understanding of it.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Oct 22, 2020 12:32 pm  

Ruddy Duck wrote:

Not crap, just one of the many Wigan supporters who have faced reality that the game in Wigan has never been the same since the club left Central Park. A fact illustrated by no games in Wigan during the pandemic, no games at Wigan in next years world Cup and now less local young players being signed from our own local amateur clubs. Not to mention the Ken Gee Trophy Final now played at Ince Rose Bridge and not at the ground of Wigan.

Mate the Ken Gee Cup hasn’t been played in Wigan for years, since the move to summer RL rather than winter and for as long as I played in it it was always held at IRB. You’ve just shown how utterly out of touch and how clueless you actually are.

You’re now trying to compare Wigan getting a World Cup game to Wigan’s amateur set up. Truly, truly remarkable.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:25 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

I don't know if he's trying to say we're missing the good local talent, or that the local talent isn't very good. He seems to be trying to make both arguments at the same time whilst maintaining it's definitely something the club is doing wrong. Maybe it was just a relatively weak year group for Pats, Judes etc so we picked up kids from elsewhere, it happens.

You see this every few years, a youth team from an established Wigan club which is weaker than the respective age groups of other rival clubs.

To prove my point I was a parent of a child in an extremely talented St Judes team a few years ago (I believe they lost two games and drew one from U7's right through to U16's) they won title after title, cups after cups. St Pats on the other hand were pretty poor at the time (at best a top four club in the lower division), they had a couple of good stars in their team but that was it, not a great team.

The two better Pats lads moved across to Judes at exactly the same time aged around 12, complementing the already unbeatable Judes team. By the time scholarships came around at least 9-10 of the team were selected for scholarships. About 6-7 went to Wigan and 3 went to Saints (of which included the 2 lads that came from Pats), this was two years ago.

Around a fortnight ago Saints announced professional deals for the 2 lads who originally played at Pats.

So that's what's happens, in a poorer team the better players move to the top teams which allows them to shine in a great team, win honours and get selected for scholsrship/professional deals which of course is the ultimate goal.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Oct 22, 2020 11:28 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

The Ken Gee Cup hasn't been played full stop for years You've just made it absolutely clear you don't know what's going on in the amateur game. That's fine but don't then try to pass comment as though you have any understanding of it.

The reason I did not know is because since the occasion the final was held at the Robin Park Arena, I ceased to attend the finals which I had attended since 1970 at Central Park The fact that it is no longer played at all only proves my point about the lack of news about the amateur and schools game now by the local newspaper since the club moved to the DW Stadium.

When you have seen as many Wigan first team, A team, academy games, internationals, county cups, floodlit trophy, amateur, schools game etc I have seen over fifty years at Central Park, DW Stadium, Edge Hall Road, Robin Park Arena and the various old and new away grounds all over the country and Catalan plus every Challenge Cup Final and Grand Final involving Wigan since 1970, you can then have a swipe at me about knowing or supporting anything to do with the game..

The same goes for a few others on here who think they know everything about supporting Wigan!

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Fri Oct 23, 2020 6:34 am  

[quote="100% Warrior"]Mate the Ken Gee Cup hasn’t been played in Wigan for years, since the move to summer RL rather than winter and for as long as I played in it it was always held at IRB. You’ve just shown how utterly out of touch and how clueless you actually are.

You’re now trying to compare Wigan getting a World Cup game to Wigan’s amateur set up. Truly, truly remarkable.[/quote


If it has never been played for since the move to Summer Rugby at the end of the nighties, how come Wigan St Patricks won it in February 2013.

And the final until the move to the DW Stadium in 1999, it was always played at Central Park, the focal point of interest in the town about the game until Whelan got his own way and created more interest in his beloved Football.

Not me who is out of touch and clueless about the level of interest in Wigan today about the game of Rugby League, now that we no longer have a Stadium of our own.

But, I supposed if you are involved in a Amateur club, things look no different!

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Fri Oct 23, 2020 6:54 am  

Ruddy Duck wrote:

The reason I did not know is because since the occasion the final was held at the Robin Park Arena, I ceased to attend the finals which I had attended since 1970 at Central Park The fact that it is no longer played at all only proves my point about the lack of news about the amateur and schools game now by the local newspaper since the club moved to the DW Stadium.

When you have seen as many Wigan first team, A team, academy games, internationals, county cups, floodlit trophy, amateur, schools game etc I have seen over fifty years at Central Park, DW Stadium, Edge Hall Road, Robin Park Arena and the various old and new away grounds all over the country and Catalan plus every Challenge Cup Final and Grand Final involving Wigan since 1970, you can then have a swipe at me about knowing or supporting anything to do with the game..

The same goes for a few others on here who think they know everything about supporting Wigan!

What you have clearly failed to notice is that the game has moved on since you started watching. That's not me having a swipe at longstanding fans, Rogues has been watching since they played with a pigs bladder too, the difference is he hasn't just sat round banging on about the old days. Instead he's actually kept up with the game and knows that these days we have a salary cap, a scouting system that extends beyond sending someone to watch Pats and that there is still a lot to enjoy about the modern game whilst remaining nostalgic for the Central Park days.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Fri Oct 23, 2020 8:45 am  

Any rumoured signings? I see Tolman has been released, i think he would go well over here but with Clubb staying on next year and Burgess I guess we probably don’t have room for another prop?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:24 am  

CobraCraig wrote:

Any rumoured signings? I see Tolman has been released, i think he would go well over here but with Clubb staying on next year and Burgess I guess we probably don’t have room for another prop?

He’s somebody I’ve watched over the years and thought would go well over here. Even at his age now he was playing very well this season but as you say without Clubb or Burgess following Flower out the door, I don’t think we’ll bring any other props in.

I’ve just watched an interview with Lam on Wigan TV and he absolutely loves Clubb. You would think he was describing Jamie Peacock in his pomp and there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that he’s in Lams first choice 17.