: Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:23 pm  

Wigan/Leeds Andy wrote:

Our pack quite frankly are a bunch of puddings who couldn't scare a little girl.

Fielden - A joke
Riddell - Fat and unfit
Coley - If only we played Salford every week
Feka - Fat ++++++ Unfit +++++++
O'Carroll - still a pup in prop terms and too small to put it about
Prescott - workhorse but isn't going to dominate his opposite number
Bailey - going
Hansen - going downhill at an alarming rate
Tomkins - Needs a decent halfback to run off like he did with Barrett
Locky - Our best forward by far (who can still play)

Hock was our one forward who was aggressive, happy to put it about and had the ability to bully the opposition. Now he's gone we need some serious surgery in the forward department if we want to compete for trophies.

As a minimum we need two props who will naughty person and a second row in the Hock/Watmough mode. There might have to be some casualties along the way and by that I mean lads who have come through the youth system, but we can't keep players just because they're Wiganers if they don't offer what the team needs to be successful.

Add to that we need a world class halfback to tutor Sam over the next couple of years.

In
Prop
Prop
SR
Halfback

Out
Smith
Coley
Hock
Bailey

"Casualties" (if we can find a taker)
Goulding
Hansen
Prescott

Promoted
Farrell
Mossop

Forced to run up and down Rivington Pike during the off-season
Riddell
Feka

Would agree with every bit of that, apart from the new signings, as much as I'd like to think we'll sign two front rower, by the looks of it were struggling to get one signed up let alone two. I personally think we'll sign one prop this year as well as a halfback, and follow that up with the signing of a second prop after the departure of Fielden at the end of 2010, we all now the the area's of the team that need strengthening, however nothing materialised yet and will it?

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:37 pm  

Sie the Hock news we desperatley need an intimidator (you will gt morons from other clubs trolling saying 'nobody is scared of anyone anymore, would you rather give shi'ite to Morley/Peacock or Coley/Prescott? Enough said)

First things first we need a prop-

Morley, LMS, Cayless or Logan.

Secondly a prop/second row-

Webb, Fa'aoso or Pritchard.

Thirdly a 6 or 7 -

Lockyer, Orford or Anasta. Cheeky bid for Cronk

I would rather have team with a couple of superstars and the rest kids rather than a decent size squad with average players.

LMS is a must and I hope IL has the balls to buy LMS and not be scared of upsetting anyone because he owns quinns and might be seen as a conflict of interest. LMS and an experienced old head prop like Cayless/Morley.

I reckon in the right team Griffin coyuld do the job as 3rd choice prop but not at Wigan as 1st choice. If we missed out on LMS then maybe.

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:27 pm  

Wigan/Leeds Andy wrote:

Our pack quite frankly are a bunch of puddings who couldn't scare a little girl.

Fielden - A joke
Riddell - Fat and unfit
Coley - If only we played Salford every week
Feka - Fat ++++++ Unfit +++++++
O'Carroll - still a pup in prop terms and too small to put it about
Prescott - workhorse but isn't going to dominate his opposite number
Bailey - going
Hansen - going downhill at an alarming rate
Tomkins - Needs a decent halfback to run off like he did with Barrett
Locky - Our best forward by far (who can still play)

Hock was our one forward who was aggressive, happy to put it about and had the ability to bully the opposition. Now he's gone we need some serious surgery in the forward department if we want to compete for trophies.

As a minimum we need two props who will naughty person and a second row in the Hock/Watmough mode. There might have to be some casualties along the way and by that I mean lads who have come through the youth system, but we can't keep players just because they're Wiganers if they don't offer what the team needs to be successful.

Add to that we need a world class halfback to tutor Sam over the next couple of years.

In
Prop
Prop
SR
Halfback

Out
Smith
Coley
Hock
Bailey

"Casualties" (if we can find a taker)
Goulding
Hansen
Prescott

Promoted
Farrell
Mossop

Forced to run up and down Rivington Pike during the off-season
Riddell
Feka

Quite right re in the casulties if possible - but dont see anyone taking them.

Without 2 props and a halfback IL might as well coach them himself.

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:28 pm  

[quote="Wigan/Leeds Andy"][/quote]

I loved that post

But if we could, I'd be totally happy next year with

1 - Briscoe
2 - Roberts
3 - Gleeson
4 - Carmont/New GB Centre
5 - Richards
6 - Lockyer
7 - Tommy
8 - Fielden
9 - Riddell
10 - Cayless (Aussie/NZ Prop)
11 - New Secong Row - Ellis/Wild/Tickle
12 - O'Loughlin
13 - J. Tomkins

Bench

14 - S. Tomkins
15 - L. Burgess
16 - Feka
17 - Mossop/Farrell/Flan

Loans

Prescott
Macca

O'Carroll, will need to fight for a spot. Hansen is NOT good enough anymore.

Too go
Bailey
Smith
Coley
Phelps

Not holding my breath tho

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:32 pm  

The Sneak wrote:

I loved that post

But if we could, I'd be totally happy next year with

1 - Briscoe
2 - Roberts
3 - Gleeson
4 - Carmont/New GB Centre
5 - Richards
6 - Lockyer
7 - Tommy
8 - Fielden
9 - Riddell
10 - Cayless (Aussie/NZ Prop)
11 - New Secong Row - Ellis/Wild/Tickle
12 - O'Loughlin
13 - J. Tomkins

Bench

14 - S. Tomkins
15 - L. Burgess
16 - Feka
17 - Mossop/Farrell/Flan

Why -

Would Leeds let Burgess go?
Would Hull let Tickle go?
Would Hudds let Wild go?
Would Ellis be released from his NRL deal?

Where -

Is the GB centre coming from?
Is the money for all those signings going to come from?

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:35 pm  

Cruncher wrote:

but there's been a worrying trend on this board in recent days to start siding with Noble. Get real, folks. He's a spent force, and we're being spent along with him.

I agree, Noble has to go, he clearly has lost "it" at Wigan.

But lets be clear - no coach will compete with the sugar puff pack of forwards we have nor the bluntest set of halfbacks ever assembled.

If dramatic surgery isn't performed on this squad our attendances will be below 10k next year, never mind the 20k IL wants.

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:48 pm  

AJ wrote:

I agree, Noble has to go, he clearly has lost "it" at Wigan.

But lets be clear - no coach will compete with the sugar puff pack of forwards we have nor the bluntest set of halfbacks ever assembled

But other coaches will be able to see the problems in the side and instead of re signing players like Phelps & Mathers they would have signed Fozzard, Carvell or Ryles.

Or instead of signing a nut job like Smith for a season he would have signed Dobson for three.

Noble made his bed and it' should have cost him his job well before this.

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:49 pm  

thepriestman85 wrote:

But other coaches will be able to see the problems in the side and instead of re signing players like Phelps & Mathers they would have signed Fozzard, Carvell or Ryles.

Or instead of signing a nut job like Smith for a season he would have signed Dobson for three.

Noble made his bed and it' should have cost him his job well before this.

Because we know for definate that all signing activity is 100% down to Noble don't we.

Re Dobson - We made him 3 offers, Hull KR offered more. That is down to our chairman to decide if we could afford to outbid KR.

Oh & kudos for the Phelps card - never mind he has been one of our better players, lets slate him cause he is Austrailan.

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:03 pm  

AJ wrote:

Because we know for definate that all signing activity is 100% down to Noble don't we.

Re Dobson - We made him 3 offers, Hull KR offered more. That is down to our chairman.

Oh & kudos for the Phelps card - never mind he has been one of our better players, lets slate him cause he is Austrailan.

of course it's IL's fault isn't it.

If IL is doing what you are saying he is then why would Brian Noble agree to an extension or why would he come out saying he wants to stay next season if he knew every target he wants he wasn't going to get as his chairman won't agree to them?

Doesn’t sound like the ideal situation id want to stay in if I was a coach but yet he does?

Guess he didn’t want Gleeson either then or is it just the good transfers that the fans like he gets credit for and the poor ones IL gets blamed for?

I'd hazard a guess btw that Dobson isn't on as much as Gleeson is or any new HB we bring in would be either.

Phelps may well be playing well but he could be playing like the best FB in the world and it wouldn't matter because we haven't got a strong pack and his wages could have been the difference between a new prop signing for us.

: Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:19 pm  

At the start of the season there were rumours of Pritchard going to Leeds or wanting to come to superleague. Unless we can snare Ellis I would try and get big Franky for next year as he would be a potent threat at second row/prop for us. Playing prop against the smaller pack and second row against the bigger packs. Same with Ellis/Webb

Add to that an out and out prop forward like Morley/Cayless/LMS.

Plus Lockyer or Orford/Anasta or get Johns over to mentor Leuluai about playing 7 if we can't get a 6 or 7. He will be a lot better behind a bigger pack and 1 prop and 1 prop/second rower is a must before any 6/7 or 1 even.