Not exactly a fearsome pack though is it? I think we need at least one recruit in the forwards. Ideally somebody with a bit of aggression or size about them. I think our current pack could hold it's own against some teams but could be bullied by some too and that's before we think about injuries. Imagine our pack if we lost Menzies and Lynch to injury..

I know few on here will agree with this, but I'd consider Fielden as an option if he'd accept a pay cut more in line with somebody like Scruton. We could then use Lynch and Fielden as workhorse Props and bring on Scruton to provide some impact off the bench. My personally view is that Fielden has become the 'Iestyn Harris' of Wigan. In the sense that he has had some decent games for them but just hasn't repaid the amount of money they're paying him and indeed cost them to buy. I think he'd do a job for us if the price was right.

Don't forget significant contract upgrade for Halley, new deal for Lynch and Whitehead. I agree there should still be a fair chunk of cap though, but not quite as much as your post suggests.

Improved contracts for Lynch, Halley and Whitehead will take a bit and there was a thought that at least some of the Bird money was coming from releasing Tupou but i would have thought just from Newton, Jeffries, Morrison and Solomona going we'd cover all those new/better contracts with some to spare.

Burgess, Newton, Solomona & Morrison will have all been in the top earners bracket. We had enough money to sign Greg Bird, and then still some more players leaving.

Okay we may not have as much as I first made out, but I have my suspicions that we won't be spending the full cap again.

And while our attendances continue to drop then it is hard to see that changing. I think we could sign another 2 top quality well known marquee players and it would still have little impact on our crowds for next year. A trip to a Final may ignite some of the 'glory hunters' appetite again but it is a big gamble.

I'd rather we spent what we can afford and try promote some youngsters than spend more than we can afford and put the long term future in jeopardy. Some positive news on the Stadium would put me in a much more positive frame of mind than any marquee International signing.

Nail meets head.

I heard that we had to basically double lynchs salary to get him to stay so hats a big chunk gone straight away. add in upgrades for halley and whitehead and Id say that accounts for money freed up by tupou and matt cook going at least. hall takes morros wage as a straight swap and i'd imagine l'estrange will probably take most of newtons. kearney takes solos wage and were not left with as much as you'd think.
However I dont think we spent full cap last year and I dont think we will this year either. until gates improve it would be suicide to spend up to the cap. Theres the argument that you spend to acculmulate but if it doesnt bring instant results then your just deeper in the red the following year.

I'd expect the club to anonunce at least 2, hopefully three further signings.

Centre, Impact forward, Wing being the likely 3.

A signing at HB would also be good, I realistically don't see this happening though.

If we can't strengthen our pack and our props in particular then Deacs is going to have 'mare next season.

Orford has not yet signed for the Sea Eagles for 2010... (see para about 2/3 down)

[urlhttp://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/jeff-robson-signs-two-year-deal-with-parramatta-eels/story-e6frexnr-1225784515701[/url

we can but hope

I hear you guys are in for Paul Johnson and Jamie Thackery today on BBC 606.

Wasn't Paul Johnson's last season with us plagued with "injuries"

Heaven forbid!

I'd rather we steered well clear of Thackray, seems to be trouble wherever he goes. Certianly doesn't seem to have settled at any club, I'd be pretty underwhelmed by him coming to the club unless he undergone some sort of personality transplant.

Johnson..very average. We need quality not squad fillers.

Signing Thackray would show we're desperate and completely wrong footed by Burgess's departure. I'd rather us sign virtually anyone but him. As for Johnson he's ok back up but v injury prone.

The source of the rumour leads me to believe these stories are .

Well, as I dont want either of those two I'll just have to trust in the source (BBC Forum) being its ususal self.... There is a thread on there today about somebody being "being told about" us moving out of Odsal in April 2010! Thats reassurance enough for me not to take anything from there seriously until I read it elsewhere.

Superb in 05... which will be five years ago very soon, I concede.

Yes I'd agree with that. But he hasn't done a great deal since and I don't think he'd add that much to our squad. Let's not clear out some of the dead wood and then recruit some more!

Quite often players become unexpectedly available close to the start of the season or part way through. Without a quota spot (once Walker is confirmed) our options are more limited but I'd rather pay my £160 a year and see Crookes/Whitehead/Donaldson given a go than see someone like Johnson blocking their paths. I think last year showed that Whitehead and Donaldson should be able to cope with more games this year. I wouldn't object to a good quality 2nd row/Prop signing but let's not rush out and buy anyone.

it basically comes down to who is available. weve got two options as i see it. we spend all available money signing the best available player, even if they arent really an improvement on who weve got, and can then say we've spent up to the cap but get criticised for signing journeymen. this to my mind is option we took in 2008.
option 2 is to sign available players in positions we need and if no-ones available then we dont spend the money. this was last years option. going this way means we have the option to bring someone in at a later date like we tried to with bird and did with rinaldi.

Problem this year is we have cap space avaialable than usual but their arent a great many players actually available. The only advantage we have is that, assuming its made available to the coach, we have the burgess money to pay one or two transfer fees.

My personal preference would be to use all the burgess money to pay a transfer for a young british half we can build around for years, as this appears to be an area where we dont have anyone obvious coming through the academy. The only realistic targets are brough and ratchford and I cant see wakey allowing brough to leave and salford are cash rich following mylers departure so wont accept offers for ratchford.

catch22 really

Wakefield also have the money from the Atkins transfer.

exactly so whilst we have cap space and potentially money available for transfers, If players arent available in positions we need what do we do?.

we either sign players that are available but not in the right positions to strengthen the squad as a whole or keep the cap space available untial someone suitable becomes available. either way people are going to criticise.

Iam worried about next season already, we have no backs and our pack looks at its weakest for many a year. We dont even have a marque player or someone who can create something.

something to bear in mind. whilst weve lost 8 (9 including tupou) only burgess,morrison and semi were involved in the good run at the end of season. if we can sign a decent winger/ and another forward then were not in that bad a shape.

Just say we do sign a decent winger, who will cover him and Sheriffe if one gets injured.

Halley, Sykes or Platt (if he's still here)