I refer you to an interview with Kenny Dalglish just after an FA cup draw :-

Plank - "Kenny, You've got Arsenal at home - That's a tough draw?"
KD - "Not half as tough as the draw Arsenal got"



Games between us this year have shown Wigan have got to be 100% and we've got to be less than 100% for them to give us a game on Saturday, and I'm sure TS will be reminding the players of that right up to the kickoff.

Ours to lose .....

I'm refusing to get confident because it just makes the letdown more painful, if we get beat.

However, as I constantly go over the form lines, omens and all that type of stuff, the one thing that gives me huge hope is our record of gradual improvement under Tony Smith,

2009 - 9th
2010 - 3rd, played 2, lost 2 in the play offs
2011 - 1st, got beat in heartbreaking fashion in the semi to Leeds
2012 - 2nd, this time we made the final but got beat

2013??... Surely if that record of gradual improvement is to continue, then Saturday has to be ours, doesn't it??...

My current thinking is am going to explode if do it.

Winning it against them would be perfect, all day the songs will be, have you ever seen Wire win the league, always your year etc

Just 80 mins Wire 80 f'in mins.

We have a good enough team to win and we've been there before unlike the Wigan players.
Leeds exposed Briers defence to win last year and relentlessly attacked him, so the important thing for me is if TS has prepared for that eventuality - maybe by moving him out wider or into different positions in the defensive line
I wonder if he's even considered dropping him back to f/back on ocassion in the defensive line. (I doubt the latter but it would be something different).
The other thing I could see is Riley being bombed time and again, but I'm not sure Wigan have got a good enough kicking game for that.

But that's defensive. Look at the the other side of the coin.

Looking at the Wigan side, I can imagine an almighty struggle in the forwards which is 'nip and tuck' until we bring on Moz, Cav, Monas and Harrison all at the same time at the 20 min mark (assuming House plays).
Wigan have no real answer and we start to get on top and Bennie starts to punch real holes in the line. The outside backs do the biz and we start to pull away with Monas and Micky H causing real problems giving Lee time for accurate kcks and more points.

Yep that does it for me.

You massively under estimate Sam Tomkins, I thought he was brilliant under the high ball and linked into the back line all nigh. Matty Smith and Blake Green controlled the game, okay they don't tear teams apart but they put players in positions to do so. O'Loughlin's comeback gave us the leadership we needed in such a big game.

Just like the last one...