With us and Catalans being linked with John Bateman, do you think we are actually interested or is it the old case of managers using our name to drive up contract prices?
He's been off the boil for a few years now, but in top form he's brilliant. And Burgess can clearly get players firing again.
If we did get him it will be a long time coming since we tried to sign him and Whitehead fro Bradford all those years ago.

Soon as the Abdull rumour is put to bed we get the Bateman rumour. At present his form is not where we would want and the other issue is soon as someone offers bigger cash he would be off

That’s the thing with our club, agents will link us to whoever to bump up the price/salary. It a fault of our own making by having history of doing just this. Hopefully Burgess and Chambers steer us away from this.

Ratchford's been offered a 12 month extension before he moves in to a coaching role.

Well it better be no more than bloody £20k pa

Quote ="Abe Froman"Ratchford's been offered a 12 month extension before he moves in to a coaching role.'" https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/wa ... w-contract I liked Ratch as a player, but a "winner" he is not. This is a guy that has been in 4 losing finals, and we wonder when we will develop that ruthless winning edge that helps us win the big games? But the jobs for the boys era is over isn't it?

Quote ="Abe Froman"Ratchford's been offered a 12 month extension before he moves in to a coaching role.'" https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/wa ... w-contract I liked Ratch as a player, but a "winner" he is not. This is a guy that has been in 4 losing finals, and we wonder when we will develop that ruthless winning edge that helps us win the big games? But the jobs for the boys era is over isn't it?

No problem with Ratchford moving onto a coaching role with us, which will probably be at the Scholarship/Academy level.

However we have enough young players now who need further Super League experience in out 1st team and I disagree with Ratchford being given a playing contract for 2025.

If there is a vacancy, why not invite applications for the role and judge objectively. You know, like the normal world. This is just jobs for the boys pure and simple. Probably a Chambers' decision who was appointed in exactly the same way.

Could we not get a coach who has actually won something of note to inspire and develop the youngsters?

Apologies, I wasn't very clear in my post. I meant a coaching role in rugby league, not necessarily at Warrington. Although I am told he is potentially being looked at as a future coach in our set up. Not sure in what capacity though ie, I don't know if it's 1st team, Academy, community etc.

Your best coach probably doesn't need to be the head coach. Quality is needed to bring youngsters & academy players through to a level where they can slot seamlessly into the first team when the time is right with all the basic rugby skills in place. Saints & Wigan are our best examples of that.

How many Grand Finals and Challenge cups has Matt Peet won as a player?

Have him here do his badges or what the equivalent is these days next year in his last hopefully very limited player role and then assess him for a job after that.

If he is the one behind Thewlis kicking improvement I'd say give him a job as kicking coach.

Matt Peet did his coaching apprenticeship in the amateur leagues, applied for the role at Wigan working his way through the ranks to Head of Youth where he won 6 Grand finals at that level, he then worked at Sale RU, before re-joining Wigan as an assistant.

He wasn't just an ex player who stayed a long time and was given a job.

If you've not seen someone in action coaching I think it is impossible to give a worthwhile comment. Wire hierarchy who appointed big Sam & Gleeson might just know something. So let's not be too critical.

The same hierarchy who appointed Jimmy Lowes as Head Coach.
The same hierarchy who recruited Luther Burrell and Greg Inglis.
The same hierarchy who have failed year on year (for let's say 15 viable full cap years) to put together a performance team that can win a Grand Final.

I just don't have the faith in them. But we can all differ in opinions.

Ratchford has been a model pro, very rarely has he been injured, banned or subject to internal disciplinary. He’s been in England and GB set ups over long periods. Played under range of superb coaches for club and country. Played in big games, granted losing more than his fair share.

In that 12 years since his debut we’ve retired lots of players. Some of them legends of the game, but not retained them as coaches.

Some people are just leaders. Just good humans. There’s no issue here, just faux outrage.

Jimmy Lowes? How far back do you bear the grudge? Gilfeddar to Wigan must be worth a mention.
Chambers can only be responsible since his appointment. Get a grip. We lose at Wembley & wow you revert to type. Cheers up and enjoy the game.

In fear of incurring the wrath of the opinion police I don’t agree with him getting a 1 year extension to his playing contract. We don’t need cover for the positions he can play, but what we do need is a prop at least as good as Vaughan and Harrison. When them 2 are off we struggle. Musgrove is not lighting the field up and for a guy his size it’s disappointing. Philbin is in and out, good some games others not so. I’d rather what ever cap spend Ratchford is on to go to getting props. Even Vaughan as commented time is running out or him.

I think we need some vast improvement in our centre positions. Tai has only signed a 1 year deal(does the club have a 1 year option?), King is too slow to play there(and im not getting involved in the second row debate again!!

). I am a big fan of wrench, but he does seem to pick up more than his fair share of injuries. Lindop will be a class act, but the kid has only just turned 18 and Bruines seems to have vanished off the face of the earth!

I've not watched the game again. But my thoughts at the time was that Musgrove looked good on Saturday & made some real tough carries. It's a good sign if he played his best game so far in one of the toughest of games. I've been a bit disappointed up to know but lets hope.

Some others said this that it was his best performance to date, also same people have been perplexed by his performances up to this game. I hope he kicks on for rest of season but like I said about a few days back in another thread for a guy his size I was expecting more. He is a fair bit bigger in height and size to Philbin but Philbin seems to be breaking the gain line more. Anyway I still think we need props.

Regarding Tai I think there is an option for an extra year but I’ve read he is going to the Dolphins. No idea what is happening with Drinkwater but if either of them 2 or both are gone at end of season I can see why an offer for further year for Ratchford is in play.

It's not clear what is happening to Tai & Drinkwater. If they are not with us next year they need replacing. Anyone who doubts Musgrove's potential needs to sit & watch the Cup Final.

You invited me to blindly trust the powers that be. I countered that. You didn't like your point looking foolish as a cited some recent disastrous appointments. I went back 15 years under the current owners.

Maybe I am a bit down after going to wembley and having to sit through that crap on the field to choruses of "you're " and "w@nky warrington" and wondering what we have to do to become as good as our rivals in developing young players then I read about this appointment.

If that is directed at me there is no outrage. Just an expression of a sigh as we make another jobs for the boys appointment and then a moment later wonder how the Wire "bridesmaid" culture persists. True Ratchford has a lot of finals experience - losing them. I am sure he is a decent human being.

It's the idea that you need a Grand Final Winners Medal to coach that I can't get. How many coaches have you watched to come up with this?

My point is, I’m not sure it matters what people win as a player. There are more characteristics to look at. Richard Marshall couldn’t even win a coin toss as a player but won back to back titles as assistant at Saints. He came into Warrington as a “jobs for the boys appointment” twice, but has proved to be more than that. I think Peter Wallace is still an assistant at Penrith, again finishing his career there as a mate of the club. Didn’t win anything, but is in the best set up in the game.

Just because someone has been at a club for a while, and might not have won as much as they would have liked, doesn’t mean that aren’t good coaches. Sam Burgess himself won one title all his career and absolutely nothing else. Still doesn’t undermine his credentials as a promising coach. In a small and insular world as RL, clubs know each others people inside and out, you can’t escape the rumours of who’s doing what, and Ratch has constantly been held in high regard by everyone. There’s no story here.