I agree with this and wish he would just bin them. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place though because if we were to omit all the players not pulling their weight, then there wouldn't be enough proven talent left to select from. The problem is as well, is that it only takes 3/4/5 say influential players to get hacked off, and their bad energy transcends amongst other players and you end up with a general malaise as we had yesterday.

There’s a line between players who he can’t the best out of and players who are bad apples though. It’s important that we recognise that.

Cooper wouldn’t be sought after by Wigan and, in particular Briers, if he was a bad lad.

Zac Hardaker is a bad lad.. and Leeds wanted him. And he ripped us apart last night. Much like Cooper will do when he plays against us next year..

Unless the rabble start to pull their fingers out, we won't be playing cooper's new team next season!

Like Cooper ripped Leeds apart last night?

That’s all well and good, but what if they win the “ four pointer” when we play each other, they’ll only be one win away from us

No they won't. They are 6 points behind us now (3 wins), if they play us next week and beat us they will be 4 points behind us (2 wins).

They have to win 3 more than us over the remaining games, makes no odds if that game is against us or not.

The standard of maths on here is terrible.

Well, Bodene Thompson scored a couple last night.....

He scored 1 if you call dropping the ball over the line a try

Wigan fan here,I come in peace.

Shocked by that performance the other night,but what’s written here is pretty much bob on there are to many “old timers” clearly need clearing out,new broom etc he’s got to be given the time and I’m sure he will get it too the board seem to be backing him with the prop situation so I’d expect them to stand by him.

He clearly wants to change the culture at Warrington,I pinch myself when I see the job Matty Peet is doing at Wigan (alongside Briers of course) change can happen quickly if you’re lucky,if not then a root and branch rebuild is needed I suspect that’s what Powell thinks is needed and he’s possibly right to if you’re being honest,the club has at best stood still,the competition needs a strong Wire,Leeds side to make it interesting and I’m sure this is short term pain for Wire.

From an outsider looking in it does sound as though players are getting hacked off and its crept into most of the team and spilling onto the terraces. Can't understand how you can put in good performances against Saints and then play abysmal after a reasonable start against other teams.

Powell has to take most of the blame he's draining the heart and soul out of the club, there has to be a turning point before it gets a longer term problem.

You say Powell has to take most of the blame. Do blame him for the past 6/7 years worth of mediocrity too? Most people can see its a player problem as our track record illustrates this clearly. These players have underperformed under 3 coaches. Powell has a track record of improving players and teams, this group of players has a record of underperforming. So Judderman, I'm guessing you think it's not the players? 3 coaches haven't got a tune out of these players and you think it's Powells fault?

With squad reboots, things normally get worse before they get better. Is it any wonder some of the players arent performing when Powell is asking them to put the required effort in - this lot just want an easy ride

The wigoons had a similar problem but not on the same scale, Peet has transformed on what was basically Lam's team, he's brought about togetherness and they are all playing off the same hymn sheet now and gaining confidence.

For me the Wire team is very fragmented their a lot of decent players in that team but they are playing like individuals with no leaders and not for one another, its Powell job to create a team, physically and mentally strong, the latter is in short supply once that goes then confidence goes.

It will be interesting to see if Amor mentions anything at the end of the season about the club structure, culture and ethics at the Wire and if the approach is very different to his career at Saints.

Some issue is that we've seemed to suffer, for several years, from poor development from youth/reserve players into first team regulars, and it was seen that Powell was the right person to address that. Which, of course, isn't going to be a 'quick fix' and does likely require a cultural change.

It is significantly more challenging than what Peet has to do at Wigan.

Spot on.

If Powell was brought to improve our youth, he's not doing himself any favours by signing a big money aussie full back, publicly criticising our young talented scrum half and allegedly releasing longstaff.

Maybe, as products of the previous administration, he doesn't see the right promise in them - again it's a long term fix, not just chucking in what's already there.

Had we beaten Leeds I thought we would make the playoffs as it Leeds are now brimming with confidence and they will make the playoffs at our expense. Lose to Wakefield on Sunday and it’s all about survival.

Powell probably doesn’t have the cajones to drop either Currie or Holmes for Longstaff (he should) and thinks Widdop is a safer pair of hands at FB than Thewlis for the time being.

To me this shows he’s panicking a bit. We might’ve been better off had we nothing to play for and we could’ve seen more of Dean, Thewlis and Longstaff….as it is he’s desperate to claw into the playoffs with more experienced but underperforming players.

On a side note at the time I hoped we would cash in on D Clark when the NRL came sniffing but that ship has sailed. I genuinely believe he’s one of the least effective hookers in SL at the minute. If his contract was up this season would you retain him?

A really odd situation . A new coach in usually sees a degree of stability in most cases . A complete nose dive is quiet serious given the team you have . You clearly need some personal to build but that team has enough to be in the 4/5th area of the table . Given your performances ,You are still 2 point off the playoffs so all is not lost . I don’t believe the club was so lacking In ambition that it feels ok to write off this season in order to re build for next . Powell was always going to be a gamble . A strange appointment in my view given the investment for success on the pitch . My view is a quality coach would have that squad competing and so I think it would be in your interest to start looking and get shut before it’s to late

The very nature of his task - to change the culture into a winning mentality - means he's going to have to get rid of players who aren't prepared to buy in to this. If players were willing, then we wouldn't have nose dived. Some of them aren't buying into this, therefore a nose dive is to be expected.

The choice is:

We stick with the players, who've underperformed now for 3 coaches over 6/7/8 years, and get another coach in, hoping they'll respond to that coach.

Or

We recognise that these players are the problem and we put trust in a coach who has a track record for improving players, a track record for building a good brand of rugby and culture, and has the balls to sort it.

Bar the young players coming through, most of our players have gotten worse, or at best, stayed the same and not improved.

Pretty much what I was about to type.

It's either one of 2 things here,

1. The players simply aren't good enough and so need binning off.

Or,

2. The players are good enough but have downed tools.

Whichever it is, I don't see how sacking the coach and keeping players who are either not good enough, or are bad apples, makes any sense?

Personally, I'm now inclined to go with option 2. So much average/mediocre players in the squad that it's untrue.

Watching the likes of Currie, King and Ratchford go through the motions of imitating RL players is now nothing short of laughable - there are a lot of players living on past glories and, as many already suspected, it means there is zero chance of a short term fix, which sacking Powell would be.

Speaks volumes about the league with the fact that we're only 2 pts off the play offs. Makes it even more galling the fact that if this current squad of half d overpaid sulkers bothered for a little bit we'd be up there.

Bring on the clear out

I totally get the comments made and it’s hard to disagree with you . It’s a ‘ prisoners dilemma ‘ situation ! What do you do for the best ? From an outsider looking in , looking at it as holistically as an outsider can . The players in the squad are better than what they are displaying . That can only be a managerial issue in my view . Those player are competitive and don’t need a winning mentality . You don’t need to coach ‘winning mentality’ because if you did they would have been dropped before they reached academy standard . My opinion is - the manager manages what he has and what he has is better than what is being displayed. A quality coach gets the bets out of even a mediocre team and Powell is failing the club in that respect . Negativity breads negativity and I feel the club needs to set a standard and keep going until they get it right. Powell is not the man

Interesting to consider this in the context of Currie and King. They emerged from our Academy to become leading SL players in their position and get the backing of the club with big contracts. There wasn't a problem developing them from youth/reserve players into first team regulars, nor was there a lack of willingness in the club to invest in retaining its home grown talent.

But now they are two of the players getting the most stick on here.

What did the coaches/club do wrong?

Well Currie has been “cruelled” by ACLs in both knees, thus no lateral movement. King? Dunno? Maybe Price’s one trick pony attack move of high kick to the corner on the 5th showed him at his best?