Not to mention Joe Westerman and Sam Burgess. Hardly in a quality world class outfits themselves.

At the height of are success, I always remember my dad pointing at the opposition team and saying that they were already mentally beaten, and all it would take would be an early try and the opposition team would crumble even further, that was a major difference for me that helped the great team of the 80's and 90's have so much success, that the opposition would turn up already mentally beaten.
ST Helens on Friday night put 50 past Cas, don't tell me that those Cas players don't remember that hiding they got earlier in the season from Saints and were probably dreading playing on Friday night in fear of what might happen. Once somebody's mentally beaten there pretty much out of it.
We at Wigan are suckers for always going down first against less fancied teams just like Celtic on Saturday, Celtic once they scored visibly improved and gained in confidence, had we gone on to score early and first I can just imagine there heads dropping and the game becoming increasingley easier for us.

The difference between us and saints before the game has even started is that we look at the other team and think we can win but saints look at themselves and know they are more then capable of beating any team.

Add to that the likes of Ellis at Wakey, Wilkin at Hull KR, im sure theres plenty more. Its common knowledge IL is looking hard at why so many youngsters come through at Wigan but dont go all the way to the top.

Kris Radlinski explains why in his book. Read it.

I think I may have caused some confusion about drip feeding players into the squad by giving numbers of games. I wasn't stating that there should be a concrete plan set out where a young lad will play only x number of times and no more at 18, then y number of times and no more at 19 and so on. These were just arbitrary numbers to put accross the point that I think players will cope better if given an increasing number of games each season from a younger age rather than waiting two more years in the reserves with no first team experience and then being thrown into most games when either the coach willingly chooses or is forced to. Whilst there will be some players like Sam Tomkins who can do well if thrust straight in (Myler in my view is a different case as he played NL for Widnes and Salford before SL) many more will fail so going from nowhere to first team regular is not a good way to introduce young players.

Considering I warned you yesterday, that was a bit of a stupid comment wasn't it?



Bye!

Imagine what it'll be like on here if they beat us in the semi

At present it's not a matter of 'if' it's a matter of 'when'.

Hate to say it but it's true.

I think we have established on here that the title of this thread is all wrong, there is more than 2 major problems at Wigan.

One of the things that certainly isn't wrong with Wigan is the fans. I am constantly impressed with their commitment to the "team" if the team had half the same commitment they would be top 4 easy. The squad is good enough, on paper, but where is the direction and / or coaching? It pains me to say it but if Saints were in the same position as wigan, we would struggle to get 7000 on.

Fairplay to you saying that, respect, not many fans can say things like that about Wigan. I think we would have an average around 18-20,000 had we played like saints for the last 2 years.

Hull fans are the same really we and them have had poor teams for some years now, not performing on the field but both doing it right off the field in terms of fans.

I think the fans showed their metal when we nearly got relegated a couple of years back yet our crowds went up in the process to cheer and help the side avoid relegation.

Unfortunatly they've dropped a touch this year due to the fact that people are bored of being mid table.

We really do need to progress the side now.

That turned out to be a great year for that reason. I was so proud of all our fans that year. The Leeds away game was amazing. Even the west stand stood up singing that season. The atmosphere has been the worst in super league this year. We really needed to kick on from that relegation year but we have not quite delivered since. Fans are starting to lose patience and not going to games, crowds are on the way down. If it carries on we will start seeing crowds of below 10,000 again. We should be averaging 16,000 at least. IL said a figure like 20,000 to be averaging in 5 years but thats not gonna happen.

If after having your fingers burned with Fielden you don't drive a stake through the heart of the "If you're good enough you're old enough" mantra on sight you deserve everything you get.

Continental football coaches (not the English let's-go-out-on-the-lash-for-team-bonding failures) who listen to the advice of sports scientists have long understood that you can't dump a mature pro's workload on a kid. It kills them.

Yep.........Faz and Edwards and Robinson turned out to be rubbish didn't they?

Every kid that ever comes into a first team before the age of 20 doesn't always end up in a heap come their late 20's but i do get your point.

Unless your a physical freak like an Inglis or Folau any young kid will need resting every so often but Noble doesn't do 'rests', he does 'dropping' or more to the point leaving any kid out however well they've played so he doesn't put a more senior players noce out of joint.

That is what we lack in this country we do not produce players like this.

Pick out the best we have brought through in this country recnetly, Roby, Graham and Burgess, they do not even begin to compare to Inglis and Folau.

Science quakes in its boots.

I think the problem in this country is that the real physically talented kids like Inglis or Folau go into other sports like Football or Atheltics.

Well, the former are forwards whilst the latter are backs. It would help if you compared like for like. Besides, the premier athletic talent will almost always gravitate to football where the money is.

Correct. In Oz League and Ozzie rules are joint top dog, in England League is behind Football, tennis, Union, and probably cricket as well.

I can't imagine tennis being ahead of League. Since the municipal courts were choked to death by underfunding in the 80s and 90s, tennis has retreated mainly behind the walls of expensive clubs.

I'm pretty sure league more than holds its own with cricket, but comes in behind union.

End of the day noble has lost the changing room!

To be honest now i'm starting to lose intrest going watching the same **** it's depressing watching a standard of rugby league that an under 9's side can play

There are a hand full of players who turn up week in and week out but the rest just dont look intrested at all and it needs sorting asap or they can go for me, let them do a 9-5 job week in week out they wouldn't last long people would do anything to be in there position

Do i think noble will be here next season? NO il would have offered him a contract by now if he was and personal i think he went to oz with a coach on the top of his list but of course he wont come out and say that will he

Sad but true. I think we are ahead at club level in the nationwide leagues but when it comes to the fact they have the european competition and one of the best international games, they really do blow us out the water.