Theres not much love on this thread.



To be honest I can see where Jonh is coming from. Ive had enough of Noble's one dimensional ineffective tactics. If we do lose to Cas surely hes gone which means the club can move forward with new ideas?

Liek I said: short-term loss, long term gain

and in that time...

saved us from relegation
one game away from the grand final twice
challenge cup semi final

and you still want him sacked?

Regardless of the wider issues regarding Noble, I simply don't (and hope I never do) view losing in semi-finals as any level of achievement.

If they do win, and on current showing they have every opportunity to, then perhaps that's a sign that they've progressed at a greater rate than we have?

My main reason for not wanting Noble sacked yet is purely because I feel he has earned more time.

He took over a club in turmoil and has now stabilised the club. The question is whether or not he can take us to the next level. It's only two games into the season with a new half back combination to boot so I think it's far too early to talk of sacking the coach.

If mid season we are still showing no signs of improvement then I think it would be time to question Noble's future. Last nights performance despite losing was an improvement on last week (although it couldn't get much worse). I actually want us to batter Cas next week and the players then go on a winning run playing with confidence.

I could never want my team to lose even when Millward was coach. You say you want what is best for the club but the way it comes across when reading your posts is that you're more interested in boosting your ego. That may not be your intention.

Yes there have been some bad performances over the last 2 years, Huddersfield at home etc but there have been some good ones, Leeds away etc so I don't think it's been all doom and gloom under Noble. The good performances have shown us the coach and players are capable, the challenge is doing it on a consistent basis. I would say see where we are come July and then re-assess. Far too early in the season to judge IMO.

We did play better as a team yeasterday but even kids ages 8 or 9 are taught to catch a bomb when its put up it wasnt a schoolball error its a profesional player on a good wage that kids look up 2 im not critising roberts just that if you play wing/full back its your job to catch high kicks.

What a complete and utter john thomas you really are!!!...Why dont you put in for nobles job???, you claim to know everything there is about noble and the club??, so send your cv in and show us all your not just a nerd with at best an amature rl background who uses fancy words and summarises everything anyone says, and hates the mere ground noble walks on cause he wouldnt autograph your matchday programme many moons ago!!

Spot on! Come on Jonh, you claim to know everything about coaching so why are you not coaching? Lets face it,Noble has forgot more than you will ever know. You certainly talk a good game,lets see you in action.

Only in the play-offs and I think the players motivate themselves in such circumstances.

Seriously. I used to back Noble for the sake of continutity and stability but it's gone from stability to stagnation. Many users here have questioned the style of rugby we play, not just in the past couple of games but in the season previous; at best it's brought us inconsistancy in the regular season followed by a run in the play-offs, but always a bridge too far.

FWIW, even if we lose, I don't think Noble will quit or IL will sack him. I do not expect IL to renew Noble's contract and we'll be in the market for a new coach after another write-off year. I don't believe in change for the sake of it; however, I do think it's time to explore other avenues. All Jonh appears to be advocating is to expedite this situation; it seems distasteful but the end result would be what I expect to happen at the end of the season anyway.

do you think the players want to play for noble?

I also shall be shouting for Cas. As I do for any team playing Wigan.

It sounds like you may not be on your own



I can partly understand the short term loss, long term gain idea. But I can't see me ever going to a game and hoping we will loose.

Even Warrington? You'll find that in last night's game many Wiganers wanted Warrington to lose (can't bring ourselves to say the other aspect of course

)

What I meant was more along the lines of the choice of coach. For years now although we've had youngsters that have decent enough skill levels to seemingly excel at academy level, those same youngsters have also struggled when they take the step up. Basically they are good, have always had good potential but, don't have the strength in depth skill wise to become good at the next level, where it actually matters. There's something about their skills education that doesn't provide them with the necessary level or depth of skills required. This can't be coincidental with every coach we've had for the last umpteen years, but although we (Wigan) excel at academy level by and large academy level is of mediocre quality and diminishing every year. We are amongst the best of a mediocre bunch. For me when Bell went I was surprised the rest of the staff survived and have done as long as they have. Toughing it out and ripping it up only goes so far and is very quickly found out by better skill sets. Putting someone who, has been part of a regime that has produced mediocrity in the past, in charge of the 1st team just seems counter productive. He's a home grown lad with Cherry & White blood but maybe not the choice to achieve what's needed.

Right off the bat = I'm a Cas fan, so, cheers - i hope we stuff you too!



However, as an objective "outsider", I'd say you have (arguably) the best coach in the country.

Forgetting the old animosity (if only for a moment!) you were seriously facing relegation when Noble was appointed. Since then you have narrowly missed out on two grand finals - ostensibly with sides not that much stronger than the one which he inherited.

Two types of Wigan fan me thinks:

1. Those whom thank their lucky stars that Noble ever arrived.

2. Those whom judge their so-called beloved team on a one week to the next basis.

Ah I see, I would have Lam as the Head Coach and Wane in a supporting role. Take your point re the kids coming through but you can't expect all of them to make the SL grade, 3 or 4 of a side perhaps but I'd suggest more is unlikely.

Can't see anything changing until after Easter myself and only then if we've been consistantly poor. IMO Noble came in when we needed someone to steady the ship, which he did very well indeed, but thats all we are "steady". We won't be bottom three or four, on current form we won't be top three or four. I want to be entertained when I go to a match. Win, lose or draw I want to see good rugby, how often have we seen that in recent years. For that reason alone I think Noble's time is long overdue.

There is also the issue of who replaces him if Ian Lenegan does eventually decide to pull the trigger. I don't think Hanley is the man at all. Finest player I've ever seen but best coach? I don't think so. My first choice would be Edwards though I fear he will never coach Wigan. So with that in mind I'd like to see either Adrian Lam who I think will be a top drawer coach in the very near future his or Ricky Stuart with three Grand Final appearances in five years with the Roosters, NSW origin coach and of course Australian national coach I think we could do a lot worse.

No doubt there will be some howls of derision but thats my opinion fwiw.

Even Warrington, I can't stand it when Wigan win.

What makes you think Lenegan would pay the wages of such people. Sean Edwards if he ever came back would demand huge wages as would Ricky Stuart. Ian Lenegan has shown with his signings and his disgust at certain players wages that he is a man who likes bargains. Unfortunately, as with everything in life,you normally get what you pay for.

If Noble did go then id expect Lenegan to bring in somebody on less money. There can be no doubt that Noble will be on very good money as he was brought in by Maurice and Whelan who were not afraid to pay big money to get there man.

Personally I think hes right....lose to cas and nobles position starts to become untenable!! within a few weeks we might have a decent chance of getting shut and bringing someone in who knows how to coach the team! IMO we do have the right personell but nobby is making the wrong selections time and time again!!

Its right to blame the team to an extent, (as people have pointed out its not noble who is dropping balls) but noble has to take a great deal of blame as well IMO....

the hooker(half back/ Looseforward) debacle last week followed by the fullback (centre/winger) debacle last night - How does that possibly aid a team?!! Constantly he changes key positions in the team MID GAME for little or no reason...the players dont know where each of their teammates are on the field as noble keeps moving them.....perhaps he is trying to hide his tactical inadequacies by chopping and changing the team so it at least looks like he is doing something??!?!

At the end of the day goulding missed that tackle on Cusack (a front rower ffs) last night that cost us the game...but youve got to question wtf goulding (a centre) was doing at FB....and also probably our 10th change of FB of the night!!!! Had richards been there does anyone on here think cusack would have scored?!?!!? we would have then still been in the game and had a chance.

Yes it was gouldings fault he scored but why was he there in the first place?!!? NOBLE and his ridiculous tactics.....the only thing 'over elaborate' as noble says, at wigan at the moment is his own coaching!!

GIVE O. personally I think this season will now start like 2006. We might manage to scrape cas next week but the current way we are playing we will lose to quins, lose to bradford and lose to leeds....we will then go to salford with 1 from 6 and at the bottom of the table with no confidence and who knows what will happen at the willows!?! Maybe then though that might just be the final straw for noble

Apart from the ridiculous FB switching, I don't think we did to bad last night. With a little bit of luck and a few dodgy decisions going our way we'd have won and by some way as well, imo.

I'm not a supporter of Noble and never have been, but it's far too early in the season to call for his head (imo, IL will not sack Noble, he might not renew his contract but he won't sack him). Wigan played some good rugby at times last night.