A little steep dont you think?

You'll have to find something else to talk about now Gleeson has signed.

So will you. You spend enough time on here.

again if true, this would be benificial to him. i like the lad, always gives his best. it was not that long ago that he was being touted on here as a future GB (sorry England) international. i think the lad will come good, he just needs time.

Goulding to Salford. Deffo tommorow

Announcement 2:30pm

Just imagine What Salford Fans are thinking eh Cadoo!
Hardly like Xmas Eve for them is it??

It's like Christmas day for me

Sat there with your nuts in your hand?

And cream everywhere!


Harvey's Bristol of course!

I will have it if you peel the name off!

Ps I bet the shirt is clean as a whistle!

like yours normally are pal

Yeah because I never get tackled I always put you away down wing.
[size=59A touch forward sometimes though![/size

Well this threads gone friggin boring over last few hours


Anyome heard the Sam burgess rumour

Yeah I heard that one

You hear the ones about Thurston, Petero and SBW too?

Should now turn into a thread to debate the recruitment for next season.

We need a stronger pack and a halfback to challenge Leeds and Saints.

Our backline:

Richards
Roberts
Gleeson
Carmont
Ainscough

All sorted - hopefully Carmont will take the option for a years extension.

We have Pryce and Goulding in reserves for backup.

Sam Tomkins will have a lot less pressure off him if our forwards can lay down a platform for him to work from. I think he could handle the task at stand off/scrum half and if not we have players who can fill in for him.

Scrum half I think is one area we need to recruit possibly for the future. With Tommy a much better hooker we should look for a leader with experience how could direct us around the park. Matt Orford should do nicely



We need a new prop forward. A real 60 minute prop who can offer more than Andy Coley. He also needs to have experience and aggression. A real leader from the front which hopefully should take some pressure off Fielden and we can hopefully get to see a lot more from him. Andy Lynch, Petero Civoniceva (Sp)Luke Bailey etc type player.

Hooker is an interesting debate. Riddell wont be going anywhere so we just have to hope he continues to raise his game. Leuluai is far more effective at hooker than McIlorum. I think we need to loan McIlorum out to a super league club for a season and see how he progresses. He hasn't made a break, tackle bust, try ,try assist or anything all season. He really adds very little at the moment.

At second row we only have Phil Bailey coming off contract and with Harrison Hansen, Gareth Hock and Joel Tomkins with Lee Mossop in the reserves we do have the cover.

Captaincy is another issue at Wigan but I think with the right experience around him Lockers will have a bit of weight lifted off his shoulders. At the moment he doesn't get much support apart from Bailey and Riddell.

Brian Noble is the other debate. I really don't think he is going anywhere at the moment with Ian Lenagan and Brian Noble building a squad to their wants so it would seem and if the caliber of players like Gleeson are being signed then I would be quite excited to see where it led to. Who knows some people detest Noble and want him out the club up to the point that they want Wigan to lose. Others are more supportive of Noble.

Either way next season I would look for our side to look something like:

Pat Richards
Amos Roberts
Martin Gleeson


George Carmont
Sean Ainscough
Sam Tomkins
Matt Orford
Stuart Fielden
Mark Riddell
Andy Lynch
Gareth Hock
Sean O'loughlin
Joel Tomkins
--------------------------------------------
Thomas Leuluai
Feka Paleaasina
Paul Prescott/Eamon O'carroll
Harrison Hansen/Lee Mossop

With Michael McIlorum out on loan.
Darrell Goulding
Karl Pryce
Liam Farrell
Mark Flanagan etc offering the depth from the academy.

The more I look at that team, the more I think that Harrison Hansen's days are numbered. It seems very harsh given that he was our top tackler but someone had to fill the gap that Lockers left last year and Hansen was the man for it however going forward I don't think he offers us enough and I can't help but think we would be a much better team with a Bryan Fletcher, Tony Puletua type player in there or maybe sign an attacking minded loose forward and allow O'loughlin to move to the second row.

Either way whatever recruitment drive Noble and Lenagan go for they have to realise that this season and next season we have the chance to shape our squad to exactly how we want it. With a lot of the average players coming off contract. Andy Coley, Phil Bailey, Cameron Phelps, Tim Smith etc and next year is the year when we can really assess some of our younger players at the club and see how far they have come. Not to mention Fielden's contract is up and that will be a big relief off the cap. The money we have spent on him could bring in theory any prop forward we wanted because you have to suspect he is one of the most highest paid players at the club and in super league given the nature of the deal when we signed him in such extreme circumstances in 2006.

I think Flanagan will be looking to make the step up very soon so that could help offset the loss of Bailey.

The squad will look similar to what you've suggested and it will allow us to spend big on a top class scrum half and Orford fits the bill even though he's an aging aussie. Whoever we sign I think we'll end up with a top class scrum half next year.

I would have perhaps bid for Dobson. Just imagine a back line of:

Richards
Roberts
Gleeson
Carmont
Ainscough
Tomkins
Dobson

Fantastic back line that would be but we should look for a cheaper option i.e avoiding another transfer fee then we should look to Australia. Richie Myler and Sam Tomkins would not be a good idea - yes in the future they could be a decent halfback pairing but the lack of experience will hamper the side and when we have the chance to rebuild the side we shouldn't do this. Matt Orford as you say fits the bill.

We paid a decent fee for Flanagan when he came over and so I would be disappointed if he didn't develop into anything or even get a super league game. It would just show how poor Brian Noble's judgement on young players is.

He's bound to get it wrong on some, to say his judgement is poor before Flanagan is even given a proper chance is harsh IMO.

I dont think i could be happier with our backline. All we need for next season now is a good coach, a proper scrum half and Leuluai to bench hooker, mcilorum on loan a couple of decent props and we've got a bang tidy team, sexy rugby here we come

Well I am not hearing much about him coming from the regulars that watch the reserve games and the games I have been to myself he has not really stood out.

If he has got this one wrong could you tell me the ones he has got right?

i dont think we need an attack minded 13 in order to allow Lockers to move to 11/12. IMO this role is perfect for Hock, did he not play a hell of a lot with him and Tompkins rotating toward the end of last year?. I think this would work with the stability in defence coming from Lockers and Hansen in the back row. people seem to think that Hansen should go becuse they feel he offers nowt in attack. personaly i think he does, i think he runs good lines, is quick and has a decent offload. he has alson scrored a few trys the season.

you should never underestimate the fact that a team needs players like Sean and Harrison to get through the graft in defence. IMO the cornerstone of any team should be build on this principle.

(sorry about the use of IMO twice in that post, i am just enjoying the sound of my own voice there!!)

Richards
Ainscough
Carmont
Gleeson
Roberts
Tomkins
Myler
Bailey
Riddell
Prescott
Hock
Tomkins
Lockers

Feka
LMS
Hansen
Lealeui


With the following going on loan

Goulding
Farrell
Mossop
O'Carroll or Davies