Wane out!!

Lets try to be positive guys. At least he cant be any worse then Denis Moran...... or can he??

My God, i never thought id see the day when Wigan signed Jam Butty to direct operations in the middle.

Id put this on par with the signing of Gavin Clinch.

I've always liked watching Sammut play but something has to be amiss with him if hasn't consistently played in Super league.

He had a blinder when I watched him play for Workington against Swinton a couple of seasons ago

Sydney Roosters will be shi itting themselves !!

2002 Top try scorer in SL with 22 for the 8th placed side
2003 Top try scorer in SL with 24 for the 5th placed side
2004 6th top try scorer in with 19 for the 10th placed side

77 tries in 105 appearances in an average London side is pretty bloody good.

In 2005 he was the top try scorer at Wigan.....he does seem to be used as a scapegoat for a couple of seasons where you were a mid-table side and in 2006 he had his "wings clipped" by the coach and the result was dire....not his fault though!

Sammut is mercurial.....coach him well and he'll do fine, but if he sulks, you've just wasted a wage and a quota spot!

Think Lenegan has not so much lost the will but is shaping the club for the future,I don’t see his family in love with the sport as much as he is,and he is to be fair,the days of him propping the club are at an end it seems

Hasn't JS been brought in as a squad player? We've George at 6 and Tommy at 7 so Sammut isn't perhaps in our starting 17. He is experienced cover should Tommy call it quits end of 2019.
So what will happen to Woods and Shorrocks and their efforts to claim a half back spot? This signing suggests that they are further back in the pecking order than previously.
Whether Sammut turns out to be a good signing time will tell but I wish him well and hope he succeeds like I do with all players who pull on our shirt.

I wouldn't be shocked to see one of Woods/Shorrocks head out on a season long loan to someone like Leigh or London.

That could be a good point - the comments about us having a marquee slot available might be technically true but paying for it is a totally different matter. The club has lost money consistently for the last few seasons - with the chairman putting his own money in we would be in trouble. The major investments recently have been in long term infrastructure.

Sammut will be a decent signing, never seemed to find his best over here, just earned a living.

If Wane was the coach this would be an awful choice but with Lam and then Edwards he may even get an extension after two years.

Lenners always said he was trying to shape the club so it was self-sufficient, it's his true goal before he goes.

He has ploughed millions into off-field projects and tried many other avenues of revenue.

4 SL Titles, 2 CC 2 LL 1 WCC under Lenners command isn't bad, is it?

Compared to the decade before he took over.

Trust in Lenners!!

I'll have a pint of this stuff please.

To quote myself during his 1st season at Wigan...

Dennis Moran, out on the full

Cant wait for the Sammut picture of the day thread........

Nothing can be as bad as that

I wonder how much input Shaun Edwards had in this decision? When all is said and done he will have Sammut in his squad for his first season. Living, as he does down south he may have seen a few London Bronco's matches and liked what he saw of Wigan's new signing, Just a thought.

After the euphoria of getting Lam and Edwards in as coaches, the one thing we needed was to announce the signing of a genuinely top class player. I’m confident that had we done that we would have seen a big boost in season ticket sales. The signing of Sammut will do absolutely nothing to sell season tickets before January.
It’s a vicious circle I suppose. To invest in a top player will cost marquee money but is likely to boost attendances meaning more money coming into the club. To spend less on players like Sammut will not boost attendances and will result in less money coming into the club. I’d say we needed to speculate to accumulate. I’m disappointed.

Think Woods is almost certainly coming to Leigh on a season long loan - looks a very good prospect from the bits I've seen

Bulk him up a bit for us, just my opinion but I don't think he's got the pace to make it as a half back but I reckon he could become a cracking ball handling 13.

Exactly my thoughts.

I'd like to see a top-class as much as the next man, but I'm not really convinced as to the existence in large numbers of this mythical group of people who aren't current ST holders, and the thought of watching the champions under a new coach in 2019 is not enough to entice them, they need a superstar scrum half too...

As I've argued before, how much did Ben Barba increase Saints' gates? Cas have been praised in recent seasons for their attacking footy, but is the Jungle packed to the rafters? Hardly. Attracting new customers (or even getting back old ones) is not easy.

Hardaker?
Greenwood? (I appreciate we got him a few months earlier than expected)

we got rid of better

Two potentially good signings, I'd already say Greenwood is.
However in the the last few signings we've also signed 3 championship players in Bullock, Sammut and Hankinson.

We all know how much of a risk Hardaker is and I’d argue that Greenwood is already exceeding expectations. He looks a tremendous acquisition and I can’t wait to see him with a full preseason in him.
Would he make someone who doesn’t usually go to a game get off their backside and get to a game on a cold, rainy February night? I’m not sure he would.

Regarding attendances, reviewing comments made by supporters on here and in genral perhaps we have identified style of play as a more significant factor in people’s decision to either stay at home or attend a match rather than paying out big money for a big name, if a big name was actually available / realistic.

According to the coach and the player, Samutt is significant in changing our style of play and I would guess that Edwards also agrees.

Interesting too that it seems like bringing in a player that would sign a two year contract could also be significant, perhaps Edwards didn’t want to bring in two new half backs for 2020 and wanted his scrum half to be settled?

Hardaker - I suspect is a marmite acquisition will put as many off as excite as many, if he ever plays for the club that is. Doubt his signing will add many to the crowds.

Greenwood has played well but again is hardly a name to bring in extra viewers.

Realistically there are not many names , who are likely to be signable, who would have much impact on crowd levels.