There has been rumours of other players having an issue with the coach aswell.

Hopefully in the long run they will prove to be right decisions, but if A'OB, Roberts etc get an offer from another club their agents will know contracts don't stand for much at the Bulls.

I don't think contracts are worth a jot at any club, to be fair. As far as the club is concerned - other than maybe being able to agree a fee when the player decides he has been offered a better deal - it isn't worth a light, it doesn't even prevent other SL clubs coming in and offering terms. I think all clubs accept the reality that a forced conscript isn't going to give his best so will get rid, just as we have had to.

Fair point.

I just think it's annoying to see players sign up for the long term then jump ship a year later. I agree that is probably more down to the agents, and that young lads want things as quickly as possible.

FC's way or no way?Is that it?

I have seen the likes of Hanley,Newlove,Skerret get prized away so its nothing new.What is new,though,is three promising young players leaving the club in a very short space of time.Whatever you think of Whitehead and Bateman,they were young,home grown players with great promise and its all right saying GOOD RIDDANCE,THEY'RE BAD EGGS etc etc,that doesn't wash as Wigan and Catalan think they have signed untapped potential which they can harness.
So we have failed with both of them imo and the management style of FC is very much under scrutiny coz if he has got this wrong we have lost a great % of our future talent he'll be out the door and we would be left in dis array minus our youngsters.
The jury's still out imo.But its not gonna get ex season ticket holders beating down the doors to buy back their match tickets is it?
"Its all ok guys FC wants the club run a certain way and if the players don'[t like it they know where the door is".Who else doesn't like FC's way?The mind boggles.

Without attracting more support we are going nowhere and up to now I don't like FC's way either.As I have done for the last few seasons I will choose my matches until such time as I have confidence in what's going on.For info I held a vice-presidents season ticket for 35 years until Caisley thought he didn't need us anymore and a stand ticket for many years after that until they took the with the parking charges etc etc.

Let's see how we go.

100%.

Have been waiting for the old chestnut that your only a true fan if you buy a season ticket. People who spout this have no right to question other people's loyalty they don't have a clue of their personal circumstances. I pay on the gate every game that I go too because it's better for me personally apparently I can't be a fan.

I've only been buying a season ticket since fairly recently [maybe 20 or so years ago and before that used to pay on the gate, so I'm not sure where this leaves me....ancient, but not loyal, I guess

Well I guess we'll all have to take some lessons from the 'true fans' as apparently they are the only ones with the clubs best interests at heart.

You could argue that a "true fan" would never buy a season ticket, but would attend every home game and pay full price at the gate.

I seem to recall there being a lot of people on here unhappy that McNamara WASN'T a strict disciplinarian. Now we do seem to have a head coach who does seem to have a "You're not bigger than this club" approach to the players we seem to have people complaining about that.

You can be a disciplinarian without having the my way or the highway approach.

Look at the pl, Suarez & Rooney, both playing fantastic this season despite publicly criticising the club and saying they want to leave.

I just can't see him having that element of fear factor that wane/McDermott would have, so he goes for the easy option and lets them leave.

If Sammut, Scrutes or addy is next should they be allowed to bolt aswell?

"seem" being the operative word---do you know what his WAY really is and why is it that only players that Wigan,Catalan and Sydney wanted to sign that fall foul of his WAY?IMO certainly 2 out of the three we have failed miserably with.

Wigan/Catalan are prepared to harness their talent,but not us?

Great!

If it's nor Frannys way then who's way is it? John Batemans, Elliot Whiteheads?

There has to be a bit of compromise with special players. Franny is a young coach and still learning, he will have to adapt to different squads & different players.

Shaun Wanes methods must be pretty good to win a double, and not only is he happy to welcome Bateman into the squad, he is willing to pay a fee to get him.

And you think it's not Shaun Wanes way or the high way? Every one of his players are disciplined professionals and John Bateman will learn to be too if he wants to make it at Wigan.

Deal with players differently by all means, but no compromise on standards or behaviour.

Yeah it will be, but he has that fear factor I mentioned earlier.

If wane thinks he can control john and use him as part of a quality side why can't Franny?

It's nothing to do with fear factor, it's about doing the best for yourselves and your team by following the instructions that they are given. I'd John wants to do it his own way then the chances are he will find himself unhappy at Wigan aswell. Because Shaun Wane won't stand for it, just like Francis isn't.

But do you honestly think he's as likely to go out on the lash, getting into scraps and criticising his club on twitter with Shaun Wane managing him?

I know which one I'd rather answer to.

No I don't, but when other players start realising that they can't do it with Cummins and at our club either then the message will be clear to them. FC wants players to behave professionally and responsibly and it seems some dont want to. That's fine, because no matter how talented they may be, we will keep picking up and developing extremely talented players, but next time they will have been developed by a disciplined and professional system and will believe in the ideas that they have been brought up around.

Sorry but is this the Shaun Wane who showed Gareth Hock the door? He obviously couldn`t frightened the out of him. FC did the right thing. Bateman was and is a loose cannon.

I think it is probably easier to have a more disciplinarian approach if you have he resources of a club like Wigan. You can drop players or ship them out on loan,. We can't afford to do that, we don't have the players to come in.
If we could afford to, I would let the likes of Bateman and Whitehead rot in the reserves until their contracts were up. But we can't so we have to sell them.

I agree 100% with that

After he'd had numerous chances and the club stuck by him. Hock is also 30, unlike Bateman who up until recently was being spoke of as a possible future captain.

If Bateman is such a loose cannon he would be unmanageable. Clearly Wane thinks he has the ability to control him and get the best out go him, FC doesn't.

What we are seeing is the final unwinding of the Mac Pact: we wont sack you for 5 years whilst you develop our young talent into a winning team.

The last couple of years and particularly last year we have thrown our young talent into battle and they and the score board have shown the scars, despite saying that they would be given time to develop and brought on at a speed determined by their needs rather than the teams.

So no surprise for me, my starting 17 had Donaldson starting and Bateman subing for him, because to me that suited both the team and them best.

And Wigan agree with me, Batemans talent needs to be nurtured not driven headlong into a brick wall.

This and the signings eg Winterstein 6'4" and what, 3 stone heavier than Bateman? are to me an indication that the club have said that they cannot build the team around youth, but that they should build a team with the experience and depth that provides a genuine framework for our own talent to develop.

I am confident that we will not miss Bateman now, but we could do in three years, except by which time the next Bateman could have developed in such a much more benign structure.

As for managerial style, what did Ferguson win? How many players did he ship out because of attitude, eg Whiteside...etc etc etc hairdryers etc etc etc?

What we need are players with ability, experience and a point to prove, not prima donnas young or old. So good luck John, and thanks for signing a three year contract so we could demand more compensation.

Bring on the next Bateman, but gently.