Because there's a difference between the meaning of the word "bent" and the word "disgraceful". The latter could mean that the decision to go to the VR is poor and that he should have been able to make that on the field. It questions the ref's judgement. The former suggests that going to the video ref means the ref had it in for his team. It questions the ref's motives and integrity, and that should be a big deal.


When your attending a game in a professional capacity at a stadium with 40,000 people inside broadcast on national television, you are most certainly in public.

The broadcaster pays millions for the right to broadcast the game. That money has a huge influence on how much Wane gets paid in his role. If he doesn't like that they show his face, he shouldn't be a coach.


Not really. People need to realise where he gets his money from. Too few people seem to get this point. The game gets him his money. The game gets money from sponsors and broadcast rights. That comes from having a certain image. Questioning the ref's integrity, heat of the moment or not, is not an image that they will want.

The game has moved on. The game is more professional. It gets more money because of this. If you don't want the money and want to be saying those things, coach at amateur level for free.

My point is I know a lot of teachers.



And also that you're the only one still banging on about how a coach making a comment out loud but pretty clearly to himself, and who - purely by chance - was caught on camera, should face some form of punishment. You're seeking to impose YOUR lily-livered standards on the rest of us, the majority of whom can see it was a bit naughty, but also can understand the context and brush it off as a non-issue.

Not you. You think a highly emotive outburst should be taken literally. So, you're either a ridiculously delicate little flower who is genuinely offended, or you're a knee-jerk reactionist who truly believes facebook/twitter/instagram levels of outrage belong in the real world. Social media is, for the most, a stupid beast and should be kept at arm's length.

Just because YOU think it was 'totally unacceptable', and YOU bizarrely think Wane is genuinely accusing Bentham of being 'bent', and YOU think he should face punishment, doesn't mean your standards are applicable. Not offence, but shove yer offence up yer arris.

Good for you. I know a lot of builders and mechanics. I wouldn't say their trade means they have the same opinions on anything though. A rather strange comment from yourself.


I'm responding to people that have responded to me. Do I not get a right of reply? Look earlier through this thread and you will see there are people that agree with me. You're still "banging on" about it on the opposite opinion, but I won't use that as some kind of argument about your point.

My lily-livered standards? In what way? And in what way am I getting to impose them on the rest of "you"? Unless you're a professional sports coach on TV, I'm not imposing anything on you at all.


Or I care about the image of the game and that match officials deserve to not be called "bent" by coaches that are meant to set an example. I've refereed games with some awful touchlines in the past. Doesn't bother me, I've got a pretty thick skin and don't really care what people think of me (you've got to in my job!), but not everyone is me. I've seen many ref's lose interest because of touchline abuse. To show tolerance at the top for things like that filters down to the bottom. It needs nipping in the bud. He got caught out. People are talking about it. Doing nothing would be horrendous from the leaders of the game and show acceptance for this.


That applies to you also though. Just because you think it is acceptable and you don't think he should face punishment doesn't mean your standards are applicable. No amount of capital letters or derogatory adjectives will make my opinion less valid than yours.

You've also taken what I've said out of context. Do I think Wane thinks Bentham is bent? No. I don't think Hardaker thinks Monaghan is homosexual either. But in the heat of the moment they said something they shouldn't have said. Hardaker faced the consequences. The game must be consistent in some form.

At the time, something in Wane's head has made him think the ref is against him. He lost rational judgement and blurted out something he shouldn't have. He needs a reason to try harder next time.

Unfortunately for you, that reason isn't because Wellsy has decided it must be so.

Shouldn't have? By whose standards. Yep - yours. You even admit Wane didn't mean what he said, so in essence you want some form of punishment for a randomly caught, highly emotional private outburst even though it was nothing more than that and not a genuine statement of opinion, and actually not on a public platform despite mega-friggin-zoom treating us all to such a wonderful moment.

Have you ever coached a adult RL team? I have. It's a crazy mix of a rewarding, maddening & frustrating - an emotional rollercoaster you simply can't understand unless you've been there, and I've done my nut many times, as have many, many opposition coaches. It's way, way more emotional than playing. I'm not going to castigate Wane for shouting something to himself given - as you admit - he didn't even mean it.

Trial by Sky Producer. Trial by Wellsy. Give over. For want of a better phrase: grow a pair.

Teachers. Meh.



P.s. 'seeking to impose' is not the same as 'getting to impose'. You're a teacher, you should know that.

Not really, homophobic comments would be frowned upon in either case. Calling a referee "bent" in the context of being biased could fall under slander laws and would be treated equally.

However, the very fact this thread exists and started down the homophobic route is just pathetic. Let all coaches show there frustrations in vocalisation rather than passively sitting in the stands as if there's not even a game going on and all fans stop being so precious about some words said to nobody but himself.

No coach should have to watch what they say in the context it's just that we have this offend-nobody or fans criticising because they can attitude.

I should imagine that this is first and foremost an issue for the Wigan club. Shaun Wane was at work when he made the alleged comment and as such, Wigan RLFC are vicariously liable for his behaviour; if they feel that his behaviour reflects badly on them or worse, risks some form of sanction, they should speak with him about his conduct in the workplace.

Personally, I don't like to see professional coaches doing their nut like an angry Dad coaching an U13 side; it's not a good look for the sport, the club or the individual concerned.

Wellsy is spot on. Wane has a responsibility in his position for his actions. With the game as good as won I cannot think of any/many other SL coaches would react that way & accuse the ref of corruption. Only the most paranoid would think that way. As a manager I have a responsibility for how I behave in my professional capacity. If I act beyond accepted values & behaviours I have to accept the repurcussions, no matter how stressful my job. Whereas in some work areas of the people I manage it is still accepted that shouting & swearing is part of the job.

What an excellent post - and from someone who seems to be able to empathize with Wane.

As a huge Wane fan I sometimes find myself trying to defend him for his crassness. But I think most posters have done that more than adequately. Sense does seem to have prevailed.

I love his passion for the game and for Wigan in particular. I do think that in this instance a quiet word from Ian Leneghan might be in order. But nothing more.

Homophobic comments are me then frowned upon of done by a professional sports man. The game has little jurisdiction over fans other than banning them from the ground. They don't work for the game. They're not professionally responsible.

However, you are right about slander laws applying equally, and that would only be if the referee made a complaint and had proof and wanted to pursue it, not the game AFAIK.


In terms of him being accused of homophobia, I agree. Only someone with an agenda would think that he meant it in that context.
It doesn't ignore the other context of the word though.


Coaches can vocalise their frustrations all they want. I'm not against that. Accusing the referee of being corrupt is not acceptable though from a coach. Nor is calling someone a f**, a n***** or any other discriminatory word.

Some people don't recognise their needs to be a line until theirs is crossed.


Why? Why should a coach be allowed to say what they like? This is what I don't understand. He is paid by the game. The game gets money from image And broadcasting rights. They cannot just do what they like. They have to follow acceptable codes of practice like everyone else in their jobs.

It's ironic that people complaining about those being offended are being offended by those complaining.

What other reason would that word come to his head at that time? It doesn't take a genius to work out what he meant. There's a reason that word came out and not "elephant" or "Cronus".


I'm pretty sure the respect code of conduct covers coaches shouting out words such as "bent" to describe match officials in public...
And it's not just my standards really, is it? Your cute little outrage I'd getting amusing.


It wasn't private. No matter how much you keep saying it, being in a stadium of 40,000 people on national television is not private.
Had he been shouting racial slurs, would that still be OK? You don't seem to grasp this concept that he needs to still show restraint.


Yes. I've coached all ages. Your little story is interesting, but not applicable to all adult coaching. You really are narrow minded, aren't you...


There's a difference between being an amateur coach not being paid and a professional coach being paid. The two roles are not equal. Again n something you continue to forget. You can't just say what you like at work.


Did a teacher steal your missus or something? Or were you another one of those "teachers hated me" kids at school?

Wellsy! Denis Betts just dropped an f-bomb on live TV! The Sky Producer just happened to catch him purely by chance! With my fluent lip-reading skills that's what I think he said, though to be fair it's hard to see from up here on my high horse.

What sanction do you recommend? Bringing the game into disrepute by swearing on live TV? After all [i"he lost rational judgement and blurted out something he shouldn't have. He needs a reason to try harder next time."[/i

Shocking.

Surprised it's not broken the internet.


Ohmygod the crowd are swearing now. I've only got so much faux outrage I can express in one evening.

Still trying to find evidence of any word or words physically injuring or killing someone.

Bentham massively assisted the defenders of Wane tonight.

He conclusively proved he's not bent at all.

Just not very good.

Off with his head? Fire?

"Don't argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

Think I'll leave it at that. Some people clearly refuse to argue the point and instead wish to make strawman arguments.

Hmmmm

Hmmmm

Nice to see that pointless ire at all things Wigan, still keeps the knuckle-dragger's happy..

I don't think anyone is too upset with Wane swearing. Or Betts. People are upset because Wane accused the referee of corruption. I accept that is beyond the comprehension of your average Wiganer.

Is that because we are honest, honourable, scrupulous, principled, moral, trustworthy, reputable and creditable.

Or is that because we are all stupid? (In your humble opinion of course)

I like Rogues & Grimmy; you seem unusally balanced. The rest make Wane look gifted.

I think "Wane accuses ref of corruption" is a bit over the top. He was ed that bentham didn't award the try straight away and was venting, that's all.

However, is this a single incident? I know a lot of Wigan fans bemoan some of his approach in public statements, there was the whole "Knock 'em out!" business, and now this.

It remind me a little bit of when Ian Millward left Saints. He was sacked following a press conference in which he verbally abuse a journalist, but that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Rather than being "sacked for swearing" which some claimed when defending him, he was sacked following a series of incidents in which Millward acted in a manner which was unbecoming of his station in public.

If this had been anyone but the Wigan coach, it would hardly have been mentioned...

I agree. But is it a result of the way Shaun Wane has developed his public image, rather than an "everyone hates Wigan" issue?

I never look for what other coaches say or do, I'm just not remotely interested.. If i had seen another coach do this, i would have chuckled, thought him a bit of a fool, and forgotten about it... Some people need to find some things in their lives that are a little more important than the immediate reaction of a man who is as much a fan of his team, as he is it's coach.