"Exactly, the standards are set and remain within the club. Rather than the standards are set at the top and run through everything they do i think at a club like Wigan the standards are set at the under 16s and run through to the first team, every single one of them first team players know there are ten lads with the desire to take that first team spot away from them so the standards are set from the bottom up"

I find this is closer to the nub of bridging the gap. When junior teams from Wire area play those from Wigan are we still finding there is a gap. I would love to spend time in the schools & in local rugby to try to put my finger on what needs to be done. Whenever we get a decent team at Warrington (say at U16 level) we play Wigan ... and find it tough. Wire won't buy our way (long term) out of this problem.

Yep we have bought some duffers who haven't lasted long. Good idea to look at other clubs' recruitment too. We obviously remember Wire failures but I bet if you looked at Leeds, Hull, Huddersfield & others you'd see a few clangers too.

I didn't pick up these names on original list.

Without a doubt but other clubs could cover it up better than us because we had that buying a win tag on us and everyone including the other clubs fans would pick up on it. That tag was with us for a long time but I like to think that’s going to be in the past now.

Agent: Don’t worry Roy I know a club that will take you and pay you what you want.

Just listened to the podcast and think the interviewer missed a few opportunities to really pick at the scab and to get some real insight, but on the whole I completely believe and understand Cooper. He’s right, and this was my point at the time and the records on here will support this. We were frustrated at failing at the games that matter, as a fan base. But we were in the contest and had proven that we could beat the big teams. We needed to grow the resilience, the skill and the attacking threat. But did not of that and burned the house down in the process. I do hope that the full truth comes out about Powell and the group of people that are responsible for those two years, because the way Cooper in particular was treated was and is a disgrace. He cares, you can hear it in his voice, and I would want a man who cares in my squad. You can coach process and positioning, you can’t coach to care about the club, town or its people. Yes, we needed more than what Price could deliver, but that era is an unmitigated disaster. And the club should have issued an apology for the way that this era came about and ultimately ended, we paid the same money for that period, and it was completely pathetic.

[quote="Barbed Wire":2bh8y1u9]Just listened to the podcast and think the interviewer missed a few opportunities to really pick at the scab and to get some real insight, but on the whole I completely believe and understand Cooper. He’s right, and this was my point at the time and the records on here will support this. We were frustrated at failing at the games that matter, as a fan base. But we were in the contest and had proven that we could beat the big teams. We needed to grow the resilience, the skill and the attacking threat. But did not of that and burned the house down in the process. I do hope that the full truth comes out about Powell and the group of people that are responsible for those two years, because the way Cooper in particular was treated was and is a disgrace. He cares, you can hear it in his voice, and I would want a man who cares in my squad. You can coach process and positioning, you can’t coach to care about the club, town or its people. Yes, we needed more than what Price could deliver, but that era is an unmitigated disaster. And the club should have issued an apology for the way that this era came about and ultimately ended, we paid the same money for that period, and it was completely pathetic.[/quote:2bh8y1u9] We don’t have a given right to be successful all the time, and without jeopardy, they’d be no thrill. What stood out for me in Powell’s first season, is the support we gave to the team vs Wigan away, while still knowing we’d get a thrashing. We let the team know we were still behind them, before the crunch match vs Toulouse. This change from the fans, after all season being on their backs and booing them. For those 2 games…our support was immense. A type of support I don’t think I seen before since…. The Wembley CC v Wigan in 1990. Or the Paul Cullen 100 minutes none stop chanting of barmy army at Wigan. Games we didn’t have a hope in winning.