Well you could say TS is very lucky to get all this high quality, free advice, I am just a bit surprised he never thanks us for any of it. I bet when he gets home he is glued to this site sifting through all the ideas and comments.


"Tony, could you just pop out and milk the goats, nobody has done it today"

"One minute darling, I am just reading a thread about swapping Chris Hill with Richie Myler. Apparently that would give us a lot more speed in the forwards and make damn sure nobody bullies our HB"

I won't be dishing him before he starts like some.
He is a Wire and he gets my support, and if he gets more than his fair share if injuries in the course of wearing primrose and blue, just like Grix and Harrison, he will still get my support.

But I've made no secret of liking classic footballers that have the quality to play halfback and centre.
Wheeler fits the mild of Jamie Lyon, Whittle, Jiffy, Bridge, Blake. My favourite type of player.

I for one am thrilled he is a Wire, always liked him and hated him too, too naturally talented on a red V.
If he does to Saints what he did against us I'll be very happy.

Welcome Gary, don't ignore the knockers and pessimists, use it as a platform to ram it down their throats.

COTW!

I can't wait to see him play tbh, welcome Gary!

I love duckie's posts..... He's like a Del Trotter character, with his rather random grasp of the English language - Nobody can ever be quite sure if his little grammatical errors are deliberate or not.

Whether he's 'Smelling the custard', 'fitting the mild', or any of his other little classics, Duckie sure knows how to make me smile .....

Lol DSM, it's predictive text. It also put an on instead of in!
Still I like mild, my first ever pint, and it made you laugh, so it stays.
Mould was the intended word!

I think 'tipping the velvet' is more appropriate.

there's a couple of eye opening scenes in that!

I don't quite understand the negativity around Wheeler and the confirmation of his signing.

Yes he's had injury problems but Saints in general have sufferred in that department so maybe the issue is with the conditioning, rehab and training he's received.

Yes, maybe he is another utility player but that is the way the game is going. The days of players like John Woods who you put in their best position and built the team around them are gone, sadly. The physical and tactical demands of the modern game mean players have to be multi-faceted and adapable, and that invariably dilutes their skillsets.

For me, when the 2015 season starts everyone starts from an even playing field. I'll judge Wheeler's fitness, form, ability and attitude the same as all the other players when and where it matters - next Feb.

Thanks morrisseyisawire.... how could I forget John Woods?
Another classic footballing stand off/ centre

come on DSM, get your head out of the sand and smell the custard.

£80

Btw I do understand the benefit of having utility players but what we need is a specialist halfback with game management ability.

Until we get a top class one doubt we will get that elusive champion title.

Interesting how a player gets slated for being injured, I assume it's frustration on the fans part rather than "blaming" the player.
Also interesting to compare our attitude to Grix and his injuries (summarised as "poor bloke, gutted for him"icon_wink.gif and the saints forum view of Wheeler (summarised as stealing a living should have got rid earlier).

I am bemused by this signing as I know its low risk but if it is to replace Myler (I know that may not happen) then it is a risk not worth taking imo! I have never seen the guy command a game for 80 mins I just dont think he is good enough for us.

Very true, the chance all depends on how you look at it I was assuming it being his injuries, TS seems happy enough with it all, I'm looking forward to seeing him play.

I think he is a great player Irishwire.
If he stayed at Sts as a hb, he would likely clash with Walsh's style.
Lance doesn't and thinking about it, neither would Myler if he ever went there.

Wheeler was always well liked at Saints as a youngster, had injury not hampered him, I'm sure he would be up there with the best. I've not known him from what I've seen on TV ever to have a poor game.
I think the Saints fans are just throwing a few knives at him for leaving and joining an enemy.

Although I don't know this, purely a guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if his departure had something to do with Cunningham taking over as head. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't get along.

Those days were gone even when we had John Woods! He was shunted out of his best position so that Phil Blake could play in the halves. Still annoys me to this day.

Not me, loved Woods but Blake was the best player I have ever seen.

As a centre he was brilliant, in the halves not so much. Other way round with Woods.

I don't know, I had goggle blinkers on back then, I was in mesmerised by Blake.

Saints fans aren't throwing knives at anyone. Wheeler had many years in the first team and never made himself available for enough games to ever establish himself in the team. He finished this season a good couple of stone overweight. A lot of Saints fans have said it's a shame, he's clearly talented, but no one could justify giving him another deal. We are well aware of the possibility of him joining Wire, playing a good stretch of games and starting to fulfill his potential. It could well come back to bite us, but had we given him another deal questions would have had to be asked.

Wheeler was highly rated as a kid, many rated him higher than Kyle Eastmond. Whilst Kyle came through and established himself and got a big money move to Union, Wheeler has never progressed beyond being a young squad member. In the years I've watched him I can remember 40 minutes at Wigan where he looked superb, one amazing pass one time and one or two jinking runs of note. And that's in about 7 years. I honestly don't know much about him, does he have a kicking game? How fast is he in open space? Can he organise the team when playing in the halves? And when you can't answer questions like that about a player who is 25 and has been with the club all his life, it shows how little he's shown us.

I don't think there is anything in the Cunningham allegation you've made either. Everyone at Saints seems to be of the opinion that he's talented, but that he's had all his chances now. There are undertones that people don't think he is committed enough to the profession and a lot of question marks over his social circle and family. I don't know much about that, but it did always annoy me when he'd play 20 minutes after 3 months out, get injured, then post pictures of himself on the couch with a beer and a big bar of Galaxy on Twitter.

I'd wager a lot that Smith has Ratchford at 6 and O'Brien at 7 and Wheeler is a roll of the dice with the remaining salary cap that he's not relying on a return from.

What harm can it do to give him a go.... and if it all falls through then at least the rest of the team can get mates rates for their dogs being clipped at Shampoochies!

64 appearances since 2008

The grand final win has done funny things to you, this is far too sensible

Best story I heard about Gary Wheeler was from James Graham at a Saints fan forum.

It was the off season and a few of the boys were playing the drinking game "Slurred". Rules are simple, you have a subject and you go through the alphabet with each player in a circle having to say a word beginning with that letter, so for example Aussie cities would be, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, etc. Doubt I needed to explain drinking games to Wire fans but anyway...

Gary had lost the last game so got to pick the subject and go first...

Gary: "OK animals you could have as a pet"
Gary: "OK"
Gary: "Amster"



You have been warned!