I'm not particularly too bothered about SL.
So long as we keep going Wembley I'm satisfied....I like the day in the sun.

Well said,sir !

The fact we are arguing about whether we were technically 5th or 4th last year says everything about where we are.

We're a club that will be competing for 4th/5th place, I think we have above 50% chance of making the playoffs and we have a chance of competing for the Challenge Cup too.

This state of affairs will satisfy some supporters like Smiffy, others like me and Wires71 find it frustrating.

It's frustrating because of the context and recent history. If you went back twenty years (how time flies) to when Deakin was here, and we'd just announced the signings of Langer, Nikau and Gee, there was a really exciting buzz about the club. As the 2000 season approached, the season previews in the media were giving us a similar kind of prediction to what I just said above for where we are now....competing for a playoff spot and chance of winning the Challenge Cup. I remember at the time thinking that was an incredibly exciting prospect. In the end we finished 6th and made the CC semi so it didn't turn out as well as we hoped.

But 20 years on, that kind of expectation just isn't exciting any more. In the past ten years we've won four Challenge Cups, made four Grand Finals and won two League Leaders Shields. So the only thing left to be really excited about is the quest to win a Grand Final.

If we were moving in a direction that felt like we were more likely to win a Grand Final than we were in the past that would be exciting. The problem at the moment is it feels like we are just standing still or sliding backwards. You could see through the second half of last season that there was no way we were going to end up winning the Grand Final. We haven't looked like we have addressed our weaknesses in the off-season recruitment so it just feels like another year of being in the close-but-not-ready-yet group of clubs. That's why it isn't exciting.

And thats the problem in a nutshell.

The displays (challenge cup apart) were very poor. Players looked disinterested... Coach looked bemused and trotted out the same rhetoric. The rugby on display was awful..... Like REALLY bad to watch... We were tactically inept and devoid of effort.... the worst 2 things a team can have.

I dont think there is a single fan looking at next season with any optimism.... Most are expecting a hard opening with performances like the back end of the season, followed by outrage and a sacking.

Flaming hell Sally ... I get frustrated too ... but I don't moan for ever and ever. I have been involved in rugby for a long time and I have think seeing the negative virtually all the time is not good. This forum is a bit of a joke. Same old negs going on and on and on ... we've heard it and we understand your feelings.

Go on, give us all some positives, for balance.

With this being Warrington though, more likely to be:
- bad start, coach under pressure
- team rallies mid season, looks to be on track
- falls away in the back end of the season

Club management verdict on the season: We must do better in 2021 on the field but off the field wolfie was a great success

I'm positive about the Challenge Cup win last season. I think we've underrated it.

If someone asked what's the most significant big game performance you've ever seen from a Wire team, taking in to consideration the occasion, the opposition, outperforming expectations, what would it be?

I'm struggling to think of any game to put ahead of 2019 CC final against Saints at Wembley.

Keep off the forum and stick to the barmy army facebook group then. You can join in with all the happy clappers and the middle aged mums who think we should have a 'Mrs. Wolfie' mascot and that is doesn't matter who wins, as long as everyone has fun...

I'll stick to this forum, where serious people can talk about serious faults that we can see in the team or the game. It's not about loving to moan, it's called observation and independent thought. Not blindly going along with whatever the club releases.

You must be reading a different barmy army group to me, likewise reading a different forum here if you dont think theres some proper cranks on here (we love all of you though, merey xmas)

Quote ="sally cinnamon"I'm positive about the Challenge Cup win last season. I think we've underrated it. If someone asked what's the most significant big game performance you've ever seen from a Wire team, taking in to consideration the occasion, the opposition, outperforming expectations, what would it be? I'm struggling to think of any game to put ahead of 2019 CC final against Saints at Wembley. '" Maybe 1986 Premiership against Halifax. Halifax were the team to beat at that time with a good side. I think they won the league and CC in successive seasons. We had just appointed Tony Barrow and were on a bit of a roll having beaten Widnes and Wigan. We absolutely mullered them at Elland Road against all expectations. You could watch that game over and over and be amazed at Warrington's performance both in the forwards and backs. 75m try from Johnno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3Xm7lCJhI) and even 2 trys from Boyd.

Quote ="sally cinnamon"I'm positive about the Challenge Cup win last season. I think we've underrated it. If someone asked what's the most significant big game performance you've ever seen from a Wire team, taking in to consideration the occasion, the opposition, outperforming expectations, what would it be? I'm struggling to think of any game to put ahead of 2019 CC final against Saints at Wembley. '" Maybe 1986 Premiership against Halifax. Halifax were the team to beat at that time with a good side. I think they won the league and CC in successive seasons. We had just appointed Tony Barrow and were on a bit of a roll having beaten Widnes and Wigan. We absolutely mullered them at Elland Road against all expectations. You could watch that game over and over and be amazed at Warrington's performance both in the forwards and backs. 75m try from Johnno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3Xm7lCJhI) and even 2 trys from Boyd.

Where exactly is the forum for the the middle aged mums?

[urlhttps://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/active-conversations[/url

Quote ="Wires71"Maybe 1986 Premiership against Halifax. Halifax were the team to beat at that time with a good side. I think they won the league and CC in successive seasons. We had just appointed Tony Barrow and were on a bit of a roll having beaten Widnes and Wigan. We absolutely mullered them at Elland Road against all expectations. You could watch that game over and over and be amazed at Warrington's performance both in the forwards and backs. 75m try from Johnno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3Xm7lCJhI) and even 2 trys from Boyd.'" That was before my time but I thought that would be the most likely suggestion too. I think you can put the Challenge Cup ahead of the Premiership as a more significant trophy, but even so, if you have to go back 33 years to find an equivalent big game performance to the 2019 CC Final, it says something about how significant that game was. It does feel a bit like the 'forgotten trophy'. It's a bit puzzling that we're not dining out on the warm glow of that Wembley win all through this off season.

Quote ="Wires71"Maybe 1986 Premiership against Halifax. Halifax were the team to beat at that time with a good side. I think they won the league and CC in successive seasons. We had just appointed Tony Barrow and were on a bit of a roll having beaten Widnes and Wigan. We absolutely mullered them at Elland Road against all expectations. You could watch that game over and over and be amazed at Warrington's performance both in the forwards and backs. 75m try from Johnno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj3Xm7lCJhI) and even 2 trys from Boyd.'" That was before my time but I thought that would be the most likely suggestion too. I think you can put the Challenge Cup ahead of the Premiership as a more significant trophy, but even so, if you have to go back 33 years to find an equivalent big game performance to the 2019 CC Final, it says something about how significant that game was. It does feel a bit like the 'forgotten trophy'. It's a bit puzzling that we're not dining out on the warm glow of that Wembley win all through this off season.

Widdop's Milf!

I think a good number are - especially on Facebook. But for others it was the way and how we fell away in the league and bombed out of the playoffs which has put a dampener on things. In truth I think we all just want to nail the GF now. We have waited a long time.

Don't forget Wires 71 the much better team & nailed on winners were robbed on the day. The lustre of our win is very much tarnished & i can only look back at at the win through trauma induced tears.
Meanwhile , COYW !

To be fair you stated you never went to Wembley to witness Warrington beat Saints in the first Challenge Cup final between the two teams so won't have that emotional tie to the day that the fans that went will have.

To me it was a fantastic win made all the sweeter with it being against the team that has inflicted such misery on us over the years. Perhaps if you had been in attendance to see Warrington lift the cup in such memorable circumstances as substantial underdogs against a team bang in form you would hold the winning of the trophy in higher regard.

We'll never know as you cannot replicate the experience of actually being there witnessing a trophy win just like Sally not having been in attendance at Elland Road.

Yes that's a fair point. I didn't go to Wembley to witness it and it was a great achievement for sure. I'd been at all of our last 5 final losses and gave it a miss.

So I'm not denigrating the win at all - we are talking about our personal feelings.

So back to Sally's point are you dining out on the warm glow or a tad disappointed with the season?

Winning the Challenge Cup - one of only two major trophies available, means it was a successful season. To me you have to operate in a very strange stratosphere or apparently be one of the "serious people" to think otherwise.

Somewhat perversely despite it being by definition to me a successful season, at the end of the season I was disappointed. I guess that was due to the promise we showed for the season ahead with a fit Austin in full flow for the first half of the season subsequently not being fulfilled and the season ending in a miserable, damp squib run of form.

Thing is I'm not one of the serious people. To me 2020 is a new season and with the rapido-try-scoring sensation Matty Ashton being added to our physically imposing three-quarter line of Lineham, King, Gelling, Burrell and Charnley being fed by our three stand-out pivots of Austin, Ratchford and Widdop on the platform provided by our all international pack of Hill, Cooper, Clark, Philbin, BMM, Currie and Hughes I can't help being positive about the year to come.

Therefore I guess I should again take my leave from this forum and leave it to the serious people.

Quote ="Paul Youane"Winning the Challenge Cup - one of only two major trophies available, means it was a successful season. To me you have to operate in a very strange stratosphere or apparently be one of the "serious people" to think otherwise. Somewhat perversely despite it being by definition to me a successful season, at the end of the season I was disappointed. I guess that was due to the promise we showed for the season ahead with a fit Austin in full flow for the first half of the season subsequently not being fulfilled and the season ending in a miserable, damp squib run of form. Thing is I'm not one of the serious people. To me 2020 is a new season and with the rapido-try-scoring sensation Matty Ashton being added to our physically imposing three-quarter line of Lineham, King, Gelling, Burrell and Charnley being fed by our three stand-out pivots of Austin, Ratchford and Widdop on the platform provided by our all international pack of Hill, Cooper, Clark, Philbin, BMM, Currie and Hughes I can't help being positive about the year to come. Therefore I guess I should again take my leave from this forum and leave it to the serious people.'" Don't flounce out, it's a broad church this forum. We need all voices. I guess we can assign the "serious people" moniker to the CEO though. Quote MT: Taking the Challenge Cup out of it and just focusing on Super League, I asked Steve whether he thought the Super League season had been a failure and he said no. Do you and the board agree with him? KF: I disagree. I think it has been a failure. How is finishing fourth and crashing out in the first round of the play-offs not a failure? Steve has got us to three finals and has won us one of them. He has done an incredible job but ultimately, this Super League season is a failure.'" Quote MT: If we’d have sat here in January and I’d have offered you the Challenge Cup but fourth place in Super League and out in the first round of the play-offs, what would you have said? KF: I’d have said that would be really disappointing.'" Source: Horses mouth. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... ead-coach/

Quote ="Paul Youane"Winning the Challenge Cup - one of only two major trophies available, means it was a successful season. To me you have to operate in a very strange stratosphere or apparently be one of the "serious people" to think otherwise. Somewhat perversely despite it being by definition to me a successful season, at the end of the season I was disappointed. I guess that was due to the promise we showed for the season ahead with a fit Austin in full flow for the first half of the season subsequently not being fulfilled and the season ending in a miserable, damp squib run of form. Thing is I'm not one of the serious people. To me 2020 is a new season and with the rapido-try-scoring sensation Matty Ashton being added to our physically imposing three-quarter line of Lineham, King, Gelling, Burrell and Charnley being fed by our three stand-out pivots of Austin, Ratchford and Widdop on the platform provided by our all international pack of Hill, Cooper, Clark, Philbin, BMM, Currie and Hughes I can't help being positive about the year to come. Therefore I guess I should again take my leave from this forum and leave it to the serious people.'" Don't flounce out, it's a broad church this forum. We need all voices. I guess we can assign the "serious people" moniker to the CEO though. Quote MT: Taking the Challenge Cup out of it and just focusing on Super League, I asked Steve whether he thought the Super League season had been a failure and he said no. Do you and the board agree with him? KF: I disagree. I think it has been a failure. How is finishing fourth and crashing out in the first round of the play-offs not a failure? Steve has got us to three finals and has won us one of them. He has done an incredible job but ultimately, this Super League season is a failure.'" Quote MT: If we’d have sat here in January and I’d have offered you the Challenge Cup but fourth place in Super League and out in the first round of the play-offs, what would you have said? KF: I’d have said that would be really disappointing.'" Source: Horses mouth. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... ead-coach/

This is SUCH a good post. Thank you!

OFFICIAL - Now Ruled out for the first month of the season with an ankle injury.

Not a great start to his Wire career.

It's alright... We've got Patton.

Were going into the new season with a pretty similar team to last year


I fear the worst!