Unless my page isn't uploading, it's four hours since the game, and not one single post about it (not even a commentary thread)



1) Sad to say that given some of the scores being predicted beforehand, 8 - 44 wasn't too bad was it. At 0 - 10 after a few minutes I thought here we go again, but we stopped the flow for the next 20 minutes or so until near the break, so not a bad effort for the first half. After Wigan scored imediately after the break I lost interest in Broncos efforts and just sat back and enjoyed Wigan's play for the remainder of the match. Love him or loathe him, Tompkins was pure class

2) I thought we looked slightly more like a team today, and appeared to make fewer mistakes than previous games, it may be wishful thinking though. Let's hope that with Tony Rae at the helm he can instill some more confidence in the team before the Catalan and Salford games

3) Anybody know the extent of Dan Sarginson's injury? It didn't look promising from the moment the Wigan player's hand went up to stop the game

And while i was typing Torbreck and PP go and post

The two main problems were clear to see. The switch off period (first five minutes and last five of the first half) and the ability to match opponents for only part of the game, we probably matched them for 50 minutes, but in the other 30 they killed us. Still there was some stick ability and we will need more of that as the season goes on. Once again injuries did us, but Wigan appeared to suffer none of their own. We have a long way to go ....................

OK, so we leaked 44 points by Wigan being world class - and the first 5 minutes a disaster. But by far the *biggest* improvement was us wrapping up the attacking players by using not one, not two but by using 3 defenders to bundle up the Wigan players and get them grounded and not being able to pop the ball out. So many times over the past 4 months we looked like we were having a Sunday dance with tackles but today we stopped many moves dead in their tracks. I was impressed and reckon if we didn't do that basic task so well today we could have easily conceded 90+ points.

I thought O'Callaghan and Howell were terrible in both attack and defense, Randall was average in attack and that the attack was very mediocre.

But the attitude was good and I was pleased that the resistance was stubborn and Sam Tomkins With four tries and two set ups was the difference rather than a basic run at a weak defender

Totally outclassed. Can't pick anyone out this week. Got what we deserved.

Ankle injury. He's home with it iced up, so he tweets.

What were you expecting?

Nothing better than anything that's gone before. Awful. We have no centres or second row, no power up front, ineffective halves. We were lucky to cross their line and lucky they bombed so many gilt edged chances.

Just a poor team and you cant expect any major changes in how we perform. We need wholesale changes if we are to complete next year.

Gosh. Two days into the job and things are back to square one reading the above. You're a tough crowd.

didn't ship the 70 points i thought we would but we are nowhere near big enough or physical enough for a super league team. excellent day out though with good people. Get down to Skolars next saturday and sunday for some competitive rugby league in London.

Wigan barely got out of first gear and still put 44 on us. No more needs to be said.

As a Wigan fan I thought you made us work hard and didn't exactly roll over and die type thing. We were well on defence after the cup semi so I'd actually take small positives from a, not being nilled by us and b, not letting us get fifty. Is it Salford next I heard? That should tell a lot.

Less one on ones missed

3 men in a lot of the tackles-Very few Wigan offloads

Thats what Rae has introduced in one session

Wigan highlighted our lack of defensive structure. I suspect that will be TR's project this week.

With TR having only been in the country for just over 48 hours before ko I didn't expect anything different - lets wait and see what happens against Salford in a fortnight when he's had time to do something.

As no one had started a thread during the match, was everybody there in our "35 Club" except GF?

a few of us posted last night when we got home on the Wigan 21.07.12 thread, it was just before 9.30pm I was in and shattered from the drive.

I think expectation as I said on that thread ran high last week, and even if Tony was the best coach in the world one training session was not going to work miracles. It was as usual a bad start and I started to think if it was worth it, but we did go through a period when we held them, as someone else said three men in the tackle, our line in defence was better. But then came the period when the lock gates well & truly opened, no one can deny Wigan are a good side and Sam T, if he wants to switch it on he can.

The crowd that Wigan brought some said about 1,000 made it look a little better in The Stoop. We have got to build now and this coming week Tony will work with them more but it is not a easy game upcoming. We have just got to hand in there.

Not sure how attractive it was the Wigan squad being treated to a night at the Theatre courtesy of IL ??

Funnily enough, I'm a tad more optimistic about certain parts of the game. The start was dreadful but then I was pretty much expecting that. I thought we did defend better, and we generally made fewer errors until the last 15 minutes when some of the players looked (as wire quin observed to me at the time) knackered.

I continue to be impressed by the spark and resillience of Kieran Dixon - he's not afraid to go toe-to-toe with Josh Charnley and come off second best on most tackles but he goes for it anyway. David Howell and Jamie O'Callaghan - how many more times can we say it? Neither of them are up to the required standard. They offer nothing either in attack or defence. Has anyone else noticed how reliant Gower is on the short ball? His distribution is very predictable.

Wigan played well within themselves I thought, although it was enjoyable watching Gareth Hock stuff up a 2 on 1.

Once again, embarrassing that the 'home' crowd in the east stand seemed vastly outnumbered by Wiganers. Visiting fans must laugh at us.

Some improvement in attitude and Keiran continues to impress.

All in all, not as bad as I was expecting...the test will be how we go against Salford.

Would have said there was at least 3000 Wigan fans in attendance (there were quite a few in the West Stand and they nearly filled the North Stand).

Enjoyed the comedy duo of Melling and Howell...highlight of the match. Hope it gets on the SL review show.

While im not sure if the lads positives outweigh the negatives i have always been impressed by his attitude in giving his all.Shame he isnt bigger as i doubt he is ever going to be a great tackler.

That Melling/Howell incident was the funniest thing I've seen all season.

It summed the season up

I thought the sides were evenly matched in the forwards with our guys making decent yardage and tackling pretty well with plenty of gang tackles. On the negative side they were a bit slow to move up at times and gave away more penalties than we could reasonably afford. Randall's distribution is not what it used to be.

Of the backs I thought Craig Gower, Kieran Dixon and Dan Sarginson battled hard against international calibre opponents. Robertson was efficient but unspectacular.

I thought David Howell and Jamie O'Callaghan were worth apoint 12 points each in gifts for the opposition and as usual Michael Witt seemed quiet, I always thought he would rain 'bombs' down on the opposition but I've seen little of that this season.

Having gone two tries down early on and being clearly out of the game I thought the players showed a lot of heart to battle on manfully. There has been a lot of back-to-back tries against them in other games and a collapse at the end but neither happened today.

You can't really be pleased with a big home defeat but I was very proud of the work ethic and desire shown today.

I'm thrilled that we are at least starting the rebuilding job and today was a forward step.

I thought we were better without doubt.
No lack of application and effort.
Werent to disappointed at the end but just relieved Wigan didnt really go for it,
as there was clearly a few extra gears left in them.

Only posting because duty calls, others have already written the same as I would. So:
Man for man outclassed in just about every position.


Kept going till the end.



Let's see what TR can achieve in two weeks time, though he has very little room for manoeuvre as far as the squad is concerned unless we get a few back pronto from injury.