Not a good result for us at all !

To lose one of the best attacking back rowers in the world, on the eve of a new season, when we have already been 'fish-gutted' by a huge loss of quality is a bad omen for the new season.

We may never ever get to hear the absolute truth in this debacle, because that is what it is.

It hasn't been helped with the very low intelligence/IQ of Gaz Hock, and after hearing many press interviews by Sean Wane, he the coach, isn't over endowed with the grey matter either.

When we lost our last coach we lost quality at the club. We seem to be haemorraging quality at a vast rate of knots since we lost Maguire .

i think you need to go away and read up on IL. If Wane was not up to the job in IL's eyes, he would be signing for Widnes, not Hock

He's been conned by his agent and Widnes, by the looks of things.














There is no way in the world that he's got a number 12 on that shirt. Although Widnes may get away with it, as may struggle to count that high.

Funny.... And ironic

He didn't think Noble was up to it either, but he still gave him until the end of his contract to prove him wrong and win some silverware.

Are you seriously comparing Noble's inability to get the team past a semi-final with Gareth Hock's misdemeanors?

As he will with Wane.

No, it's pretty obvious I'm not if you read what I wrote. I was comparing Wane's tenure with Noble's, and that if he wasn't convinced that Wane was up to the job he'd still give him time to prove himself.



That was the point I was making.

I think Noble did the job required, and that was to steady a very wobbly ship.

He did the job required when he arrived, but the requirements changed once the club was stabilised and was becoming strong enough to win trophies.

True.

I'm just not sure what your reason is for bringing up Brian Noble. You can't, as has been mentioned, compare the two. My point was that if Wane had been the "Issue" in this instance, i'm certain that IL as a successful businessman, which necessitates man management, would not be waving "bye bye" to Mr Hock. Equally, i'm certain that if Mr Noble had not been doing as required he too would have been sent on a "season loan" or its equivalent.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8kM7-Q ... PVt5BeR2hk Looks like all bridges burnt with Wigan. Hope we sign him. Feel sorry for Wigan. I know you all have differing opinions on him but he's the best/ one of the best forwards in the league and you've lost him. You can't even boo him because he can't play against you

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8kM7-Q ... PVt5BeR2hk Looks like all bridges burnt with Wigan. Hope we sign him. Feel sorry for Wigan. I know you all have differing opinions on him but he's the best/ one of the best forwards in the league and you've lost him. You can't even boo him because he can't play against you

Bought three unproven players out of their contracts, splunked god knows how much (enough to wipe out last season's profits i'm led to believe) on training facilities and given three hundred and twenty six local players their debuts. On top of getting rid of the club's star forward and allowing older (slower) players to leave without matching replacements.

Lenegan's given SW the reigns, backing, support, foot massages and anything else he wants. No way is this short term. Good or bad as that may be.

Opposition fans have been saying that about Hock for years. Typical was his eye-gouging attempt on Ben Harrison two seasons ago. I admire the Wigan club's handling of this whole issue. It may have taken a while for reality to sink in that this fool will never be satisfied, but I'm glad it has.

I know Gaz isn't the sharpest tool in the box but he doesn't come across very well in that interview at all. I can see this going the same way as the gleeson to hull move and I really wouldn't be suprised to see Gaz fail a drugs test in the next year.

Lenegan is so damning of him in that statement- I hope Gaz enjoys the next few years rotting in the bottom half of the league, we stood by him like no other player gave him a 2nd chance.

I'd rather have a hard working Liam Farrell who has a lot of rugby ability and talented youth in Greg Burke/ Anthony Gelling.

So long Gareth, close the door on the way out!

I think whats more alarming than who is in the right and the wrong is the mass exodus of talent at the same sort of time. You can talk about how long Tommy had been here and how he wanted a change etc. but the numbers of high quality players that have left all around the same time point towards something not being right IMO. It could just be bad luck that all these players have suddenly decided they want out at the same sort of time? When Wane took over and there was all the talk of Sam following Joel to RU Wane went public and said that whilst we cant compete with the money in RU he wanted to create the type of atmosphere at the club that players would not want to leave. It seems like players are wanting to leave more than ever to me. The only real world class players we have now got left are Sam and O'Loughlin and we already know that Sam wont be here for much longer infact id be amazed if he is still here by the end of this season.

When it comes to disputes between a player and a coach the chairman only really has two options - find an amicable solution or get rid of the player. Even if Lenegan wasn't convinced about Wane's abilities (I'm not saying he is or he isn't) it would be pretty damaging to sack him because it suggests a large amount of player power and there's the risk of making the club look like a poor option for a potential coach.
I've little doubt that Lenegan grew impatient with Noble, it became increasingly obvious towards the end of Noble's tenure that Lenegan expected more. Some chairmen would have sacked him and gone for an immediate solution but I suspect IL is smart enough to know that a good coach would be much more willing to take on a job if he knew his position was reasonably secure for the duration of their contract.

You make it sound as if contracts are worth something...

I don't for a second blame Wane for this fiasco but i still can't believe there are people out there who think that Wane should be the head coach at Wigan.

It's worrying how far some fans heads are embedded in the sand when it comes to our head coach and his obvious failings.

Given Hock can't get out of his on his terms, clearly they are.

What failings are these?

Is the guy who told you we've "wasted all last year's profits on training facilities" the same guy who told you that we should all have been informed Hock was going to Widnes before the deal was signed? I wouldn't be surprised.

Perhaps he was the same guy who advised Hock to avoid training and get himself sacked - right on the eve of a new season (you know, when everyone else has spent up). Good call, that one.

PS: Chairmen backing their coaches over players who've brought the club into disrepute time and time again tend not to be an unusual breed.

He will not be playing at nd top superleague sides thats for sure, im sure wigan would sell him to an nrl club though

I'll give you that... lol..

But this is rare instance is probably down to GH and his agents bad handling of the situation. Most people seem to be able to get out of a contract they don't want to be in....

I think Shaun Wane should be head coach.
He was deputy to Mcguire and will have learned a lot from him. To me IL did the right thing and gave him a two year deal with a one year option.
In his first season, despite some mistakes, his team topped the League after 27 games and won the Shield. Not the most prestigious these days but IMO the most difficult to win.
SW's Wigan were the most consistent team in the League and for a period were playing some of the most breathtaking Rugby I've seen for years.
We are now in a situation where we've lost a number of key players who have been difficult to replace, Carmont being the most obvious. Green, Taylor and Smith have to be given a chance and we'll see this season whether they have been good signings or not.
As for GH, when he came back and signed the 5 year deal I always suspected it may end in tears, which it has done.
Just look at the poor lad's face in that Widnes photo. He looks utterly bewildered and totally lost. Not seen the interview but I'm sure he said all the right words. Not a player or man to attract sympathy but I do feel somewhat sorry for him, that photo says an awful lot!
I just wonder who has been advising him.
From IL's statement it reads like he should have received better advice somewhere along the line.
If this has been coming for a while then SW will have his squad sorted and know where each player will be, given that GH is no longer a squad member.
I do think that maybe we are in unchartered territory with his contract. I've never heard of anyone going on a one year loan when there's three and a half years remaining on his contract.
Suppose it goes belly up at Widnes, they can unload him at the end of the season. Would any other club take him on then or is he back with us?
As we all know GH is a still very much a contracted Wigan player.
How it pans out from here will be interesting given his contract status.