What part of what he has said is clueless?

Well we'd better see some consistency in results or else I envisage poor season ticket sales for next year.

Don't see the point. He is either the man to take Wigan forward for the next three or four years or he isn't.

However wasn't his deal up at the end of this year with the option of another 12 months? So if I am right it isn't a new 12 month contract but the club just taking up the option.

Either way it is hardly a ringing endorsement.

Dave

Would not be suprised if a decision has been made on next year and a deal done. All the major NRL signings should be at an advanced stage so it makes sence to assume the coach for 2010 is already in place. Who that is non of us know but maybe BN has left it too late and a new coach has been selected prior to this week.

Can you read?

Its obvious to me that some on here cannot see past the end of there nose.

Improvement

Well we have improved over the last few games we have started to play a more attacking rugby this started at stick at Barrow but our defense was weak. Then Saints at the JJB things started to stick but again weak defense let them in and they won with 1 converted try and a drop goal which is not bad against the top team in the league. At Catalan we had a blip we did not look like we wanted to be there at all. Then Celtic we again played attacking rugby but again our defense was not the best and we let in 2 but look at there stats Huddersfield let in let in 2 and Hull KR let in 3 Celtic are not a bad attacking side. Then Wakefield Ok again defense was not the best but our attack was good. Then Saints on Saturday well we did a Saints to them there are 2 teams that have kept them down to 3 trys and won against them and 1 is us there are only 8 teams that have kept them to 3 trys all season and 2 of them are us.
We have started to play more attacking rugby this year which has shown in our points difference.

Contracts
If you plan ahead which is what you have to do then contracts are put together months in advance and this is more important with a head coaches contract as next years recruitment has to be planned for and your hardly likely to look for the best options for the team if you are not going to be there are you. As for from the employers point of view if your happy with what has taken place over his last contract and i dont just mean on field performance you have to look at the whole picture then you offer a new contract to your employee in this case Head Coach and give him a deadline for him to take it up. At this stage you are also looking for a replacement for him incase the contract is not taken up.
So lets say in Nobles case I.L. has offered him a contract for the next 12 months (which is the case) hes says i need to know and have it signed by lets say the 5th June ( and i dont know the deadline that has been given) if he has not taken it up by then the owner has the got enough time to find a new Head Coach who can then plan his recruitment for next year.


There is never going to be a short team fix for the club we have tried them in the past and all that happens is you run the club into the ground. I am happy to say the new owner is looking long term and trying to mend all the broken fences that were caused by years of mismanagement. And as for B.N he has done a great job in getting the training facility's and other team structures in place we are now in a lot better state than when he took over. The only other thing i would add to the training complex is an indoor playing surface with temperature and humility control but at the moment that would cost to much i think.

A very well thought out and realistic post , agree 100% with what you are saying.

So you're likening the appointment of a seasoned, very experienced, multiple trophy winning coach in Brian Noble to the appointment of a inexperienced, know-nothing, emotionally dysfunctional headcase like James Lowes?

Please don't tar Wigan with the Warrington brush of incompetence.

Things may not have worked out perfectly for Noble at Wigan, but at the time we signed him he was (and possibly still is) the best British born coach in rugby league. Lowes was a ludicrous cheap option who no SL club in their right mind would have gone for.

Honestly pal, if you genuinely believe what you wrote and weren't just trolling, you need need to go back to infant 1 and start your rugby league education all over again. I'd start by thinking less about what you and your mates wear on match-days and more about what's actually happening on the field.

I wasn't suggesting a new contract would be based solely on six games.
If Noble gets a new contract then it will be on what he has achieved since he arrived. He has taken us from a relegtion team, which we were. To a team that has since got to the elimination play offs twice after finishing fourth.
Considering the players available to him he has done remarkably well.
Now we have Gleeson signed and Smith on top form it looks a different team altogether.
Bearing in mind where Noble's brought us to and where from I do think that three wins v Wakey in the Cup, HKR at home who are now 2nd and Wire away where we have never won would secure him a new deal.

As i understand it Lowes turned down the Wakefield job when they were on the verge of relegation so they gave the position to Kear!!! Bullet dodge of the centuary i think!

At the moment, we have seen Coley up his form in recent weeks, presumably to get another contract either here or with another club. Tim Smith seems to be doing the same to get a NRL contract. Phelps' upturn in form seems to fall into a similar category, but my impression is he wants to stay. If the story about Noble chasing a new contract is true, a cynic would say we seem to have several key figures who have underperformed (on the whole) in their time at Wigan all improving their performance whilst chasing new contracts.

That's fine in the short term; I'd love us to go on winning and push for honours this season. But I seriously question whether any of these individuals are the answer for the club in the long-term. If I were the owner, I'd be inclined to thank them very much (whether we win a final or not) and send them on their way.

Agreed, but its a very tough call, i do wonder if the contract situation of players and coaches has forced all there hands into action, especially the coaches to impliment change potentially earlier than they planned, we will be in a better position to judge this at the end of the season though when all the facts of the season are in, but certainly from the players point of view it is clear they are playing for a new deal either with us or elsewhere, which is very frustrating from a fans point of view in the case of players like Coley, Vaialeki, Higham etc.

It could also be that the people you name are being put under immense pressure to start performing, and have finally cracked.

Of course, if that's the case, it still doesn't say a lot for them - that as professionals they have to be threatened and cajoled into giving their best.

It does make you wonder if the players who do this have any sence of professional pride at all, it is also usually the underachievers and drifters between several clubs throughout there career that fall into this category, which is clearly no coincidence.

Can't see Noble going mid-season unless we have a major downturn in results. Is Lam up to the job? Im not too sure. If Noble gets us to a final or wins one, do we still want him in charge next season?

Who do we get if Noble's contract isn't renewed - can't say i'm too keen on Justin Morgan tbh. Would rather have someone from the NRL with more experience.

This whole idea of playing for a contract is based on the notion that any previous less good form was a deliberate act on the players or coaches part to take it easy and that they could have, at any time, played or coached like they are in the last year of their contract but just could not be bothered.

I think its a completely stupid notion myself and players like Coley and coaches like Noble have never wanted to be anything less than a success here. Sometimes players lose form and there is nothing sinister about it or them regaining it in the final year of their deal.

As I have said previously, I don't subscribe to this notion that players start playing well in their last season in the hope of a new contract. They must surely know a decision on their future will be made based on their form and worth to the club over the period of their time here. Same goes for Noble.

I would think decisions have already been made on the players who are out of contract (as shown by TL getting a new deal already) because you need to start working before now on identifying replacements if contract extensions are not to be offered. Same goes for Noble.

Likewise any potential new club would be mad to sign a player or coach based on his last seasons performance alone.

It's pointless exercise turning it on for the last season in the hope this is going to influence anything, the decisions will have already been made therefore I don't think the players or Noble are stupid enough to try it.

Dave

That's why I'd rather let them go - it indicates poor attitude on behalf of these individuals. And that has been a problem at this club since the days when Mike Gregory was the coach. Coley, I think, is a prime example of this - as I remember Salford fans warning us when we first signed him.

As for the coach, if he manages to get the team playing consistently and win some silverware for the club, I accept that it would be difficult to make the case to get rid (though I think we should).

In any case, perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves - we've only won 3 games on the bounce.

I think in some cases players are put in the picture early on in the year and it suddenly dawns on them they are playing for there future and this sees them really buckle down.

Regards only signing a player for a bit of form towards the end of his deal see Warringtons signing of Higham...

Whats Ricky Stuart up to? I think he'd be a great club coach. Didn't really make the Ausies tick in the world cup but what a great pedigree throughout his carrer. He's been coached by the best, played with the best and beaten the best. i'd love him to come to Wigan.

He's in charge of Cronulla who've lost their last seven games.

Go on I'll bite. Higham is the perfect example of a player who got a new club because he was good value for his three years here. Anyone who thinks different doesn't know a thing about the game and yes, that includes you



Happy now?

Dave

Yes.

Nobody said it was a premeditated strategy. I don't think for a second that anybody at the club want to be anything but a success. But lots of things can happen over a contract (individual form may dip, the team may not gel) that puts a coach or player in a difficult position when it comes to contract renewal.

Imagine you're a player or coach with a good rep who came to Wigan and is perceived to have not delivered. We've had more than a few, so you can take your pick. Of course you want to restore your rep and get a new contract (here or elsewhere), that's what gives additional incentive to improve. The person digs deep so they can restore the reputation they once had.

If Noble takes to us a final this year, people won't be saying 'Noble only really coached in the last four months of his contract' - they'll say 'Noble showed his class at Bradford and he took his time, but in the end, he came through for Wigan.' That's why he'd get another contract and that's why underperforming professionals tends to focus around contract renewal time.

Agreed, i think there are many paralells that can be draw in life away from rugby, especially at the moment in this economic climate, with jobs being increasingly less secure across the board people focus that little extra more when they become uncomfortable and there future is on the line in an attempt to not be the next out of the door. Its human nature.