I have supported Wigan RL since 1984, and was a season ticket holder for over 15 years. Because of work commitments, I got to see fewer Friday night games. Since retiring to Anglesey, I've seen a few games, mainly on TV, however I had the misfortune to be at the match against Salford. I have NEVER seen such a shambolic performance from 17 players who were stealing a wage. I thought, after that, the next game, with a break and especially against Wire, they would storm it. So I decided to go to the match (In disgust, I left early). what a waste of money, time and effort! Matty Bowen dealt with all the high balls (which makes a change!) but the rest of the team were diabolical. As has been said elsewhere our forwards were pussies, Wires second row were bigger than our props. Our halves were non existent, our coach didn't have a clue (didn't really seem to have a plan "A" let alone a B or C!

Wigan now play one dimensional rugby, which has been sussed by all the other big teams, we don't scare them any more, we are now quite easy to defend against and, more worrying, very easy to attack against.

In short, if SW cannot or will not change recruitment policy, tactics, discipline, attitude and aggression (legal), then, I am sorry to say, he must go.

You lads need a pick up, some sparkling off the cuff RL with the ball being thrown about left and right by players comfortable in passing and catching.

Leigh v Featherstone on Sunday 12th July, 3pm ko would be just the tonic you fans need, free under 16 with adult tickets btw

The situation with Wane is very similar to that with Noble and I have been saying that for a while. I got slagged off for saying Noble was taking us nowhere fast at the end of 2007 because for some people the fact he came to the rescue in 2006 meant what I was saying was sacrilege when in fact if you judged the way the team was playing in a cold hard manner it was not good enough.

It's the same with Wane. The double has made him bullet proof for far too long despite things going backwards ever since.

I think it's actually worse with Wane. I think he has been exposed as outdated and tactically limited even more than noble.

I also think he has lost the dressing room. The players not only look clueless but not interested.

His selections are just strange with Powell for example and I think he only likes players who run themselves into the ground in training and hasn't much of a clue how to manage players for whom that would not be the best way to approach training. Once you face doesn't fit you are out in my view which is why I think Taylor went the way he did.

The structure of the competition is such we could get in the top 4 and win it but if we did it would be a huge fluke. In the past poor league games were dismissed as if we were keeping our powder dry saving ourselves for the end of season playoffs. I don't think anyone thinks that now.

This is the worst I've seen from Wigan's pack. I mean, even though you went down against Hull KR's bullying - at least you put up token resistance. Against Warrington it seemed like every time the dummy half looked up expecting a receiver [ino one was there. [/i

Any coach watching tonight's match and the Challenge Cup game must conclude that providing you don't make major defensive blunders outside, it is entirely possible to intimidate Wigan's forwards into submission.

In the last twenty minutes it was impossible not to notice the [irelish[/i Warrington defenders showed toward hitting and hurting Wigan players. I'm sure Shaun Wane will criticize the commitment of some of his guys (and he's right to). But on the issue of recruitment he must take his share of the responsibility. All the "commitment" in the world is no match for one of two genuine "hard cases" whose job it is to make sure nothing happens to their teammates. Warrington, Saints and Leeds have their quota. But I'm really struggling to identify this Wigan pack's "enforcers". O'Loughlin and McIloram are the closest I suppose. But the former seems crocked this season and McIloram's veneer of invincibility has been peeling away for some time (Masoe was using him as a tooth-pick recently).

Credit where credit is due - Wigan's backs have single-handedly kept them near the top. As for Bowen, I can't believe people are so willing to point the finger of blame in his direction without ever mentioning the obvious catastrophe in the forwards. Personally I thought he was one of your better players last night.

Matty Bowen & MM were the ONLY players who stood up to wire tonight.

Yes, I can't argue with any of that. Just rubbish rugby.

Long time no hear Alice.
Agree with virtually all of your points which must be a first.
Masoe? He is as mard as shoite and couldn't rough up my 3 year old grandson. He couldn't enforce in an old folks home. You enjoy the present its hard if not impossible to defend our pack but don't bring in mard lard as some sort of tough enforcer for us to aspire to.
Questions for you - can you advise of any footage at anytime where he actually goes on the cobbles with any player in any match? Peacock, Skerrett, McTigue, Karailius and many many more could put someone on their arris and were proper enforcers who would make mard lard brown his kecks just by looking at him.
Enjoy your season and your probable forthcoming success but don't try and big up the type of player ie ten minute per session players who are slowly killing my love of what was an eighty minute game but has become a "squad" game of average joes who put in a split 20 or 30 minute shift.
I look forward to viewing the you tube footage of mard lard actually on the cobbles having a one to one toe to toe set to that you will undoubtedly be sending to me.

I put all this squarely on the shoulders of SW.

In 2009 that IL said :



I truly believe that time has come again. It's time to reset the clock back to zero and start again with the next Madge i.e a rookie coach on the cusp of an NRL head coaching gig who wants to make a name for themselves.

I'd love to see Garth Brennan be brought in as he seems to be the 'next big thing' Bring him in with Deacon as his number 2 and it's 2009 again.

After that let's not make wholesale changes. We just need a little extra experience adding to the side and we are almost there imo. Sam will add extra class and act as a go to guy in the backs. We need to match that with a proper prop and some smart decisions (MM 80mins, Joel only as a 2nd row etc)

The one thing we can't do is carry on as we are. Pi$$ poor coaching and pi$$ poor selecton decisions are killing us imo.

I can fully accept tonight we lost and were poor. I can just about accept the manner in which we were beaten. I can even live with the tactics in regards to our props, the deficiencies there and throughout the team. I even want Wane to stay, but what I simply cannot accept is Wane's continual inability after such performances to publicly admit our failings, he seems beyond reproach. I want an acknowledgment our pack isn't big enough, or doing enough hard yards and that our attack whilst predictable isn't clicking at all. At least admit we have an issue with attack which we are trying to rectify (no shame in that) and are perservering with rather than spouting the same old rubbish after each loss that the ref was soft, that wasn't Wigan, too many errors, we were out fought or out enthused. If he admitted the truth that there are serious issues we are trying to rectify he might gain a modicum of respect and understanding.

You're certainly not the Wigan of old that's for sure........but I never expected to troll your Board to view a post like this !!!

Our away form is a concern, and we need to rectify that going into the super 8's. We are so Jekyl and Hyde this season, going from the Leeds win at the Magic weekend, Hull KR and Warrington at home (our best attacking performance imo) to Saints, Cas and Catalans away. The casm between our best and worst performances is huge.

But looking at it in a glass is half full kind of way, we could have gone joint top last night with a win and are still comfortable in 3rd. It's not so bad is it?

I think there's parallels between this season and 2013, and we all know how that went when it came to the business end...

I've just read Wanes post match comments and I'm raging!

'We were out enthused but that happens sometimes' and 'the things we did out there aren't us'.....yes they are, they are us and have been all year! And as for being out enthused, that's been the case 80% of the time this year and the fix has been promised on a weekly basis but still shows no sign of turning up.

Emotions run high after a game and people may have had a beer or ten so you understand knee jerk reactions but I feel more knee jerk now then last night after reading that.

Wake up Waney, the sands of time are running out unless he wises up.

I'd throw Dom Manfredi in as well and even though not everything came off George Williams gave it a crack.

It was obviously his fault for the defeat (again) though as it was he that was dragged off.

Isn't that just what he always says?

Ahhhhmm devustayted, that's not the real wiggun. We set our standuds igher than that.

I actually don't think the 3/4s played too badly, constantly looking for work, doing what they can to get us out of trouble (job the props should be doing). Gelling was a bit hit and miss but it's his first game back after a spell out.

Watching the match last night what struck me was how subdued Wane looked throughout the match sat in the stand and even in the dressing room at halftime apart from a few token waves of his cue board the talk seemed to be over in less than a minute.
Every time Wigan made a mistake and the camera went to him there was none of the usual head shaking, arm waving and ranting he just sat there stony faced, he looked like he was suffering the early stages of depression.
Or he could have been suffering from "man flu" because he was wearing what seemed to be a very heavy sweater.

As for the match the less said the better, but there is obviously something going on at the club.

My thoughts too. I read it and couldn't help shouting “shut up shut up”. He makes it worse repeating the same things over and over again after every shockingly bad performance. I've held off calling for his replacement until now because I didn't want to be a knee-jerker, but now I feel the time is coming, and if there's no big turn-around soon (and I can't see one coming) he should go. Then it's who? Well one hat I would throw into the ring is Daryl Powell, he seems to have the knack of getting the best out whatever he's got.

That was a pi$$ poor performance. Pitiful even. Give Wane to see out this circus until the end of the season and if we win nothing it's almost certainly time to go. We all know Wane has his favourites and his bias and friendship with some of the players and families are crucifying this club, guaranteed games whether they are woeful or not. We need wholesale changes.

Bowen and Patrick will be gone thankfully but joining them should be, Sarginson, Smith, Mossop, Tautai and Crosby needs a kick up the or get rid too.

We have swapped a decent centre (who is OOC at the end of the season) and loaned him out to Huddersfield and got a complete waste of salary in return. Jack Hughes will sign permanently for Hudds im sure. 5 times the centre Sarginson is. What a complete waste.

I would draft in Corey Patterson from Salford, The man is a flying machine and strong as an ox, brings so much more to the table than Mossop, Tautai and Crosby. We need an experienced NRL prop and we need to bring back the meter maker Burke from Hull KR. Why do we keep experimenting with loose forwards that clearly won't cut it when we have Burke starting at 13 at KR and doing well.

Smith just offers nothing I am afraid. He isn't a game breaker, his kicking is woeful (although he made a couple of rare ones last night) and his leadership and handling leaves a lot to be desired. We need an experienced No. 7 with vision and a game brain alongside Hampshire at No. 6. Powell needs to be back up half back and Williams needs to revert to interchanging No. 9 with MM.

So that leaves the centre, Is Ratchford the answer I don't know, maybe. Personally I would grovel to Jack Hughes, apologise that he was farmed out and give the lad a new contract. Get Thornley fit in the off season so he can challenge for both centre positions leaving Tierney to cover FB and the wings.

Bateman and J. Tomkins to play second row and make Farrell work and train hard for a place in the squad because for 2 seasons his lack of form and poor discipline certainly does not warrant a claim in the 13.

Is there something going on? Or is it just years of losing our best players taking its toll? Plus trying to integrate a lot of youngsters into the side at the same time. Mix that with our most influential player and captain being in and out of the team, it doesn't exactly breed consistency.

You clearly have all the answers, send Lennigan your CV pal you might be in with a chance!

I like your strong attitude but I think not as many changes are needed. If we look at next season for example:

Tomkins (a game breaker, will add so much to creating attack and scoring tries)
Charnley (will be a different more confident player minus Wane plus Tomkins
Sarg (Young live wire of a player who has pace and movement to scare the opposition, had some issues with defence which have improved)
Gelling (when fit is a dangerous centre)
Manfredi (so much potential)
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I think we need an experienced quality half, I'd go for Brough to partner either Williams, Powell, Smith or Rocky
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Clubb, Flower and Crosby plus a new prop signing.
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MM plus a genuine 9 who can scoot to keep up the intensity when MM is interchanged, lets take the interchange seriously and not see it as a way of getting whoever game time.
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Backrow: Tomkins, Lockers and Bateman. I'm growing tired of Faz's peculate ways, for me he's on the bench coming off as a replacement not a starter. I'd give Tautai a run at SR.
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Things are bad but let's not re-write history, Sarginson is a far better centre than Hughes

I'd love us to sign Danny Brough a couple of years ago when we got Smith but I'm sure if he was going to move to a big club he would have done so long before now. Regardless of that, he's 32 now so not really a forward thinking option. Hampshire and Williams are the future IMO

Williams is a 7 but Smith is untouchable for some reason??

Changing the players round and picking Hampshire in the halves will not change anything. They need to change the attacking sets / plays because the are so readable......it is the same move from Maguire with different personnel that is it. We been doing it for a long time and if the fans can read the set play by play then so can opposition clubs. If you look at the games we have lost this season it is from when this move doesnt come off and as John Wells said before the game and Stevo during the game they either go in to desperate mode or keep with the move and get no where. So putting Hampshire in isnt going to change it.

I don't think he is and that is despite Hughes really being a back row forward.

Hughes knows what centre play is about and Sarge doesn't. I don't think he has a clue.

Yes he is a super-fit athlete but he has no RL brain. Defensively he's poor as well.

Why he's not been dropped given some of his performances can only be because we have no one else or there is something seriously wrong. Charnley is still carrying the can for Sarge mistakes as it is IMO.

One of the last games Hughes played for us was at centre when we had some injuries and we looked so much better with him there. He isn't the solution long term but he'd be a better option right now than Sarge.