My instinct when I heard that was that it could have been to appease Hock's ego? Maybe he's not happy starting as sub. With Feka though you wouldn't have thought it would be a problem - he knows damn well what he's good at and when he's best off coming onto the field.

I don't think anybody could ever accuse Hock of having an ego.

Noble opted for Hock / Feka on the bench in 2008. Now he goes the other way in 2009. It makes it look like he has no idea as to what he wants or how he will do it.

It’s one of the craziest decisions I’ve seen him make!!

I don’t expect us to carry on our momentum from the end of last season as a lot of stuff has gone on since then, BUT what I don’t expect to see is Noble forgetting just how game changing bringing Hock and Feka off the bench was for us! We won numerous games because these two came on and swung the momentum in our favour.

Some people say we had Smith at the end of the season and he made the biggest difference but IMO he wasn’t that great last season and looked off the pace fitness wise. If Sam Tomkins can’t match the performances that smith produced last season then we are lost. So why give Smith a chance and not Tomkins?

Has he forgotten Hansen was the top tackler last season? What can’t Hansen do that Bailey can? I'd love Nobby to come and say what Bailey and Mathers offer the side?

Another point as well is that Goulding seems to have trained his boll0cks off this pre season. Add to that he was given a starting squad number you think he’d get a chance.

Richards/Roberts to FB, Phelps on the Wing and Goulding to start next week for me.

To be honest whenever i hear his interviews i get that impression anyway, he seems to think if he talks for long enough, and throws in the odd turn of phrase and quip people will think of him as a cridible coach, most of the time he just ends up talking rubish in my opinion. If as you say he takes this approach with the players then i am not suprised we perform as we have for the last 2 years and counting.

This was my main concern when the team was read out yesterday. He obviously planned to start like a train and blow Wakefield away.

The media make a big deal of how Brian Noble always gets his teams ready for the play-offs and that's all well and good as far as I'm concerned. I am, however, beginning get fed up of finishing the season strongly, but having too much to do because we started so poorly. Each year, Leeds, Saints, or both get off to a flyer while we spend half a season getting ourselves sorted out.
In 2007, everyone was saying how, if we started like we'd finished 06, we'd be real threats but, instead, we seemed to have lost form over the off season, losing 3 of the first 4 rounds without even playing Leeds or Saints.
Last year, we actually kept pace reasonably well for a while, as we managed to grind out some victories while playing poorly. Even so, we lost 6 of our first 13 rounds, winning only narrowly when we won, but sometimes getting pulverized in defeat (a la Millenium Magic).
Logically, one would want to be playing well at the business end of the season but, realistically, you've got to finish top 2 to win it. Is Brian Noble so fixated on the end of the season that he doesn't pay due attention to the beginning? Is our pre-season substantially poorer than our rivals'? I'm just getting fed up of having to give up on a top 2 finish before the season is even halfway through each year. Hopefully that won't be the case this year but Sunday was not a good sign.

Saints lost 5 of the first 10 games last year, and were 8 points behind Leeds in the league with 12 games left.

Yes, that's why I said [ieither[/i Leeds, Saints or both get off to a flyer. Last year Saints got off to a poor start as well.

Anyone got this weeks observer?

Apparently Nobby says that we'll have to cut out 'The Razzle Dazzle' rugby that we tried against Wakey and go back to basics.



I'm wondering if he was at the game and how much more basic our rugby can get.

He's losing it.

I agree with Nobby. Cut out all this passing that way the fools on the pitch cant drop it! Get the opposition into a forward orientated arm wrestle.

From my point of view, the pocession was mainly lost by first receivers, dummy half runners and generally within the ruck area.

What Nobby must mean are the early kicks in the tackle count by Tim Smith and the forced passes from the likes of George Carmont. Still, I can't remember much ''razzle dazzle'' considering we didn't even lay the playform to even attempt that kind of play.

I think he probably meant the ATTEMPTED razzle dazzle and not actual razzle dazzle. At least I hope he did.

No,hes lost it.

was he watching the game or the cheerleaders.

there were more razzle dazzle from them.

razzle dazzle my ar$e

LOL made me laugh that for some reason

Perhaps that contributed to why Saints didn't win it in the end, having to make sure of results in the last 12 games?

Dave

So am I ( the bit in bold). Good post and I agree you need a good start but really all that means is you need to consistently win games with just the odd loss here and there to get into the top 2. We have not been consistent for the last two seasons.

What you say about going into 2007 after the way we finshed 2006 was exactly what I thought. Very disappointing. We didn't play well at the start of 2008 though did pick up some points and first game out in 2009 we were terrible. It isn't good enough is it!

Dave

What is the most consecutive games that Wigan have won under Noble?

Five in 2006 and five in 2007 ending against Leeds in the playoffs.

Wasn't something like 10 in 2006 in the run in but in 2008 wasn't it two or three? There is progress for you!

Dave

No, there was five in 2006 as well as in 2007.

In 2008, out best streak was 3.

On the basis of a 3 streak we cannot win anything

Dave O is right then re progress or lack of it.

If you take winning streaks as progress then yes. Personally i prefer to judge progress by looking at the bigger picture in which we got closer to the grand final last year than we did the year before. At least last year we put up a fight against Leeds and only just lost wheras the year before we where way off them and got battered.

In that case DaveO is wrong and always will be wrong.