After the last couple of coaches we've had, I doubt any of us are naive enough to believe that instant success is possible. Though in reality I can't speak for anyone other than myself on that.

My problem with Noble is the technical deficiencies the team shows rather than a lack of silverware. And these are things that don't seem to have changed in the last three years. As for the squad, yep, I can see where we need new players, but we're a much stonger, more balanced squad than we were a few years ago. Whether that's down BN or IL is probably a matter of opinion, though IL has many times thrown his weight behind underpinning the side with young, homegrown quality, whereas Nobby's track-record is somewhat different (though not as different as some would insist).

If anyone expects a brand new coach to win a raft of trophies straight away, they're bound to be disappointed. But if we can see a big tactical overhaul in the team, improvements in fitness and conditioning, improved big-match preparation, increased mental strength and motivation, maybe a restoration of the Wigan ethos which Kris Radklinski (for one) says is currently absent, then I'll be much happier.

If a new coach did go on to win trophies, I'm sure Noble would be credited with the ground-work he did, much the way those 'who know' credit Colin Clark, Alan McInnes and even Alec Murphy, for the ground-work they did in preparation for Wigan's last glory era.

Thats probably the fairest assessment you have posted about things thus far.

We all have good days and bad days.

That is very true regarding the expectations I would have of a new coach.

I would expect him to get more from this squad as it is but not necessarily assume such improvements you describe would lead to trophies.

However if he did win trophies then the credit would be his alone IMO. Noble gets all the credit for saving us from relegation does he not? All coaches inherit a side and Noble inherited Millwards. So did Millward lay the foundations for the improved performance Noble managed to extract from the side or should the credit for that remain 100% with Noble? It is what you do with a side as coach what counts and Noble deservedly gets credit for what he did with the one he inherited in 2006. So if the new coach gets this side into a state to win trophies then the credit is his IMO.

Dave

Possibly, but I think the climb from bottom-feeding mediocrity (under Millward) to winning the Grand Final (if we do) under the next bloke, would be an epic tale in itself, which no one man could take credit for.

Noble appears to have stabilised us at around the lower end of the play-off mark. We know that's not good enough, but it was an immense improvement from the ongoing decline of the previous two seasons. Whoever the new guy is, he'll have a much better springboard to leap from than Noble did, and Noble will have to be credited with that.

As I said, it would be a similarly dramatic turn-around from the relegation-haunted losers of 1980 to the unconquerables of 1987 - done in less time (I hope), but in equally visible stages.

2010 is the ideal time for us to bring a new coach in with a lot of players being off contract at the end of next season, it allows them to see who they want to keep and they can bring in their own players too.

They need to be given a chance though, its no use after 2 months if things aren't all rosy to be calling for someone's head.

Dont worry you will get them

Although I think Noble has done a good job, there are to many 'off' games and the same things being done wrong by the same players for me.

Each year we have looked like we have started again, and not built on the excellent work done at the end of the previous season. It would be hard to deny that excellent work is infact done by Nobby at playoff time, it is unfortunatly the very poor work done in the off season/start of the following season, that puts us in the same predicament for each year.

I see little point of giving noble a one year extension, has he has proven, that he cannott, or will not start the season stongly to put us in a good position to compete at the end of the season.

Also if a new coach comes in, he needs to sweep clean the conditioning staff, as they are doing a terrible job.

In short, all I want is

1. A team that is prepared for the start of the season.
2. A team that is not out enthused on a regular basis.
3. A team that is conditioned to play rugby league.

Behave. Millward laid the foundations for what exactly? NL rugby. This is the type of rubbish that annoys people who have time for Noble. The improvement he has made to the club will no doubt be lost in the wash if the new man delivers a SL title, but to even mention Millward & Noble in the same breath in terms of what they have done at Wigan shows an alarming lack of knowledge or a real desire to troll.

Rads out of retirement, Fielden, Dobson......Millward wishes he was supported like that instaed of Jordon James and Tim Jonkers.

We wouldnt have got Rads or Fielden without Noble and I honestly dont see that Millward would have moved for Dobson, he was a fan of Moran, it was Orr that took the rough end of the stick with Basil.

He got what the chairman delivered. Fielden would have come for the money was offered and Rads if approached may have come out of retirement we will never know.

I know Rads speaks highly of Noble but still, I also dont think we would have got Trent if it wasnt for Basil as is it his father whos the gaffer there.

No, he would have gone to the NRL had Noble not left Bradford.



Rads retired whilst Millward was there IIRC, why would he have comeback for him, he came back to help Noble.



Barrett was OOC so I dont see what that has to do with Millwards dad.

Have you read Radders book? There's no way he would have come back to Wigan with Millward anywhere near the club.
Barrett had already signed for Wigan 12 months before he arrived.

12 months before he arrived when Millward came, yes I did read the book.

wasnt out of contract had a year to run, remember St George and Wigan both paid him in his first year at Wigan.

Fielden would have come for that kind of money like he did, the NRL would not have been able to get anywhere near the cash thrown at him so dont be so naive.

I doubt very much radlinski would have come out of retirement for millward, I even doubt millward would have asked him he didn't seem to respect Kris.

Like I was saying Noble just didnt come in with the same team and it was fixed new signings came in and dead wood was removed, remember we smashed the salary cap that year.

As I have said before on this board we only changed the squad in 2006 by adding two players and a new coach. There can't have been that much wrong with it or we would have still got relegated. Noble got a bunch of demoralised players to play much more to their potential and we avoided the drop. So he gets credit for that.

If we get a new coach he may also get a couple of new players (I can't see it being any more and it may be none at all) and if he gets the rest of the current team to play to its potential then we will improve. So if he gets more out of this side than Noble has done (as Noble got more out of the side he inherited in 2006 than Millward did) I don't see why Noble would take any credit for that just as Millward didn't in 2006.

These sound very similar scenarios to me. A coach inherits an under performing side and improves it. If it annoys people this being pointed out that isn't my problem - it is only an opinion after all.

Dave

I don't think many people actually hate BN, do they?

I feel very strongly that we need to make changes in a number of areas, including head coach, but I have no personal animosity towards him or anyone else, we just need to change things if we are going to make progress.

And pretty much exactly what I was trying to say in a thread I created a couple of months ago entitled "Turning the Ship around".

I tried to point out that the change in fotunes didnt't happen overnight from relegation to Champions - It happened in small stages AND sometimes we had to take a backward step to get there i.e selling our best player in Fairbairn to create funds etc to strengthen the squad first.

Some poster say Graham Lowe!
I say Maurice Bamford, Alex Murphy, Clarke/McCinnes & Then Lowe!

Some say Andy Gregory
I say Jinkin Jimmy, Gary Stevens,Keith Holden, Mike Ford then Andy Gregory!

There are many other parallels but in essence the stories the same.

It Took Mo 6 years to win a CC and 8 to win a League title without the Hinderence of Salary Cap etc and he did it IMO in small steps!

It's strange the way support for Brian Noble seems to be crystalising the closer we get to his 'termination date'.

Is this just a Wigan thing, do you think?

I detected nothing but frustration with Noble early this season when we were losing every other match and looking like we weren't going to make the play-offs.

Why do some people feel that a poor start to the season and a strong finish is the way forward?

What I mean by hate, is calling for his head, saying he's been sacked and general whinging ... Ect

I've said previously that I think a lot of people are just too nice!



They are grateful to BN for helping save us from relegation and they think we should give him more time, probably feeling guilty about the way we have dispensed with coaches prior to BN. Sometimes, though, tough decisions need to be taken for the good of the club.

BN may be a smashing chap, but for me he's had his chance and whilst he will be remembered, together with Dobbo, for saving Wigan's bacon that season, his time as Wigan coach really hasn't been the success that we all (BN included I'm sure) had hoped for. Perhaps a fresh start at a new club would be the best thing for him, too.