When Gidley went off against Wakey, at that point we had 11 players missing, all of whom could have featured in the 17 in the same way yours could. We have had between five and ten players missing for each and every match of the season bar the very first one, when just one player was missing, from halftime. He hasn't been seen since.

You can try the sympathy vote all you want but you just haven't been hit by injury to anything like the degree we have, or Catalans or Leeds (earlier in the season) or Quins.

But we aren't complaining about our injuries. The young guys who have stepped in have been tremendous and they give us great encouragement for the future. We have now got the beginnings of our new era team, which is looking decidedly youthful and decidedly local. Nine of our seventeen last night were local lads. I think that's fantastic.

Where's the sympathy vote? All we're saying is that you all moan about injuries saying we've been lucky when we've had just as many as most people.

It's a squad game. Just shut up and get on with it.

We have been doing, or haven't you noticed? You should have done. One of our young guys made sure we beat you last time out.

We aint moaning. We're loving our young talent, all of whom have stepped up brilliantly. It's you guys who keep on insisting you have had it at least as bad as us. You haven't. Simple as.

Did you manage to keep a straight face when you wrote that?

We've heard masses from you lot all season about how many injuries you've got, and from Leeds. And that's exactly what you're doing now, even if you're trying to dress it as something else.

Then ask your trolls to get off our board whinging about your injuries.

Ok?

Thanking you kindly.

Says the troll on here, moaning about their injuries.

Injuries aren't that important really as long as the player coming in for the injured player plays [ua similar position.[/u

I'd say Wigans lack of forward options with their injuries trumps both Leeds and Saints.

Aaah ... I see. So this is tit-for-tat trolling?

Well at least we know to be true what previously we only suspected.

The thing that does my head in is not the fans moaning its the commentators going on about it when we've beaten teams this year as if the only reason we've won is because our opposition have had players out. I never heard them going on about Coley being out when we played wire and Fielden got injured and had to play on with concussion but when we beat them it was of course because Briers went off. When peacock was out for Leeds it was mentioned every 5 minutes. I actually think Hull have had it as bad as anyone and managed to get some good results and it shows the importance of having a good youth system in place. When we beat Leeds the other day we actually had more players from outside 1-19 than they did and even then Hemmings tried to suggest they had one eye on the cup, and he was actually quite positive towards Wigan overall that night. Luckily with every comment he's made like that this season we've always had plenty fighting our corner. That said if I hear 'are Wigan the real deal' once more this year from anyone on tv the set's going out of the window lol

Have wire peaked too early?

..... pathetic some of these saints fans on here.

wigan may be top at the moment but have Wire well and truly hot on their heels, breathing down their necks.

If Saints really have had such massive and repeated injury problems (

) then rather than complaining about it on the Wigan message board their fans should be asking their club whether something is going wrong in terms of training techniques and the medical/phsyio/rehab side - something seems to be amiss in Merseyside.

It is a little more difficult when you have more than one thing to focus on.

When Saints play one off the ruck and scooting from the PTB, they are very difficult to stop. They also have an excellent exponent at it in Roby.

That said, Wigan's method of three in the tackle can counter that somewhat. The danger is, not winning the floor and having three players out of the defensive structure.

Saints are the side I'd feel least confident about playing but stopping scooting is something we've done very well at this year. I don't particularly think its left us exposed defensively because our players are very fit and can scramble back in defence as well as anyone. The times when we have been exposed defensively are when we've been short on props and they've had to work harder and for longer than they're used (usually when we've tried playing up the middle type stuff in the rain) and when we've not been quick enough to react to or not had replacements for players injured during the game. Our fitness is such that we've managed to come back into games when they seemed totally lost and been very close to snatching a result. If we can avoid getting in this situation in the first place and keep teams close (shouldn't be a problem if we have a strong squad out) then we're capable of scoring a few in the dying minutes when other teams are tired. In addition to all this, the fact that we didn't allow the rain on Friday to affect our game plan as we have done before, would suggest that we've learnt a lesson and I'm a lot less worried than I was about the prospect of rain ruining our chances. Learning from lessons is something we've done very well at this year both game to game and during games. When Saints beat us we had a gameplan that took into account Lockers being out but when we realised it wasn't working we went back to what we knew best. In previous seasons there was no plan B and often our heads would go down and we'd make a bad situation worse. This gutsy attitude could really help us when it comes to challenging for the Super League trophy and I for one can't wait.

I was responding to someone who mentioned we had 5 missing.

I made the point pregame at Leeds to a Leeds fan who was bemoaning their luck with injuries that Wigan were missing 7 of their 19 man squad for the opening game of the season.

When you say you had 11 players missing all of whom "Could" have played does that mean they would be in your starting 17?

If not I could throw another 4 or 5 who didn't play Friday into the mix.

What I will reitterate is that at the start of the year (Can't be 5rsed finding the thread) I argued that Wigan had the Best squad to cope with injuries in the League Bar None.

Despite what other fans may think we've had a decent share of inuries at 1 time or another and we have regulalry had 5 or 6 out but the Coach/club have never even mentioned it nd unlike your comment about Saints fans not moaning about it I can gaurantee that's 100% correct.
I've heard LOADS from Saints fans & Leeds Fans and their respective clubs.

In fact the biggest thing that's impressed me about Madge & The set up this year is despite :-

Coaches criticising their style of play
Administrators criticising their style of play
Certain Media cretins doing the above
A decent level of injuries to contend with
When they have copped a few suspensions ala Coley
Received a few bad smacks off opposition players

They've said? NOTHING!

They've just got on with it



That's

Add to that:

Criticism from media and opposition fans within the game for recruiting too many overseas players.

Criticism from media and opposition fans for not promoting out youth enough (and allowing them to leave - i.e. Thornley).

Certainly is. I always say that soccer is the 'Emperor's New Clothes'.

What an awfully bitter and sad thread. You're top of the league by a mile, most successful club in the country and you're bothered about a team who was 10th a year ago and still trying to get where you are. I'm sure you have bigger fish to fry.

What, are we not supposed to discuss our main rivals? Is it not cricket to show relief that they are falling behind us in the league?

Get. Over. Yourself.

Give over man, I think your eyes are going in old age

. All players involved in the subsequent play were onside, unless the rule is now that players have to be 11 or 12 metres in front of the play the ball.

A number of refs take position up a metre or two behind the defensive line. Look at it again, Alibert is stood about a metre in front of one line (can't remember exactly if it was 30m or 40m), the play the ball is at least two metres behind the next line. Foster is in line with the ref, Wilkins back foot is in line with the ref.

Gardner may have been offside on the other side of the pitch.

There have been questions asked.

IIRC we've finished at least 50% of our games this season at least one man down out of the 17, quite a few times with two.

Main Rivals? It's all very well discussing it in a sensible manner but just to laugh at teams is pointless. Heard of bad losers, but bad winners are worse.