My favourite tweet of mine tonight.



The way the journalists have been going on twitter just leaves me thinking that they've lost all sense of reality of Rugby League life outside of the press boxes they all sit together in. Perhaps understandable, some have been sitting in those press boxes since the 1990s and before!

The same would happen if Leeds did it. Don't kid yourself.

You can't? It's quite simple. The very few RL journalists left in jobs work bloody hard to get any kind of media coverage at all for the sport, especially in the national press.

Incidentally, Maguire will have given an interview to Sky because he is contractually obliged to do so. That's part of the deal with Sky. No Sky access; no Sky money. But Sky already covers League so there is no loss there. However, in all the other media those journalists you are berating have a fight on their hands just to get a column.

So now they can't get any build up to your match on Sunday or whenever it is that the Latics aren't playing. I'd say that was a pity, in the wider RL context.

Pretty much.

Most of the best games have featured us along with a couple of good ones between Saints and Leeds, other than that some games have been boring and poor quality.

This post has made me wonder if you've ever actually posted something that isn't complete, 100% bollox?

If they can't find something to write about without a few boring and predictable quotes from players then those 'journalists' really are stealing a living. Don't kid yourself into thinking they have a tough job. Most people would kill to have a job as good as theirs and there are plenty of writers who are well past their best but still get paid to write their dross. Most RL journalism is pretty poor.

Quote ="Wigg'n"icon_lol.gif This post has made me wonder if you've ever actually posted something that isn't complete, 100% bollox? '" www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7swLLdF7ns

Quote ="Wigg'n"icon_lol.gif This post has made me wonder if you've ever actually posted something that isn't complete, 100% bollox? '" www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7swLLdF7ns

It's one week in a whole year. It's not like we don't accomodate for the rest of the season. Only last week Sean O'Loughlin spent two hours live on BBC Radio Manchester for their "Rugby League Extra" show. One weeks silence is hardly disrespectful to them.

Anyway, Michael Maguire did his weekly press conference to them as normal so they had stuff to work on. I suspect the real reason they are kicking up a fuss is because in 2 years Madge has barely given them a story to work on. So why argue when he finally gives them something to bite with?

Twitter is hilarious tonight - Irvine, Schofield et al, going into meltdown, I've never minded Riley until tonight, but he has just joined the ranks of pathetic anti Wiganer as well.

Madge has done the right thing, everyone is talking about the media blackout and not our wobbling end to the season.

Madge obviously picked up a few mind game tips when Fergie was over the other week before the CC Final.

Pissypants Central doesn't come close tonight on Twitter. A big well done to the many Wigan (and a few others it has to be said) fans who have slapped them all over the place.

So they can only get a story for the game if they speak to a couple of players? As that is the only thing that isn't happening this week as Maguire did the usual press conference this morning. Get a grip.

This has been a briliant move by Madge.

The RL world is now in a frenzy.

They just can't cope with Madge's brilliance though. On the Wire board they are so worked up about Maguire that some people have completely lost their heads - in their "Win at all costs" thread they are comparing Madge with Don Revie and the Bodyline series. MM's wins are apparently tainted and he is "despised". My favourite posts though are from the Wire fan that has no idea of the status of Souths in RL.

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Makes you wonder about the short term memory of fans; jump all over another teams approach to the game. I remember and I am going back some time now a coach demanding that fans who barrack a player for his dog loving persuits to be banned from the ground.

I know they live in a goldfish bowl but I expect more than a three second attention span

Awww ... boo hoo! I wish I got paid for writing three paragraphs a week.





You soft get!

Those journos who are moaning about this blackout tend to be the same ones who constantly bitch and write in sarcastic manner about the game and are more willing to keep the game in the dark ages rather than promote everything thats right with the game

So in short f**k em

Remind me, were you similarly concerned about the 'wider RL context' when St Helens chose to eschew the traditional Wembley press day in 2008?

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Taking a wild stab in the dark here, I'm going to guess no and surmise that your opinion veered more towards defending Daniel Anderson's right to do what he felt was in the best interests of Saints. Am I right?

I doubt she was even a fan in 2008. At least, her knowledge of the game would suggest that she's quite a new fan anyway.

What was the general response on this board to Saints' decision? I assume you were all defending the policy like this thread



Simple fact is, people have a right to be peed off with this, there is good reason. On the other hand, we don't exactly get quality coverage anyway, and the club are still prepared to speak to the press as shown by the coach's interview. I'm sure the club would provide further contacts if pushed. Player interviews are notoriously boring anyway!

As some have touched on, I like the story, it is a team who have slightly lost form getting their heads down and training hard for their biggest SL game of the year. Surely that is enough of a story for the press to run with.

I understand complaints, but I also understand why they have done it. Not much of a deal here.

Why don't they just write about the blackout and how it worked last year? Why don't they build up to the game and talk about our professionalism?

Yeah, actually, probably best to slag us off.

Reasonable post. Send it to the tw0ts whining on Twitter.

A particularly perceptive (and I'm assuming handsome), intelligent and generous person (

) has asked the following question on Twitter:



I wonder if they'll get a reply?

Did you praise Saints when they did it prior to Wembley? Did you call them professional?

I know I'm being slightly mischievous here, because I actually don't see an issue with what Wigan are doing, but I do understand why some people don't like it, certainly the journalists who are scrapping for every word in the papers have every right to be peeved, but that's life and MM has to do what he thinks is right to get a win this weekend.

To expect no criticism for it though is unrealistic.

Come on mate, you're more reasonable than that! It isn't up to Smith to choose the clubcall. IIRC when Leeds had it Hetherington made the announcement. The Warrington club will make the choice as per the requirements, there is nothing that says that Smith, or the kitman, or the woman in the shop needs to make the decision.

If Warrington decided to run a poll on the Warrington Guardian to make the decision, they can.

There is no boycott at all.

It doesn't surprise me if they think that way.

After all, they consider it their God-given right to earn money and be wined and dined at RL events in reward for regurgitating the crap they read on forums, making headlines out of ridiculous rumours that drunks tell them in pubs, and occasionally quoting predictable player waffle in advance of big matches.

I feel so sorry for these guys, I really do. Now they actually have to go and do a bit fo f*****g work.