How many Grand Final rings does that proven team of Champions have?

One would hope that you are attempting to troll, because if you genuinely believe that, then:
- you're such a one eyed Wire that you ignore the clear evidence of your failure to be champions in living memory plus the routs that already ensue against the like of Salford and London once you take out your oldsters, that you have a seam of old class with mediocrity at every other turn. Riley for Charnley anyone? A headless chicken 7 for a play maker anyone? or
- you've drunk so much Greenall's over the years that even focussing on the backs - with 2 men of steel on our side and er, no current first choice internationals on yours - and counting to 4 pretty much exhausts your ability to concentrate.

If I really had too:

Tomkins
Charnley
Goulding
Bridge
Richards
Briers
?
Morley
Monaghan
Hill
Waterhouse
Westwood
O'Loughlin

Carvell
Mossop
Hansen
McIlorum

There is of course the option to put Hodgson at full back and Sam into the halves. I haven't seen enough of Smith yet to decide who to put in at 7. I really don't rate Atkins other than having pace. i realise that Hansen isn't in the Wigan 17 on Friday but he would be so I've picked him.

Wire 8/16
Wigan 8/16

The reason why Wire usually beat Wigan is pretty evident I would say. Their pack is far better than ours.

Let me see....top of super league last year, CC semi's, GF semi's, one of best teams in SL, won 42-0 way last week, at home this week, against an ageing [(c) Wigan Warrington who struggled against a weak Cas team last week....err no idea.

par·a·noi·a/ˌpærəˈnɔɪə/ [par-uh-noi-uh
noun
1. Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission.
2. baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.



I hope the Mods don't ban you for breach of the AUP, the board would be less fun without you.

The captain was out of order.. We all know that his description of you should have been preceded by the words "Arrogant and Patronizing". Hope this helps.

It would help more if you added '& Annoyingly Correct' to the end.

But not without you.

I'm here for your education & my amusement.

Everyone knows why you're here petal. Envy, pure and simple.

With no disrespect to Salford, if we attack and defend with the same aggression shown there, this Friday, then Wigan will win, PROVIDING we improve on discipline. If the ref (who is it btw?) pings us just half as much as Child did, we're in for problems.

I reluctantly feel this game will show how much we've fallen backwards with losing:
Hock
Lima
Camont
Finch
Tommy.

All of which would walk into our team.

Worried.

We couldn't beat them last year with those 5 in the team so you never know!
I presume if we beat them without those players in the team their replacements must be better players?

Bearing in mind Hansen Lauauki Tuson iirc all played last year who would probably get into our team tomorrow then 8/17 are missing from last year.
We'll have to wait and see but instead of worrying about what we havent got im more interested in what we have got.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the younger lads (thornley Taylor dudson Hughes Powell) go on, coupled with the younger lads still in the team from last year (tomkins charnley goulding Farrell mossop mm) who are all 23ish or under.

It will be interesting to see how our 2 new half backs go as a pairing (25&26) and have the peak of their careers together for the next 3years to provide stability and with a few seasoned pros in lockers and richards thrown in who both have a couple of years left in them IMO.

I always thought this year we may have go one step back but with a view to being 2/3 steps forward in 2014/2015
The loss of hock is a blow (unless off the field influences affected the team more than he brought to the team as a whole dependant on your viewpoint) which hopefully may got fixed with the right replacement but overall I'm very positive about the future.
Will this game/season be a touch too far, who knows, but I'm certainly not writing them off and with a view on the short term future (next 2/3 years) I'm more than happy with how things are looking.

Indeed

i have a 'nothing to lose' feeling about tomorrow and am fair looking forward to it

well at least the back end of the season all the young lads will have had a fair few games under their belt and as long as they finish top 6 they could still be in with a great shout.

Talk about an over-reaction! It's not exactly the fault of Riley and co that Wire haven't been champs since 1955. As I was born in that year, it's hardly outside 'living memory', either. The rest of your analysis is too over-simplistic to merit further comment.

Or you could have a go at the idiot to whom I was replying, the simple minded ignorance of which provoked my reaction. I take back the point about living memory. I perhaps should have just stated how long it was - 58 years sounds far better.

Seems like wigan fans have selective memories. Early 80s anyone?

Reached the Lancashire Cup Final in 1980, won the John Player in 1982, reached the Challenge Cup Final in 1984. Won the Challenge Cup Final in 1985.

Siege mentality comes to mind, a lot of fans have written Wigan off and others are hopefully saying that Wigan will surprise people (without much conviction).
I just think that there comes a time when these young Wigan players who are seen as being the finest crop of players who have come through the ranks for many a year have to face up.

The talk surrounding this match reminds me of a match about 8 years ago Stuart Raper was the coach in a match against Saints.
Wigan turned out a team of kids (Luke Robinson, Kevin Brown) and a rack of players who had been brought in to make a team.
That was one of the most amazing matches I can remember seeing, at the final whistle Raper seemed to be tears and the memory which sticks in my mind was all the young uns mobbing Terry O'Conner for the part he had played in leading them through the match.

But if the young uns have to stand up so has Sean Wane, he has to treat them as adults and by that he has to realise that ruling by fear does not work out to be the best option.
When I say ruling by fear I mean because when he was in charge of the under 20s it was said he was worshipped by the young uns and his word was law. But he seems to have taken the way he coached the young uns in the under 20s into the way he coaches the first team. ( My Word Is Law).
I think this is borne out by the tales on here that he had falling outs with Hock and Fielding and the sooner Sean realises that some players react to a rollicking and others rebel the better coach he will be.

Bloody rubbish Wigan

If you have to go back 30 years to an extended drought that proves rather than undermnines the illustrious history point. Plus, even then, as noted, there were some better than average moments. Gill's winning the John Player for us being a particular highlight amidst the gloom.

Siege mentality, aren't you second favourites for the GF?

Go on the VT. Some are having us down as low sixth.