It always amazes me when people talk about Mr Noble.

In my honest opinion he has done a great and massive job for the club and town of Wigan. He came and in just over three years he transorfmed the culture within the club including reserves and acadamy. He has got a team from the brink of religation and built one that has got to 5 semi finals.

people say he does not play youngsters yet his record at both Wigan and GB shows he does and has played young players but will not just throw them in and let there heads drop with to many games and form being lost. The team has played 13 Wigan born or Wigan trained players this season ( again not bad for a coach who only plays aussie's )
Then theres the old one about no plan B and a one dimensional game plan ( we do not play the Wigan way ) most teams when on the back foot will look like a change of tactics has not worked or has not been used. As for the Wigan way maybe some supporters and Mr Lennighan have forgot the old days when we beat Bradford by 2 points to nil ! games like this show so much running rugby or one of the best games in the clubs history the first world club challange against Manley another game where trys and free flowing rugby where at a premium to say the least. Wigan of old like todays team play what is in front of them.

I hope that lennighans knee jerk reaction acting like a fan instead of a leader looking at the best for the team no matter what some fans may think, will not come back to haunt us next season.

I wish Mr Noble all the best and thank him for his work done at Wigan i just hope that it does not all fall apart now that he has gone.

how can you justify this statement?

I agree, however I can also see reasons for him moving on. One more year would have been ideal for me, but probably Noble wouldn't have agreed to it, and we may be back in the same position next season.

What he's done for the club as a whole has been brilliant, it's easy to forget the mess we were when he arrived.

Brian Noble, you have left Wigan RL in far better condition than when you joined.
We can't ask for more.

I thank you.

I'm hoping the chairmen hasn't listened to arm chair experts on here. it seems strange to me that they were both open about us working towards 2010 yet one of them leaves before the end of the project.

We've just got rid of a coach who in the last 8 years has steered his teams to 5 granf finals and 3 semis. That's more than impressive so I'm expecting him to be replaced with someone better and proven. Like that is going to happen.

Thanks Brian, if nothing else you deserved more respect than you got.

I'm thankful to Nobby for the job he did in the context of where we were when he took over - he's been effective in producing a respectable side from a shambles. But IL has got this decision spot on - the squad has a lot more potential than the consistency of performances, there is just no evidence that Noble could take them any further than the persistant semi final failures. Friday was a match Wigan could have and even should have won - but the same old lack of ideas in attack or even an overall gameplan was apparent yet again. Noble despite his success with Bradford is a tactically limited coach and a cliche merchant as far as motivation is concerned - he's been found out as the game has evolved and Wigan look far too one dimensional with an over-reliance upon individuals to provide the creative spark amongst the five drives and a kick monotony.

The signs have been appearing this season that change was needed - fans are generally the best indicator and aside from the promotion games (Leeds / London) - home attendances seem to be falling. A lot of that has to do with Noble's boring brand of rugby, an appearance of a lack of motivation from some of the players during his tenure and his unwillingness to pick players based on form rather than reputation.

To move forward under a new coach, we might take a few steps back while we find the new attacking identity, but I for one would welcome that change if we can start playing exciting rugby that plays to the strengths of the players in the squad rather than trying to fit into the Noble system. Long term having patience will pay dividends if we get the right coach - I believe Maguire to be that man with Wane to assist.

I await the answer to this with deep interest.

I doubt you'll get one.

So do I.

I watched the game again ans watched Noble's statement (if you will). I felt desperately sorry for him, it's obvious he loved coming to Wigan and was dedicated to making the club a success.

I do have the burning question in my mind "What if? What if he'd be kept on for one more year?"

Would we be in the same position. Maybe we would maybe we wouldn't. Despite that I still feel he had to go.

Brian you stabilized our great club and without you we would probably be a Championship team. Thankyou for all you have done and I wish you the very best for thr future.

Thought it was a nice touch by Graham giving him a hug at the end.

Course you did, your a Saints fan. Does Graham even know Noble? Nobby was probably thinking "why is there a ginger clinging to me? Can someone remove him?"

Im sure he was actually thinking..."sigh, if only I had you at my disposal all these years instead of my spinless pack, id still be in a job now"

He can leave with his head held high with the job he did - not many Wigan coaches can say that, especially if they failed to deliver a trophy during their tenure. However its a sad marker of how far we had fallen in 2006 that we now consider some measure of success in the Wigan job to be a couple of decent cup runs and inconsistent regular seasons / semi final losses in the playoffs three times running.

Seconded.

Thanks Nobby. Saved us from relegation and started us on the road back to being a decent club again.

Thanks Nobby. I thought you should have been given another 12 months. I think you have most defiantly left us in a better place than we were in 2006.

I was at Knowsley Hole singing your name after the game.

THANKYOU AND GOODLUCK!!!!

Rogues Gallery wrote:
Brian Noble, you have left Wigan RL in far better condition than when you joined.

I thank you.



Thirded.

I do't think anyone can disagree with this. Could he have taken us any further - I suspect not but we will never really know.

Hopefully the foundations he has set will lead to a better future.

It will be please stay brian if the Lam Rumour is true

I thought he should have got another 12 months anyway after all the work he put in he deserved that at least.

This is a decent thing to say about a decent man who was doing a decent job. However, in sport and business, sometimes a cut throat mentallity is needed. I think that is one of the areas where Nobby lost it. He put his faith in players who let him down time and again and he really needed to shake them up.

Perhaps the most lads in the reserves weren't quite up to the task, but I'm sure thay would have loved the opportunity to show what they could do and I don't think the odd appearance would have harmed them at all. It would have given some of the underachievers in the first team the kick up the backside it looked like they needed. IMO Brian patience with some of his team should have run out some time ago.

As it is IL's patience has run out on Nobby and, to be fair, not without reason either, as IMO some of his tactics were a little too conservative for my liking.

Having said that, I think we owe a big debt of gratitude to Nobby. I dread to think where we would have been without him.

So Brian, thank very much for what you did for us, I will be eternally grateful. You brought us back from the brink, put integrity back in the club and gave us some measure of success. I hope you manage to get the knee sorted out and wish you every success in your next venture.Your next club will definitely be one whose progress I shall be tracking with interest.

Brian Noble is not my favourite person, he wasn't my favourite Great Britain coach and in his short time as a coach at Wakefield Trinity he didn't break any potts.

In his post match interviews he very rarely the attributes credit to the opposing side.

but let's examine the evidence,

it's well-documented that he rescued a fast sinking Wigan from relegation, something was rotten within the Wigan club when Brian Noble arrived and before he could make progress he had to sort that out.

He's coached the Wigan side to 4 semifinals and been just a handful of points from taking Wigan to a number of grand finals.

Like it or not he's successfully integrated a number of juniors into a first team football, the Tomkins Bros, Mossop, Ainscough, O'Carroll & Presscott.

Your reserve team has just won their grand final and your Academy has reached theirs.

The junior system at Wigan is as healthy as it's ever been.

Under the management of Brian Noble, gone are the days of salary cap scandal, yet more success has been achieved.

And finally Brian Noble has represented the Wigan club with great dignity even under the trying circumstances of his own personal uncertainty.

So good luck Brian Noble

Whilst I am greatful for a lot that he's done at the club, a few of your points can't be attributed to him. I would also argue that getting a team to 4 semifinals, and advancing no further, isn't good enough.

He has helped to steady the ship alongside IL and Mick Hogan but it's time to kick on now.

yes again cheers Nobby for all your great work , and leaving us with the best statement I've heard in years " the bridge has been built it just needs painting" class and no truer word has been said , the club is going places again thanks to your hard work . thanks fella a good luck what ever you do .

exactly, cheers Brian!