If we retain Bailey i will dispare, i do hope TL gets a deal though.

If we stick with Bailey it means we have not managed to sign even a half centre and also have no faith in the lads coming through in the second row. Mossop has to move forward to first team in 2010.

Sadly the phrase of 'quality recruitment' inevitably means looking overseas. There are very few opportunities to both recruit British and improve the squad at the same time.

This is one of the big problems that those who regularly shout about Wigan failing to promote British players cheefully ignore.

If you lined up the recent England squad, I think I can honestly say I'd only be interested in about half of them, and as none of those are available it would be a bit of a lost cause.

We are desperate in this country for every club - not just Wigan - to start bringing through young British talent that they've developed themselves. Until that happens, those clubs who want to keep their fanbase, and therefore must keep competing at a reasonable level, will have no option but to bolster their ranks with overseas recruits.

I'm sure the club recognise the medium to long term future of the club is based on producing our own talent from the accademy



Also i guess Noble is now safe in his role as i'm sure he was consulted in the new recruitment.

Sadly thats the problem, Brough probably is top of the pile. Is he really that good? Not IMO, but some people will disagree.

This is what the RFL expansion is trying to achieve, quality British talent being signed and/or considered before any Aussie, which doesn't exist much ATM. You only have to look to the NRL and if a half-back is injured, straight away he's replaced by another fantastic talent from the same club. The fact that when it comes to HB partnerships the majority of teams have to look to Australia to find a replacement is IMO very sad.



It's an option and one I'm sure many on here would welcome if we signed him again. He coped exceedingly well under the Wigan pressure cooker and organized our team very efficiently. One Noble should consider.



Realistically, Briers or Brough. I wouldn't want Briers at Wigan because I think he's average at best but to mind he is possibly the only realistic British HB that would sign.

If Orford were to stay for the 'long-haul' I'd gladly take him, but at 30/31 it's not likely.

If true this is excellent news

Mathers, Phelps, Smith, Coley, Bailey with Tommy (unfortunately) and Goudling as maybe's I reckon

What positions will they be targetting though?

Prop Centre Half back? Or maybe 2 of the 3 mentioned <<?

It is true I sent an email a few days ago - similar to the massive post I made earlier in the thread and got a response within 24 hours. Top bloke and great public relations from the club.

Everything in that post are direct quotes from Mick Hogan.

Do you reckon we should be telling players they're going to be released already? What happened to playing your way into a new contract?

I still have slim hopes that Richie will rediscover his Leeds form, or that Tim Smith will suddenly learn where the legs are located on the human body.

Maybe i'm dillusional...

Not saying your lying mate

No-one knows whether Hogan is telling the full truth though

Players coming off contract in 2009

George Carmont 2009 - Mutual option for 2010
Richie Mathers 2009 - Wigan option for 2010
Cameron Phelps 2009 - Wigan option for 2010
Tim Smith
Mark Flanagan
Phil Bailey
Karl Pryce
Andy Coley
Thomas Leuluai

Players coming off contract in 2010

Lee Mossop 2010 - Wigan option for 2011
Darrell Goulding - 2010 - option for 2011
Paul Prescott - 2010 - option for 2011
Mike McILorum - 2010 - option for 2011
Feka Paleaasina
Stuart Fielden
Sam Tomkins 2010 - Option for a third year
Harrison Hansen
Eamon O'carroll 2010 - Option for 2011 in Wigan's favour.

Players coming off contract in 2011

Mark Riddell
Gareth Hock
Pat Richards
Joel Tomkins

Players coming off contract in 2012

Sean O'loughlin
Amos Roberts

Academy Contracts

Chris Tuson
Sean Ainscough
Liam Farrell
Ben Davies
Ian Thornley

Roll on 2012

Ones in bold I would keep

2010 Should be the first year in recent memory imo when our entire off contract players are resigned!! All have a part to play in the squad and if the likes of Fielden can be resigned for fractions of their current salaries we will have done some very good business.

No way Glenn Hall he is average. He is the Aussie equivalent of Ricky Bibey.

We need a prop_

1- Steve Price
2- Andy Lynch
3- Mark O'Meley
4- Petro Civeniceva
5- Kylie Leuluai.

In that order go for them.

Also we need a stand off -

1- Darren Lockyer
2- Karmichael Hunt
3- Jamie Lyon
4- Thomas Bosc

I would make a play for Justin Hodges too as a right centre, its worth a go.

Fullback -

1- Sean Briscoe

I dont want Pat wasted at FB, if our half backs had half a brain as soon as we got in their 20 I would kick to the corner for Pate, nobody will out jump him and we would score every time, why dont they do that?

Surely Tommy's gotta stay hes one of our best players, get him resigned

Couldn't agree more

Looks like Cadoo/Hogan were right. Todays Obby says Radders is coming back as a coach of the younger players.

Good move this as he has bags of experience and is Wigan through and through.

I couldnt care if they were 40 both are sheer class and would still rip it up, easy two years out of them both.

Two years service? Are you actually joking?

So we sign Lockyer for 2010 leaves 2012 and then we're right back to square one, where the hell would that get us? It's all well and good saying "Oh its invaluable experience to Sam Tomkins." but what would it do for the club? It certainly wouldn't bolster our success chances.

The half-back pairing is essential to a teams success, thus it needs to be a long-lasting partnership. Not two/three years.

Good call on the fullback situation apart from Briscoe being contracted at Hull KR till 2011 so we can rule that one out.

Back to the drawing board

You think a 37 year old could stil rip super league up?

We do not need a team that is young across the board an experienced Prop is vital Petro would fit this bill, we do not have to continue building for the future 2 years from Petro would be ideal.

We need continuity in the halves and at 9 generally the rest of the positions it is less important especially Prop, i do not think we should look for anyone that offers only a year but 2 years is fine in some positions in my opinion.

Keep

George Carmont 2009 - Mutual option for 2010
Karl Pryce
Thomas Leuluai**
Mark Flanagan**

Release

Richie Mathers 2009 - Wigan option for 2010
Cameron Phelps 2009 - Wigan option for 2010
Tim Smith
Phil Bailey
Andy Coley

** - Signing Leuluai depends on Dobson's availability. He is contracted at Hull KR but I would be tempted to swap Leuluai plus £££ for Dobson. If not extend Leuluai's contract. The reason for this is although I believe Leuluai is a good scrum half he is much better suited to hooker and we have Riddell penned down till 2011 and McIlorum till 2010 - most likely till 2011. So his chances are very limited and so we should consider other options.

** - Retaining Mark Flanagan would be the managements call as I haven't seen anything of him to give a reasonable and accurate judgement on the lad. Does he have a future at Wigan RL? Realistically does he stand a chance of breaking into the first team? Does he have the potential to be a regular super league player?

Recruitment for 2010

A prop forward
A fullback (depending on how well Ainscough can adopt to becoming a first team regular)
Possibly a centre
Possibly a scrum half.

Prop forward I would look to Louie McCarthy Scarsbrook. The lad has got immense potential & it's about spotting players like this before they are snapped up. E.g. Joe Westerman and Sam Burgess. LMS is something special, he is powerful, strong, elusive runner who has a real enthusiasm for the game and lifts his team mates. He is pivitol for the Harlequins side and would be a great signing for Wigan. He will be a future regular England international and could offer us again this sustained stability for 4/5 years that not many overseas players can. With Prescott, O'carroll LMS and Feka I would be very happy with that set of forwards for the future years to come. All could be pinned down till 2011.

If not Louie McCarthy Scarsbrook I would go for Luke Bailey. At only 28 he still has a lot to offer and has plenty of experience in the NRL. If he was signed on a three year contract he would help offer advice/tips to aid both O'carroll and Prescott's development while offering us some strength in depth and keep everyone on their toes having 5 props for next season.Then when Fielden comes off contract in 2010 we can just have Feka Bailey Prescott and O'carroll - as Prescott and O'carroll will have progressed from that year Bailey was here. Also with Fielden coming off contract we have a lot more room on the cap to offer sufficient wages to O'carroll and Prescott and reward them for their progress.

Centre Depends on four factors:

- How well Karl Pryce goes this season. Should he make the impact we are all hoping for there is one centre spot taken/depth because I believe he is better suited to centre rather than wing. Plus we have Richards, Ainscough and Roberts to contest the wing spots.

- If Darrell Goulding can hold down a place in the side.

- If George Carmont agrees to be resigned.

- If there is much quality available. In the UK there is only really Martin Gleeson I can think of off the top of my head. Overseas there is not much quality to speak of coming off contract at the end of this year.

Scrum Half I will not mince my words I would love Michael Dobson. Myler I don't think has the potential and is unproven in super league. Danny Brough is a good kicker but is easily closed down and can go missing. There are no realistic British alternatives for stability but Dobson is an exception to this being Australian. He seems keen to play in super league and I could see him establishing himself here for the rest of his career a bit like Robbie Paul. Dobson does the basics well and does other stuff on top of that which wins you games. He’d be the perfect foil for Tomkins and again we’d achieve continuity in a pivotal position for a number of seasons. It’s a shame that he’s off contract at the end of next season and not this one meaning we’d have to find a alternative for just next season. But we should be moving heaven and earth for players like him rather than Darren Lockyer and Matt Orford. I like Leuluai but he is far more suited to 9.