If we got to the GF and won it 16-0, it would probably be the worst GF ever.

But if another team did, it would be a superb defensive display.

I still have my doubts that we have enough firepwoer to win the GF but things are looking better than they have done for a while.

One trophy in the cabinet and a fresh and fully fit squad ready to assault the playoffs. We just need our form to kick on in the next few weeks and the double will be there for the taking.

Think that was playoff rugby yesterday, for the people that were not there, they would not understand how wet the conditions were, rather than slating Hull for dropping so much ball for me we did a brilliant job in playing the conditions, roll on the rest of the season.

I agree with that but am worried about the number of injuries we're carrying as we come to the play offs. According to Wane, five of the team that played yesterday wouldn't have played if it had been a regular SL fixture. Also, the list of injured players probably include McIlorum and O'Loughlin who are pivotal for us.

Hopefully now the uncertainty over Shaun Wane's position has been resolved and with one trophy in the cabinet, we can kick on. It's all about managing to build momentum through our remaining league fixtures after yesterday's big win.

Yeah but before the game he was saying that Lockers and Tomkins were fully fit, so he is being "economical with the truth" on one of those occasions!

That said I am liking Wane the more I see of him. He seems to have learned not to try and win every game and pace his team, and there is no doubting the "togetherness" of our team. He needs to up his tactical nous imo- we have one move that is dependent upon Lockers acting as the pivot and Sam carving space.

What is massively apparent though is that he does need to be given the personnel. IL needs to realise that he is chairman of Wigan RL not St Pats.

I agree with you there. one of IL's mission statements was to have a strong base of Wigan/English players with marque signings. The latter have been a little thin on the ground of late.

Interesting to hear Wane speak about 'getting slaughtered for winning the League Leaders Shield last year'

Many fans and RL media 'experts' believed his pursuit and goal of wanting Wigan to win the LLS last year led to our eventual downfall.

This year he's barely mentioned it and IMO treated the last 2 months as a mini pre season and played only the strongest team in the CC.

So far it's working to perfection.

Well done Mr Wane.

I would love to know what Wane has done since the Giants game to make you like him?
I had a conversation with my pal that as soon as the 5hit hit the fan this season that fans would turn on Wane,you certainly proved my point






Maybe you could enlighten us all?

On the way down to Wembley yesterday what started a bit of drizzle became steady rain all the way into North London, after parking my car up in the guest house I was staying in in Northwood I went down to Wembley Park on the tube.
Coming out of the Tube I made my way to the Torch, turned away by door staff (packed) tried 3 other bars and pubs with the same result so I decided to walk down Empire Way to that Blue room pub (? name) or the Green Man.
Half way down the rain got heavier when a noticed a large hotel on the left going down, with a couple of Hull supporters stood outside under an awning having a pint, thinking that they may have been staying at the hotel I thought I would chance it even though I would not have been surprised if I had been turned away.
I just walked in through the main entrance and it had a small bar on the left and I stayed in there over an hour, it was never packed and Wigan and Hull supporters where coming and going all the time.
In the bar they had the TV on showing the Fulham v Arsenal on the tele and the pitch in places seemed waterlogged and I found out that the Charlton v Doncaster match was called off at halftime.
About 1-30 the heavens opened with torrential rain and the car park of the hotel was under water.
When I made a dash for the stadium (dash may be exaggerating a bit at my age) I was expecting it to have pools of water on it, but it had no standing water on it at all, If that match had been at the old Wembley Stadium it would have been similar to the "Don Fox" final of 1968.
So people who say Worst Final ever have to understand how hard that pitch must have been to play on and it was still raining this morning all the way up to Northampton as I drove home.

lol

Firstly what a sad little man you are. If you do insist on trawling back through threads, at least put a representative quote together.

Right onto the question. I was massively disappointed in our performance that night, and as I said above, am still not sure about Wanes tactical nous. We really only have one move- Lockers as pivot and Sam chiming in. Not good enough.

However, since then I have been looking at all the evidence. I have questioned whether Wane has indeed been "spelling" his players, saving them for the big games. Not going for the LLS and concentrating on what's important. Indeed I have posted such on here. Of course you chose not to quote these posts did you? Very sad.

I have looked at the evidence, and changed (some) of my interpretation of the situation, and posted as such. Isn't that the purpose of forums like this? Or would you prefer people to decide their views on day 1 and stick to these irrespective of any new evidence?

In summary my view of Wane

1. He comes accross as a nice bloke (but then again I have always said this)
2. There is no doubt that he has positive attributes - togetherness and desire for example.
3. Tactically we need to improve - but is this down to the players we have or Wane? Hard one.
4. I now believe that Wane was resting his players in the last few weeks and have therefore changed my line of interpretation accordingly.

Not that difficult to understand now was it?

Would you have given Wane a new contract based upon your opinions above?

The only reason i highlighted your posts is because i believed that your posts contradicted one another,almost like backing both horses if you like

The reality of the situation is that I (we?) have incomplete information. We can speculate based on the evidence and our interpretation of it, but we will never be in as favourable a position as others at the club. As we gain more information it's natural to re-assess views and sometimes this results in a different one.

Given that it's also easy to post on here at times when emotions are high (isn't that part of being a fan?) it's should be no surprise that some of our posts appear to contradict each other or change over time.

Back on topic, would I give Wane a new contract? Again I have to say that I am not sure.

We need more creative halves and we need more variety in attack. Is this down to Wane coaching this "one size fits all" approach into the team or is it the best he can do with the personnel that he has been given by IL?

I am not privy to that question and therefore am not qualified to give you an answer.

One thing is for sure. Just as we relied on Faz for all those years, we currently rely on Sam. When he's gone (and imo he WILL be gone next year), we need another approach to breaking the line rather than the Lockers pivot, miss pass wide, Sam chiming in.

I'd agree with most of that. The one thing I would question is how deliberate any resting of players was. On several occasions the message "No, they really are injured" has gone out when yet another different line up has taken the field in a league game. My view is we can take that at face value and I don't go in for this idea at all that the club is so deliberately misleading in its statements. Hansen may be fresher this year at this time of the season than last but he is an example of a player who has played fewer games for what was definitely an injury not because he was rested. This applies to several other players as well. Also part of my reason for thinking this is I don't think playing different teams on a weekly basis is good preparation for a final and the fact we won doesn't prove it was. I don't think Wane will have wanted to do this.

Yes I think the majority of players that have missed games were injured HOWEVER they haven't been rushed back this year and have been given the time they needed to recover. How many 'setbacks' did players have last season compared to this? Sam and Lockers for example would 100% have played in that match against Huddersfield last season.

Fair point but I think they would have played this season v Hudds if fit enough and would have been rested v Cats. The reason I think Lockers didn't play was simply he wasn't fit, not caution because I don't think Wane will have viewed having key players missing so much prior to the final was a good thing.

Whether by accident or design we can't say our players should be tired for the play-offs but I think we have a had a very unlucky season with injuries. To come out of it with a CC win is fantastic.

What I don't think has been so good about the "resting" is the inconsistent selections of replacements. Where has Burke gone for example? Seemed the logical choice when Lockers was out and given Lockers was always due back at some point (i.e. he wasn't out for the season) then Burke was in little danger of over exposure especially given he is so good. Instead we have had Tuson and Hughes playing 13 in recent weeks (IIRC). You could flip a coin to try and guess who was in the centres. I think the team being more unsettled than it need have been has contributed to our poor league form of late.

You are making an assumption that all players you see as possibles are fit? Maybe they are not.

Thats part 1 sorted.

part 2 begins.
Rest most of the side v hull , then play most of them v Leeds to build to full match fitness in rd 1 of play-offs.

I think i speak for most when i say we dont care about the hub cap now we have the Challenge cup, but we wouldnt mind a jolly to Old trafford, and hopefully win there

Burke has been fit, certainly lately when we have been playing Hughes and Tuson at 13.

If my maths is correct, the LLS is out of reach now anyway. Can we finish 2nd and get Wire at home? I think we can. They have 2 tough games to finish the season. Sts away and then a trip to France to finish the season. Do we want to finish 2nd and get Wire at home or do we want to finish 4th and go to the JS Stadium? Tough one. In the 2 games against Hudds this season, we came very close at their place and were injury ravaged when they came to the DW. Now that we have a seemingly clean bill of health, I would expect us to turn them over.

Wire are still the danger for me and it is just a matter of time before we face them in a final.

Please no.


I said a few weeks ago that it will be a Wigan/Leeds final and I'm sticking to that.

I do think it's inevitable. We have both been the best teams in the league for a good 3-4 years now. It's the final that most neutrals want.

Don't get me wrong, I think it will be awful. The thought of getting beaten by them in a final is almost too much to take. I could take getting beaten by Leeds, or even Saints (just), but to see the look on their smug faces as we leave the ground would be unbearable. On the other hand, the feeling of winning against them would be amazing!

Agree. I couldn't take the build up either. Just wouldn't enjoy it.

You're sig is out of date BTW

Well spotted. Just testing you understand...

Under 19s picked for Friday, just the next phase of the Masterplan. Roll on 2015 when the Masterplan is to win as many games as possible! Revolutionary!