On his way back to Wigan according to League Express.

Will he be treated any better by the fans this time ?

When he left he had turned from a great prospect to a player who had his confidence shot and who the crowd detested.

Is the paper just rehashing a rumour or do they seem very confident it will happen?

They didn't lead the story with any rider that they were rehashing an old rumour. But they may be.

he'll be treated fine as long as Karl Pryce is still around to be vilified.

This is already being discussed on another thread.

However, to sum up - 'detested' is way too strong a word. For my money, he was regarded much as Dodgy Hodgy still is - someone who basically failed to live up to the hype, and became regarded as an error waiting to happen. He certainly made a lot of those in his final months at Wigan. His form deteriorated so much that nobody was sorry to see him go.

But ...

He was under enormous pressure for someone so young. Most of the players around him were poor. The team was being very badly coached. The club was being run on amateurishly, with no apparent understanding of how to balance wage structures etc etc.

All of that is now changed. Brown too has changed. For me, he's blossomed into an exciting young player with great natural skills. A future international for sure, if he's managed correctly.

The big question would seem to be - do we actually need him, as we already have two effective halves and a back-up man in Deacs? Is he right for our programme?

Personally, I could be persuaded.

Step backwards if it were to happen


Thank god it wont

Cant say it fills me with excitment.

but in MM we trust

deacon won't be a player next season though or are we talking about getting him this year?

he could be a useful player. he can cover stand off and centre and could probably cover fullback too. my main concern is he seems to be a running half, similar to tomkins, and I think we probably need an organising half. Like you, i'm prepared to be persuaded.

I dont see how he fits into the team.

Without doubt he is a million times better now than when he left, and whilst he fills IL's criteria for being a Wigan player, im not sure thats enough.

We need a prop, organising half and a centre imo.

If he did come would it be primarily as a centre?

I think the bit about his versatility is valid.

I agree, I don't think he fits the gap we currently have in the halves. But he could back up there if needed. Plus, we'll soon have another gap in the centres. Even if Carmont gets another year with us, I suspect he'll play less of a role next season, and all the talk now seems to be that Shenton is going to Saints.

AJ mentions Brown's 'Wigan credentials'. That may also come into it. IL definitely wants to build a team of Wiganers, or at least players who are strongly associated with Wigan. In addition to that, the lad is British, young, and probably not the most expensive prospect on the market.

He ticks a lot of boxes. But you're essentially right. As things stand, I wouldn't have thought that re-acquiring Kevin Brown should be an absolute priority, but then what do I know? Sometimes if opportunities come up, you snatch at them - as with Gleeson.

Just out of interest, if this rumour is genuine, do we feel that things are about to go seriously t1ts-up at Huddersfield? Brown going. Hodgson going. They're suddenly getting stuffed in matches they should at least be competing in. And now stories that Kev Brown is off too.

All very curious.

All true. I said pretty much the same when the Amos Roberts signing was announced.



Personally, I'd be delighted if he came back.

Having watched a few games recently with Brown playing he seems to be coming up with some very good creative plays and looks to be setting up quite a few tries through good passes and quality kicks. I would actually be happy to have him back at Wigan, particularly because it means then we have another good wigan halfback in the team.

I would be happy to see brown back at wigan - i think he's really developed as a player - him and sam as a long term half back combination would be great for wigan.

Not sure how much weight the report has though - possibly only based upon brown saying he would like to come back at some point.

I can imagine with Nathan Brown saying he's leaving then there are going to be a few players now thinking the only way is down .............

It all depends who we are getting rid of for me.

It all depends on if we could play with such a well known hooligan/thug/scum/whatevernathanbrownsaysheis Sean O'Loughlin.

Phelps/Carmont?

1. Roberts
2. Goulding/Pryce/Ainscough
3. Gleeson
4. Brown
5. Richards
6. Tomkins
7. Finch

my impression always was he was a Sintelliner?


(if you only meant 'Wiganer' in terms of he played for us etc then fair enough

)

Brown has become a very good player and good players are always worth considering. Simple as that really. I think Jimmy makes a good point about similar things being said about Amos when that signing was announced. How many would now like to see that decision reversed? I'm guessing not a single fan would wish to undo that particular bit of business!



An interesting side note, as both appear to be looking for a move, would be Ratchford or Brown? Very similar versitility, Wigan credentials, etc. What's the consensus of opinion on here?

It's a little more than that. He was a massive Wigan fan all his life and was even well known for having a Wigan Flag/banner in his window despite living in the depths of enemy territory!

One thing I'm extremely confident about - Brown won't come here to play centre. If he was going to sign for Wigan, I think he'd want a guaranteed halfback spot.

He's a sort-of Sintelliner. He grew up in Haydock near where I live. Personally I think he's very similar in style to Sam Tomkins so it would be interesting to see how they would develop as a partnership should he come back and play in the halves. I always think he's wasted when he's playing at centre, as well as a bit of a defensive liability at times. Not sure what would happen to Leuluai either should Brown make the switch back. I think we've missed Tommy this season when he's been injured

No, Kev Brown has always supported Wigan, he used to watch them at Central Park when he was kid.
I'm sure Yicker will confirm it.

He is a Wigan fan. He was a friend of one of Girlfriends friends from Haydock.

He is also apparently a c*cky git haha but you need that in Rugby most of the time so who cares.

Understatement of the millenium!