Personally I hope the Salford experiment works, if they can somehow get them preforming as something like a team and hopefully playing some good Rugby then not only will they add some of that quality that we all crave, but rich people know a lot of other rich people and maybe they'll start to take notice and our great game can start to make some real progress. The youth side will come, in a salary cap sport it's practically unavoidable,but I think Koukash trying to buy immediate success is actually a good thing.

Wow, another Wiganner still living off trophies bought 20 odd years ago, who'd have thought it.
Unlike that all conquering Wigan team of the noughties that built it's team on youth eh.... Didn't have to buy/cheat it's way out of relegation that one did it

I hear Tesco's car park looks lovely at this time of year.

Insecure. Much?

Go back a few years and the same people said the same things about Warrington and Huddersfield,now we have a Warrington and Huddersfield. that everyone bar three clubs at best would swap with everyday of every week. Soon Salford will join the big boys as a legitimately big club and you can smell the nervousness, bitterness and jealousy about them

Aren't people usually nervous, bitter and jealous of success? I'm not taking the p, currently Salford don't look like they are going to have anything to be jealous of any time soon. And to be fair to RL fans, when teams do rise up the ranks they are generally well received rather than scorned - Widnes, Catalans, Castleford, etc. In contrast, fans are critical of the 'Ka$h Club because they see someone trying to fast track success and failing. Nothing we've seen so far suggests his plans are coming to any sort of fruition.

Out of interest how many of these Wigan jnrs are signed up from outside the Wigan town area? Wether spending cash on 1st team players or spending it signing the best youngsters in the country using scholarships to entice them it's still buying a team in the long run. Now if Wigan were significantly funding jnr clubs in Wigan to attract and develop kids I'd be impressed.

But its not tho is it? You develop and nurture them, you have no idea if a 14 year old is the next greg inglis but you could go and buy him or the best players. Also you need to be clear on what you call Wigan. I believe no amateur team have funding from professional teams as i believe it would be against BARLA rules.

I would love to know the list of players that have come through Wigan academy playing super league today i know it would be a long list.

What about?

Winning 6 GFs with a home grown team that came through the club's academy, while someone else waffles on about how their club's amazing youth system has been motoring along for decades and decades...

Also there is a few like josh Charnley who is from Chorley but got signed up from St pats which is a Wigan amateur team.

From Local Amateur teams:

Charnely - St Pats
Goulding - St Pats
Iain Thornley - St Pats
Liam Farrell- St Pats
Sean O'loughlin- St pats
Jack Hughes - St Judes
Logan Tomkins- St pats (so was sam and joel)
Domnic Crosby - Personally i think he was playing for Hindley but on the website it says St pats
Sam Powell- St Pats
Greg Burke- Ince rose Bridge
George Williams - St pats i believe
Dominic Manfredi - Leigh Minners (technically still wigan)
Joe Burgess - Ince rose bridge
Lewis Tierney - orrell st james
connor Farrell - St pats
Ryan Sutton - Ince rose bridge
Ben Austin - Ince rose bridge
Jack Murphy - St Judes

Came through the Wigan academy but not from Wigan:
Michael McIlorum
Ryan Hampshire
Rhodri Lloyd
Rob Lever
James Greenwood

I would say its far from buying a team.