The more I look at the squad, the more I like it. Shifted some dead wood, replaced with real competitors in Cooper and Crosby. Savelio looked a handful at Saints and was ok at Cas, and will add more than what Wilde/Philbin could offer at the moment.
The young guys are going to be a bit stronger and battle hardened, Johnson, Wilde, Smith and Livett will be pushing for minutes I suspect.
And I like Brown. He can move the ball well, and with genuine strike options like Currie (in June), Atkins and potentially Penny on that left side, he'all have a few more options than at Widnes with Ah Van and Runciman.
I'm not saying it's our year or any of that nonsense, but the squad has strength and balance.

On the other hand ,it doesn't say a lot about the faith of the club in our academy system when our youngsters are being overlooked or shipped out only for the club to chase academy trained players from other clubs.

There is T.King & G.King,Jack Johnson,Sam Wilde,Joe Philbin,Dec Patton,Morgan Smith,Harvey Livett & Pat Moran who have come through from the academy and have been signed to the first team squad in the last couple of years

Don't think that's a bad return & all of them have potential to be in the starting 17 in the future, I think all of them will get blooded & more minutes in 2017

Give us some examples then?

Well it's doubtful if Wilde & Philbin would have had a sniff last year if we weren't carrying so many injuries throughout the season. Laithwaite & B.Evans have been shunted off to pastures new & didn't the club send a hooker or half back to Salford ? I think it must be accepted that Crosby & Savellio have been signed with a view to playing so where will that leave our young players with an already beefed up starting pack ?

So the overlooked player was Sean Kenny: seriously?

Bemoaning the recruitment of Savelio and Crosby because of the release of Sean Kenny says it all really.

Just a thought really,an opinion.

I pity you for being intolerant to people whose views differ from your own.

Don't we have more team members who have come through Wigan's Academy than our own?

Think it's time for some Christmas cheer on this board. Hard to believe we are coming off the back of a decent season. Imagine if we were Saints supporters (shudders).

From Wigan's academy we have Russell, Hughes and Crosby.From Warrington's academy we have Evans, Currie, Cooper, Dwyer, Penny, George King, Toby King, Blythe, Patton, Wilde, Philbin, Smith and Johnson.

At 13 against 3 strange that you might think we'd have more from Wigan's academy.

God help us if we have a bad season. During the season this forum tends to go quiet when we win but hits the roof when we lose. Apparently when England Soccer lost to Iceland all Forums hit record highs.
People do love a good old moan. Why they are moaning at the moment I cannot fathom.

Too many people like a 'half glass empty' situation.

Yes - I want us to win every game and get every cup - and play entertaining footy.
We weren't too far away from that and I honestly think we had the team to bring home both the GF to CC cups given the situation we were in going into the CC Final in August. So I was very disappointed.
BUT I'd rather be in that situation than scrambling around mid-table.

Glass half full for me.

Good on yer Fez1.

There'll be a big moaning rant coming soon ... as a reply. Something about having the right to be miserable and unsatisfied with
being beaten in the two big finals and how the League Leaders Shield is not important. Oh ... and that's what forums are about etc. I've got my tin helmet on ready.

Easy answer to your question Smiffy...

There are no games taking place to give our expert armchair coaching opinions on .