I note your caveats, but do you know if we're talking for the rest of this season or for next?

My guess is that GOB was kept for this season after being on his way to Bradford for a reason and I'm pretty sure it wasn't becasue of a 7 day turn around in form!?

I'm fairly certain its for next season.

Whoever it is I would be inclined to play them alongside Patton and those two build a partnership, and myler and obrien can get a new challenge elsewhere.

I would be disapointed, as i've said before, smith has a nice little nieche over at wakey, where not much is asked or expected of him and there's nay pressure. With his 'situation' he's never going to be at a top level club directing a team around the field, he didn't do well at Salford because of the pressure of expection (admittedly ridiculous levels set by the doc) and he wouldn't do well here.

I would be seriously underwhelmed if we got Tim Smith. Talk about going backwards.....

Tim Smith is not the answer! Gaz Widdop I would love to have here

Matty Smith or Ryan Hampshire if Wigan can't fit both into their squad next year? Smith would bring the calmness we seem to lack; Hampshire is too good a talent to miss if he is released (I don't think he will be).

I don't particularly want to lose any of our half backs. I think Myler, GOB and Patton all have something to offer, but we need a commander and none of those is that (yet in Patton's case).

Hopefully TS know's this and will bring in a "leader / commander" that is our main area we need to aquire a new body. Or does he still have faith in GOB, Myler and Patton?

I've not seen anything lacking in Patton.

He's played two Super League matches. Our hooker is only young. Our partner half backs are relatively young (and the older one is more of a runner/support player), so I'd be very worried if we were relying on Patton. Don't come out with "if he's good enough, he's old enough", cos that's only true if you have some older, wiser heads around them. Our older, wiser heads are mostly those who don't always act it - Bridge, Atkins, Westwood.

This reminds me a lot of the talk at Saints when Lomax and Gaskell broke through. Both looked superb prospects at the time and now neither are Super League halfbacks.