Wigan weren't fully professional until around 1992/3
For example Andy Farrell was an apprentice joiner when he made his first Challenge Cup Final appearance.

When I was at Salford last year a couple of blokes stood in front of me were saying they wanted him out, then left with about 30 minutes on the clock. Sport is a results driven business and in recent years Warrington fans have come to expect silverware. If we don't get any questions will soon be asked. This time last year there were Wigan fans ringing GMR and saying Wane had to go.

I was really surprised when Smith extended his contract, I would have put good money on him leaving at the end of last year or this year at latest. He has often been quoted as saying you should never do more than three years with a club.

Time will tell, at the minute we may see him as a Messiah type figure who will never be called into question, but sports fans are fickle by nature and it is human instinct to look for a scapegoat. I hope that whenever he leaves us it will be on amicable terms having undoubtedly left the club in a much better position than he found it.

Yes - I can see where you're coming from. No real problem with adding him to the duo - and actually performed better than Cull.

Interesting; can you pointus in the direction of some of these "often quoted" statements?

Sadly I am not in the habit of keeping newspaper clippings.

nice reply

Happily the internet contains all such reports (if they existed).

This is pretty much what I was getting at when I started the thread - While most (sensible) supporters would be prepared to give Tony Smith ample chance to build a new side, its almost inevitable that if the wheels came off at some point, whether it be this season, next, or 2015, then there would be a group of supporters who would loudly question Smith's position and whether he's outstayed his welcome and took the job as far as he could.

The thing then is whether TS would be up for sticking it out??..... Let's face it, he's had a very easy ride so far - Through luck or genius, it must be the longest honeymoon period that any sports coach has ever had....How would he react to a bit of criticism if results turned for the worst??

Also, you have to remember that whatever people may say, TS has little emotional tie with Wire.....It was this tie that probably turned things sour for Cullen, who, in hindsight, should have left much sooner than he did..... Without this emotional tie, Smith would find it much easier to walk away, especially if results were not upto scratch and he would need to protect his reputation - A sacking or a resignation on the back of a very bad season wouldn't look good on a CV?

Personally, I think TS has a fair idea of how he would like to leave Wire and what state we will be in when he does, and I also think he will know when to get out if things don't go to his plan....One thing is sure, he's an intelligent fellow and will want to go into his next job with a sparkling resume.

Going back to the earlier post highlighting the nine quality 30 somethings that will leave probably in the next two years.
That's a lot of experience going out of the door.
Do you think they will be replaced like for like?
It is difficult to see where the two Monas, Hodgson, Waterhouse, Briers and Morley replacements will come from.
Morley is the leader of your pack and Briers leads the backs. Both were missing last Friday and the lack of leadership and direction really showed. You'll beat Salford ok but then it's Huddersfield at your place. Without Briers and Morley it will be a hell of a struggle against the Giants.

I would imagine when we lose all the old guard some of the youth will step in to fill some of their places and the cheque book will also be out to find us a talisman to lead the team, that is if we don't already have one.

Same question really about Wigan: how can Wigan replace J. Tomkins, Carmont, Gleeson, Finch, Leluai, Hock, Fielden and Lima in a two year period? Same answer is that you hope to do it by having a core of replacements ready in the club and look to sign a couple of players to fill the positions you need to. I expect Warrington to sign better players than Smith, Green and Taylor when it comes to it.

Warrington's main problem over the last couple of weeks hasn't been so much about the players missing with injuries but rather about the players playing with injuries.

Cullen had a number of years to take us to the next level so it can't have been that easy a job.

You seem to be arguing that signing big name players is the hallmark of a quality coach, rather than getting a team to play well.

If Marvan Koukash appoints me as Salford coach and allows me full salary cap and I sign Inglis, Thurston and Billy Slater and finish 10th in the league and the year after he sacks me and puts Smith in charge who wins the Grand Final will you be on here saying it was down to me for putting together such a great squad...

Yep. In 1986 I was privileged to watch Tony Barrow's Warrington team absolutely destroy Peter Fox's Leeds @ Headingley 54-16, and if Bishop had brought his boots that afternoon it would have been nearer 70-16. To this day, it remains one of the finest performances I've seen from a British RL club, before or since Super League.

Getting back to TS he and Simon Moran know what is required, the challenges, opportunities and changes in playing staff that are required over the next two years and I'm sure Simon wouldn't have offered TS (nor would Tony have signed) an extension unless he was totally satisfied TS can manage the transition and take us to the next level.

I share that confidence and I'm baffled as to why some people don't appear to.

Leeds were awful in 86 - very close to relegation, so I'd reserve judgement on any performance against that team.

I have the feeling Smith and may well enjoy the challenge of having to rebuild the Warrington side. He actually rebuilt more than half the Leeds side between 2004 and 2007 GFs (nine players from the 2004 side had left).

The difficulty for him or anyone else is finding quality players for core positions. With Leeds he was able to get Ellis and Peacock for example. The challenge nowadays is going to be getting the likes of them before they've really made it elsewhere, and unearthing a few junior stars.

Are the likes of Peacock and Morley still around because of the fall in talent in the UK ? I have been asking that of myself for a little time now, but I am not sure. If it's true, we may see some of our older stars playing for longer than we thought.

Another issue is the salary cap. If it is raised, some clubs will not be able to afford it. If it is not, we will be even less likely to retain our better players. Catch 22.