What strikes me is you look like a bunch of rugby league players who can pass and tackle a fair bit but not a TEAM.
There's little creativity. Sandow has a go- but no one else seems to know what he's got in mind. Key for me is ratchford looks massively underused as an extra pivot, he's about around the field but without structure and it looks like there's no set move pieces or real game plan other than go out and play rugby.
Warrington often bully teams but they seemed like they had no heart tonight.

Totally agree WireWireWire. Too many fans who just expect us to win playing free flowing rugby with international signings, trouncing every side we play. Some of the posts on here are from posters who are spoilt little sport watchers in the Man U mould.

For me and many Wire supporters I know, the Wire as a club is number one. It's nice to have good rugby and it makes me so so proud when we win a trophy.

I'm also proud when we get good gates, but nothing makes me more proud than when our true fans get behind the side and make a great atmosphere. It's kind of weird now because I can now compare the experiences of following Wire since the very late 80's and singing in the Fletcher End with the feeling of being a fan in the successful period. They both have great feelings, but you know what, the feeling of winning as the underdog with a huge army of passionate Wire fans has given me more happiness than winning any trophy bar the Regal Trophy Win and our CC win in 2009- (because that passionate support was there in both those finals and so much more than in the following CC and GF finals where things were taken for granted).

Let's just be extremely grateful for SJM and TS and be positive for the future.

Agreed, I'm a little young to have been around in the 80's, but I would imagine that fans old enough would be even more able to understand we can't always be on top. In the past 6 years we've had 3 CC wins, 2 GF appearances, 1 LLS, and a number of Semi Finals wherein we've barely been edged out. One year where we have quite a big slump and everyone's baying for blood. Some of the talk is crazy. Joel Monaghan hasn't had the greatest year but some of the comments on here saying we should kick him out are ludicrous to me. His form is a reflection of our TEAMS form and nothing else.

Next year we will be a completely different side I think. Sandow and the like will have had time to bed in, there will have been a full pre season of players training in new positions etc. I have complete faith we will be so much better next year.

My apologies to the REAL Warrington fans on this board for being disappointed because "we have the best coach we've ever had" (to paraphrase some posters) yet we should still be happy with just a top 8 finish and a cup semi final defeat....... sorry for having an opinion that you don't agree with and I promise to never expect Warrington to win anything again and simply settle for medicrity for the next 40 years of being a fan, coz whatever happens, Wire are in my blood and I'll always be a fan, just like I'll always rant if I'm not happy with the way that feel my club is being run.

I don't need them to win every week, I just need them to look like they'll give their best when they pull on the shirt, and for some reason I don't see that passion from them all with Smith at the helm.

Oh, and thanks to the Hudds fan for his comments

I don't blame any of our team for lack of effort tonight ,but Wigan had a game plan & we didn't ,so what are our coaching staff doing during training sessions ? Any one of our coaching staff could have gone along to Wigan & bought all the club videos to be studied.....Wigan studied the Wire & did a job on us. At times we were like headless chickens hoping someone else knew what to do.

Mr Snoodle, your last post is a good and valid one. It was the one before where you stated 'that we've not won anything for 3 years'. I totally agree as well more than anything the players need to do their best when they pull their shirts on. For me it doesn't matter how long a person has been following the Wire to be a fan. I just don't like the comments from supposed fans expecting A+ all the time. It's totally unrealistic and smacks of spoilt child syndrome (I don't mean you personally Mr Snoodle). Nothing is perfect no-matter what players, what sport, what profession. There were plenty of players who did give a toss tonight and with the help of the others, we may have one. No trophy in any sport is a God given right because the the manager/players/directors/club follow the supposed protocol to gain success.

That analogy of steering the ship is a good one. You can't instantly change the direction, or change the captain and expect it go to be instantly to the desired location. The ship has gone in the wrong direction a bit but I think TS is re-steering it, knows the mistakes, and is trying to re-steer it with the new signings without trying to lose too much faith.

Have faith with TS. There's no better person in charge than TS to turn this around.

This is quite simply a bloody brilliant post and is a fantastic review of what it means to be a wire. . It's the easiest thing in the world to jump all over a person, team or any other entity when the chips are down but I personally am root going to. I have no problem with those that are doing it as they all are entitled to an
opinion but we all knew this team lacking the star quality I firmly believe is here in sandow or on its way next year in the form of new signings.

there is a difference in last night to thehlate 90s and 00s.
the team had no heart. passion or pride for the shirt. the club or the fans.
it was abysmal.
I saw more heart and passion from people like lee penny. briers toa. benny. mike Wainwright. the beast mark foster. rob Smyth. deano nat wood. cullen. nikkaw and a host more of players when we were losing by 30 points a game. they gave it a go and showed more pride in the shirt than any od rhe players did last night.

We wont defend our tryline, whatever the cost may be, we shall get intimidated on the halfway line, we shall step aside on the centres, we wont fight in the fields, last night, we surrendered.

Never in the field of rugby conflict, was so much owed to 10,000, but was never delivered

This shall be their lowest hour

and finally, an untouched quote from the man
It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.

Expectations are now raised. We are not the scrappy underdogs we are seen as a top four side who wins trophies.

Pressure is for the privileged etc etc

Excellent post.

Oscar Wilde came out wit some brilliant stuff didn't he as true in the 1970's as it is today and his daughter Kim how fit was she??? Bewsey's very own Kylie Minogue I can hear her dulcet tones now..."We're the kids from the Fletcher End whoooa"

some absolute tripe in this thread.

sounds like some people want to be back at wilderspool battling away at the bottom.. celebrating against the odds wins more than cup finals.

You cant beat a good 'true fan' eh?

It's quite simple Morley deckchair. If you thought this team was going to be having a run at gf and cups etc it's your expectations that are overshadowing reality. I heard from Stevo and Phil clarke the only thing I have agreed with them on and it's that Leeds or Wigan are the only team which can or will win the gf. Best teams in the comp with a mature and strong squad. Our best chance of gf as been mentioned on here ducking 1000s of times has been and gone during last 4 years prior to this season. We didn't take it , are where we should be in the league upon reflection of the quality of the playing staff at our disposal.
The frustration in general this season has been the glimpses shown but not backed up. I am in no way a Shaun wane fan but he sure does get his lads fired up and get the impression they would run through brick walls for him. we are missing some of this from our coaching staff be it head or assistant coaches.

We were pre-season favourites for the title #justsaying

Who was that with though? Because I never expected us to even make the top four, never mind GF and never mind win the GF. I've said all season that we're mediocre and would finish mid table, we are 6th/7th best and the table doesn't lie. We have some excellent players, some good young players, some average players and some poor players. The total of that just comes to an average side overall.

Who said we were favourites? Was it just that a load of people put money on us with good odds as a bit of a dark horse and the number of betters cut out odds greatly leaving us with the lowest odds or did people genuinely have us down as the best side in the comp?