It's interesting as on this forum last year 2016 was cited as "successful" due to the LLS and Finals (usually on Smith Out threads). But I think "did well with what it had" is probably fair and it seems collective views are coming round to that.

Given the backdrop to 2018 I would call a Top 4 finish successful for this year. I was expecting mid table.

I think Smiths best season was 2011, we should have won SL that year. Winning 22 of 27 games and scoring 220 points more than the closest rival. We were head and shoulders the best team that year.

Couldn't have described my own feelings any better... For me, as much as I was thankful for what Smith had done for us, this was the moment of clarity in the 'Smith can do no wrong' giddiness. He'd had a good run, but had clearly taken us as far as he could and I felt that we were just never going top get that monkey off our back without a whole new era under a different regime.

I think its reasonable to criticise Smith for his recruitment up to that point, if you are taking the view of "did well with what he had available", as he signed it all.

But given the comments here about the general standard of SL being so poor by 2016 it begs the question, what could anybody have done in terms of recruitment, there was just a general downturn in quality.

In fact, perhaps TS had assembled the best squad in SL by 2016?

Which clubs in 2016 had stronger squads than us? The only one I can think of is Leeds who were completely garbage that year.
Anybody else?

Dunno really how you can answer other than Leeds and Hull. It was pretty much a season where so many teams had lists of injured players and teams were beating teams and no form lines could be took...
Eddie took glee from saying that the middle 8s and salary cap have worked....not me it was just one shat season.
TS reluctance to recruit big after 2016 and not have to foresight to see Sandow wasn't coming back. Who honesty was naive enough to think he was...oh yes I just said who!

Are we forgetting this supposed 2nd best squad in SL contained the likes of ...

Russell
George King
Rhys Evans
Laithwaite
Wilde
Cox
Wheeler
Ormsby
Bailey

We end up playing Gidley (signed as full back) in the halves. Russell (signed as winger) at Full back.

One thing that stands out that a squad of 33 is rediculously large to fit under a cap. What with paying Gidley a kings randsom, Clark, Hill and Lineham on good money no wonder we packed up the rest of the side with dross.

He made a pigs ear of the recruitment alright.

So who do you think had better squads than us in 2016?

The whole of SL was struggling to recruit at this time, which is why we finished top.

Unless your view is that Warrington were unique in assembling a crap squad, but due to TS genius in polishing turds, he achieved one of the great all time feats of coaching by getting this useless lot to top the league ahead of rivals who had recruited much more effectively.

LOL. I think we can safely say that TS could not polish turds, he signed enough and tried and tried.

2016 was largely due to Sandow and the lack of competition. A blip in a downward trend as the quality of our side ebbed away. The squad was large but low on quality in key positions. Broadly the same squad in 2017 less Sandow and the Smith/Agar partnership was found out.

I am just relieved that, in Price, we have managed to rebuild sufficiently to get into the Top 4 to stem the damage.

This was a better squad.

Sam Tomkins
Josh Charnley
Anthony Gelling
Dan Sarginson
Dom Manfredi
George Williams
Matty Smith
Dom Crosby
Michael McIlorum
Ben Flower
Joel Tomkins
Liam Farrell
Sean O’Loughlin
John Bateman
Tony Clubb
Sam Powell
Lee Mossop
Wigan Warriors Fans
Taulima Tautai
Oliver Gildart
Ryan Sutton
Lewis Tierney

This was a better squad


1 Zak Hardaker
2 Tom Briscoe
3 Kallum Watkins
4 Joel Moon
5 Ryan Hall
6 Danny McGuire
7 Rob Burrow
8 Keith Galloway
9 Beau Falloon
10 Adam Cuthbertson
11 Jamie Jones-Buchanan
12 Carl Ablett
13 Stevie Ward
14 Liam Sutcliffe
15 Brett Delaney
16 Brad Singleton
17 Mitch Garbutt
18 Jimmy Keinhorst
19 Mitch Achurch
20 Anthony Mullally
21 Josh Walters
22 Ash Handley
23 Ashton Golding

Erm, so TS was a genius and could indeed polish pooh? Or have I misunderstood your point in listing at least 2 better squads?