JTB - is that with wigan and whos told you that??

Regards peaking, over the course of a 8/9 month season, it should be easy for a club to peak twice, we have only ever seemed to be able to peak once at the end of the season, which ultimatley has meant nothing due to the poor season the occured prior to this peaking.

In my opinion you should aim to put together 2 peaking periods at the start and end of the year and also have the ability to id individual weeks throughout the year when you can also look to peak for 1 off performances.

If you start the year in top form picking up a good win rate, come 5 or 6 weeks into the year when form will drop off but so will that of the opposition and you have the psychological advantage on your oponents of being in a stronger position. You will be on the end of the odd shock throughout the year like Saints and Leeds often are but they are usually in a strong position when these happen ie top 2 not wallowing in 10th!

I think you have to look at more than the first team when deciding the Noble in or out arguement.

Look at the Academy and the reserves. Noble, although not the 'coach' of both of these has a massive input and if you look at where they are now to 3 years ago, the difference is massive and the production line is stronger than any in SL.

As time passes these 'better than the rest' reserves and Academy guys will come through meaning we will have to rely on oversees and signings from other SL clubs less than others.

This makes Wigan a strong force going forward. Noble hes to have a major influence in this and deserves credit.

Look who is either young in the first team or is in the reserves and Academy.

3 Tompkins
Davies
Farrell
Vivers
Mossop
Flanagan

The list goes on a nd on.

I bet there isn't a club in SL who would not swop reserve and academy teams with us at the moment.

Add to this the first team is on the up, our half backs are starting to gel and you start to think 'who do we need'. Someone has just said 'get a prop' and some cover for the halves and we are on our way.

If the confidencxe keeps flowing we are going to be right up there with the best (assuming the big prop comes in).

Noble to stay for me.

I don't know exactly how much input Noble has with the junior sides, which are among the best in the competition. But when Noble came to Wigan, and for a time after he'd arrived, he had a reputation for ignoring youth and opting for older, mainly overseas selections.

I'd ask two questions here. First of all, is this sea-change in policy down to Brian Noble, or down to Ian Lenagan? At the very least you've got to credit the chairman for the better contracts that he's awarded to our youth players. (Again, I'm not saying Noble has NO input there, but from what I hear it was the arrival of IL that spurred a series of better deals for our kids, and seems to have halted the annual exodus in its tracks). Secondly, has this sea-change actually occurred, or are appearances deceptive? There are some who regularly post on here who feel that Nobby would still select older, experienced players ahead of youngsters if he could. I'm not saying I totally agree think that's the case, but the 'Ainscough faction' would argue that there's evidence for it.

For me, congratulating Nobby for our youth management is possibly a tad over-generous.

But surely even if IL gives a contract to the youth guys he will only do so on the coaching teams say so. IL is owner and a fan but not the professional regarding coaching, team selection and spotting ability.

I would imagine that Noble has to have input along with the respective teams coaches into deciding who stays goes and gets better contracts.

Ultimately the reserves and Academy are breading ground and driven towards producing players for the first team and to that end all these guys have to be approved by Noble.

Say what you like, Noble is in charge of team afairs and currently the reserves and academy are flying.

I'm not saying all, but some credit has to go to Nobel.

I just wish two things of the man.

1 Get a 18 stone no nonsense prop
2 Stop talking utter garbage to the press (look after the cabbage etc etc)

I've no quibble with the basic jist of this, particularly not the last two points. And I'm grateful that you're giving your support for Nobby some thought, rather than just shouting that he should be shown loyalty and dismissing the views of those who disagree as if they're idiots.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I too can see advantages in keeping Nobby - especially if there's no-one better available. I wouldn't ditch him for just anyone. But I still think we're long overdue a Graham Lowe-type appointment, where we suddenly get a scholar of the game rather than a respected ex-player who's solid but unimaginative.