Quote Deano G="Deano G"Being charitable to IL (because of what he has done to turn the club around) I am taking his comments on Sky (I don't know if anyone else saw this - about being proud that our best players are leaving the club to play in other sports/competitions and that we shouldn't be negative) as attempting to put on a brave face and rally the troops in the face of the bitter disappointment of losing one of the best players in the world and the greatest British player since Hanley.'"
I felt he had totally lost the plot with those comments. Proud our ex-players are winning things playing RU? Why? I have no issue if he is pleased for them on a personal level but I'd like to think his emotions when seeing them running around in another sport are ones of regret they aren't still here, not pride.
The comments as as misguided as saying he understands having won a CC's and GF's here players don't have the same challenge any more. In Social Psychology there is a phenomenon known as "when belief creates reality" which applied in this context means if you keep saying such things people (in this case the players) will decide there is no challenge any more despite any normal sportsman who has tasted success once wanting to repeat it. If he keeps banging on like this the players will quickly conclude they have done it all and their club chairman thinks they are all better off in the NRL or playing RU.
When Sam signed his special deal IL said he was confident Wigan could offer an attractive package for players to come here. He is undermining his own position with comments like these.
Quote Deano GThe reality is that this is a huge blow for our club and sport. The only potential good news is that England might get a bit more competitive at international level because of the number of players in the NRL, but the international game is so low profile and so poorly marketed in this country that I doubt this will feed back into the domestic game in a significant way.
It would be good to hear IL acknowledge the wider problems of the game and offer some leadership. Instead he has spoken about the SC as a good thing and his comments on the Tomkins saga give the impression of a man who is focussed purely on what is going on at Wigan and us remaining top dogs in RL. I do hope that is not the case.'"
I have said the same kind of thing myself elsewhere. He seems to be aiming to keep Wigan at the top of a game of declining standards rather than addressing the declining standards that are a result of a lack of money in the game.
As well as coming out in favour of the SC he has also asked the question why would he want to pay the players more money? This is not good IMO.
Quote Deano GI don't want a future where Wigan remain the leading British RL club but in a semi-pro league similar in status and quality to the French domestic league.That is unfortunately where we are heading in the long term, unless there is radical change. Being the best of a bad bunch is not my vision of Wigan's future but I'm worried IL doesn't see the long term direction of travel in the sport - being the best of a bad bunch is all we are likely to be able to achieve if nothing changes.'"
I have said exactly the same things elsewhere.
Quote Deano GWe need IL to take up the mantle of leadership in the sport. He is the custodian of the greatest club in the game. It is time for Wigan to lead the rest of RL again and drag the sport kicking and screaming into a better future. I know Ian (and people close to him) read these board and hopefully he will hear this and other calls to action.
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When he first arrived IL did a very good job of restoring the clubs image in the game which was never very high under Mo and DW. I always felt once he had gained the browney points he would use his influence as the owner of one of the games leading clubs to try and improve matters in the way both you an I are on about. He hasn't done this. Instead he tows the RFL line by not only voting against increases in the cap but as I said not even wanting to raise wages for players. He has also voted in favour the other great stupid idea of late which was the stupid U19 rules.
Unfortunately IL is more of an ally to clubs who are holding the game back who continually block increases to the salary cap.
This also shows why the current structure is a block to progress because if IL did suddenly try and show some leadership for the sport and proposed anything radical it would all too easily be voted down by the other chairman as Koukash soon found out.
) is not.
as I do watching IMO the best RL team - Wigan 
