Playing behind a well-beaten pack doesn't help. That game was lost up front, and lost early. Too many missed tackles, too many offloads allowed, too many quick PTBs allowed, too many penalties given away as a consequence. We put in some decent kicks early on, pinned them on their own line, then released the pressure every time.

it has everything to do with my concerns... think about it, is name was on every young lads shirt, playing like a true potential wigan legend and was setting the English game on fire. signs a marque contract, form quickly drops and hasn't recovered since. all while the REPORTs I've read (which have already been brought up and discussed on here might I add) state he has been seen getting rather shirty doing something with money a lot of us don't have the luxury of doing. i'm not saying I believe those rumours at all, but it would be telling and it makes sense to me knowing what that kind of off the field behaviour can do to you mentally. so yes i'm concerned that this may be one of the reasons for his lack of form. he isn't my scapegoat, I've been on about him for about a year now. if you are on marque money you should be delivering. whether tha stats say it or not, if you have watched Williams of late and honestly think he is making the effort he should be then you are very easily pleased. again, had he still been on a more youth-orientated contract I probably wouldn't be too worried. in fact i'm actually concerned for him and the club. if the club can't or won't help him then we need to think whether his marquee status is worthwhile.

again with the stats... that's like saying the tory government are only in because the majority voted for them. its more likely they are in because of the majority of people that didn't vote at all.

All I can say about George Williams is that I've seen him and his mates in my local a few times, but he has always appeared friendly and was only drinking soft drinks.

But yeah, his form has gone backwards and I can't see how Shaun Wane is to blame for that.

"again with the stats... that's like saying the tory government are only in because the majority voted for them. its more likely they are in because of the majority of people that didn't vote at all."

This is a very poor argument against stats. How do you know the majority of people who didn't vote wouldn't also have voted Tory? The fact is, the Tories are in because the majority of people who voted (according to our system) voted Tory. Any other statistic or 'what if' is completely irrelevant.

Statistics tell the full story if used in the correct way. Unfortunately they very often aren't and people attempt 'spin by omission'. I think this is what you're alluding to here.

As to George, his stats do tell the story. However they don't take into account expectation, much as Sam's tenure in the NRL is often coloured by the expectation his enormous wage put on him. It all comes down to what you expect from a marquee player as you say. On that score, I think it fair to expect more than we're currently getting.

that is entirely my point, the stats have shown what they are able to show, i.e. what can be measured, but they do not show you the entire equation. they can show you his metres gained, how many tries he has to his name but they do not show you many other elements such as desire, enthusiasm, fitness, quick-thinking, decisive plays etc.

I actually agree with you all here it does sound like i'm griping on about him a little too much but I must once again point out, considering the mess wigan is in as we all now know, a player of marquee status needs to be doing more. my concern is that his off the field habits may be having a detrimental effect - that is not a criticism, i'm genuinely wondering if that is partially to blame fo his apparent lack of form.

I totally get where you're coming from WB. I just have this thing about people dismissing stats because sometimes they are used incorrectly. It's like saying words can be used to lie therefore all words must be lies or pictures can be doctored therefore all pictures cannot be real. I often ask people on here to justify an opinion by backing it up with something concrete and whenever they can't they invariably use some variant of the 'stats can be used to prove anything' line when, in actuality, they can't unless you're using them incorrectly. Just put it down to a bee in my bonnet mate!

As for George I tend to agree with you, especially in relation to his marquee status. It puts an enormous expectation on a player, especially a young one, and it's not a foregone conclusion that every personality type is able to handle it. George seems like a quiet lad and maybe this has come too early for him. He wasn't the finished article anyway and perhaps needed to hone his skills a little more 'under the radar' so to speak. I wouldn't agree that he isn't trying though. On occasion it's seemed to me that perhaps he's trying too hard and it's stifling any freedom in his game.