Whilst there appears to be a bit of doom and gloom around after last weeks game, I thought I would take a step back and review exactly where we are.
This current team appears to suffering from an apparently negative comparison with that of the last 2 seasons, but on closer examination I do not see why people are so negative.

SL
In the league, our record is pretty consistent. If we win our last 3 games we will have the same points tally as 2010, 1 more than last season. Our point difference is looking to be better than the last 2 seasons, which is a bonus.

CC
We got the SF, but lost to better team on the day. No issues there.

Squad
This years performances have been produced by a younger squad with our imports being that bit older, with key players consistently missing throughout the season. (Lockers, Tommy, George, Finch, Paddy, Fielden have all missed quite a few games)

Coaches
MM came here with experience in NRL and tipped to be the next big thing.
This is SW first experience at 1st team level in SL

Player Development
Compared to the past 10 years, this has been the real plus point. Not much explanation here.

All-in-all with a less experienced squad, more injuries and a rookie coach, how can we be churlish and complain as to where we are ?
Overall SW can be proud of what has been achieved. To have a record that bears direct comparison with 2010 is a real credit.
He has also laid down the foundations for the next few seasons.

Whatever happens in the play-offs I think we can proud of where we are and what has been achieved after MM left us in the lurch.
Certainly if we looked back at the initial reactions when SW was appointed I think that where we are now is certainly at the upper end of expectation levels.

Watching Warrington get hammered by London last night put it all into perspective for me. The way we thought we were unbeatable for a period this season. I don't care if they were light on regulars, We have had a load missing this season, Not to mention our whole forward line at Leeds and we smashed them off the park. Bad move by Tony Smith last night for me. I think the equilibrium has been broken, I know the Wire fans are saying it doesn't matter but i reckon they are going to be rocking now. Watch out for McGuire making a comeback next week with Burrow and i think they will see Warrington off. Then what for them? Their season is all but done unless they do what they have never been able to get close to in the final reckoning. For me, Warrington's season ended last night. If they win the cup fair play but i just can't see it now. The players who needed to stand up and be counted were non existent last night and were shown up by a near amateur side.

Take out briers and hodgson, wire are rubbish.

That is just what has happened to us with tommy and Pat being missing. Take away their play maker and goal kicker and there is nothing left

Great post,

The same perspective needs to be followed at my club at Saints. To be quite honest we have been woeful at best against yourselves and Wire. Considering we sacked Royce Simmons (which I still believe was a knee jerk reaction and should never have taken place) we have done well. Youngsters like Josh Jones, Adam Swift, Tommy Makinson, Carl Forster have all been blooded again this year and will be better for the experience of playing Super League Football. Some fans a fickle and dont understand the game one bit.

I agree with most of that, but I still think they'll beat Leeds on Saturday, and I'd then back them to get to OT and lose to us. I hope!

Lies, damned lies and statistics. We could at this point in time if we had won at Widnes away (as we should have had Wane not done as he did) require a just victory v Salford to secure the league and then rest players for the play offs. As it is we have to win two of the last three games and Wane will try at least to do that if not try and win all three given the last game is Saints. So the stats say one thing but completely miss the implications of the way the results have gone.



No issues? Well issue number one is we lost. Issue number two is why where they the better team given our previous form?



Injuries have not been as kind to us this season but they have been manages badly IMO. Lockers at 13 etc.



MM was an assistant coach in the NRL. Wane was an assistant to MM. The reason I wanted Wane appointed was I expected continuity from MM. I firmly believe some of the problems this season stem form the fact Wane has deliberately not carried on with a proven formula on and off the field.



I really don't understand that statement. Products of the last 10 years are some of out senior players now like Hansen, Lockers, Micky Mac and Goulding etc. It is true last season Madge didn't blood young players as maybe he should have and we have blooded more this but I have no idea why you mention a 10 year time frame.



I don't. I expected more of the same and why not?

Wigan RL is not a place for rookie coaches to learn their trade. As I said I expected continuity with Wane in charge but he hasn't gone that way. Wane also has an excellent squad which is arguably the best in the league. He said himself he wanted to win all three competitions. He really hasn't got an excuse not to at least [iget[/i the team to the GF. On the day as it is a one off game we may lose it but unless we get there his new way of doing things will have been shown to be a failure.

would 2 rest weeks in 4 be a good thing?

It certainly would last year and again this year I think there are players who are looking tired and could do with a week off to re-charge the batteries. My only concern is that we didn't respond well in 2010 when we had 2 weeks off for the Challenge Cup SF and Final.

To really put it into perspective, if we think back six short years ago it was a time as bad as I had seen it in my 25 years of watching Wigan. At that time how I wished we could be in a position just to have chance of some silverware rather than skirting with relegation.

As I type we've been recent SL champions and also Challenge Cup Winners, for this season we are a shoe-in to finish top of the league and in a good place before the playoffs start. Yes the cup semi was a shocker, but hey-ho.
We have a strong management team and the conveyor belt of youth talent is trundling along nicely indeed.

Things are certainly looking rosie in the Wigan RLFC garden.

We just need to not bottle it every time we play Warrington. Easy.

Yep, top of the league with the hubcap entirely within our own destiny and some people's cup isn't so much half empty as just been smashed. It must be an absolute joy and laugh a minute in some households.

Every day, in every way, I thank whatever powers may be that I am not Dave O. The horror, the horror!!

i honestly don't believe some of the people on this wigan forum... talk about high expectations!

we are top of the league with two games to go and 3 points clear. we've had a couple of injuries to key players in richards and tommy yet we are still top of the league and had a decent run in the CC until we bottled it against leeds.

for me this is all about expectations and pressure. the simple matter of fact is, there are a majority of wigan fans who expect more the Wane does and whether its on this board or on the "terraces" to use that term, it will reflect on the team some way or another.

people should get a grip and be thankful we aren't in a much worse position than we currently are like a few years back. it is a game. you win some you lose some. take it on the chin and stop moaning and coming up with elaborate views which make no difference or sense whatsoever anyway!

so we lost to wire in the league the other week and have largely played poorly since (and including) the CC semi final, winning at a canter against salford despite playing poorly. lets not forget the immense work the team put into the season before this point please, as after all we are still where we are. sport has its ups and downs. there is not one team in the league whose form scares me at present so i've no idea where this image of us not playing well enough comes from.

playoff games are (largely) knockout rugby and its what team turns up on the day. if it isnt to be our day this year at any point then we have to accept that. someone has to lose out.

Not so. Waney said right at the start that he wanted all three trophies, and that we were good enough to get them.

Correct. And that is exactly what I want him to say at the start of every season. Fans want success and all of us, SW included (who, after all, is as much of a fan as any of us), want us to win every game. However, sport is cruel sometimes and it almost never works out as you want.

Yes, we haven't played very well the past few weeks, but we've won 4 out of the last 5 games since the CCSF pretty convincingly without really having to play well. I'd put that down to the quality of opposition, personally. London, Cas and Salford aren't exactly the heavyweights of the league. Hull perhaps fit more into that catagory, but they didn't play very well that night either.

Going into the playoffs, I'm confident of us putting a good run together. The return of Pat, plus the possible returns of both Tommy and Stu are encouraging signs. Will we win at OT? I don't know, but we are certainly more than capable.