IL is at Dairy Farmers stadium watching the Cowboys and Newcastle KNights. The commentary team are suggesting Wigan are looking at Carl Webb, the Cowboys front rower.

Thoughts?

Yes, we are.

got told off a person very close to the club that we are looking at chris bailey

Crazy signing if we go ahead. Webb is average at best. He is a good 20 minute prop, much like Feka. Not what we need.

Should go for Thurston. That is the type of 7 we need at the club.

A certain phil baileys brother and a half back to boot.

Would that mean phil bailey will be staying?

That's actually so true. I'd expect the following positions to have changes over the next two years.

1 - New FB
2 - Roberts - Just not recieving enough ball
3 - Glesson
4 - New Centre - If K. Pryce doesn't fit the bill
5 - Ainscough
6 - New W/C Halfback
7 - S. Tomkins
8 - Fielden - Only on seriously reduced pay
9 - Tommy
10 - New Brutal Prop
11 - Hock
12 - J. Tomkins
13 - O'Loughlin

Bench
Mossop/Hansen - to be kept if Mossop isn't up to SL standard)
Maccie/Riddell - Too many on Riddell's back, given time he perform, we have nothing to play for this season why can't the fans give him it.
Feka - Kept if he starts to perform again, other then that I think we could find better.
New Prop

The rest in my opinion are average players - Bailey, Coley, Phelps, Carmont, Richards, Hansen, Goulding, T. Smith (has great talent just doesn't want to be here)

That's all I'd expect IL to change. O and the Coach - Ricky Stuart

Your passion does you credit, but the sort of wholesale changes you propose can't happen any more. A lot of those whose attitude you regard as 'laughable' are merely being realistic.

Imagine life at Wigan if no-one at all was happy until the best player in the world occupied each respective shirt.

Sometimes you just have to accept that what you've got is good enough for the time being.

I'd agree that we're not there yet, and that new, better players are required in certain positions. But you have to get real. We can't change so many players in one go, or even over a period of several years - contracts, quotas, etc, and being totally peed off about the fact will serve no purpose at all.

Before we win any cup Coley and Fielden have to have left. Coley performing above his actual weight if you ask me and Fielden is a spent force.

Lets move on, with 2 new props and one of O'Carrol or Prescott.

A new halfback and we'll be alright. Happy with Phelps at FB for now. Riddell needs more time, maybe he may do a Pat and just be having a bad first season. But if he carries on being crap either sell up or let his contract run out.

We've just bought badly. For god sake wigan look inward before buying. Look at who we've got before bringing in average players like phelps and bailey.
Carmont and richards are alright at best letsbe honest.

I just don't think it's that simple.

Carmont and/or Richards would walk into most teams in SL.

But even if they wouldn't, who do you replace them with? To bring in a world class winger and a world class centre - assuming you could find a pair who wanted to come to GB (because sadly there are none in GB, IMO) - would scupper all our other signing needs, and most agree that a prop and a half are our present priority.

I don't think we've recruited brilliantly. But my previous point stands; it's about identifying where you're really weak and trying to put that right first. And sadly, the answer clearly doesn't totally lie in looking inward. Noble's odd team selections haven't helped the situation, but there's increasing evidence that the likes of Ainsough and Sam are still far from the finished article (and they're the best in the Accelerate Squad).

I agree that we need new players. But even if we were to decide to replace everyone, it would take years and years.

i think we've also been tied due to the fact we don't have as much cap space as possible. I know we keep saying this, but fielden in particular, as well as people like bailey etc are taking up a huge chunk of the cap.

Thats why when it comes to aussie signings we can't afford the top echelon of players, such as buderus. So we had to go for riddell, who won't be cheap but i bet he's knowhere near the ex aus captain! Same for roberts, another proven player in the nrl, but i bet he's a damn sight cheaper than others.


Speaking of roberts, i don't think he's played badly for us at all. Can't think of many mistakes he's made, or chances that he's blown on the wing. Motm for me against wire as well.

Quite an old email, I missed it. But a pretty new update list of NRL players still out of contracts come the end of the season.

Luke Covell
Blake Green
Corey Hughes
Brett Kearney
Reni Maitua
Grant Millington
Bryan Norrie
Ben Ross
Aarron Gorell
Karmichael Hunt
Lagi Setu
David Taylor
Ben Te'o
Hasem El Masri
Daniel Holdsworth
Ben Roberts
Justin Tsoulos
Matthew Utai
Danny Williams
Brad Cross
Phil Graham
Tom Learoyd-Lahrs
Scott Logan
Nigel Plum
Luke Bailey
Brenton Bowen
Daniel Conn
Ian Donnelly
Nathan Friend
Ben Jeffery
Matt White
Adam Cuthbertson
Glenn Hall
Heath L'Estrange
Matt Orford
Dane Nielsen
Kevin Proctor
Wairangi Koopu
Arana Taumata
Cameron Ciraldo
Matt Hilder
Ben Rogers
George Nadaira
Matthew Bartlett
Scott Bolton
Matthew Scott
Shane Tronc
Anthony Watts
Dayne Western
Shannon Hegarty
Grant Rovelli
Josh Cordoba
Joe Galuvao
Matt Keating
Kevin Kingston
Todd Lowrie
Tim Mannah
Fuifui Moimoi
Matt Raftery
Joel Reddy
Taulima Tautai
Paul Aiton
Matthew Bell
Maurice Blair
Petero Civoniceva
Geoff Daniela
Junior Moors
Keith Peters
Nathan Smith
Gavin Cooper
Shane Elford
Beau Champion
Beau Faloon
Scott Geddes
Michael Greenfield
David Kidwell
Jaiman Lowe
Jamie Simpson
Luke Stuart
John Sutton
Ben Creagh
Mathew Head
Dan Hunt
Brett Morris
Mickey Paea
Justin Poore
Wendell Sailor
Beau Scott
Ricky Thorby
Nick Emmet
Patrick Ah Van
Nathan Fien
Ian Henderson
Lance Hohaia
Stacey Jones
Aidan Kirk
Steve Price
Malo Solomona
Michael Witt
Danny Galea
Dene Halatau
John Morris
Corey Payne

I'd take Kidwell in a shot. Quality player and would be a top signing.