Uh-oh, I'd better just cover my back on this one.

To be fair Amos did suck last year, but this year he has really shone to become the player that many of us expected we'd be getting.

I'll gladly put my hand up and say that this year he has shown a remarkable turn of form to become arguably are best player, but there's still no getting away from the fact that last year he was poor.

Now what ever the reasons for his poor form last year have obviously been addressed, and at the end of the day a happy player is a better player, and long may it continue for Amos.

He was poor at the start of last year and pretty good for the rest.

I love it when these sort of threads are brought back! I can almost see the posters sitting at their computers with red faces and that uncomfortable, prickly feeling up the back of their necks!

I dont recall bagging him last season, nor praising him either.. BUT........ it seems to me that a lot of Aussies have a poor first year and then come good in subsequent seasons.

I totally remember calling Dallas all the names under the sun in his first year, then having to backtrack when he proved what a pedigree winger he was.

Also, wasnt Richards a little bit rubbish in his first season for us ?

Cant really see the point of this thread, he wasnt hot last year, now he is.

End of.

I backed the lad, but my god reading my post on page 2 i look like i have spat the dummy right out.

It made me cringe reading it, i must have had a beer in me!

I don't remember Dallas being poor in his first year. And his try scoring record for that year speaks for itself.

The question is, how many people bagged Roberts last year because they were skeptical about Brian Noble and/or Ian Lenagan?

If you recall, Ainscough getting dropped became a whip for some to beat Nobby with on the basis that "he never plays the youngsters". I'm not taking sides in that argument now, but the acquisition of Roberts, who was seen by some as a replacement for Ainscough (whereas I always thought he was more of a replacement for Mathers) only added fuel to that fire. Likewise, Roberts's initial poor form was apparently meat and drink to those who'd become convinced that Ian Lenagan only made weak signings because he "wouldn't splash the cash".

I was disappointed by Roberts last year, but only because he wasn't living up to a reputation that he'd earned fair and square in Australia. It did seem that the old cliche - "why are they always good elsewhere but crap when they come to us" - had rung true again.

Perhaps though we should forget those first impressions and comments made in the heat of the moment, and just be grateful that Amos appears to have turned the corner so successfully, and equally grateful that someone at Wigan - either Nobby or IL - had the wisdom to see that at some point this player could be very, very useful to us.

Or both?

The fact that Amos is performing so well this year only highlights how much he was underperforming last year. Now whether last years performances were down to him not settling in, carrying an injury or not being coached properly are debatable but the people who said last year that he was useless and not worth either his wages or the quota money don't have any reason to be red faced now imo. How good would Ainscough be now if he wasn't dropped so early on last season giving him extra Super League experience and a full pre-season with MM and co? He was no more of a liability in defence than AMos last year and was far more effective in attack, yet he got dropped but Amos didn't and thats what annoyed people and rightly so. It bears uncanny similarities to the previous season when Darrell Goulding was dropped (after a shocking TEAM performance at Craven Park) and replaced by a less than spectacular (at that time) Mr Phelps... Yet those who criticised Phelps or Amos were accused of scapegoating by those who happily accepted everything that Nobby did when Darrell and Ainy were treated as scapegoats themselves (ironically Ainy was dropped after a matchwinning performance)

Agree with you 100%. However, you will have Jukesays on your back any minute.

You just knew I'd be here didn't you!

Best Right Winger at the club last year even if he was "Under performing" to his best level. He was still better than Ainscough etc and from early May through to the end of the year I thought he was the best players we had.

Best Right Winger at the club This Year and as I have said on the other thread, Jonh was right & he's probably the Best FB at the club as well!

If MM's coaching has brought this out of Roberts then Brill
If Roberts getting a full re season has upped his performances then Brill!
Whatever is doing it Brill!

Last Year I asked 1 question about Roberts.

If another coach comes in who will he pick? He picked Roberts.

Those who called Roberts Gash & every name under the sun last year will say he was Gash last year and MM has made him better etc etc

Thos who stuck up for Roberts last year will say that his undoubted class was there for all to see and he was playing well last 2/3rds of the season and now we are jsut seeing an extension of that.

Who's right, Who cares?

I like how you state as fact that Amos was better than Ainscough, good one. Here are the stats based on the assumption Amos and Shaun played the same number of games, read into them as you feel appropriate.

Amos Shaun
11 11 Appearances
5 13 Tries
2 2 Try assists 2
2 0 Goals
0 0 Drop Goals
935 1131 Meters
112 145 Carries
45 40 Tackles
10 9 Offloads
4 2 Attacking Kicks
37 34 Runs from dummy half
21 39 Tackle Busts
5 4 Marker tackles
9 14 Clean Breaks
0 0 Forty twenty
5 2 Kicks in general play
3 0 Missed goals
11 8 Missed tackles
10 15 Errors
2 3 Penalties
0 0 Red cards
0 0 Yellow cards

I always felt that Amos had a bit of class about him and you won't find any posts by me being overly critical of him but he can't really be compared with Ainscough based on stats. Last season almost everything went through the left hand side and only once we got Gleeson on the right and Hock was no longer playing on the left, did we start to see some ball go out to the right. If I'd have played on our left wing I'd have scored more tries than Roberts did on the right.

As Pemps says, "How many of those games did Ainscough play on the Right Wing?".

Apples & Oranges

99% Correct! (Not sure about the bit were you'd score more tries on the left than Ainy )