Wigan must be clear favourites, To see those two leeds performances in a row was unbelievable. For them to get up a third time mentally, never mind physically is a massive massive ask. Leeds have had two wars, Wigan have had two perfect tune up games, and lets not forget are in far better form than Leeds who 3 weeks ago were getting panned in france.

Spot on Charlie. Some of our fans are like the spoilt brat in a supermarket who cries if his mummy doesn't buy him any sweeties. He stamps his foot and says it's not fair. Some of them need to get some perspective on life and grow up.

He's been successful in one season of his three at the club. If we don't win anything this season that's 3/4 of his time at Wigan without winning one of the big two.



It's not arrogance to say we aren't must clubs. I was looking at the Hudds board before Thursday game and they were talking about reaching the final would be their greatest achievement to date. I sound like a broken record but reaching finals isn't enough - you have to win them.



I'm sure i'm in the minority here when i say i don't care how many foreign players are playing for the club. As long as they do the job i don't put weighting behind where they were born i don't think any less of Boston, Hanley or Bell when compared to guys like Edwards, Radders or Faz etc.

You can pad out 'success' as much as you want with stats on how many finals we've made or how we've reduced our amount of overseas players to x, y & Z. ATEOTD the only stat to measure success is trophies in the bank. Leeds win win the treble with five overseas players and we lose with just one isn't some sort of moral victory.

Spot on... Apart from a moment of madness, which was Wanes fault in the eyes of the haters, Wane could have been looking at the possibility of a third GF win on the bounce. Nobody gave Stains a chance before the game. I know they will get uppity, but, they only just managed to beat 12 men over 70 odd minutes. As Rogues has pointed out, this is such a young side, and we have players knocking on the door to get in the first team. I think myself and some other post a lot less than we did, because we just can't get our heads around how negative some posters are....

I think some sleep in their Norweb shirts, with "Simply the best" on a loop... That reminds me, must go to the barbers to get my mullet sorted...

That is one way of looking at it.Another is that Leeds are battle hardened and Wigan no being in anything like a real contest in a while could be under done.Add to that, The usual final adrenaline, The legends retiring, i personally expect Leeds to be nothing less than at least at the level of the past two weeks.I would have Wigan as very slight favourites going in but it really is very tight to call.Would be surprised if there is more than a score in it either way.

Brilliant contribution as ever. This is the one coming from the guy who quit the board when he didn't like what other people were saying!

You do realise that people have different opinions to your own right.

The only 'child' i can see is you. Can you not see the irony that when we play badly you won't let an inch of blame be put at the feet of Wane but when we are successful it's suddenly a master stroke on his part??

Where is the evenhandedness? I've already said if we win the GF then he deserves praise but if we don't there should be a frank discussion about the success of his time as head coach. I'm not alone in saying this has been an indifferent season - you yourself couldn't be have been happy with some of the performances. Notice the word performances and not results there is a difference between getting beat and not performing (Cas, Wire & Cats away - Hull in the Cup etc compared to our last min loss at Saints).

I answered your original question so can you answer mine? IF we don't win anything this season how long would you personally given Wane until he wins another trophy? Are you just indefinitely behind him regardless of anything else?

This, absolutely this.

I am sorry but that is arrogance at least to my way of thinking. As a very long time Wigan fan through good and bad times we have no right to win anything, no club does, you earn the right by hard work and skill and getting to finals Past performances are absolutely no bearing on the present time. I am sure Wane will expect Wigan to win this years GF but it will be down to what happens on the day - hopefully whatever the outcome the best team on the day will win it (but I have a bad feeling that this may not be the case this year) but I am sure even as loyal and blinkered Wiganer as Wane will not think that Wigan have a right to win. Wigan are a top club - maybe even the most well known outside the UK and to non-RL fans but that means little when it comes to winning trophies.

Many other clubs have had periods of dominance and could justifiably claim to have a right to win things just as you are claiming for Wigan and it would be just as wrong - there have been some very good or even great sides that have won nothing - sometimes being beaten by lesser sides who had exceptional games or just by bad luck. Would Wigan have one more GF win if there had kept the full team on the pitch last year - we will never know but if we had then Wigan 's record over the last few years would look much better. Expectation, desire and will to win yes ; right - no.

In this day of salary capped level playing field Super League no club will dominate and have a monopoly on winning things like Wigan did back in the 80s and 90s those days are gone - I for one want Wigan to win things, I expect them to be challengers but at present there are 3 clubs (us, Leeds and Saints) who realistically can be winners and I am sure that the fans of other two have equally high opinions of their teams, even others like Cas and Huds are getting closer. As long as Wigan are getting to finals then that is the primary objective - finals are one-off games as often decided by one piece of brilliant play by an individual or a referee decision than anything else.

Of course the past has nothing to do with future success. Also we don't have a divine right to win things but that also doesn't mean that we should be happy when we don't.

When i say 'we aren't like must other clubs' i'm not talking about our past successes. I'm talking about the proverbial 'Wigan Way' which to me is all about the notion that we do things different here. We always have the aim to be the biggest and best club and we never sell ourselves short. Just being ok with making finals is selling our club short imo.

Losses are a part of sport and we can't always win. The question is how long to do you leave it between success before you need to change things up.

Ok to answer your question. Shaun Wane can see out his contract provided we are COMPETING for honours. Winning sometimes takes luck (eg Saints last year) and you can't legislate for that. I think that he is a good coach who has a good record of success and adds a lot to the club in other ways such as our youth system that he is partly responsible for. I'm happy competing for honours.

If we had a couple of seasons like Wire have had then I'd be looking for a new coach. But losing finals isn't a sackable offence. I respect your opinion SP but I think you have dug a hole for yourself here. Get behind Waney support the team and enjoy the final.

When was the last time we had an unbeaten season at home? Season ticket holders can't moan at that. There have been some scratchy wins but as others have said the days of hammering sides every week are in the past.
Foremost I like my team to win, I also want competitive games and if our team is almost all Wigan lads that's even better.

I don't think the coach is above criticism but so far he is providing us with a team to be proud of for me that's the Wigan way

2004